Meet the team at Nanango Veterinary Surgery

Dr Samantha Morrow - Veterinarian and Partner
Qualifications - B.V.Sc.(Hons), M.V.S.

I have wanted to be a vet for as long as I can remember and have been lucky enough to have always had animals in my life.

I grew up on a small property in the Lockyer Valley with dogs, cows and chooks. After finishing high school I started a science degree in animal studies at Gatton, before starting my vet degree at St Lucia in 2004.

To keep me company while studying I had 2 pet hermit crabs ‘Harvey’ and ‘Norman’ and they proved to be great companions while renting.

I started at Nanango Veterinary Surgery in late December 2008 after graduating from the University of Queensland the same year.

I have come to love Nanango, the people in it, and especially the animals that I’m privileged to work with every day.

Although mixed practice has many challenges it also brings great reward with many interesting cases and no two days are ever the same.

I particularly enjoy small animal medicine and am relaxing now that I have finished my Master’s Degree at Murdoch University, to gain further knowledge in this area.

My husband Simon and I live on our acreage near Nanango and my spare time is spent with my sons, William (born Feb 2013) and Eddie (born July 2015).

I love giving cuddles to my two dogs ‘Maggie’ and ‘Buster’, relaxing with my cat ‘Lizzie’, toiling in the garden and whipping up the odd masterpiece on my sewing machine.

• Masters of Small Animal Practice (Murdoch University)
• 12 month long Small Animal Ultrasonography course
• Member of the AVA and Australian Small Animal Veterinarians Association special interest group

Dr Linda Schiemer - Veterinarian and Partner
Qualifications - B.V.Sc. (Hons)

I simply can not remember a time in my life when I did not want to be a Veterinarian!

Born and raised in Dubbo, NSW I've been described as "Having inhaled red dirt and taken it to my soul".

When visiting friends in The South Burnett a decade ago, I fell in love with the area and decided that this is where I wanted to make my home.

After working in mixed practice in Rockhampton for 2 years I moved on to Townsville for a further few years.

In Townsville, I indulged my passion—working alongside equine specialists in an Equine Hospital and taking part in the equine veterinary training of James Cook University Vet students.

When the opportunity arose to become a part of the NVS team I jumped at the chance to become a part of this amazing mixed practice.

As a Vet, my main area of interest lies in the realm of all things equine: I am passionate about equine medicine, surgery and reproduction.

In case you hadn't gathered, when I'm not at work you will find me training and competing with my own horses in the Olympic sport of Eventing.

• Member of Equine Veterinarians Australia and Australian Reproductive Veterinarians special interest groups
• Equine Veterinarians Pre-Purchase examination workshop delegate
• Australian Studbook registered Veterinarian (Thoroughbred Identification and Branding)
• EVA Equine musculoskeletal ultrasonography workshop delegate
• Equine Ultrasound guided joint injections workshop delegate

Dr Hanna Perrett - Veterinarian
Qualifications - B.V.Sc.

Growing up on our Duaringa cattle property, I was fortunate enough to have many pets both small and large.

Heading off to boarding school at 12, I found it hard being away from my second furry family and always kept a few fish for silent company.

After completing my vet degree at James Cook University, Townsville, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position at Nanango Veterinary Surgery.

Prior to accepting the position, I didn’t even know Nanango existed on the map! Three years later I’m comfortably settled in on my acreage with my ever growing animal family.

I love coming to work every today not only to work with animals but to grow together as a team, with our wonderful vet and nursing staff.

It doesn’t really seem like a job when you love what you do, and who you do it with.

I enjoy surgery time whether it is a routine desexing, lump removal or assisting with more complicated orthopaedic cases.

When I’m not at work I enjoy maintaining my yard and garden, getting out and about for some fitness (for the horses, dogs or myself) or heading off for the weekend to a camp draft with the ponies and dogs and camping gear all aboard.

• Member of Australian Cattle Veterinarians
• Australian Cattle Veterinarians Accredited Bull Breeding Soundness examiner
• Accredited Endurance Veterinarian

Dr Danica Miller -Veterinarian
Qualifications – B.V.sc. (Hons)

After recently graduating university in December 2018, I am joining Sam, Linda and Hanna as the fourth vet at Nanango Veterinary Surgery, but I have been part of the team for more than ten years.

I have loved animals all my life, so a career in the veterinary industry was an easy choice. I grew up on a farm in Maidenwell with my two sisters, and have had countless pets over the years; furry, feathery and scaly!

My background on a beef farm, coupled with the fact that my partner is a dairy farmer just outside Nanango, means that I am super keen on all things cattle. I have a special interest in dog obedience, and you can often find me at the clinic along with one of our nurses, Larissa, surrounded by puppies in our puppy preschool classes.

I enjoy meeting our clients’ exotic pets, especially companion birds, and I find caring for wildlife patients very rewarding as well. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time on the farm, drawing, taekwondo, running and working on obedience tricks with my dog, Dolly.

• Member of the AVA and Australian Cattle Vets

Larissa Harvey - Veterinary Nurse
Qualifications: Certificate II in Veterinary Nursing

I can remember always wanting to be a vet nurse since I was in Grade 6, as I've always loved animals.

While at high school I was lucky enough to do 4 weeks of work experience at Nanango Veterinary Surgery and I loved it.

