YARRAWONGA VET CLINIC - Key Persons


Dionne Willett

Job Titles:
  • Veterinary Nurse
Dionne grew up in Yarrawonga and has been Nursing since 2013. She is currently studying her Cert IV and has 2 beautiful children who occupy her life aswell as her 3 dogs - Thunder, Sam, Willow. Dionne's favourite part about being a vet nurse is that every day is different! She loves getting to know her clients and their fur babies.

Dr Bill Tom

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
Bill came to Cobram in 1981 and has worked as a veterinarian ever since. In conjunction with business partners he owned the Cobram and Yarrawonga Veterinary Clinics for 29 years until selling to NCAC in December, 2021. Bill says he is lucky enough to be able to stay on working in a role without the responsibility of ownership and management. On his days off he enjoys bush walking, accompanying his wife Jen on bird photography excursions and playing the bagpipes. He also enjoys catching up with his three adult children.Bill has a dog named Freddie and a bitzer terrior who at 17 years old likes to wander around the garden and sleep.

Dr Courtney Simkin

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
Courtney is from Moulamein and graduated from CSU 2013. She joined NCAC in July 2021 and special interests at the clinic is in Sheep medicine/ herd health. On her days off she like to hang out with her 3 children, spending time doing some cooking and has 1 cat (Quinton). Courtney has further training in Sheep Medicine Memberships, Animal Biosecurity, Animal Emergency Response, Field pathology.

Dr Diddi Zeller

Job Titles:
  • Owner
Diddi is from Myrniong, and studied at The University of Melbourne. Diddi started at NCAC in 2008 an... Diddi is from Myrniong, and studied at The University of Melbourne. Diddi started at NCAC in 2008 and her special interest is small animal surgery and medicine. Outside of the clinic Diddi loves to travel, go walking and spend time at the gym. She has two Cats (John and Julie), a Dog (Susan) and two Goats (Oatley, Bubble). Diddi has additional training in book keeping, accounting and compliance for the vet clinic.

Dr Elise De Jong

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
Elise is from the Netherlands and started at NCAC in 2023. She graduated from Utrecht University (the Netherlands) and when she isn't working she enjoys hiking/camping, gardening, and I started playing Netball since I moved to Australia! Elise's special interests include dairy medicine and mainly udder health. She has additonal training in IKM (integrated cow management) and udder health.

Dr Emmah Guastella

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
Emmah grew up in Warragul and graduated from Charles Sturt University. She grew up on a dairy farm surrounded by a variety of animals and has a border collie named Ash. Her special interests include dairy medicine and surgery.

Dr Lauren Bryde

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
  • Veterinarian ( BVSc 2015. )
Dr. Lauren B is originally from King Island, she moved to Queensland for veterinary school and graduated from JCU in 2015. She joined NCAC in May 2022 and has a keen interest in equine practice and brachycephalic airway syndrome surgery with further qualifications in equine medicine and surgery, BOAS correction surgery and large animal rescue. Lauren has two cats (Pen and Gent) and two horses (Finny and Castle). Her hobbies include competing horses in sporting events and participating in fundraisers such as the winter solstice nude charity swim.

Dr Lauren Kelly

Job Titles:
  • Owner
Dr. Lauren graduated from CSU in 2018 and joined NCAC in August of that year. As of December 2021 she officially took over ownership of the clinics with Diddi and Sam. Her special interests in veterinary medicine include reproduction and small animal surgery (particularly orthopedic and brachycephalic airway surgery) in conjunction with equine medicine. Lauren has completed further training in BOAS correction surgery, TPLO surgery and performing PennHip scoring. Her hobbies include trail riding, bike riding and frequenting the gym for cross fit. Lauren has three horses (Chief, Penny and Lilly), two dogs (Lacey and Pepper) and two cats (Frank and Flick).

Dr Olivia Thiris

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
Olivia is from Melbourne and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2017. She joined NCAC in August 2022 and when she isn't at the clinic she enjoys gardening, reading, hiking and camping. Olivia has 5 dogs (Tess, Odin, Finn, Ruben, Haley), 2 cats (Rusty, Percy), tropical fish, and some chooks. Her special interests in vet me include Ruminant nutrition andcalf health.

