The Milk Producer - July 2010 - (Page 74)

THEBACKFORTY By Sharon Laidlaw A year-long journey Local veterinarian sends DFO soccer balls to Tanzania to put smiles on childrens’ faces hen veterinarian Roger Thomson sent eight cow-spotted soccer balls in March 2009 to a group of children in Tanzania, he did not expect delivery to take one year. Normally, it takes three months for parcels to travel from Canada to the poor African country. Since Thomson had declared the contents on the package, he assumed they had been stolen. “I figured they were gone,” he says. “I had no idea where they were held up. To my astonishment, I received a text message from Dr. Charles Mwasongwe in March that the soccer balls had just arrived.” After receiving a Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) promotional mailing, Thomson felt compelled to order eight of its soccer balls with the milk logo. In March 2009, he sent them to Mwasongwe, an extension veterinarian in Dodoma, with instructions to deliver one ball to each of the primary schools in his ward. “I’ve been sending veterinary journals and farm magazines to Tanzania since 1988. I send them by surface mail and they generally take about three months. Soccer balls are always a great gift because the kids play soccer constantly, even if the ball is made out of plastic bags,” he says. A project manager for Veterinarians Without Borders, a charitable organization founded in 2005, Thomson is heavily involved in humanitarian work in Tanzania. In 1988, he got involved with the Tanzania Veterinarian Association and began what would become more than 20 volunteer work years in the African country. Thomson’s volunteer work inclu74 | July 2010 | MilkPRODUCER W Dr. Charles Mwasongwe poses with a group of boys in Tanzania who recently received a Dairy Farmers of Ontario soccer ball from Canadian veterinarian Roger Thomson. des distributing veterinary journals, building new classrooms and desks for a primary school, and improving poultry health and management in Ilima, Tanzania. He credits veterinary colleague and good friend Dr. Uswege Minga, for helping him get started. A large animal vet, Thomson owned the Kincardine veterinary clinic for 28 years. In 2005, he joined Wyeth Animal Health as a technical services vet in the bovine and equine products division. He currently works for Pfizer in a similar capacity after Pfizer bought Wyeth in October. Not long after receiving the balls, Mwasongwe sent Thomson a letter stating he had a hard time keeping the adults from taking them. He wrote, “Everybody wanted to get a ball, but I told them they are intended for the children not for older people. The children got the balls and are very happy.” Thomson is planning on sending another box of DFO soccer balls soon. They’re already sitting in his office, he says. Correction In the April column, a reference was made to a study conducted by Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) on lactose intolerance. Rather, DFC’s registered dietitians conducted a literature review on scientific evidence based on information when the article was written. A link to that literature review is available on DFC’s website at http://www.dairynutrition.ca/scientific-evidence/lactose-intolerance-and-milk-allergy/lactose-intolerance. http://www.dairynutrition.ca/scientific-evidence/lactose-intolerance-and-milk-allergy/lactose-intolerance http://www.dairynutrition.ca/scientific-evidence/lactose-intolerance-and-milk-allergy/lactose-intolerance

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - July 2010

The Milk Producer - July 2010
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair’s Message
Diary Update
DFO
National Policy
DFC Promotion
Thrill of the Grill
Farm Finance
Foundation for Our Future
Agriculture Minister’s Message
General Manger’s Message
Overview
Then and Now:
Notable Quotes:
Grant Smith
Gordon Coukell
Peter Oosterhoff
Vera Mitchell
Bill Simpson
Lew Dunk
Albert Gauthier
Gary Marshall
Stuart Steckle
Tom Kane
Pat McManus
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New’N’Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - July 2010