Coomera Team.
Marianne
Operations Manager/Owner
Who is Mary when she’s not running the practices?
Outside of work Mary enjoys long walks with her Cavoodle named Jelly, yoga and anything gymnastics! When she’s not with her dog or doing handstands, she enjoys time with her husband Paul and daughter Tayah. Mary also has three cats and is a proud ‘crazy cat lady’.
Education
Mary started her career as a Veterinary Nurse 27 years ago but quickly progressed to Management. She holds a Cert IV in Frontline Management, has written and published two books on Puppy & Kitten Health and Behaviour (selling over 100,000 copies in Australia) and is also the founder of Veterinary Branding – a veterinary Marketing and Graphic Design business. Mary is also proud to have won two very prestigious awards – Telstra Business Award (Best Emerging Business in QLD) and Westpac Business Award (Best New Business).
Special Interests
Mary is passionate about providing exceptional care to not only patients, but clients too. As a huge animal lover, she understands how stressful it can be to have unwell pets and constantly strives to improve the way we communicate veterinary care to clients. She is equally focused on client care as she is with patient care! Mary is very passionate about the Veterinary Industry and often participates in discussions on how we can improve the industry.
Dr Andres
Veterinariancv Senior Surgeon
Who is Andres when he’s not being a vet?
Andres is a husband to a gorgeous wife and is a father of two boys. He also has a beautiful big Great Dane as well as two cats. In his spare time, Andres loves to spend time by the ocean, cooking and listening to good music.
Education
Andres graduated from four years of Veterinary Science in Peru. He then moved to Australia in 2009 and graduated with honours from the University of Queensland in 2011. In 2021 he went on to obtain a Membership in Small Animal Surgery. For those who don’t know what a Membership is, it’s an indication to the profession and the general public of an advanced practitioner, representing a middle-tier of knowledge, competence and experience in a specific area of veterinary practice. For Andres it’s surgery!
Special Interests
Andres loves to put his advanced surgical knowledge and skills to use in the theatre. You could say the surgical theatre is his ‘happy place’! With a special interest in Brachycephalics, Andres is profitient at performing BOAS (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome) surgery, ensuring these adorable but often challenged breeds can breathe more comfortably. Additionally, his expertise extends to performing Laparoscopic Speys, using minimally invasive techniques for optimal patient outcomes.
Dr Winnie
Veterinarian
Who is Winnie when she’s not being a vet?
Outside of work, Winnie loves to spend time with her family and friends. She is quite the foodie, and enjoys trying new restaurants, cooking different cuisines and experimenting with new dessert and cake recipes. She also loves creating jewellery and other crafty projects. Since Covid, she’s become a plant enthusiast, and has started collecting exotic plants.
Education
Winnie graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Zoology. She then moved up to Queensland and studied Veterinary Science at the University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with Honours in 2001.
Special Interests
Winnie’s areas of interest include veterinary dentistry and working with clients to implement achievable dental hygiene plans for their pets, acupuncture and soft tissue surgery.
Dr Shelley
Veterinarian, Ultrasonographer, Business Development & Relationships
Who is Shelley when she’s not being a vet?
Outside of work, Shelley spends her time exploring the beautiful Gold Coast with her three-year-old son and husband. Originally from Melbourne, Shelley is enjoying the gorgeous weather and beaches on the GC. In her spare time, she enjoys social activities and weekends away with her friendship group, visiting new cafes, and dabbling in photography. In the future, she would love to take back up her former hobbies of horse-riding and beach volleyball.
Education
Shelley graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2010 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with Honours. She then went on to complete her Membership in Emergency and Critical Care. For those who don’t know what a Membership is, it’s an indication to the profession and the general public of an advanced practitioner, representing a middle-tier of knowledge, competence, and experience in a specific area of veterinary medicine. Shelley has continued her studies gaining first-class honours in a graduate certificate in Small Aminal Abdominal Ultrasound from the University of Melbourne and Lincoln’s Lead to Succeed Program (management).
Special Interests
Shelley is an energetic, positive, ‘people person’ who enjoys managing teams, training and mentoring. She is a strong advocate for positive work-culture and staff wellbeing. Shelley has experience motivating people and teams, utilising their strengths, and helping them overcome communication challenges. She really enjoys helping others thrive in their roles and careers
Dr Natalie
Veterinarian
Who is Natalie when she’s not being a vet?
Away from the veterinary clinic, Natalie leads a fascinating double life as a Police Officer. Her journey into law enforcement began nearly two decades ago when she enrolled in the Police Academy, fulfilling a dream that she has had since she was just 12 years old. Alongside her demanding career in law enforcement, Natalie has continued to work as a vet.