Dr Sam Chatfield

Job Titles:
  • Owner
Sam is from Wangaratta, he graduated from CSU in 2011 and joined NCAC in 2014. Sam enjoys hanging out with his kids and playing and watching sports. Sam has a dog named Google and some chickens. His special interest at the clinic is cattle medicine and has completed further training as a repro right advisor and milk quality advisor.

Dr Steve Ervin

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
Steve grew up in Pyramid Hill as part of a large farming family. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1982 and came directly to Cobram. Steve quickly became an owner of the practice, staying in the role for 29 years until passing over ownership in December 2021. Steve's special veterinary interests include Orthopaedics, General Surgery and Acupuncture. He is particularly interested in fracture repairs and reconstructive surgeries. Fortunately, Steve has remained working in the clinic providing valuable surgical services. He visits whenever there is a challenging orthopaedic case. Steve has many passions outside of the veterinary clinic. He is a keen traveller having visited most of Australia and dozens of countries overseas. He is also an avid sports fan, in particular cricket and horse racing, (he's a part owner in a race horse).

Dr Taneeka Corso

Job Titles:
  • Veterinarian
  • Veterinarian ( DVM, BAVB 2021. )
After graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2021, Dr. Taneeka joined our practices in January of 2022. Originally from Cobram, she decided to return home after graduating to be closer to family and friends. On her days off Taneeka is a keen traveler who likes exploring the great outdoors and catching up with her family and friends. She has two pets - Monty (cat) and Indiana (dog). Her special interests in veterinary medicine include small animal surgery and feline medicine. She is keen to further her training in ultrasonography and soft tissue surgery.

Hope Sim

Job Titles:
  • Veterinary Nurse
Hope grew up in Cobram and is currently studying Cert III Animal Studies. She enjoys Horse competing, netball and family time on her days off and enjoys meeting new clients & their pets.

Keeley Brown

Job Titles:
  • Veterinary Nurse
Keeley grew up in Kyabram and has a Diploma in Vet Nursing (GP), a Certificate IV Nurse and is AVNAT registered. On her days off Keeley enjoys playing with her dog Tui, watching TV and catching up on sleep with her cat Delilah. Her favourite part about being a vet nurse is that no two days are the same, and its great to see a difference made with the patients.

Merridy Munn

Job Titles:
  • Veterinary Nurse
Merridy is from Savernake and has a Cert IV Vet Nursing and Diploma of Veterinary Nursing (General Practice. She enjoys spending time with the kids, travelling, running, snow boarding and has two dogs Pippa and Ralph and Cookie the rabbit. Merridy's favourite part about being a vet nurse is the variety of work and that every day is different and seeing the strong bond between clients and their pets is also really special.

Renee Parkes

Job Titles:
  • Veterinary Nurse
Renee grew up in New Zealand and has lived in USA and NT before landing in Victoria. She has a Cert II and is working towards her Cert IV. On her day off, Renne enjoys travelling, horse riding, photography and is a volunteer at CFA (firefighter). She has two pets a dog (Arlo) and a Horse (Amber). Her favourite part about being a vet nurse is being faced with new challenges everyday and playing a part in making a difference in the lives of her patients.

Samantha Davis

Job Titles:
  • Veterinary Nurse
Sam is from Shepparton and has completed a Cert IV and is currently studying veterinary technology (she also has cert II in animal studies and Cert III companion animal services). Sam enjoys being outside exploring new places, fishing, camping and seeing live music. She has 4 dogs (Nelson, Riley, Juni,Ritz) and 3 cats (Winston, Obi, nameless) and a turtle named Olly. Sam's favourite part about being a vet nurse is that no day are the same and that she gets to be a part of helping sick and injured animals go home happy and healthy.

Shelby Ross

Job Titles:
  • Veterinary Nurse
Shelby is from Benalla and is Cert IV qualified, she is studying Cert III in dog behavior and training through the National Dog Trainers Federation. On her days off Shelby enjoys going to the gym, cooking, dining out andcamping with my family. Shelby's pet is The ever so clever and cute Tully! Her favourite part about being a vet nurse is that no day is ever the same, working with a great team, she loves running puppy pre-school and helping owners raise confident and happy puppies.