Dr. Earle Kirby - Veterinarian “His tremendous knowledge on a tremendous range of subjects impressed me. ” -Dr. Dick Julian, Ontario Veterinary College ( classmate 1952) Dr Earle Kirby is widely regarded as one of St. Vincent’s national heroes. His knowledge of the earth, rock, soil and vegetation of his native land was unsurpassed. In addition to his chosen profession of veterinary medicine, he contributed liberally to the fields of geology, biology, volcanology and history in his native island. This amazing man credits his professional diversity to being self-taught in most of these fields, rather than possessing formal training. Ian Ayrton Earle Kirby, called Earle by his friends and family, was born on December 16th 1921 in Queensberry, Buckanham Valley, St. Vincent. He attended the Methodist Public School and the Intermediate Grammar School. His favourite subject was mathematics and he represented his school in football and cricket. He served in the Cadet Corps, and was a sergeant by the time he left school. Had he won the Island Scholarship, Kirby would have studied medicine like most Island Scholars but he later admitted that his life probably turned out to be more interesting without it. Instead, Kirby won a different scholarship, and pursued a BSc in Agriculture at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) in Trinidad. After graduating, he returned home where he worked as a research officer at St. Vincent’s only experiment station. Kirby’s interest in animals took him to Ontario Agriculture College (now University of Guelph) in Canada, where he pursued Veterinary Medicine, funded by a scholarship. He graduated with distinctions in every subject area and emerged as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Veterinary Surgeon – the first Vincentian veterinarian. This degree was furthered by a doctorate in Tropical Veterinary Medicine from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He also completed a course in meat hygiene in Denmark on scholarship from the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute. In 1946, when the previously dormant La Soufrière began showing volcanic activity, the Seismic Research Unit employed him to take measurements of the temperature and depth of the crater while floating in a truck tyre. Dr Kirby, who once described himself as a “volcano observer”, was fascinated by the volcano and would return to the mount again and again throughout his life. Dr Kirby practised as a livestock veterinarian in his homeland until his retirement in 1979, and was the only veterinarian in the State for over thirty years. He served as Chief Veterinary Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture where he examined sheep and goats for export to Trinidad and studied the honey industry. During World War II, he observed that many soldiers suffered from night blindness, a condition which could be life-threatening in wartime. He correctly diagnosed the condition as being a result of vitamin deficiency and considered pilot whale oil, which was rich in Vitamin A, as a possible solution to the problem. Although the whales were a viable source, the venture would have been economically unfeasible and he was forced to abandon it. Dr Kirby combined his passion for the land with his veterinary expertise. As he himself said, “Agriculture and veterinary sciences are two legs of the same animal. Good human health depends on good animal health. And it all depends on good soil.” His love for nature sparked his interest in zoology and natural history. He recorded the birdsong of all the birds in St. Vincent and even into his old age, was able to classify any bird native to the island by its sound. He published work on the natural history and geology of St. Vincent. He went out of his way to protect the St Vincent parrot, Amazonas guildingii , confronting armed hunters, highlighting and preventing the targeting of the birds by visiting yachtsmen with the help of local police, and seeking international assistance to have the species placed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. He was also responsible for reducing the theft of sea bird eggs, with the help of school children, residents and police. His continuing activism was instrumental in the eventual enactment of the Wildlife Act In 1969 Kirby studied Archaeology and became the resident archaeologist of a museum of artifacts from naval wrecks and petroglyphs. He was the Chairman of the St. Vincent Archaeology Society and served as Director of the National Museum. As a historian, he produced several publications that traced the history of St. Vincent’s “Black Caribs”. He is especially renowned for his daring but compelling theories about the origin of the native peoples of the West Indies and the possible trans-Atlantic migration of peoples from Mali to the Caribbean in the 1300s. Among his publications is a book entitled Pre-Columbian Monuments in Stone, which catalogues and describes the numerous petroglyphs and work stones left behind by early settlers. Dr Kirby chaired the International Congress on Caribbean Archaeology in 1977 and 1979 and was a pioneer in Vincentian archaeology. He left a lasting impression on the minds of many school children, who he told stories about the rich Vincentian heritage that gave rise to the museum’s artefacts. Even after his retirement, he continued to express his love for St. Vincent by passing on his knowledge to new generations. In recognition for his work, dedication and contribution to St. Vincent he was inducted into the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1975. He was featured on a postage stamp for the International Year of Elders in 1999. He also received the Duke of Edinburgh Award for service to Youths. Dr Earle Kirby died on 7th September, 2005. In 2007, he was awarded the Euan P McFarlane Award for Outstanding Environmental Leadership in the Insular Caribbean, posthumously, the first Vincentian conservationist thus honoured in the Award’s history. In their official award statement, Dr Kirby was described as a “pioneer of conservation in St Vincent and the Caribbean”
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:02:39 +0000
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