Steven Cooney with Kipper and Bindi

BVSc (Hons) MANZCVSc (Small Animal Surgery) – Practice Owner

Steve grew up on the outskirts of Sydney on 5 acres with horses, ducks, chooks, cats and dogs. He knew from a young age that he would one day either run-away or work on a cattle station in the Northern Territory, or become a vet. After graduating from Sydney University in 1992, Steve worked in a dairy cattle practice in Gippsland, Victoria, spending the days delivering calves and treating horses. After 18 months there, Steve then travelled overseas returning to Australia in 1997 and starting work at Balmain Veterinary Hospital.

In 1998 Steve successfully sat examinations in Small Animal Surgery, and was admitted as a member to the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists. His main areas of interest lay within small animal surgery, in particular orthopedics and reconstructive surgery. Steve's own experiences with skin allergies have left him with a keen interest in animal skin conditions also. In 2000 Steve became partner in Balmain Veterinary Hospital and is a proud member of the team. He shares his house with his wife Christina, 2 beautiful children and Miniature Schnauzers Bindi and Tash. Steve has also recently added some chickens into the mix.

Jason Lenord with Ra

BVSc (Hons) MANZCVSc (Medicine, Radiology) – Practice Owner

Jason grew up on a wheat and sheep farm near Inverell in Northern NSW. A love of working with animals and an interest in science steered him into a veterinary career. He graduated from the University of Sydney in 1994 and then headed off for three years to work in mixed practices on the Murray River in Victoria and on the NSW coast. Jason then made the move to Sydney to focus on a career in small animals. He worked in Sydney's Eastern suburbs until 2002, and then headed off overseas with his wife Chantay to work and travel, before returning in August 2005 to join the team at Balmain Veterinary Hospital.

Jason enjoys rugby and cricket and coaches both at a junior level. Jason also loves playing golf and tries to not let it take up too much of his spare time. His veterinary interests include small animal medicine, surgery, diagnostic imaging and pathology. In 2007 Jason was admitted to the Small Animal Medicine chapter of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists by examination, and again in 2018 to the Radiology Chapter after more exams.

Jason and Chantay have 3 sons as well as Zeus the Burmese cat (who fancies himself as the practice cat when he visits) and Nibbles the Rex Rabbit. Ra (pictured with Jason) is unfortunately no longer with us, having passed away in 2018 at the ripe old age of 20.

Nathan Harris with Daisy

BVSc MANZCVSc (Medicine) - Practice Owner

Nathan gained his Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney and began his career as a Veterinary Surgeon in a large, small animal practice in metropolitan Sydney. This gave him the professional grounding and confidence to embark on a 3 year hiatus to the United Kingdom where he gained further valuable experience in small animal medicine and surgery. On returning from the UK, Nathan worked for a further 5 years at two inner Sydney Veterinary Practices before settling into Balmain.

During the last 5 years he has been active in pursuing further education and has completed a post graduate qualification in Emergency Medicine. This set the agenda for completing further examinations in Internal Medicine, and in 2010 Nathan gained his Membership in Feline and Canine internal medicine and became a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists. Nathan is also an Australian Government accredited Veterinarian, enabling him to assist clients in the export of their pet to overseas destinations.

Nathan's professional interests lie in medicine and soft tissue surgery, both of which he is passionate in practising. Nathan enjoys serving the community of Balmain, Rozelle and Lilyfield and prides himself on providing the very best advice and care to both you and your companion.

Angela Camilleri with Nougat

Maternity Leave

BVSc (Hons)

Angela’s love of animals started from a young age as she grew up looking after a variety of pocket pets. She graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in 2011. A 2 year stint in London allowed her to gain more experience in both general practice and emergency medicine. After backpacking around Europe she returned home in 2016 to join the team at Balmain Veterinary Hospital.

