PRACTICE MANAGER/OWNER (Dble Adv Diploma of Leadership and Management and Management (HR), Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing)

Originally from Brim, Lauren is our proud Practice Manager who in 2021 purchased the clinic with Jessica. Lauren is dedicated to building a unique veterinary clinic full of engaged, positive, fun-loving team members empowered to follow their passion in providing the best for all pets and their humans.

Lauren has recently completed her fourth year of business leadership with the Lincoln Institute and had earned the Lincoln Institute Employer of Choice Award for 2023/24. In August 2024, Lauren commenced the Veterinary Leadership Mastery Course with the Lincoln Institute. Lauren works very hard to ensure that she is the best leader she can be for our team, which is endlessly appreciated and respected by all of us.

Outside of work, Lauren enjoys playing netball, doing fun runs, catching up with friends (especially for winery/platter days), reading and exploring the outdoors. When she is home with her husband and sons, she enjoys hanging out with her cat Nimbles and pug pack Lacey, Chokito and Darla.

HEAD VETERINARIAN (BVSc)

Sam, originally from Echuca, graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Melbourne in 2013. She worked at Your Family Vet as a locum in 2014 before taking a full time position in North Eastern Victoria. Having experienced a very busy mixed practice, Sam returned to the Wimmera to concentrate on small animals and has a special interest in orthopaedic surgery and feline medicine.

Sam is our Head Veterinarian and is a highly respected role model for our whole team. She is currently completing the Lead To Succeed course through the Lincoln Institute to gain further skills in a leadership role and help take our veterinary team to new levels.

When she's not at work, Sam enjoys riding bikes with her husband Tom, spending quality time with her children; Isabelle, Eloise, Harrison and Oliver, as well as playing with Rosie, the family cat.

SENIOR VETERINARIAN (DVM)

Jess is originally from a cattle and hay farm in SA. She moved to Horsham after graduating from The University of Adelaide with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Jess has particular interests in emergency medicine, surgery and dentistry. She hopes to one day do some work in aboriginal communities to help promote animal welfare.

Jess and her husband, Ben, have three dogs. A naughty Cattle dog (Ned), a big friendly Staghound (Ace) and a speedy whippet (Indi). On her days off, she enjoys walking her dogs and drinking coffee.

Jess shares her time between the clinic and her and Ben's cabinetry business these days as well as enjoying the freedom to plan the occasional interstate locum stint for more experience and adventure.

Jess is currently on maternity leave after welcoming her son, Jed!

VETERINARIAN (DVM)

Vivian graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Doctor of Veterinary medicine degree in 2022 before accepting a position in our team and moving to Horsham.

Originally from a fast-paced city background, Vivian found herself happier in rural towns and atmosphere, and is still new and fresh and interested in everything as a vet. Vivian is extremely smart and friendly and has fast become an integral part of our team, and the patients and clients alike love her!

During leisure time, Vivian enjoys staying in bed and going down the rabbit hole of youtube videosXD, as well as the sunshine, a cup of tea or coffee, and a good book or hike—both extremes and everything in between :-)

VETERINARIAN (DVM)

Caitlin is originally from Japan, but fell in love with the chill vibes of Australia ever since starting her university education here. She completed the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Melbourne in 2023, and joined the Your Family Vet team in 2024 after greatly impressing us during one of her final placements. Caitlin has already shown amazing potential in her first month here and we are very excited to see where her career can go!

As a cat mum she is partial to cats, but also love dogs (don’t tell her cat).

In her free time she enjoys doodling, crocheting, and doing other crafty things, as well as reading and binge watching shows.

HEAD VET NURSE (Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing)

A born and bred Horsham girl, Larree grew up on a small hobby farm around sheep and cattle. She has always had a love for MOST animals (excluding the feathery ones). Larree first started nursing in 2012 before leaving the industry in 2020 for a change of scenery. After realising how much she really loved and missed veterinary nursing, she couldn't help but come back!

With her wealth of knowledge and passion, Larree is an ideal Head Nurse for our team and also plays a major role in training and mentoring our nurses and helps ensure the quality of care our patients receive. She works very hard to give the nurses as much support as possible.

Larree is also studying the Lead to Succeed course through the Lincoln Institute in order to gain further skills for her role as Head Nurse.

Outside of work, Larree likes to go for walks with friends, spend time with her husband Marc, arrange catch-ups with the girls and go on adventures with her beautiful children Jagger and Willow.

SENIOR VET NURSE (Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing, Short Course in Emergency Nursing, Physical Therapy, Bachelor of Science (Maj. Animal Biology))

Cassie, with a sheep-farming background from Rupanyup, has loved being around animals her whole life.

She came to us in 2018 as a trainee nurse and gained her qualification in 2020. Since then, she has worked in several different clinics, ranging from GP, emergency and referral in the Geelong area, before officially returning to YFV in July 2023.

Cassie has a special interest in nursing hospital cases, stabilising emergencies and managing critical patients. In 2023 she completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Biology.

Cassie has taken the lead in our Marketing team, running our social media and collaborating with others to create our promotions and service discounts. She also uses her experience in nursing and critical care to assist Larree with mentoring other members of the nursing team.

She has recently completed a course in Physical Therapy for dogs and cats and can’t wait to start working with some of our patients and clients in this field.

In her spare time, Cassie likes to cuddle as many dogs as possible, hang out with friends and play netball. She also loves to travel, both for recreation and work, and has recently completed a locum stint in Townsville. In October 2023, Cassie adopted a Mini Dachshund called Alfie, who she spends a lot of time chasing after and dealing with his mischief.

