Wade graduated from the UQ with honours in 1993. He worked as a dairy vet in Victoria for 3 years and then did some tuberculosis testing in the Kimberleys as he and Helen travelled around Australia. Wade and Helen eventually settled in Cairns and bought the clinic in 2000. He and Helen married and had 3 beautiful kids, Lucas, Emma and Tyler. Together they have helped their little 3-man clinic grow to be the success it is today. We now have over 20 staff members and a very loyal following of wonderful clients and their furry companions. In recent years, Wade has been able to take a step back from the clinic and enjoy some of his personal hobbies including fishing, spearing and his newest hobby is breeding fish. Wade is still very much in the background helping run the clinic and particularly enjoys coming in for his orthopaedic surgeries and helping our other vets grow their surgical skills.  

Helen graduated from UQ with first class honours in 1993. She worked in Victoria for a few years and then travelled and worked around Australia for the following 3 years before buying the clinic with her now husband, Wade, back in May 2000. Together they have helped their little 3-man clinic grow to be the success it is today. We now have over 20 staff members and a very loyal following of wonderful clients and their furry companions. Helen has always ensured the clinic feels family orientated and is always looking for ways to ensure we are offering not only gold standard practices, but the best for 'your' pet. Helen has a particular interest in medicine, soft tissue surgery and dermatology. Outside of work, Helen enjoys spending time with her 3 (no so little) kids, Lucas, Emma and Tyler. She also enjoys reading and walking. 

Apart from our clinic owners, Ellen is our longest employed veterinarian. She graduated from UQ in 2008, started with us as a new-graduate shortly after and has been here ever since. For this reason, she is now our head veterinarian. Ellen is an exceptional and experienced veterinarian and has a particular interest in feline medicine and soft tissue surgery. She has a strong passion for innovative and modern medicine and implementing these recommendations and practices into our clinic protocols. She is always looking for ways to ensure we are offering gold standard practice. Outside of work, Ellen enjoys horticulture/propagation, gardening in her amazing yard, cycling, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Much of her love for the outdoors comes from growing up on the Atherton Tablelands. When she does have a quiet moment, she spends it with her partner Dylan, her three cats Pickles, Banksy and Tabitha, and her dogs Saff and Sully. We think she sets the best example for our other vets.

Michelle joined our team in June 2020 after packing her family up and moving back to warm Far North Queensland from chilly Tasmania. Michelle is a very experienced veterinarian, is our in-clinic ultrasonographer and has been developing her skills with orthopedics. Outside of work, she enjoys camping and mountain bike riding with her husband, Aiden and two kids, Riley and Ava. They have a cat called Lollipop Pumpkin Socks and two beautiful golden retrievers, Charlie and Indi. We are so happy that Michelle made the move to Cairns. She is a great asset. 

Mikayla graduated from JCU in 2016. She spent her first year practicing as a veterinarian in Northern NSW but ultimately decided to move back up to warm Far North Queensland. Mikayla joined our team in October 2018 and has a particular interest in soft tissue surgery and internal medicine. She is also interested in developing her ultrasonography skills. She is great at educating clients and enjoys communicating with them about their pets health. Outside of work, Mikayla loves hiking, water-skiing, fishing and just generally spending time outdoors. Mikayla recently built her first home with partner, Adam and their accident-prone staffy, Miley. Mikayla is a very valuable team member!

 

Anita is an experienced vet who graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2005. She worked as a new-graduate at a small animal practice in Melbourne and then went on to do some mixed animal practice in regional Victoria. Anita made the move to Far North Queensland in 2012 and has experience as an emergency veterinarian. She joined our team in June 2020 and has a particular interest in internal medicine and just procedural things in general, including surgery. She is also interested in developing her skills in ultrasonography. She loves pocket pets and in particular guinea pigs and loved treating rabbits in Victoria. Outside of work, Anita enjoys camping, hiking and just spending time outdoors with her fiancé, Derek and 4 children, James, Asha, Izzy and Zoe. She also spends much of her spare time looking after ger managary of pets including their dogs, Emmy, Finn and Koda, cats, Leo and Tundra and guinea pigs Midnight, Tim Tam and Nibbles. Anita has been a wonderful asset to our team. 

Kayla graduated from JCU in 2019 and joined our team as a new-graduate in January 2020. We have loved watching Kayla grow and evolve as a vet over the past couple of years. Kayla has a genuine love for animals and is often caught talking to her patients in a sweet voice. Kayla has a particular passion for small dogs and birds. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her partner, Liam and their dogs Ruth and Walter and ragdoll, Martha. Kayla is a wonderful asset to our team.

We are pleased to welcome Brooke to our team in September. Brooke graduated in the same year as Dr Kayla and has been living and working in Bowen. 

Lee-Anne started working at Southside in February 2008 and has never looked back. After finishing up her certificate in veterinary nursing, she gradually took on more of the administrative side of things and is now our head nurse. She has a special interest in wildlife and dedicates much of her spare time to rehabilitating wild birds. Lee-Anne loves continuing education, so you know your pets are always in safe hands with her. When she isn't working with animals, she focuses her attention on her husband, Kelvin, and their two children, Kayla and Liam. She enjoys anything outdoors including hiking and playing cricket. Her spare time is also consumed maintaining her many fish tanks and looking after her birds and pet guinea pig, Oreo. Lee-Anne brings a lot of experience to our team and is a great asset. 

Jess is technically our longest employed nurse, having started just before Lee-Anne back in December 2007. She took a brief hiatus to pursue a degree in human nursing but ultimately decided she couldn't leave the animals behind. Jess then moved into more of an administrative role and is now our clinics Practice Manger. She spends a lot of her time hidden in the office but still enjoys helping on the floor and seeing our clients and patients at reception. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her Husband Mark and their boys Hudson and Cooper. They are also due to welcome a 3rd little boy. Jess and her family have an extended fury family, their border collies Bella and Zuke and their cats Frankie and Chico. Jess brings a lot of experience to our team and is a great asset. 

