My wife Hannah and I both graduated from the University of Queensland in 2003. We were fortunate enough to secure jobs at the same practice in Glen Innes, in the Northern New England region of NSW, and have been here ever since. We became part-owners early in our careers and took over as sole owners around 10 years ago.
I describe myself as a mixed-animal veterinarian, although the mix tends to change with the seasons. Our beef cattle work follows the usual seasonal pattern, with pregnancy testing (mainly early gestation, using ultrasound to age pregnancies) through summer and autumn, and bull testing for sale, commercial and insurance purposes through winter and spring. We also undertake fertility and disease investigations, calvings, and examinations of individual sick or ill-thrifty animals.
One of the things I enjoy most about cattle work is showing producers what we are doing and explaining why. I think helping clients understand the reasoning behind our recommendations is an important part of doing a thorough job. I also have an interest in small animal orthopaedics, often treating working dogs belonging to our cattle clients.
Running a rural mixed practice requires plenty of flexibility and the ability to juggle whatever the day throws at you. I’ve also become the clinic’s unofficial fixer — whether that means getting the label printer working again, sorting out overflowing troughs in the equine paddock or repairing a broken bull probe cable!
Outside work, I enjoy spending time with Hannah and our two boys, aged 13 and 16. They’ve seen enough of veterinary life to have no current desire to follow in our footsteps, although perhaps they’ll change their minds. In my spare time, I enjoy renovating our property (currently trying to perfect my plastering technique), planning the Christmas light displays at both the hospital and home, reading a good book and maintaining the garden. During our equine breeding season, we also have 20–30 recipient mares in our house paddocks, adding another dimension to the mix.
I’ve been an AVA member for a long time, having first signed up at a student BBQ. I also worked at the AVA Queensland Division offices as a student, helping with office duties and even gardening. I’m pleased to see the recent changes to AVA membership supporting practices like ours, allowing team members to join the Special Interest Groups that best match their interests. I’m keen to see how our practice’s involvement in the AVA develops from here.
