Vets & Staff

The West Gippsland Veterinary Clinic has been servicing the Gippsland area for over 20 years.

Opened in 1989 by local vets Bruce Robertson and Joe Brady many locals will fondly remember the clinic as Robertson & Brady Veterinary Clinic.

In September 2005 the clinic changed its name to West Gippsland Veterinary Centre, to reflect its commitment to the wider Gippsland area, and to recognise Dr Joe Brady, Dr Grant Nielsen and Dr Benton Smith joining together as owners.

The West Gippsland Veterinary Centre has 7 Veterinary surgeons, which ensures that all types of animals and services can be offered to our clients. The Vets are supported by 8 Veterinary nurses, and 4 administration and support staff to ensure that the centre runs smoothly.

We hope that the following photos and short biography's will help you recognise our staff next time you visit.

Veterinarians and Staff

	Dr Joe Brady BVSc Dr Joe Brady started Robertson & Brady Veterinary Clinic back in 1989 with fellow vet Bruce Robertson. He could never have imagined that within 15 years the clinic would have grown to the size it has.
	Dr Grant Nielsen BVSc(Hons) MACVSc(Nutrition) Grant grew up on a beef and sheep property near Guyra in northern New South Wales, which is he is still actively involved in the running of. After graduating with honours in Veterinary Science from Sydney University in 1994 he commenced working at West Gippsland Veterinary Centre. Since then Grant has gained extensive experience in all aspects of mixed practice. Grant has developed a strong interest in ruminant nutrition and in 2001 became a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Surgeons in ruminant nutrition. Others areas of interest include bovine surgery, reproduction and mastitis. Grant has gained extensive experience in ultrasound and manual pregnancy testing in cattle. He is export accredited for cattle and is a trained countdown adviser for mastitis investigations. Grant lives in Warragul with his wife Sophie and their two boys Jeremy and Sam. He enjoys keeping fit and does the occasional triathlon.
	Dr Benton Smith BVSc MACVSc(Surgery) Ben graduated from the University of Queensland in 1996. After 2 years of practice in sunny Queensland, he ventured south to "Mexico". After stints at Leongatha and Moe, along with three working holidays to the United Kingdom, he joined West Gippsland Veterinary Centre. In 2002 he undertook a 12 month Small Animal Surgery Internship at the Animal Surgery Centre during which he attained his Membership to the Small Animal Surgery Chapter at Australian College of Veterinary Scientists. He is AQIS accredited for the export of both large and small animals and in 2006 achieved his accreditation for the PennHIP program for the prevention of canine hip dysplasia. He is also an AACV accredited pregnancy tester for cattle. His areas of interest include orthopaedic surgery and canine reproduction. He lives just outside Warragul with his wife Stephanie and his two children Noah and Ella, 2 dogs Jess & Indianna and 2 cats Skaife and Doodley (not to mention the horse, chooks, cows etc, etc!) In his spare time he enjoys swimming, golf and working on the farm.
	Dr Megan Thomas BVSc(Hons) MACVSc(Medicine) Meg graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2000 and first joined the practice in January 2001. She was with the clinic for 3 years working as both a large and small animal vet. In 2004 Meg spent a year traveling around Australia and working as a locum in predominantly small animal practices in various parts of the country. Then in 2005 she worked in a small animal practice in Birmingham, England, before traveling through Europe for 3 months. After her 2 years of travel, Meg returned to Warragul to rejoin the practice. Meg’s interests lie in small animal medicine and recently she has been working predominantly in the clinic with the small animals. In 2003 she completed a distance education course in Dermatology through the University of Sydney. In 2008 she became a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientist in small animal internal medicine. In 2011 she is doing another distance education course, this time in small animal emergency medicine and critical care. In her spare time Meg plays netball and likes to participate in triathlon events. She enjoys reading and scuba diving. She also likes to travel and would like to see as much of the world as possible.
	Dr Christine Vanschyndel BVSc(Hons) Chris has a passion for small animal emergency medicine and critical care, with extensive knowledge and experience in this area.
	Dr Simon Ronalds BVSc Simon's main interest lies in cattle medicine and surgery. He has recently completed his Certificate in Gross Pathology (field post-mortems). Simon also enjoys small animal medicine and surgery within the clinic.
	Dr Peter Sorenesen BVSc Peter grew up on the Mornington Peninsula. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2008 and started working at a mixed animal practice in Hastings. In early 2010, Peter pursued his interest in large animal medicine and joined the team at the West Gippsland Veterinary Centre. Currently Peter is enjoying the variety of mixed animal work offered at WGVC. He enjoys cattle medicine, but also has an interest in small animal medicine and surgery. Peter lives in Drouin with his partner Libby. He has some more unusual pets like a Bearded Dragon and some tropical fish. In his spare time he enjoys taking a ride through the hills on his motorbike, cycling, and "trying" to play tennis.
	Dr Sophie Nielsen BVSc Sophie graduated from Sydney University in 1994 and has worked in mixed and small animal practice in Australia and England. Sophie runs Puppy Pre-School classes and this has lead to an interest in animal behaviour. Sophie is currently studying Veterinary Behavioural Medicine and is able to help clients and their pets with her Behavioural Assessment consultations. Sophie has 2 boys Jeremy and Sam and a very busy Border Terrier 'Hairy'.