Angela enjoys all aspects of veterinary practice, especially dermatology and imaging. She is committed to ongoing education, regularly attends seminars, and spent 18 months on further study in small animal medicine.

In her free time Angela is often out hiking, scuba diving or skiing. She is mum to a gorgeous, shy Birman called Nougat and a very cheeky rescue kitten named Soda.

Jenna Lurie with Olive

BVSc (Hons)

Jenna was born in South Africa and moved to Sydney at a young age. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 2011 with first class honours and spent the next five years working in a busy small animal practice on Sydney’s North Shore.

Jenna loves the variety of general practice, but is particularly interested in ophthalmology and soft tissue surgery. She is committed to professional development and has completed distance education courses in surgery and oncology, cardiorespiratory medicine, diagnostic imaging, and anaesthesia and analgesia.

Jenna grew up with dogs of all shapes and sizes and rescued a mischievous cat, Dora. She is also mum to a cheeky toddler who loves all animals but mostly cats! In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking, and doing puzzles. She was also the goalkeeper for the Balmain Vet netball team!

Kayleigh Ross

BVSc (Hons)

Kayleigh graduated with first class honours from the University of Sydney in 2015. She grew up between Sydney and Darwin and has always had a number of family pets including dogs, cats, guinea pigs and rabbits. She currently owns two rescue cats Arnold and Wilma. Kayleigh previously worked at a small clinic in Sydney and is enjoying the busy and varied cases seen at Balmain Veterinary Hospital.

Kayleigh enjoys all aspects of general veterinary practice, however her main interest lies in internal medicine. Since graduating she has completed additional courses in small animal internal medicine and radiology. Kayleigh loves to be able to work with pet owners to achieve the best possible outcome in keeping pets happy and healthy.

Outside of work Kayleigh enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling as much as possible and spending time outdoors.

Jamie Wildner

BVSc

Jamie was born in Germany and moved to Australia at a young age, spending her schooling years in Brisbane. Showing an affinity for animals early on she attended Sydney University, graduating in 2017. She spent her first two years as a new graduate at a busy practice in Western Sydney where she focused on grounding her skills in surgery and medicine of small animals before joining the Balmain Vet team in August 2019.

Jamie has an interest in all aspects of veterinary medicine, however she especially loves small animal surgery. She has already attended multiple surgical conferences along the east coast to further her education.

Jamie has a gorgeous Great Dane X rescue named Mitch, whom she loves taking to the beach, for hikes and on runs. In her remaining spare time you’ll find her watching any sport that’s currently on TV, especially the Brisbane Lions, and playing Netball, Oztag or doing triathlons.

Aimee Bock with Casper

BVSc

From a young age, Aimee developed a heartfelt love for animals, which inspired her to study a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney. Upon graduation in 2017, she completed an internship in small animal internal medicine at a busy specialist hospital on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.

Aimee enjoys all aspects of general veterinary practice, and has a special clinical interest in small animal internal medicine. She is committed to continuing education and providing the highest standard of care for her patients.

Outside of work, Aimee enjoys spending time with her family and friends, her mischievous Samoyed Charlie Brown, and her chatty geriatric cat, Mintie.

Cyndi To

Maternity Leave

BVSc

Cyndi graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2014. She started work in a small animal practice in Western Sydney with people of varying socioeconomic backgrounds and quickly adapted to working together with owners after hearing their individual needs and capabilities. Cyndi particularly enjoyed helping to improve their human-animal bond.

She later spent almost three years in a busy small animal practice in Kellyville where she gained a vast amount of veterinary experience. After moving earlier in 2021 she decided to do locum work at several small animal practices in Sydney to give desperately needed relief to so many vets due to the pandemic. Although Cyndi enjoyed learning new techniques and approaches, she missed seeing regular clients and being able to follow through on her cases.

