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Chief vet Dr Koos van den Berg is retiring this Friday after 15 years of loyal service as the Singapore Turf Club’s Head of the Veterinary Department.

The South African felt that at 62 years of age it was time to be a granddad to his five grandchildren in his hometown of Hermanus, around 110km south-east of Cape Town.

A former university lecturer in equine internal medicine before opening a private practice (including racing) in South Africa, Dr van den Berg was in 2006 drawn to the Kranji position for its new challenge, but also as a gateway to a new world.

"My two sons and two daughters had finished schooling back then. My wife and I thought it was the right time to come and live in this part of the world as we'll also get the chance to travel to neighbouring countries like Cambodia and Thailand," said Dr van den Berg.

"The contract was for three years. We ended up staying for 15 years – 15 years of a rich experience as a vet but also in a great country where I made new friends.

"But I've now reached the end of the line. I have family back in South Africa and five grandchildren I want to spend time with while I'm still healthy.

"I'm originally from Pretoria but I grew up in Hermanus, the capital of the whaling world, and that's where I'm going back to retire, and do some fly fishing for trout and play golf."

Arriving in Kranji in 2006 to replace fellow South African Dr Eugene Reynders as the chief vet, Dr van den Berg has witnessed the growing status of Singapore racing on the global stage during his tenure, but unfortunately, also its recent decline, exacerbated further by a pandemic.

While obviously proud of his achievements in the area of horse welfare in the South-East Asian racing jurisdiction, it's his keen interest in the internationalisation of racing, the opening of the new vet clinic in 2012 and the grooming of local vet staff that he will take back as his fondest memories.

"I became very involved in international travels and movement of horses through the former Senior Vice President of Racing, Mr Soong Tze Ming. I also became a horse movement consultant for the IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities)," said Dr van den Berg who also sits on the Asian Racing Federation Drug Control committee and the International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians (IGSRV) executive committee.

"Another highlight was the establishment of a new vet clinic in Block 24. We used to have a very small hospital, but the new block is a lot more spacious and accessible to more stables.

"There is a more efficient utilisation of the facilities compared to before. We can now see an average of 300 horses a day.

"And last but not least, I'm very proud of the training of Singaporeans as our staff. We've trained veterinary surgeons, a vet nurse, (Toh) Wei Xin and we now have around seven qualified local farriers.

"When I first came here, the ratio of expat staff to locals among the vets was nine to one, but now, it's two expats and seven locals. We sent two vet students to the University of Glasgow and they were then bonded to the Club, one is Dr Brenda Low and the other is Dr Aileen Sandosham, who I'm proud to say will be the one replacing me."

The newly-appointed covering head of the veterinary department was sad to see her mentor leave, but at the same time honoured to have been handed the top job, which she sees as "big shoes to fill".

"Dr Koos has always been very encouraging and supportive," said Dr Sandosham.

"When I did my attachment at the Club in 2007, he's the one who encouraged me to get sponsored by the Club in my final two years of studies in Glasgow.

"I remember it was Dr Eugene who did acupuncture at the Club. When he left, Dr (Keoughan) Curry and Dr Koos thought of me and said I should be trained to replace Dr Eugene as I had always had an interest in that area.

"When I got the certificate, Dr Koos spoke to the trainers and told them to use my services. He was almost fatherly to female vets, he was like a father figure.

"He has set the bar very high, and to take up his job is like very big shoes to fill, but I'll try my best."

Those shoes could have been filled by someone more experienced and senior, but Dr Bronte Forbes is also leaving the company and is by coincidence flying out on Sunday, just like Dr van den Berg, but towards Hong Kong.

The Australian, who had been switching jobs between Singapore Turf Club and the Hong Kong Jockey Club on more than one occasion in the past, will again call Sha Tin home next week, but contrary to his boss who will miss the Kranji Mile meeting on Saturday, he will be fulfilling his last tour of duty at one of Singapore's biggest days of racing before catching his flight the next day.

There is every chance Dr Forbes will every now and then tap into the knowledge he has acquired from Dr van den Berg when he rejoins the Asian racing mecca.

"We had his farewell yesterday, and as I said then, Koos has been a significant mentor for me, he guided me a lot, as well as being a good friend," said Dr Forbes.

"We're all sad to see him go, but he's reached that stage of his life where he needs to spend more time with the family after giving so much of his life and effort to the Turf Club. He deserves some time with himself and his family.

"He has left a legacy which to me is mainly the improvement of the welfare of horses and level of veterinary care, as well as the increase in the standard of regulations of racing.

"He also worked closer with the government in making sure our quarantine disease surveillance is up to scratch."

Another person who was thankful for Dr van den Berg's vision and quest to always improve facilities to state-of-the-art standards was head farrier Paul Summers.

"When Koos first started with the Singapore Turf Club some 15 years ago, the farrier section was a very small unit operating out of four roughly converted stables in the 'village' area, practical but basically equipped and open to the elements," said the Liverpool-born farrier.

"We had a training programme in place, but to be honest, we were flying by the seat of our pants.

"It is without doubt through the unwavering support of Koos, lobbying senior management to recognise the importance of farriery, getting funding, that we now operate out of a truly first-class facility in the workshop.

"He has helped put in place a training structure that allows young Singaporeans a pathway to a career that now sees the nucleus of club farriers being locally trained and holding internationally recognised certificates from NMIT Australia.

"We currently also have five apprentices studying to be farriers. Without his support, this would never have been possible, and we are extremely grateful."

Now that Dr van den Berg will get a chance to smell the roses (one can easily imagine how the good doctor with his trademark moustache and hat would look the part gardening around!), he will appreciate even better how precious life is, having survived a major health setback in 2008.

"I had a major heart problem in 2008. I had a coronary bypass surgery," he recalled.

"Soong made a real impression on me then. He helped me a lot during those difficult times."

More health-conscious since – he rides a bike to work every day – Dr van den Berg was, however, hit like everyone else by COVID-19, fortunately not in the literal sense, but professionally.

"I had gone home for holiday, but I couldn't get a flight back when COVID-19 struck and the borders were closed," he recalled.

"I was stuck back home for five months. Dr Bronte deputised me and did a great job.

"But COVID-19 has probably been the one low point to my 15 years here. It's sad to see what it's done to racing, like top trainers leaving and our horse population dropping from 1,400 to somewhere around 800 now.

"Racing will carry on, although I was hoping to have a better idea of the new masterplan to the new development before I leave."