In her leisure time, you’ll find Natalie underwater. Drawn by the tranquil beauty of marine life, her scuba diving adventures began in 1988. This passion for the ocean is not only her sanctuary but also a canvas for her underwater photography, capturing the beauty that lies beneath the waves.
Natalie’s heart belongs to two cherished pets, Merlin, her hefty 11-year-old Burmese cat, and Lexie, a mixed-breed dog she rescued in 2021, who is now 9 years old. Besides her love for animals and underwater exploration, Natalie enjoys staying active by running and playing golf.
Education
Natalie loves to learn and obtained a Bachelor of Science with majors in Parasitology and Zoology in 1988. She then went on to complete a Master of Science in Parasitology in 1992. Her passion for helping animals then took over and in 1997 she completed her Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons) at the University of Queensland. As part of her other job as a Police Officer, Natalie also obtained a Master of Science (Forensic).
Special Interests
Natalie’s veterinary obession lies in geriatric cat medicine. She has developed a home care program specifically designed for cats suffering from renal disease, a model that has since been embraced by other veterinary clinics. Additionally, she has a keen interest in dermatological issues in pets and loves to share her knowledge and experience in both areas at every opportunity.
Dr Amanda
Veterinarian
Who is Amanda when she’s not being a vet?
Amanda loves gardening and hopes to one day achieve a permaculture paradise on her property. She lives in the Redlands with her husband, two kids, a handsome Burmese cat and very naughty Whippet.
Education
Amanda graduated from Tufts University in the US in 2006 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. She then moved to Australia and completed a rotating internship at Queensland Veterinary Specialists in 2008.
Special Interests
Amanda enjoys all aspects of general practice, especially helping our feline patients.
Dr Caitlin
Veterinarian
Who is Caitlin when she’s not being a vet?
In her spare time Caitlin loves getting out on the water to stand up paddle board. She is also currently learning to play the ukulele!
Education
Caitlin graduated from James Cook University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science.
Special Interests
Caitlin is passionate about all aspects veterinary care however she is particularly interested in emergency and internal medicine.
Dr Kerry
Veterinarian
Who is Kerry when she’s not being a vet?
Kerry loves spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys growing fruits and vegetables – (especially tomatoes) and caring for her indoor plants. A true Pisces at heart she’s never too far from the water on weekends and she loves swimming, bushwalking, photography, digital art, and baking up a storm in the kitchen! She’s currently learning two languages, and enjoys yoga, meditation and snuggling up of an evening with her best friend and cat.
Education
Kerry grew up in Tasmania and graduated from The University of Tasmania in early 2017 with a Bachelor of Science + Honours degree, where she majored in Zoology with minors in Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology. In her honours year she looked at new ways to reduce behavioural signs of stress and anxiety in hospitalised veterinary patients. She used the rest of the year to save money (and volunteer teaching children in her spare time) before moving to QLD to start her Veterinary Science Degree + Honours (again!) from 2018 – 2022. In this honours year she looked at the efficacy of ADAPTIL for use in veterinary clinics. If you counted that’s a total of 9 years study, but she wouldn’t change a second. She wants everyone to know there is always more than one pathway to your dreams.
Special Interests
Kerry’s areas of interest are exotic animals and animal behaviour. She would also love to gain more experience in advanced surgical techniques, and loves connecting with clients and being there to support each person in their time of need.
Dr Suzi
Veterinarian
Who is Suzi when she’s not being a vet?
Suzi loves to be outdoors with her partner and friends, whether it be mountain biking, hiking or at the beach. She has a long time passion for gymnastics and a new interest in spinning clay.
Education
After living abroad for a year in Italy Suzi came back to Australia to study a bachelor of Animal Science at The University of New England in 2016 before moving into the veterinary industry. Suzi graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2021. After graduating, she completed a rotating internship at Veterinary Specialist Services in Brisbane. Suzi also completed a short stint in the UK as a locum vet.
Special Interests
Suzi is passionate about patient care and quality of life, as well as surgery and ultrasonography.
Dr Fiona
Veterinarian
Who is Fiona when she’s not being a vet?
Fiona is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Outside of work, Fiona and her husband are busy parents to her 6 year old daughter and 4 year old son. She is also a proud pet parent to a 10 year old Budgerigar named Hamish. If she isn’t chasing after the two human energizer bunnies, she actively serves at her church. She relaxes by watching Asian and Sci Fi dramas, going horseriding (when she can) and converting her garden into something more friendly for the native wildlife.