Thus, upon hearing about how amazing it is to work at Balmain Veterinary Hospital, she decided to return to permanent work and joined us in August last year. Cyndi enjoys all facets of veterinary medicine and surgery, and has done much continuing education since graduation including in dermatology, internal medicine, radiology, and dentistry, to name a few. Cyndi is passionate about helping people and their furry family members, and is dedicated to providing a high standard of care to her patients.

Outside of work, Cyndi enjoys playing volleyball and tennis, as well as board games. She has two fur-babies- Lyla, a naughty tortie, whom she rescued as a kitten within a month of working as a vet, and a recent addition Alfie, a cheeky Cavoodle puppy, who is keeping his mum very busy!"

Katherine Wells

BVSc (Hons)

Katherine graduated from the Royal Veterinary College (London) in 2010 with first class Honours degrees in both Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Pathology and was also awarded the university medal for best overall achievement. After graduation, she spent several years working in small animal and equine practice in and around London before making the big move to Sydney in 2015.

What was initially meant to be a 6 month working holiday position rapidly became a permanent job and Katherine has been living and working in NSW ever since. After working in several busy hospitals in Sydney and on the Mid North Coast, Katherine joined the team at Balmain Veterinary Hospital in May 2022.

Katherine’s main passion is internal medicine and the challenges this area of veterinary medicine poses. She also particularly loves getting to know her (furry) clients and their owners, and helping them to stay happy and healthy. Katherine has undertaken extra study in emergency and critical care, among various many other areas of veterinary medicine.

Outside of work, Katherine enjoys spending time with her partner and their two rescue dogs, Sox and Charlie (both adopted from a previous clinic – naturally!). If not walking the dogs, she can be found rock climbing, bushwalking or catching up with friends.

Tarryn Smith

BVSc

Tarryn grew up in Sydney and moved to far North Queensland to follow her passion for animals. After obtaining her Bachelor of Veterinary Science from James Cook University in 2018, Tarryn moved to the Gold Coast where she spent over 3 years working in a busy small animal clinic gaining valuable experience. In 2022 she finally moved back home to Sydney to be closer to family.

Tarryn enjoys all aspects of veterinary practice and the variety that it brings, with particular interest in surgery, ultrasonography and cytology. Tarryn is committed to professional development and dedicated to providing high quality personalised healthcare for patients, as she understands that pets truly are a part of the family.

Outside of work, Tarryn loves baking, arts and crafts, and spending time with family, friends, and her beloved labradoodle Murphy.

Katie Jones

BVSc

Katie graduated from the University of Sydney in 2017. She spent the first 5 years of her veterinary career at a busy small animal practice in Sydney’s Hills District, before joining the team in March 2023. Katie has an interest in all aspects of veterinary medicine, focusing on creating low stress vet visits for all patients.

Katie has a beautiful Kelpie cross called Koby, who she loves taking everywhere with her. She also has a lovely young cat called Frodo, who was a foster fail at her previous practice. Outside of work Katie plays in an orchestra, loves going bouldering, doing aerial silks, flyball with Koby and any kind of active outdoor fun, including triathlons with one of our other vets, Jamie.

Heather with Mr Poppers

Moving to the city from Northwest NSW in 1999, Heather started at Balmain Veterinary Hospital whilst studying Veterinary Nursing Cert IV at Ultimo TAFE. After several years of nursing, she quickly realised that her real passion in the vet industry lay in the areas of management and reception, enabling her to mix not only with patients but their wonderful owners as well. After graduating from UNE with a Diploma of Veterinary Practice Management in 2010, Heather can now be found in the office taking care of things behind the scenes.

Outside of work, Heather enjoys cinema, interior design, woodwork and bush walking. She shares her family home with a British Shorthair called Terence and Quaid the Pug.

Ara

Ara started working for Balmain Veterinary Hospital in 2002 and after nine years of full-time employment, her adventurous nature led her to Canada. She had travelled throughout South East Asia, Africa and the Americas and eventually landed her feet in an innovative and progressive veterinary hospital in Burlington, Ontario. She was in a management role for a 5-vet 10-support staff veterinary practice before returning home in 2015 to start another chapter here at Balmain Veterinary Hospital.

