Veterinarians
Steven Cooney BVSc (Hons) MACVSc (Small Animal Surgery) 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 and 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 orthopaedics 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 Kipper and Bindi. Steve has also recently added some chickens into the mix. |
Jason Lenord BVSc (Hons) MACVSc (Small Animal Medicine)Jason grew up on a wheat and sheep farm near Inverell in 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 at Randwick and Maroubra 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, golf and cricket, good wine and food - both in the cooking and in the eating. His veterinary interests include small animal medicine, surgery and pathology. In 2007 Jason was admitted to the Small Animal Medicine chapter of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists by examination. At present Jason and Chantay have 3 gorgeous sons as well as 2 Burmese cats called Ra and Zeus. |
Emma Holmes-Walker BVSc (Hons) DipVetClinStud, GradDipMedSon Emma grew up in Sydney and spent her childhood pestering her parents for pets. She graduated through budgies, to rabbits, guinea pigs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Labrador Retrievers culminating in a Veterinary Science degree at Sydney University in 1992. Emma came to Balmain Veterinary Hospital in 1992 and during that year started running Puppy Preschool. She left briefly in 1995-1996 obtaining a Post Graduate Diploma in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery from Sydney University. A 2 year rural sabbatical involved working in both rural veterinary practice and the commencement of training in Medical Ultrasound, completing her Graduate Diploma in Medical Sonography in 2004. Emma returned to Balmain Veterinary Hospital in 2003. Emma has 2 Chocolate Labrador children, "Cadbury" and "Sastugi" and 2 human children, Lukas and Benjamin. |
Olivia Hassin BVSc (Hons) Cert. IVAS Veterinary Acupuncture
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Anita Edwards BSc (Hons) BVSc (Merit)
Anita is Balmain's newest addition to the Veterinary staff. Anita has a diverse science background, as she took the long road around to Veterinary Science. She is originally from the foothills of Adelaide, where she grew up with many chickens, two horses named Harley and Heidi, and a Golden Retriever named Moet. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Adelaide, with honours in Immunology, and went on to work in the Immunology and Microbiology Department at the University of Newcastle for five years. She then moved to Sydney with her two guinea pigs, Bubble and Squeak, and joined the Respiratory Research Group at the University of Sydney, before returning to study Veterinary Science at Sydney. After graduating Anita worked in Penrith in a busy small animal practice for two years, and is now living locally with her husband, Ash, and her two dogs - 4 year old German Shepherd "Mr Cooper' and 2 year old Shar-pei "Bones". |
Steve Anich BVSc Steve started life in a sugar-cane town in Far North Queensland, and his interest in animals started with convincing his mum to get the family a kitten when he was 7. Steve went to Queensland University and graduated in 1988, working first in Ballarat and London before moving to Sydney in 1995. Steve has worked in small animal practice in Sydney since then, except for a 7 month period spent practicing in Singapore. He joined the team at Balmain and Drummoyne Vet Hospitals in March 2007, taking over ownership and running of the Drummoyne Clinic in 2008. Steve's professional interests are broad with almost everything in general practice fascinating him - his particular interests are surgery, dermatology, dentistry and the care of senior pets. In his spare time he travels and maintains his fitness with bushwalking and long distance running. |
Catherine Chen BVSc
Catherine is currently on maternity leave. |
Elizabeth Morton BVSc
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Danielle Siegel BVSc
For Catherine's parents the first realisation that their young daughter's future was in helping animals came whilst observing her pre-occupation with saving drowning insects during training sessions at the local swimming pool. Sure enough Catherine never made it to the Olympics but she did graduate from the University of Sydney with a Veterinary Science degree in 2001. Catherine spent one year working in the leafy suburb of West Pennant Hills before embarking on a long journey which took her through S.E. Asia, India, Nepal, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Along the way Catherine spent two and a half years working for a small animal practice in England's garden county of Kent before spending a further two years at a practice in Central London. Catherine now works at the Drummoyne Clinic where she most enjoys Feline Medicine (despite her allergy to cats!), dentistry and surgery. An ideal vacation for Catherine would include either scuba diving or snow skiing.
Liz grew up on the beaches of Sydney's southern suburbs and knew from a very early age that she wanted to be a vet. She graduated from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 1991, and spent the next 4 years in small animal practice in Caringbah before travelling to Central America and Mexico for 5 months on the way to a yearlong working holiday in England. In 2001 Liz moved to the USA where she passed the National Board Exams to become licensed in America. She worked in small animal practice in Virginia for 10 years and returned to Sydney in 2011 to be closer to family and friends, and a warmer climate. She is very excited to be back home and working full time at Drummoyne Veterinary Clinic where she enjoys all aspects of general practice, especially soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery. Liz lives with her husband Scott and their son Michael. She enjoys bushwalking, running to keep fit, reading and especially spending time with her family.
