Mess jacket : Major G E Fethers, Australian Army Veterinary Corps

Veterinary officer's black wool cloth mess jacket with maroon shawl collar, pointed cuffs and shoulder straps. Each lapel carries a gilded brass Australian Army Veterinary Corps collar badge. There is a gold bullion wire and velvet crown for the rank of major on each shoulder strap. The body of the jacket is lined with quilted black cotton twill; the sleeves with white cotton.

Born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1897, Geoffrey Ernest (Geoff) Fethers had recently qualified as a veterinary surgeon when he was appointed a captain in the Australian Army Veterinary Corps, AIF on 29 July 1918. He had previously served with senior cadets attached to the 46th Infantry (Brighton Rifles) and with the Melbourne University Rifles. Fethers embarked for overseas service from Sydney on 14 September, aboard the 'Port Darwin', and arrived in Egypt on 20 October. He was subsequently posted to 5th Light Horse Regiment.

Fethers contracted malaria in March 1919 and was repatriated to Australia in July, suffering from debility. He maintained a keen interest in the Veterinary Corps after the war and served in the militia until the outbreak of the Second World War.

Apart from running a successful private practice until 1958 Fethers was interested in the development livestock feeding and breeding regimes and supported agricultural colleges. He was a veterinary consultant to the Royal Agricultural Society, the Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and the Victorian Graziers Association. He was president of the Veterinary board of Victoria in 1932-39 and held a number of positions at the Veterinary Association of Victoria. He wrote and broadcast prolifically, offering advice to both the owners of small animals and the dairy, sheep and cattle industries. Fethers died in 1988.

• Waistcoat : Major G E Fethers, Australian Army Veterinary Corps
• Trousers : Major G E Fethers, Australian Army Veterinary Corps