Ara lives with her partner and furry friends. She enjoys being social and meeting new people, travelling and experiencing new things in life. Her most memorable experience to date is doing volunteer work with elephants and orangutans and working on a spay/neuter program with the street dogs and cats of Thailand. Many years of experience working in the veterinary profession is what Ara brings to the team!

Casey

With a more creative background working in the make-up world, Casey soon realised she needed to pursue a career following her passion and love for animals and animal welfare. She has completed her Certificate III in Animal Studies and Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Casey has a special interest in anaesthesia, analgesia and oncology. She is currently spending 2 days a week working in the oncology department at SASH to further these interests.

Casey has a passion for travel and helping animals in need and has been lucky enough to combine these two passions by working on volunteer veterinary projects in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and the Northern Territory. Casey promises to go that extra mile and provide plenty of TLC to pets when under her care! She lives with her much loved Burmese, Finch.

Madeline

Maddie grew up in a small town in the Hunter Valley and has always had a passion for animal care. After volunteering at a small animal hospital in high school, she quickly discovered that Veterinary Nursing was the career for her. In 2018 Maddie completed her Certificate IV qualification in Veterinary Nursing and made the move to Sydney to join the Balmain Vet team. In 2019 Maddie became accredited with the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia to advocate for professionalism and the importance of continuing education within the veterinary industry.

In her free time Maddie enjoys travelling and spending time with her family and friends, as well as her very spoilt Kelpie cross named Bailey and Domestic Short Hair, Keira.

Lily

Lily has always been passionate about animals and decided to study Veterinary Nursing after completing a Certificate II in Animal Studies whilst at high school. From there she volunteered at the local vet which turned into a job at a small practice while she completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. She has a particular soft spot for dogs, cats and reptiles but has developed her love for exotics and wildlife since starting in practice. Lily’s favourite areas of nursing are surgical nursing and venipuncture.

Lily had quite the menagerie of pets growing up including lizards, rabbits and snakes. In her spare time she loves to do reformer pilates, yoga and soccer. She lives with her spirited rabbit Skye, and is keeping an eye out for her next addition.

Josh

Josh spent most of his childhood moving around Australia due to his parents' careers in the military. This meant new schools and new friends every couple of years, but one of the things that always provided familiarity and companionship was the family pets. Having pets for as long as he can remember, Josh learned from a young age how to care for animals and developed a strong bond with cats and dogs in particular.

After working as a Graphic Designer for the last 10 years, Josh felt he was ready to move on from the industry and connect with one of his first passions by pursuing a career working with animals. Wanting to deepen his knowledge and care for animals, Josh has completed his Certificate II in Animal Care and is about to complete his Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Josh lives with his wife Kelsey and their two cats, Nikolai and Luna.

Amy

Amy is currently studying Veterinary Nursing whilst working at Balmain Veterinary Hospital as a junior veterinary nurse. She has had a passion for animals since a young age, having a cat, dogs, bird and fish growing up. Amy’s first family cat Cobber began her love for felines. Amy is a self confessed “cat lady” and has a soft spot for our feline patients.

Amy has a background in both the fitness and travel industries but has made the move to study veterinary nursing.

Amy is an inner west local. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with her partner James and two ginger cats Benji and Joeman.

Danni

Danni is currently studying her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and has recently come on board at Balmain Vet Hospital as a junior nurse. Her prior qualifications include a Certificate II and III in Captive Animals where she worked as a zoo keeper responsible for a variety of animals including Australian natives and exotics, such as cheetahs, red pandas and lemurs.

Danni’s transition into the veterinary industry began when she started working as a receptionist at a busy emergency and specialist veterinary hospital and she quickly fell in love with the medical side of animal care. After 2 years, she decided to start nursing herself which led her here, to Balmain Vet Hospital.

