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Our Team
Our Team
Veterinarians
Dr Alan Mills
Senior Veterinarian
Riverport & Victor Central
Dr Mills specialises in surgery, ophthalmology and oncology, and he has a particular interest in small animals. With experience of working in England, on a mixed farm in the Mid North of SA, and Strathalbyn Vet Clinic SA, you and your pet are in extremely good hands!
Dr Mills has two dogs, Tia and Darcy, and two feline friends as well called Pearl and Edward.
Dr Rhys Hayward
Senior Veterinarian
Riverport & Victor Central
Specialising in orthopedics, Dr Hayward just loves a challenging surgical case! Dr Hayward is also a small animal surgeon and deals with emergency medicine. No wonder he needs to unwind; when he’s not helping sick pets, Dr Hayward enjoys cycling, golf and surfing.
Dr Hayward is the proud owner of Guinness, a Whippador (a cross between a whippet and a labrador) and a cat called Rosie.
Dr Katrina Walker
Veterinarian
Riverport & Victor Central
Dr Walker’s main interests include small animal internal medicine and ultrasonography. Having worked and studied in Melbourne, North-East Victoria, and Sydney, Dr Walker is well travelled and very experienced. In her spare time, Dr Walker enjoys cooking, camping, travelling and spending time with her two daughters.
Dr Walker also owns the lovely Guinness, a whippet labrador cross.
Dr Ashley Graham
Veterinarian
Riverport & Victor Central
Dr Graham has experience of working with a variety of animals in Adelaide and the Riverland, and she has been with Vets First for more than three years. Having grown up in NSW on the mid-north coast, Dr Graham moved to the area after she graduated in 2009.
Dr Graham lives with her husband, two kids and three cats: Poppy, Cheezel and Willow.
Dr Tina Blom
Veterinarian
Riverport & Victor Central
With experience of working with animals in Adelaide, New Zealand, South Africa and India, Vets First is extremely lucky to be able to benefit from Dr Blom’s expertise. Dr Blom is now settled in the area where she and her husband enjoy camping, hiking, and exploring our beautiful beaches.
Dr Blom’s furriest friend is her dog, Ted, a staghound cross.
Manager
Megan Jeffree
Practice Manager
Riverport & Victor Central
Our practice manager, Megan Jeffree, has her own experience of veterinary nursing. In addition, a wealth of business management skills means she is perfectly placed to keep the practice running at its best. In her spare time, Megan enjoys gardening and music, and volunteering at the Vinnie’s food van.
Megan has a budgie called Paul, and many of our staff rely on her to help them look after their own pets.
Reception
Peta McAlpine
Receptionist
Riverport & Victor Central
With experience as a medical imaging typist and receptionist, Peta is a highly valued member of the Vets First team. She’s been helping us to stay efficient and organised for nearly six years now! Peta’s hobbies include cycling, snowboarding, and outdoor activities.
Dusty, Peta’s border collie, keeps her fit and active when she’s not enjoying winter sports or serving on reception.
Lisa Drew
Receptionist
Riverport & Victor Central
When you come to Vets First with your pet, you could well be greeted by the friendly smile of our receptionist, Lisa. An animal lover through and through, Lisa has been enjoying helping all the animals that come through our doors since 2016.
Lisa enjoys spending time with her fiancé and three children, Riley, Ruby and Hudson. Her two dogs, Lilly and Jet, two cats called Fanta and CC, and two guinea pigs, complete Lisa’s wonderful family.
Jessica Miller
Receptionist
Riverport & Victor Central
A talented and knowledgeable member of our team, Jessica has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Plant Science and Animal Science, and a Certificate in Biotechnology. We’re very happy to welcome Jess to Vets First!
At home, Jess has a daughter called Clara, a King Charles Spaniel called Ellie, and a cattle dog cross named Blue.
Nurses
Dani Reimann
Veterinary Nurse / Puppy Preschool Educator
Riverport & Victor Central
Multi-skilled and a true animal lover, Dani is our veterinary nurse and puppy expert. She runs our puppy preschool classes helping dog-owners to get the well-trained dog they want from an early age. Dani likes looking for gemstones and is also keep on travelling and exploring.
