Meet Our Staff

Dr. Louise Roberts is our active sportster. Lou has completed several half marathons, run 35 kms, climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and she now rows for Richmond Club.
A Melbourne girl and graduate, work started in Broadmeadows then Hampton. After 5 years of varied experience in the UK, Lou has come home to support the Hawks and to give Buddy an extra big cuddle. Oh yes, by the way, Buddy is her lovely ginger cat. Louise tells us Buddy loves his Hills t/d food.

Louise is very much an all rounder. She achieved eighth grade on the violin and to study music was her second choice after Veterinary Science.
She has lately undertaken extra study in Ophthalmology and so looks through our eye problems with ease.

A troublesome knee from down hill skiing is keeping her off her bike. None the less her happy smile is always here for us all- especially if you mention the word ’chocolate’.

Dr. Stella Broderick is keeping us up with the latest knowledge. Stella has recently gained a Master of Veterinary Science from Murdoch University.

Stella grew up in Melbourne and graduated in 2003 from Melbourne University. Work in Corio, and a stint in the UK have taught her the ropes.

However aside from her study, we hear about her soccer exploits, what she wore to the fancy dress party, the latest film, the gym, and her next dream holiday. A lot of dreaming is about snowboarding! The new speedster bike she was given for her birthday is keeping her very fit and well.

Dr. Phillip Kidd graduated from Melbourne University and began working in Mildura and Broken Hill. He came to Richmond in 1975 because then it was the cheapest suburb in Melbourne to live!! Phillip is an expert in muscular soreness and lameness after earlier work with racing greyhounds. He is also a keen small animal dentist. You can occasionally spot him at the local gym and pool and he is an active summertime Hobie catamaran sailor.

As a long time Richmond vet and resident he is friends with most of the local dogs and cats. Phillip is owned by Toughie the small old dog and Greyham, the foundling kitten recently adopted from the Clinic. Greyham is trying to teach Dr Phil a few new tricks. We need to learn how to place the food in the bowl now, and how to open the door when I want to go out.

Lana Belousova is our highly accomplished groomer. She comes from Russia where she was Director of a children’s Ecology Centre for 7 years with a degree in Biology. In 1991 she bought her first Russian Terrier – a large black dog needing lots of grooming. Breeding and showing them in Russia and Australia has set her on the path to us.

She settled first in Canberra and began to study to become a lab technician. However during that course her family moved to Melbourne, and her grooming skill soon found her a job. She has since completed the Advanced Grooming course.

After her hard days work at the Clinic, she heads home to her partner, daughter the extended family: Yasma the Lab, Dysia the Norwegian Forest cat, Tweedy the South American Parrot and Cassandra the Russian Terrier and her pup. She tells us none of them is interested in Russian style cooking, but they all have a big appetite for Lana’s Russian cakes. And can you believe it, rather than vodka, Lana drinks a little champagne with her cake.

Lana’s great joy is when a new litter of Terriers is born.
We guarantee that Lana’s grooming will make your dog more delectable than cake and champagne.

Cassie Middleditch has been with the Richmond Vet Clinic for nearly fifteen years. She has developed superior nursing knowledge and a thorough understanding of animals and our special relationships with them. Cassie has seen a broad range of animal dilemmas and has a knack for finding personalised solutions. After so many tricky cases and clients, Cassie has this theory about the Moon ….

Her first training was in hairdressing. Then straight into vet nursing.
She is currently studying the senior certificate in practice management via New England University.

As well as taking Italian classes, Cassie is particularly interested in herbal medicine and nutrition as she shows with a flair for cooking. Only gourmet table scraps for her dog Sam.

Rachael McAllister is a qualified Veterinary Nurse. For your pet, nothing is ever too much trouble, for her kind heart and soft touch ensure all her patients are treated with care and kindness.

Rachael comes from Brisbane, via her first job in an office, then a stay in India and then to the UK for 4 years, where she did anything and everything, mostly in care work for Social Services. Travelling home she landed in Perth, overlanded to Brisbane to Mum, then Sydney and next Melbourne.

Coming over the West Gate bridge for the first time she realised Melbourne would become ‘home’. She then set about organising what she always wanted to be. She began the Vet Nursing course and landed a job at West Brunswick Vet Clinic.

When we can get her to leave work, she goes home to her family of beautiful cats. They were all abandoned kittens requiring hand rearing. Now they live in a cat condo of 3 rooms, 4 stories, a garden outlook and a tunnel to pop back into the house to see what’s on for dinner.

Rachael is also a qualified personal trainer and just loves a DIY project.
She has been a committed vegetarian for over 20 years, though that has not stopped her supporting the mighty ‘Pies.

Susanna Finn has all the experience of a very varied working life which helps her understand our clients’ needs so well.

Her school years were in Adelaide, then work in a health food shop for 8 years, then with Jenny Craig for 2, next keeping house in Thredbo, grill cook in Byron Bay and then as barista in Sydney. And so she does love her coffee. Next off to London to work for the WSPCA. Becoming homesick it was back to the family in Melbourne to the Cancer Council and then Langton’s wines. And she does love a good wine when it comes along. Eventually she made it to Williamstown Veterinary Clinic to start her nursing career. A career confirmed with her study for the Vet Nursing certificate.

Did we mention Sue was at Film School for 2 years, where her work won awards ( but no job) and she runs a website for horror movie buffs. Sue tells us she is writing a novel too!

Sue is a careful vegetarian, and tries to be vegan.

Her large back yard is home to the family of 6 cats, 2 chickens, 2 guinea pigs and a quail – all of them rescue animals except that handsome Somali cat.

Horace was our resident cat and clinic manager. He oversaw the business from his favourite spot on the front counter. He was another foundling kitten adopted by his staff and spent all his years being pampered. His apparent role included minding the car park, walking on the keyboards, checking food bowls ( Hills t/d for Horace puleease), playing with the toy mouse, purring for pats, visiting the local creche and meowing at the door. Unfortunately he was run over on Church Street. Like the successor to the Dalai Lama, there is a new Horace out there. We await his/her arrival.