SENIOR VET NURSE (Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing)

Sarah moved to Horsham after beginning her position with us as a Vet Nurse in 2021 and has recently become a qualified Veterinary Nurse (December 2023). Sarah is a very valuable part of the team, especially with her fun-loving antics and clever surprise drawings. Sarah is one of our senior Vet Nurses and actively mentors Junior Nurses and work experience placements.

Sarah has a keen interest in animals great and small and is particularly good at wrangling sheep at her family property. Sarah became a nurse as a way to better her skills and learn how to care for the animals that she loves the most.

On her days off, Sarah enjoys a cheeky wine with her pals and spending time with her little whippet, Joey.

SENIOR VET NURSE (Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing)

Born on a dairy farm, David has been working with animals of all kinds from a very early age. Qualified and trained in both small and large animal nursing, David moved to the area in 2020 from South Coast NSW to join our growing team and has shown his value. David has a special interest in anaesthesia techniques and radiology.

In the summer David enjoys curling up with his cat Saffron and a good book or videogame, avoiding the heat. During the winter he spends his days off exploring the Grampians and woodworking in his shed.

SENIOR VET NURSE

Maddy is a local girl and has been a part of the team in a veterinary nursing role for years. As an experienced nurse Maddy has become an integral part of our team, teaching new nurses all that is included in fulfilling the role of a Veterinary Nurse. Maddy's nursing skills include consult, medical and surgical nursing, dental scaling and polishing, placing catheters/IV fluids, collecting samples and running in house testing, cytology and many more!

Maddy is currently studying her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing.

Maddy has a great passion for Staffies and currently owns two, Sasha and Amarni. She really enjoys taking them on walks and exploring the great outdoors along with hanging out with friends and chasing her son Oakley around.

VETERINARY NURSE (Cert II in Animal Studies)

Amber grew up in Horsham and has always had a passion and endless love for all animals, which led her here to YFV! She finished school in 2020 and was accepted straight into the animal care industry elsewhere, before starting with us at the end of 2021.

Amber has completed her Certificate II in Animal Studies and is currently studying her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing.

In her free time, Amber enjoys spending time with her own pets, having a swim in the river and helping out her family on the farm. She also runs her own business, ‘In The Dog House’, offering dog walking and pet/house sitting.

VETERINARY NURSE (Cert III in Racing - Advanced Stablehand)

Rhylee joined our team in April 2023 as a Junior Nurse after being a Zoo keeper at the Halls Gap Zoo for 4 years. Rhylee has a keen interest and natural ability with animals and has slotted into the team nicely.

Rhylee is looking forward to using her experience to build a career in Veterinary Nursing. Coming from Stawell, Rhylee grew up around a variety of animals and spent many years as a Stablehand/Strapper.

Rhylee is currently studying her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing and is well on the way to becoming a qualified nurse.

Outside of work, Rhylee loves spending time with friends, camping, training her Amazon Parrot, horse riding and playing with her doggos and cats.

VETERINARY NURSE (Cert II in Animal Studies, Cert II in Companion Animal Services, Bachelor of Veterinary and Wildlife Sciences)

Having completed several animal-related tertiary courses, Emma decided to enter the animal industry as a veterinary nurse to pursue her passion towards animal welfare, and gain further knowledge in animal sciences.

Emma has hit the ground running and shows great potential as a veterinary nurse. We cannot wait to watch her journey in this industry. Emma is currently studying her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing.

At home, Emma has two dogs: Floki the spoodle and Sophie the springer spaniel. She also has two horses, Holiday and Zip.

When not at work you can find Emma always doing something out in the sunshine!

TRAINEE VETERINARY NURSE (Cert II in Animal Studies)

Marni joined our team in December 2022 as a Kennel Hand and has taken her role in her stride.

Marni has loved animals ever since she was a child and hopes to become a Veterinary Nurse. Since finishing school, Marni has now completed her Cert II Animal Studies and has begun her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing.

Marni also runs our Puppy School program, and loves helping owners bond with their puppies, as well as teaching obedience and socialisation (and of course getting to spend extra time with puppies!)

In her spare time Marni enjoys hanging out with her three ‘Oodles’ and spending time with her friends.

TRAINEE VETERINARY NURSE
Ruby has been working with us after school since 2021 and is a wonderful part of our team! She has a can do attitude and her work ethic is amazing! Ruby is working towards becoming a Veterinary Nurse and since finishing school has enrolled in her Cert II Animal Studies.

In her spare time, Ruby loves to spend time with her animals in amongst running her own business, Ruby's Handmade Clay Earrings, which you will find on Instagram as well as at local markets.

ADMINISTRATION (Bachelor of Commerce)

Leonie joined our team as our wonderful Admin Assistant in November 2022. Already we wouldn't be without her!

Leonie is a born and bred Wimmera girl, having grown up on a farm in Lower Norton.

Having spent time in both the local Agricultural and Banking Industries, Leonie was looking for a change of scenery with a local business and the Administration Assistant role with Your Family Vet happened to be a great fit.

Leonie and her husband Danny have two border collies, Luna and Molly and three farm cats Patchy, George and Fred.

When she's not in the clinic, Leonie loves spending time with her two young adult children and creating lots of artwork.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Kelly joined our team in September 2023 and seems like she has always been here.

Originally born and bred a Tassie girl, Kelly spent most of her life living in Warracknabeal before moving to Horsham in 2019. With careers in both healthcare and hospitality, the clinic is a totally new career change for her, however she is loving every minute!

When not at work Kelly’s most important job is a mum to her 5 daughters, closely followed up by running the newly purchased little farm with her partner Dylan and the hoard of animals that seems to grow monthly (current total 1 horse, 3 kelpies, 3 cats, 4 pet sheep, 2 birds and 1 calf!)

If not at work or on the farm, Kelly can always be found at the netball courts coaching juniors and passing on her passion for the game.