Dani has two dogs, Wendy, a Boston terrier, and Polly, a Frenchie. Her two cats are called Bowie and Major Tom!
Vikki Benwell
Veterinary Nurse / Puppy Preschool Educator
Riverport & Victor Central
We are extremely proud to have Vikki on our team, not least because of her experience and surgical nursing skills: Vikki has been a vet nurse for over 19 years. Vikki is hardworking and caring. As well as working for Vets First, Vikki works part-time as a surgical, emergency and critical nurse at a referral centre.
Vikki has three horses called Kersace, Cassie and Angel, and lives in rural Yankalilla. She also loves photography and has two rescue chooks called Lucky and Frizzle.
Louise McEwen
Veterinary Nurse
Riverport & Victor Central
With a particular interest in dog behaviour and surgery, Louise loves looking after all types of animals. A fully qualified veterinary nurse, Louise has worked in clinics across Adelaide and Coffs Harbour.
Louise recently became a proud mum to beautiful twins and has a young labrador called Ella.
Katie Wilson
Veterinary Nurse
Riverport & Victor Central
Thanks to her past career in real estate, Katie is a fantastic administrator and excels at customer service. Born right here in Victor Harbor, Katie is now a qualified veterinary nurse and a real asset to the Vets First team.
Katie is mum to two young children and has a pet black Labrador called Trevor.
Keziah Lindschau
Trainee Veterinary Nurse
Riverport & Victor Central
Keziah has been training at Vets First since 2015 and has successfully completed Certificate 1 in Animal Studies. She’s now working towards her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. As well as spending time with her gorgeous family, Keziah’s hobbies and interests include craft, cooking, and baking.
Keziah has a dog named Diesel, a German Shepherd.
Amelia Trowse
Trainee Veterinary Nurse,
Riverport & Victor Central
Luckily for us, Millie decided to stay with us to train as a veterinary nurse after working with us as a kennel hand in 2013. Milly is aiming to study animal behaviour and animal nutrition in more detail, and we can’t wait to watch her excel!
Milly has two cats called Reed and Diego, and a Maltese x Shih Tsu called Lilly.
Stephanie Blackwell
Trainee Veterinary Nurse
Riverport Veterinary Hospital
Having lived on a farm and being surrounded by animals her whole life, Steph has always known she loves animals. She joined us a trainee veterinary nurse in 2016 and is doing brilliantly!
Steph has a horse called Ace, a kelpie called Archie, and three cats called Drew, Kitty and Barney.
Nic Hearse
Trainee Veterinary Nurse
Riverport & Victor Central
An avid animal lover and a professional dog trainer, Nic also has plenty of experience in the animal care industry. We’re really excited to have Nic on our team and watching her excel at running puppy preschools. She’s currently studying for her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing.
Nic has quite a menagerie of animals, including a horse, six dogs, three cats, a macaw, a rabbit, 15 chickens and two snakes.
Lakisha Elix
Trainee Nurse
Riverport & Victor Central
We’re really lucky to have people like Lakisha at Vets First to look after our dogs while they’re staying with us. Lakisha has expressed an interest in veterinary nursing, and we certainly think she has a valuable contribution to make to animal care. Lakisha grew up in Mount Gambier, and she enjoys making tie-dye creations in her spare time.
Lakisha has two pet cats called Theodore and Winnie, and two pet rats.
Kennel Hands
Daisy Blencowe
Kennel Hand
Riverport & Victor Central
A genuine animal lover, Daisy is one of our fantastic kennel hands. Here at Vets First, we really couldn’t provide our dogs with the level of care they need and deserve without people like Daisy!
Daisy has a horse called Fin with whom she likes to compete. Another two horses, a pony, two dogs, two cats, two alpacas, two goats and two sheep make up Daisy’s impressive menagerie.
Nikki Wenham
Kennel Hand
Riverport & Victor Central
One of our most reliable kernel hands, Nikki has a real passion for all animals, not just dogs. Currently studying to be a veterinarian at the University of Adelaide, we’re really lucky to have Nikki helping out at the clinic.
Nikki’s dog Mia is an Australian cattle dog, and she also owns birds, chicken and three cats called Molly, Bella and Shelby.
Contact Informationriverportvets@vetsfirst.com.au
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