Education
Fiona grew up and attended all her schooling years in Brisbane. She graduated from the University of Qld with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) in 2007. Since her graduation, she has worked in various practices in Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich as a small animal general practitioner with a brief stint in mixed animal practice early in her career.
Special Interests
Fiona loves the variety and challenge that GP practice brings. Her particular interest lies in medicine – whether small animal or simple avian and exotic pet medicine. She is also interested in dermatology and dentistry. Keeping with the motto – “prevention is better than cure”, she prefers to catch problems early on to make sure all pets will have the best quality of life possible well into their golden years.
Brooke
Practice Manager
Who is Brooke when she’s not being a vet nurse?
Brooke grew up in Cairns but made the move to the beautiful Gold Coast in January 2017. In her spare time she loves listening to music (she knows the lyrics to practically every song), spending time with her family and friends, her two Shih Tzu x Poodles, BJ and Maisy and her cat Tickles.
Education
Brooke started Vet Nursing in 2013. She completed her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2015 through the Animal Industries Resource Centre.
Special Interests
Brooke loves all aspects of nursing but her favourite part of the job is looking after the animals in hospital, ensuring they are happy and comfortable during their stay.
Candice
Reception/Boarding Manager & Vet Nurse
Who is Candice when she’s not being a vet nurse?
Outside of work Candice and her husband are busy being parents to 2 gorgeous boys, Isaac and Levi and 2 fur babies and Chase the ginger ninja domestic shorthair cat.
Education
Candice has a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing as well as a Certificate II in Frontline Management. She has over 15 years’ experience in small animal clinics, 10 of which were spent in Head Nurse and Practice Management positions.
Special Interests
Candice enjoys building strong relationships with clients and focusing on providing gold standard pet care service. She has a special interest in pet nutrition and is passionate about educating clients on effective dental home care plans to prevent dental disease. Candice also has a keen interest in business health, pet advocacy and she has a big soft spot for Border Collies (especially chocolates, reds and merles)!
Sarah
Vet Nurse
Who is Sarah when she’s not being a vet nurse?
Sarah owns a collection of animals and has a special interest in birds and reptiles. In her spare time, Sarah likes spending quality time with her family and also enjoys playing netball.
Education
Sarah has a Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing and 19 years’ experience in the veterinary industry. She is a well recognised long term employee, she’s been with The Vet Lounge since we first opened!
Special Interests
Sarah has a special interest in birds and reptiles and enjoys surgical nursing. She is also a multi award winning bandage designer for all patients undergoing orthopaedic procedures at The Vet Lounge.
Katie
Vet Nurse
When Katie isn’t being a vet nurse she is busy being a wife and mum. She’s also a pet parent to 2 dogs, 2 cats and 3 parrots who all keep her on her toes! Katie enjoys teaching her parrots new skills, a good laugh and catch up with friends and family, a good gym session, listening to music, relaxing bush walks and crafty DIY creations around home.
Education
Katie likes to keep up to date with best practices to ensure that she is always learning and able to provide our patients with exceptional care.
Special Interests
Katie has a newfound love of birds now having 3 of her own and enjoys challenging herself by learning more about the handling and care of this intelligent species. She also loves surgical and hospital nursing and has as a particular interest in diagnostic imaging and animal behaviour.
Rylee
Vet Nurse
When she’s not with family or friends, Rylee is your stereotypical dog mum. Her weekends are full of taking her dogs on adventures, play dates, doggy birthday parties and always getting content for their instagram @coopwiththefur. Rylee has 3 dogs (2 Golden Retrievers and a Kelpie), 2 cats, a parrot and some very friendly rats. Before becoming a staff member at The Vet Lounge, Rylee used to visit as a client with all her pet rats!
Education
After having an animal obsession for years Rylee found her passion in Veterinary Nursing. Rylee has a certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and became qualified in 2019. She has been working as a nurse since early 2019 and has now joined The Vet Lounge Coomera team in 2022.
Special Interests
Rylee has a very keen interest in orthopaedic surgeries and dental procedures and would jump in to do a surgery herself if she could! Rylee also has a very large love for very little pocket pets and exotics. If you have an exotic, expect Rylee to come and say hi! She also has a passion and keen eye for reproduction.
Louise – Maternity Leave
Vet Nurse
When Louise is not being a vet nurse she is busy cleaning up after her two cats Osiris and Hera, out and about riding her horse Dusky or entertaining her dog Loki. Louise also loves travelling around Australia and overseas with her husband.
Education
Louise graduated with a Cetrt IV in Veterinary Nursing from TAFE in Perth in 2012. She worked over in Perth for about 5 years before she moved to QLD in 2017.