This led to an offer of a school-based traineeship in my last year of schooling at Nanango State High School, and I was offered a full time job in 2013.

I became a qualified Veterinary Nurse in January 2014. I also completed a course in emergency care in 2016. I am also an approved collector for Dogs Queensland DNA Sampling.

Living and growing up in Blackbutt, I have one dog Bruiser and 2 birds Jo and Charlie.

When I'm not working, I really enjoy motocross. I started riding my first bike at the age of 5 years and have been competing since June 2013. I am looking forward to competing more throughout the years.

In 2016, I purchased my first two French Bulldogs, Dudley and Daisy.
I became a member of Dogs Queensland for Breeding. My first litter was born in November 2017 with 7 healthy puppies.

I have purchased another French Bulldog named LuLu who is now part of my breeding program.

Gretel Cartmill - Veterinary Nurse
Qualifications: Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing.

I have had an interest in animals since I can remember, so being involved in the animal industry was always the dream for me.

I grew up in Kingaroy but spent every spare moment at my Grandparent’s farm in Coolabunia.

My weekends were spent riding the old farm pony, caring for the chooks and helping with the cattle.

After completing high school, I took a position as a Pharmacy Assistant, gaining a Certificate III in Community Pharmacy in 2014, before being offered my dream job at Nanango Veterinary Surgery.

I took the job on the spot and started in December 2014. To gain more knowledge of the veterinary industry, I completed my Certificate II in Veterinary Nursing in 2015 and completed my Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2018.

I always love coming to work as it is always fun and never the same as the day before.

Outside of work, I enjoy riding my horses with the dogs following on not too far behind, spending time in the garden, travelling and doing the odd job around the farm.

Joy Patch - Veterinary Nurse
Qualifications - Certificate II in Veterinary Nursing

I grew up on a pineapple farm at Imbil and have always loved and enjoyed working with animals and owning them as companions.

I attended Gympie High School and then went on to work in the quality control lab at Golden Circle until I married in 1976. After marriage, I moved to Bell with my husband Greg to work on the dairy farm and piggery. We showed these dairy cows and pigs with success.

As the children came along, they were involved in Pony Club and tennis and this allowed us to become involved in the local community.

I also bred Standard Fox terriers which kept me more than busy along with the general running of the farm and bringing up the children.

In 1996, we moved to Nanango, where we continued dairying until we dispersed the dairy herd following the 2013 floods.

During this time, we also spent 5 years living and working in Victoria, only returning to Nanango in 2014.

We now run a nice little herd of beef cows, grow Lucerne hay and have recently established our Australian White sheep stud 'Beauvale'.

Besides working on the farm, I enjoy being involved in the local community and was the Kingaroy Show Secretary between 2006-2009.

I also enjoy learning new skills, meeting new people and working towards a challenge, which was why I was thrilled to accept the position at Nanango Veterinary Surgery.

I have now completed my Certificate II in Veterinary Nursing.
When I'm not at work or doing jobs around the farm, I enjoy gardening, crocheting and cooking.

Judy Sanders- Veterinary Nurse

Raised on a dairy farm at Mt Mee, my love affair with animals didn’t take long to kick in. As a kid, I raised poddy calves and learned to ride ponies from a young age, mostly riding around the lush paddocks of my Grandparents dairy farm and along quiet country roads.

My love of horses continued into my teen years, where I competed in many different disciplines of horse sports after a move to Caboolture with my parents and siblings, enabled me to attend and compete at pony club and Ag shows including the Ekka.

In 1987, I moved to the South Burnett and later, married husband Craig. Our family grew with the arrival of our two girls, Amy and Stacey. Other than a brief stint in Winton, I have called Nanango my home for over 30 years.

I’ve also actively bred and shown stud and commercial cattle, and have a passion for Border Collie dogs. More recently I’ve taken an interest in native wildlife of which we have plenty of, on our small grazing property, on the outskirts of Nanango.

I was actually accepted into Vet Nursing College in Brisbane, when I was 16 years old, but the opportunity never became a reality. So now, some 36 years later, with a lifetime experience of working with small and large animals, I am fulfilling my dream job, in my favourite town, and enjoying working with an amazing team of Vets and Nurses, at the Surgery which I’ve used for my own animals since moving to Nanango, all those years ago.

Paige Gayton - Trainee Veterinary Nurse

Growing up in Brisbane, my family always owned animals, such as guinea pigs, cockatoos and cats.

Then, moving to Yarraman when I was 10, I got the opportunity to learn how to ride horses, which had always been a dream of mine.

While learning the ropes of horse riding and having a brief experience with camp drafting, I discovered my desire to become a Veterinary nurse.

In early 2017, I spent 8 months doing work experience once a week at NVS and was over the moon when I was offered a traineeship in Veterinary nursing for 2018.

I have been doing Distance Education since year 5, which gives me a lot more freedom to work at Nanango Veterinary Surgery and spend more time with my horse Savanah.

In my free time away from school and work, I enjoy riding and training horses, cooking, singing and curling up with a good book.

Steve

Steve is our Clinic cat. Often found sleeping or pestering staff for food.

Steve is a Devon Rex – which means he is seriously lacking fur! He is also a little strange looking in general… We love his cranky face and his weird outlook on life!