Michael Green

Mr Green, who has died aged 77, was a council member of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and steward at the Great Yorkshire Show for over 30 years.

Hunting figured prominently among his many and varied interests, and he was treasurer and chairman of the Bramham Moor Hunt. He was involved from the inception of the Bramham International Horse Trials, and one of his responsibilities was to co-ordinate the activities of attending vets. A member of the Yorkshire Veterinary Society, he was president of both Bingley and Keighley agricultural societies.

Born in Kildwick, North Yorkshire, Mr Green’s father was a butcher. He also had an elder brother and a young sister. He went to Keighley Boys’ Grammar School, where he was made captain of rugby and head boy.

He used to attend summer camps arranged by the school for the boys on a site just outside Kirkcudbright on the Solway Firth. There he met Morag Anderson, a pupil at Kirkcudbright Academy, the start of a relationship which was cemented when they were married in 1958.

He had graduated from Bristol the previous year, beginning his professional life in Penrith.　

Having spent time as a student with the Campbell and Crabtree veterinary practice in Keighley, he was summoned back to fill an urgent vacancy, and remained there for the rest of his working life.　

His principal interest lay with the equine side of the practice, but all aspects of its work expanded; he saw it grow from a traditional three-vet concern operating from a town house on Devonshire Street into a practice with 13 vets working from a purpose-built veterinary hospital for horses, farm animals and pets.

Mr Green was the archetype of the general veterinary surgeon of that time, working with farm livestock, horses, small animals; mentoring students and, in later years, working in veterinary public health – which he referred to as “meat inspection”.

An accomplished, industrious veterinary surgeon, he nevertheless made time　to become involved in a great many activities in and beyond Yorkshire, including Freemasonry, riding, beekeeping, fishing. sailing and entertaining. He enjoyed company, was a connoisseur of wine, and enthusiastic about rugby, Italian food, IT and music – particularly opera.

Mr Green, whose family was the bedrock of his life, is survived by his wife Morag, their children Helen, David and Graeme and four grandchildren.

A thanksgiving service is to be held on August 31 at St Andrew’s Church, Kildwick, at 2pm.