Tamasyn has been a qualified Veterinary Nurse since 2007, and her passion for animals is still as strong as ever. She has two cats named Pom Pom and and Lucy, two border collies called Ivy and Hugo, a chihuahua called Pretzel and a cheeky parrot called Kibbles. Tamasyn takes care of the clinic stock and all your special orders. She recently finished a nutritional nurse course and consults all our weight watchers, nurse dental and physio post orthopaedic surgery patients. She also occasionally fills in as one of our puppy preschool teachers. Outside of work, Tam loves spinning fairy floss, baking, reading, camping and spending time with her daughter Willow and partner, Matt. Tam brings a lot of experience and value to our team.

Zoe joined our team in November 2014. She broadened her love of animals throughout the years by taking in a variety of wildlife from razorback pigs to galahs. Zoe is our reminder nurse, helping keep your pets up to date with their healthcare and preventatives. Zoe maintains our strong relationship with rescue group ARCAT and assists with any stray kittens that walk through the door. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her son, Jaxon, on their family farm. She has a managary of pets including dog, Bruce, cat, Jemima and duck, Swazi just to name a few. Zoe is a great asset to our team.

Heather Ford has been a Veterinary Nurse since 2006 and joined our team in 2016, after 8 years of travel around Australia with her Husband, Phil. She is originally from Sydney but settled in Cairns. Heather particularly loves surgical nursing. Outside of work, Heather enjoys traveling and camping with her family including her children, Billy and Eden. They have a very well-loved cattle dog called Ella. We love having Heather on our team.

Asami joined our team in 2016. She fell in love with Australia's flora and fauna after moving from Japan in 2000. Asami has a few qualifications under her belt including a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and her certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Asami has previously worked as a wildlife keeper as well. Aside from being one of our nurses, Asami is also our qualified groomer. She is very popular and often booked out a month or so in advance. She often shares photos of her furry clientele on our Facebook page. Outside of work, Asami enjoys spending time with her partner Rezan and beautiful little boy Kou. She also has a very cute toy poodle called Ume. Asami is a mad kite surfer and is at the beach, any chance she gets. She is such an asset to our team and we're sure all her grooming clients would agree.

Samm joined our team in September 2018 after a long career in early childcare. Samm is now a certificate IV qualified veterinary nurse. Outside of work, Samm is a competitive hockey player and enjoys spending time with her gorgeous and very well-loved dachshund, Millie. She is a wonderful asset to our team. 

Zan joined our team in March 2018 after returning home to live in Cairns. Zan has recently attained her certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and she now runs our puppy preschool classes. She likes spending time with her Husband, Alex and their Jack Russel, Jacky and two cats, Jigga and Shady. She loves cooking and trying out different restaurants around Cairns. Zan is a great asset to our team!

Helle is originally from The Netherlands and her first language is Dutch. She moved to Australia in 2006 and completed her certificate in veterinary nursing in 2018. Helle loves working with animals and had wanted to follow this career bath since she was young. Helle particularly likes surgical nursing. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring Cairns. Helle is a great asset to the team. 

Kayley joined our team in December 2019 after completing her certificate IV in veterinary nursing in NSW. Kayley is an avid animal lover and is very passionate about animal welfare. She has a particular interest in medical nursing. Outside of work, Kayley enjoys spending time with her rescue dog, Charlotte. She enjoys going to the beach and being outdoors. In 2019, she did some volunteer work for the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and often volunteers her time, fostering dogs that are in need of forever homes. It is wonderful to have Kayley on our team. 

Nat has a decade of nursing experience under her belt and became fully qualified in 2015. Nat decided to join our team in February 2021, and we are so pleased she did. We feel as though she has been a part of our team for much longer and is a great asset to Southside. Nat particularly enjoys surgery and emergency nursing. Outside of nursing, Nat enjoys the outdoors, camping and spending time with her family. She also has a pet catfish called Garfield, who she adores. 

Ange joined the clinic in December 2020 after completing a few work placements with us. She is currently completing her certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Ange lives on the tablelands, so has a long drive to work every day. If that isn't dedication, we aren't sure what is. She has a pet poodle called Jedi, a ridgeback cross called Zuko and a very protective parrot called Arno. Outside of work, Ange enjoys art, motorbike riding and camping. We are pleased to have Ange on our team. 

Krystel joined our team in October 2017 and has many years of nursing experience under her belt. She completed her certificate IV in veterinary nursing and then went on to do a certificate in veterinary technology. Outside of work, Krystel enjoys spending time with her husband Peter and their two beautiful daughters, Violet and Mia. They also have an extended furry family including Luna, their dalmatian, Jazmine their Maltese terrier cross and cats, Pippy and Bootz. Krystel is a wonderful asset to the team. 

Amy is a qualified nurse who completed her studies in South Australia. Amy made the brave decision to leave her friends and family behind and travel up to Cairns for warmer weather and to volunteer for the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. She enjoys anything outdoorsy and in particular, snorkeling with the turtles. Amy is such a pleasure to have around and is a great asset to our team. 

Megan lived on a farm in NSW where she enjoyed riding horses and nursing potty calves. She made the move to sunny Cairns in January 2021 before joining our team in February. Megan is currently studying her certificate IV in veterinary nursing, and she enjoys every aspect of the job. In her spare time, Megan enjoys camping, being outdoors and playing with her three sausage dogs, Sizzle, Sausage and Mini Dog.