	Jenny Throup Jenny has worked at West Gippsland Veterinary Centre since March 2000. She started working just 2 days a week doing some Veterinary Nursing/Reception duties. She now work full time and spends all her time at reception. Jenny enjoys being able to meet our patients and their owners. She also likes to be able to give as much help as she can to our other clients. Jenny grew up on a family dairy farm at Jindivick, helping in all areas over the years. Jenny now lives in Trafalgar. Her 2 older boys live close by in Berwick with their families. She also has 3 grandchildren, Grace, Will and Samantha. Jenny has 2 cats, Billy and Oscar (both adopted from work). She enjoys watching most sports; She is passionate about the AFL and follows St Kilda. She played tennis and netball for many years. Jenny has seen a few changes in her time here. Our new clinic is fresh and modern and she looks forward to a future of giving the best service we can to our clients.
	Chloe Wallace Chloe has been a part of the team at West Gippsland Veterinary Centre since she was twelve years old. She started as a kennel hand working one afternoon a week, after school, and is now working as a full time veterinary nurse four days a week. Chloe has recently filled the role of Head Vet Nurse.Chloe is currently completing Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing by correspondence at Box Hill Tafe. She has a particular liking for small animals. Having lived on her families’ organic dairy farm for most of her life with such a wide variety of animals has heightened her love for being around & working with animals.
	Cindy Beaumont
	Stephanie Smith
	Irene Halligan Irene was born in Letchworth, England and immigrated to Australia when she was 13 years old. She became an accredited Dental Nurse and then later changed to Veterinary Nursing in January 1996 at the Drouin clinic. She lives in Cora Lynn with her husband, Stuart, and two children, Scott and Kerrie. Other members of the family include a Staffy named Kato, two cats Suzy Creamcheese and Nanook, and a galah named Sam. Irene enjoys art, music and taking care of her family.
	Naomi Carreck I joined the team here at WGVC in early 2005 and have nearly completed my Veterinary Nursing certificate. My main passion is small animal surgery but nothing can beat the feeling of nursing a sick patient till it’s well enough to return home, it’s very rewarding. I live on a property littered with a menagerie of animals ranging from prized silky chickens to a deranged goat all that tend to keep me very busy, and in my spare time I show miniature horses. I live in Drouin Sth with my partner Paul and one VERY spoilt boxer Buddy, who is virtually a 30 kg lap dog! In December I am looking forward to the arrival of my first child, something tells me I will be busier than ever!!
	Felicity Akarsu
	Georgia Kemp I joined the West Gippsland Veterinary Centre team in mid 2008. At the moment I am completing my Veterinary Nursing Certificate IV. I started at the clinic as a kennel nurse after school 3 days a week and slowly worked my way up to joining the team full time. Vet nursing is something I have always wanted to do. I love how each day is different and the thought of sending an animal home knowing that I had my input in making it better is very rewarding. Surgery and nursing "out the back" would have to be my favorite part of the job. I live a bit out of Drouin on 3 acres with my family. My hobby and passion is horseriding. Competing at dressage comps most weekends. I own 2 dogs (Lilly and Louis), two cats (Roxy and Silvester) and a horse (Skip).
	Samantha Clayton I joined the team at West Gippsland Veterinary Centre in September 2010. I have worked in the veterinary industry since I was 17. I have successfully completed my Certificate III in Equine Nursing and in 2009 completed my Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. I live in Nar Nar Goon with my family. In my spare time I compete in Western Performance competitions. This sport has taken me to the USA twice, the last time in June 2010 where I spent 3 months in Oklahoma and Texas. I ride Quarter Horses and an Appaloosa named Ernie. I also have 3 poodles (one of each size) and an adoption kitten named Gabby. I really love my job and enjoy all aspects of nursing.
	Amanda Bradley I remember when I was about 15 yrs old I had to help hold a sick foal for treatment and I was so intrigued with the whole situation that I always wanted to work with animals as a Veterinary Nurse. My nursing career started by completing a correspondence course in Certificate II in Animal Studies and volunteering at the RSPCA to build my animal resume, whilst working in a completely different field. It wasnt until 12 yrs later that I gained employment at a small animal practice on the Mornington Peninsula, where I worked for 3 years. After recently spending 8 days working on a farm I realised that there were so many differnt avenues and aspects of my career that I could be learning not only about small animals, large animals too... I applied at the West Gippsland Veterinary Centre and have been working here since December 2010. Currently I am completing my Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing which will then allow me to study my Diploma in Veterinary Nursing. I have one dog Leia who I adopted through work and also have a fiesty cow called Mandy MOO ......
	Felicity Lee
	Kaitlyn Hedricks I started working at the West Gippsland Veterinary Centre in early 2010. I am currently the kennel nurse and I work three days a week after school. Some of my jobs include cleaning cages, washing, holding animals, sterilising equipment and generally helping out. I really enjoy my job beceause everytime I walk through the door something different is happening. I am learning lots about animals and their different injuries and diseases. I live on a dairy farm in Ellinbank with my family. We have two dogs, one cat, three horses and lots of cows.
	Jo Lubberink