Veterinary graduate reunited with society scarf 60 years on

Posted on: 10 February 2023 by Julia (daughter of veterinary graduate, Mike Hayes) in 2023

It was like any other visit to the Guild of Students for veterinary student, Mike Hayes as he arrived at the union one evening in 1959. Only he entered the Guild wearing his veterinary school scarf and mistakenly left without it.

Mike would mention his beloved scarf to his family members for the next 60 years. Then in 2022 his daughter, Julia, successfully located a replica scarf to give to her father, now aged 82, at Christmas.

Julia retells the story of how she was able to track down her father’s scarf with the help of the current veterinary student society.

Mike Hayes graduation 1964

“My dad had always dreamed of being a vet and was the first in his family to go to university. He enjoyed his time at Liverpool and was very proud of his vet school scarf. One night he was at the union, and left his scarf. He realised within 15 mins, ran back to find it, but it was gone.

“After working in veterinary practices in Derby and York he moved to Leicester in 1978, and established a successful practice. This expanded to three surgeries, which he developed with his business partner John Borrajo. However, he would talk about his scarf on and off for years, which inspired me to try and find one for him. Searches on eBay and the Liverpool website yielded no results, so I decided to become a super sleuth.

“Over the past few years, I waited for him to mention the scarf and probed for more details on what it looked like - a purple band down the middle, white lines either side. Still unable to find one, I saw that the vet school had an established society and contacted the then-president, Nancy in 2021. Nancy told me that even though the scarves weren't widely available, they were made specially each year for graduates as part of their ceremony. She promised to send me one the following year.

“I was absolutely delighted to receive the scarf the following summer and had to wait until Christmas to give my dad his gift. A few tears were shed by all, with my dad saying 'I was that proud to wear this and I never thought I'd see it again'.”

Thanks to Mike and Julia for sharing their heartwarming story. Are you a graduate and have a story to tell? We would love to hear it. Get in touch with alumni@liverpool.ac.uk to share your story.