Morgan began her career as a veterinary nurse at Balmain Vet Hospital in 1999. Most would say she is typically a 'cat person', being the personal slave to a pampered tabby cat named Tassie, but her love of animals extends to all creatures furry and feathered. Having returned from maternity leave last year, Morgan can be found at the reception desk meeting and greeting clients and their pets. 
Kathleen, a born and bred Rozelle girl, joined the team at Balmain Vets in 2008 as an after-school Animal Attendant. She very quickly progressed to a nursing position and has recently completed her Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing at TAFE. Kathleen's interests span all areas of animal care - she also is a regular assistant at our weekly Puppy Preschool classes. Kathleen's pets include "Sox" the Border Collie, "Misty" the Blue Cattle Dog, a noisy Rainbow Lorikeet by the name of "Andy" and a Bearded Dragon called "Amber". 
Kerri-Ann joined the team at Balmain Vets at the end of 2006. Having grown up on a property in a small country town, she has always had a love of animals and an interest in dog behaviour. Kerri-Ann is the co-ordinator and one of the teachers of our Puppy Pre-school classes. Kerri-Ann is the proud owner of a cheeky cat called "Kira". 
Larissa started her career as a trainee Veterinary Nurse at Balmain Vets in 2007 and is now our Head Receptionist. Growing up with many pets of different kinds, ranging from mice and chooks to lots of cats and dogs, Larissa knew that Veterinary Nursing was the right career path for her. Larissa has completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Larissa has a Border Collie Cross named 'Pepper' and, being one of the biggest cat lovers at the clinic also has four very cheeky cats 'Whiskey', 'Daisy', 'Ginger' and 'Suly'.
Marina joined the team at Balmain Vets in January 2008. She grew up regularly visiting the family farm in Central Queensland throughout childhood where there was the opportunity to work with many different animal species, hence sparking an interest in working in the animal care industry from a very young age! The decision to pursue a career in the veterinary field came after completing a week of work experience at a local vet hospital during high school. Marina has completed Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing through TAFE NSW and is currently taking part in the running of Puppy Preschool classes. She has recently taken ownership of a very lovable Whippet puppy named "Penny". 
Cassy grew up in far north Queensland before moving to Sydney to undertake a Bachelor of Animal Science. She then started out as an Animal Attendant in a specialist hospital whilst completing her Certificate II in Animal Studies. After only a few months as an Animal Attendant, Cassy was promoted to a general practice nurse and then quickly moved on to being the specialist opthalmology nurse. Cassy has been nursing now for just over 2 years and enjoys learning new things every day. Although an avid lover of cats and dogs, having grown up in tropical Queensland Cassy has a love for the ocean and marine life - her favourite animal being the Orca.
Rachel started working at Balmain and Drummoyne Veterinary Hospitals in 2004 after her HSC. After doing 2 weeks work experience at her local vet, she knew it was the career for her. Rachel completed her Cert IV at Bankstown TAFE in 2006. She works solely at the Drummoyne Clinic and loves the fact that she knows most of the clients and their pets so well. She finds her job extremely satisfying and rewarding. One of her favourite tasks is reuniting animals with their owners when they are lost. Rachel owns two cats, "Bagette" (named as she was found in a plastic bag in a park) and a naughty ginger boy named "Henry". Rachel also has a Bull Arab named "Ted". 
Sian grew up in New Zealand, moving to Sydney for the warmer weather. Before moving to Australia, Sian worked as a veterinary nurse in Christchurch and Auckland. Whilst her main areas of interest are with reptiles and birds, her love of animals extends to all creatures. Sian currently has two dogs - "Romie" a Miniature Pinscher and "Dollar" a Foxie cross Chihuahua.
Aisling joined Drummoyne Vet Clinic in January 2011 as a full-time receptionist after having come all the way from Dublin, Ireland. She grew up in Ireland surrounded by an extended family of cats, dogs, rabbits and birds. She absolutely loves being at reception meeting all the wonderful patients and their owners. 
Kathie completed her Certificate in Grooming with "The Grooming School" in 2010, and has achieved International Certification with IPG for "International Model of Pet Grooming Distinction".
Originally employed as a receptionist for Balmain Veterinary Hospital in 1988, Suzanne took over the role of Practice Manager four years later in 1992. Suzanne has 3 adult children who have all been successfully weaned. 