Special Interests
Louise loves surgery, especially the anaesthesia and the recovery side, but she also enjoys medicine and looking after hospitalised patients.
Julia
Trainee Vet Nurse
Who is Julia when she is not being a trainee vet nurse?
Julia is a Finnish girl who decided to go on a backpacking trip to Australia for a year and is still on the same trip after nearly ten years! She is now happy to call Australia home.
Julie loves spending time with animals, she has her own energetic Staffy named Blue, a Toyger cat named Tigger, and a horse named Bruno. Julia enjoys going on long trail rides, being in nature makes her day!
Education
Julia graduated from University with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management. Still discovering which career path she wanted to go down, Julia also studied to become a Chef and ended up working in hospitality. Her passion for animals later lead her to study to become a professional Riding Tour Guide and has now lead her here to The Vet Lounge to undertake her traineeship in Veterinary Nursing.
Special Interests
Everything in the industry is so new and exciting for Julia but she is generally interested in all domestic animals and learning how to make sure she is providing them with the best possible care. She also loves ensuring our boarding guests have an enjoyable, stress-free stay.
Jude
Trainee Vet Nurse
Who is Jude when he is not being a trainee vet nurse?
Outside of being a trainee, Jude enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He particularly loves spending time with his family’s 3 cats, Maple, Zira and Alfie. In his spare time, Jude enjoys catching up with friends, going for a run and watching movies and sport.
Education
Jude is currently in high school and is completing his Cert II in Animal Care.
Special Interests
Jude is interested in all aspects of the animal industry, but is especially interested in caring for wildlife.
Kelly
Receptionist
Who is Kelly when she is not being a Receptionist?
Outside of work Kelly enjoys spending time relaxing with her family, friends and her 19 year old fur baby, Pepper. Kelly particularly loves spending as much time as possible with her beautiful grandson Reid, getting in as many baby cuddles as possible.
Education
Kelly first completed a Certificate IV in Business then moved into the Dental Industry. Kelly completed a Certificate III in Dental Assisting and a Diploma in Practice Management. After spending close to 30 years working in dental practices, moving from assisting to reception, then on to Practice Management, the time came where she wanted a change and to spend more time with her family.
Special Interests
Kelly is excited to now be working casual hours in a new and exciting industry, enjoying the challenge, and hoping to learn as much as possible to ensure all our clients receive the best possible care when visiting our clinic.
Daisy
Trainee Vet Nurse
Who is Daisy when she is not being a kennel hand?
When Daisy is not being a kennel hand, you’ll find her reading a good book, watching sitcoms on Netflix, or spending time with her two miniature dachshunds, Chip and Lola.
Education
Daisy has recently completed her Certificate III in Animal Studies and hopes to start her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in the near future.
Special Interests
Daisy loves being a kennel hand because she can spend my time doing what she loves the most – being with animals. Spending my time helping make an animals life better is incredibly meaningful to Daisy. She also loves the sense of community she gets working in a veterinary clinic. Everyone has the same goals and the same passion. Daisy is excited to continue expanding her knowledge of the industry.
Taylor
Kennel Hand
Who is Taylor when she is not being a kennel hand?
Outside of work, you can find Taylor keeping herself occupied by taking care of her only fur child, a cavoodle named Billy. When not relaxing at home, she can be found on a mini road trip, at the beach, running with Billy, or watching a game of footy.
Education
Taylor completed her certificate III in Animal Studies in 2021 and completed a small course in Canine Psychology, Behaviour & Training in 2023.
Special Interests
Taylor enjoys being a kennel hand because she loves exploring new ways to help animals settle in. Witnessing the journey an animal takes from their first day to exploring their new environment and soaking up the love is truly rewarding. It’s also fascinating to get a glimpse into all aspects of a vet clinic and assist wherever needed
Charlotte
Kennel Hand
Who is Charlotte when she is not being a kennel hand?
Outside of work, Charlotte loves spending time with her friends and family, doing everything and anything. She spends most of her time with her three animals: an energetic horse named Nevaeh, a loving dog named Duke, and a cuddly cat named Chico. Charlotte enjoys walking Duke and cuddling with Chico, but her favorite thing is to go out to her horse, whether that is riding or just grooming her.
Education
Charlotte has completed a Cert III in Business Administration and a Cert III in Animal Studies. She is hoping to pursue her Cert IV in Vet Nursing in the future.
Special Interests
Charlotte has always had a passion for animals, and being a kennel hand is where she gets to experience it all. She absolutely loves spending her day doing what she loves most: taking care of animals and making sure they are happy and healthy.