In her spare time, Danni takes every opportunity to travel, loves the gym and going on adventures with her bestie, Chase.

Jessica

Jessica knew from the time she was four years old that she wanted to work with animals. Originally wanting to pursue a career in conservation, she went on to complete a Bachelor of Science at Melbourne University, and worked as a marine biologist in Queensland and her home state of Victoria after completing her degree. During this time, Jess also volunteered for numerous animal shelters, which is where she first developed a passion for animal medicine. This new interest prompted her to pursue further study to become a qualified Veterinary Nurse.

After four years in the veterinary industry, Jess wanted to expand her knowledge and capacity to help animals even further and made the move to Sydney to study the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, in the hopes of becoming a Veterinarian. She has joined our nursing team to continue working in the industry whilst she studies.

Caitlin

Caitlin grew up on a 3,000 acre farm in the Hunter New England region. Her childhood consisted of being constantly surrounded by various livestock and domestic animals. This really kickstarted her passion for nursing. Ever since she could walk, she has hand raised chickens, dogs, cats, fish and even poddy calves. Growing up in a strictly Rottweiler family, she’s always had a soft spot for the breed and will 100% ask to pet your Rottie in public without hesitation.

She entered the Veterinary Industry when she was 15, volunteering at her local vet hospital. She immediately fell in love and by December 2022 she had gained her qualifications and registered with the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia. Shortly after her course completion she was welcomed into the family at BVH. She has a special interest in feline and canine behaviour and psychology.

She currently lives with her partner and her two bonded rescue cats Pichu and Skitty. In her free time, she enjoys solving sudoku puzzles and hanging out with her friend to catch up and watch movies together.

Chloe

Chloe has recently joined the Balmain Vet team as a junior nurse. She has completed her Certificate II in Animal Studies and is currently completing her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Chloe grew up locally in Rozelle and knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in the animal industry. Her first job was in a pet shop where she would grow to love being surrounded by all sorts of animals throughout the day.

She grew up with a menagerie of animals at home such as birds, snakes, cats, mice & fish but has a soft spot for feline friends! Chloe’s favourite parts of nursing include anaesthesia and pathology. She loves nothing more than spending her time with her partner and three fur babies Luna, Romeo & Little Man.

Raquel

Raquel is currently studying her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and has joined Balmain vet as a junior nurse. Raquel has come from a background of human nursing as well as dog walking and doggy daycare.

Raquel grew up around animals, her family pets being a Labrador, beagle and short haired domestic cat. She now has two dogs of her own, a cavalier, called Charlie, and a cocker spaniel, named Harper. Even though Raquel’s love for animals is broad, she has a special place in her heart for spaniels and can’t wait to meet all your pets!

Zakia

Zakia joined Balmain Vet Hospital in 2023. Prior to this she spent 2 years at another vet practice and a year at SASH (Small Animal Specialist Hospital).

Zakia has completed her Cert 2 in Animal Studies and Cert 4 in Veterinary Nursing. Zakia wishes to extend her knowledge in the nursing industry and especially enjoys oncology patients.

In her spare time, she enjoys going to the gym, baking for her side business, and loves spending time with her partner. She has two pet, Leo, a DSH, and Zoey, a Cavoodle, which she spoils 24/7.

Jack - Hospital Attendant

Jack is currently studying a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Advanced Studies in Animal Production at Sydney University and has recently joined the Balmain Vet Hospital team as a hospital attendant. He has always had a passion for animals, and is currently hoping to study a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the future.

In his spare time, Jack likes to play soccer, and hang out with friends, family, and his cavoodle Jess.

Eliza - Hospital Attendant

Eliza moved to Sydney at the beginning of 2022 to study Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney. She grew up in Canberra and has always had a dog and cat growing up. She started riding horses at 3 and since then has been obsessed. When she was 13 her family decided to move a little south of Canberra and get a property. She got her first horse at 13 and currently has three horses. She has always loved animals and has always wanted to become a veterinarian and is really enjoying studying it.

In her spare time she loves to play sports, specifically soccer, netball, tennis, and horse riding.

Maricia with Pumba

Maricia grew up in the small town of Palmerston North in New Zealand. After many years working in the hospitality industry managing restaurants and hotels, Maricia made the decision to change career and begin working with animals, something she had always wanted to do. She grew up surrounded by animals and always had such a big heart for them. She is now a qualified groomer after completing her diploma in professional grooming.

Maricia describes her son, Cassius, as her biggest joy in life and loves spending time with her family and friends. Maricia also loves being outdoors, keeping active and travelling and has been blessed to be able to see the world a few times over. Maricia also shares her crazy little household with a Maine Coon cross named Maui.

Sarah

Sarah was born and raised in Sydney and for as long as she can remember they have had all types of Pets such as birds, fish (many many Kois), guinea pigs, hermit crabs, cats and dogs. It's safe to say she's always been a lover of animals.

Sarah had a dream when she was a young girl that she would grow up and open her very own Vet. Being the young girl she was with a brain full of possibilities, she also wanted the practice to have a Childcare facility and a café. Once she grew up she decided it was going to be a bit of a stretch so she focused on one of those aspects leading her to embark on her career in Early Childhood.

As soon as she left school. This became her career for 7 years including working in the snow and the Sunshine Coast, she loved every single second of it. With her track record it’s very clear to see she is a caring and empathetic person and decided there was something more out there for her. Sarah then studied her Diploma of Counselling and within this course she learnt valuable skills in communication. At the start of 2022 Sarah left Early Childhood as she felt as though her time in childcare was up. And it only made sense that the next career move was to continue on her path of helping so why not switch to the fury children and their families.

She has her very own, very spoilt fur child, her baby Billie girl. She’s an English Staffy and the absolute love of her life. So of course she will always treat your own fur babies with the love and attention they deserve.

Sarah's hobbies outside of work include lots of self development work, getting out in the sunshine for coastal walks and swimming, lots and lots of dancing, spending time with her dearest friends and family and of course anything that includes Billie girl.

Chloe

Chloe grew up in far north Queensland and has always had a love for animals and the outdoors. During her final years of school, she completed a certificate in tourism and started working at a small zoo. She quickly developed a passion and interest in the animal care industry and continued working as a zookeeper for 3 years, mostly looking after koalas and other Australian natives. When she finished high school, she continued her studies and began a captive animal’s course through TAFE. Not long after her 18th birthday, she was accepted by the Taronga Training Institute to complete the second half of her course, so she made the big move down to Sydney while her family remained in Cairns.

Chloe has been a volunteer keeper at Taronga Zoo for the past 6 years, whilst working in a pharmacy during the week. During her time in pharmacy, she realised she was interested in both animal care and health, pushing her to make the move into the veterinary industry. She plans to study veterinary nursing in the future.

During her free time, Chloe enjoys going to the beach or the movies with her partner and hopes to continue to add to her collection of animal tattoos, which includes a lovely koala named Greg. Chloe dreams of adopting a corgi and most likely some cats as well.

Markie

Markie is a theatre graduate and life-long animal lover who made the big decision to move to Australia from the Philippines in 2015. Growing up on a farm meant her childhood was filled with family pets and animals like pigs and horses. She always showed interest in training her furry family and has more recently been interested in learning more about behavioural and balanced dog training. Markie is stoked to join the Balmain Cat Boarding family to further her knowledge on animal care and is glad that she gets to hang with the Jellicle Crew!

Markie’s dream is to make it big in showbiz and use her earnings to open a stray animal shelter in the Philippines. This would be a place where stray and abandoned dogs can be loved and cared for until they find their forever families, because all furry friends deserve to have someone to love and be loved by.