Our Staff

I’m one of the lucky ones who know what they want as a job, and manage to succeed in that goal. I wanted to be a vet from the age of 4, and my dream came to fruition in 1981. I’ve been a vet in Canberra since 1983 (except for 12 months in Gundaroo and 2 and a half years in the UK), and started Gungahlin Veterinary Clinic with my wife Ronnie in 1995. For 6 years we practiced from our home in Nicholls, until the growing practice, including partner Tony Wilson and Specialist Surgeon Sarah Webb, moved into the current hospital in 2002 and changed our name to Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital.

My chief interests are the welfare, medicine and behaviour of animals. I believe that preventative veterinary medicine, especially in regards to behaviour, will enhance quality of life and reduce suffering for companion animals. While the profession has long practiced this in relation to vaccinations and worming, at GVH we concentrate on weight control, dental health, avoiding recognisable risks, and especially selecting and raising young animals to fit into your family and the community.

I grew up on a farm at Mudgee and Graduated from Sydney University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. I have worked in small animal practice  since graduation, initially in Canberra for a year, then as a locum in the UK for 15 months, then seven years in Melbourne before  returning to Canberra in 2000.

I joined GVH in 2000 when the practice was in Michael Hayward’s house in Nicholls.  Together we planned and built the Hospital at Crinigan circle along with Dr Sarah Webb.

While in Melbourne I worked with a specialist surgeon and completed a 1 year distance education course in surgery.  My interest in surgery continues and I do a significant amount of the more complicated surgery.  Other interests include radiography, ultrasound, endoscopy, hormonal conditions and I really enjoy the interaction and friendship I have with the animals and clients I see every day.  I attend conferences at least annually, and have an interest in any continuing education activities. A goal of mine is to make GVH an enjoyable and streamlined practice, striving for consistency and equity in all areas of the practice. I have a young family and appreciate our clients’  time and financial constraints.  My objective is to make it as easy as possible for our clients to give their animals the best care they can provide.

I grew up in Wagga Wagga, before travelling to the University of Sydney to study. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in terrestrial biology in 1996 before graduating with honours in 2002 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science.

After qualifying as a vet, I started work in mixed practice in Braidwood, NSW where I got to experience working with and treating a large range of animals, from horses to mice. I then spent two years in the United Kingdom working as a travelling locum, working in mixed and small practice in glamorous places like Scunthorpe in  Lincolnshire and Llanrwst in Nth Wales, interspersed with holidays exploring Europe. On return to Australia, I continued with locum work in Oberon and Townsville for a few months before starting at Gungahlin Vet Hospital in July 2007.

Dr Donna Peckett is a born and bred Canberran. In 1994, after graduating from Sydney University with a Bachelor degree in Veterinary Science, she moved to Corowa NSW to work in mixed practice for two years.

In 1996, Donna’s thirst for adventure took her to the UK. Here Donna met her husband Ian and stayed for five years, much longer than the anticipated two. Working at a wide range of practices cemented her decision to concentrate on small animal practice, and in particular fostered a keen interest in feline medicine.

Donna moved back to Canberra in 2001 and joined the GVH team in 2004. Over the years, she has become dedicated to all aspects of small animal medicine, but always with a passion and emphasis on feline medicine where possible. Her dream of working in a feline focused hospital was realized in 2018 when Gungahlin Cat Hospital (GCH) was opened and she gratefully accepted the opportunity to work exclusively in this wonderful facility.

I grew up on a beef and sheep farm near Warrnambool, in Western Victoria.  After graduating in Agricultural Science with first class honors and pursuing genetic research for a year, I then went on to study Veterinary Science at both Queensland and Melbourne University, graduating in 1996.  I worked in equine and small animal practice for my first few years in Victoria,  then moved to Brisbane to work in small animal practice.  I took the opportunity to travel to the UK to work on the Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2001 and stayed  for 12 months working in disease control and restocking of farms.  I traveled home via Europe and Africa and I started working at GVH in the newly opened practice in 2002 and settled in Canberra.

Since starting at GVH, I have developed my  interest in small animal ultrasonography of the abdomen and heart after completing further study in 2013. I especially enjoy diagnostic imaging and surgery and continue to pursue and build my skills and interest in these areas.

Dr. Colleen  has always had a passion for animals and the human animal bond.

Dr. Colleen graduated as a Veterinary Surgeon in South Africa in 1997, and since has spent time working in the UK, South Africa and now Australia, gaining experience in many aspects  of small animal medicine and surgery.

She has been working in Australia since 2016, and at Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital since May 2019. Amoungst Colleen’s many interests, she is particularly fond of dermatology and palliative care. Dr. Colleen’s gentle and compassionate nature ensures clients always feel at ease with decision making and your pet’s concerns.

Dr.Julianne Manton joined Gungahlin Veterinary Hopsital in 2009 and with her came many years of experience in General Practice. Before working at Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Julianne spent 12 years in her own practice in Merimbula, NSW.  Prior to this in the years after graduation from Sydney University Julianne worked in both small animal practice in Sydney and mixed practice in Braidwood and the United Kingdom while also travelling.

Special interests in small animal medicine include neurology and gastroenterology, and Julianne continues to build upon her interests by combining international continuing education and her passion for skiing each year.

At home Julianne has another full time career caring for her 2 almost grown up children, 2 cats and one spoilt chicken “Rosa”. Her green thumb has her garden immaculate, and when able to get away you will find her enjoying the beaches of Merimbula or skiing and hiking in the Snowy Mountains.

Dr Stephen Fleischer (BVSc) graduated as a Veterinary Surgeon in 2009. His passion for veterinary medicine came slightly later in his career compared to our other vets after spending a long time with our incredible Australian Defence Force.

That being said, Dr. Stephen has been practicing as a veterinarian for 11 years, and has been working at Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital since October 2010. He enjoys working with all creatures great and small, but his companion animal passions lie with internal medicine, rabbit anaesthesia, brachycephalic surgery and medicine, and preventative hip care; being one of few veterinarians in the practice qualified to perform and interpret PennHip imaging and perform JPS surgery.

Richard grew up in Townsville, Queensland before moving south to Brisbane/Gatton where he completed a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2014 at the University of Queensland. From there he moved to North West Tasmania to work in a mixed/dairy veterinary practice for over 3 years, working with a wide variety of animals. In 2018 Richard and his wife, Nicola, spent 6 months traveling throughout Central & South America before moving to the UK, where Richard worked as a locum vet (and explored parts of Europe) for 12 months. He has since moved back to settle in Canberra and has been working at Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital since the start of 2020. Richard enjoys meeting new people and their pets and has a keen interest in small animal medicine and surgery.

Natalie is a 2017 CSU Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hon 1) graduate and has been working at GVH since October 2017.

Growing up on a cattle farm and surrounded by many pets, she grew fond of all creatures but now focuses her attention to small animal medicine and surgery. Her special interests include brachycephalic surgery and care, and ophthalmology and endocrinology within the internal medicine field.

Sarah graduated from the University of Queensland in 2010. She grew up in Canberra before moving to Melbourne to work in rural mixed practice, then small animals with emergency after hours. Moving back to Canberra after starting a family, she has since come to join us at GVH in 2020 to continuing working with small animals. With two young children and a magnitude of animals at home Sarah keeps herself very busy. Her special interests include horse riding, dog agility and camping.

Georgia is a 2020 graduate from the University of Melbourne, and has moved to Canberra with her partner to start her veterinary career at GVH. She has always had a passion for animal health and is excited to finally jump into every aspect of her role as a vet. She is particularly focused on making sure animals have the best experience possible whilst at the clinic.
Growing up, Georgia has always had cats, dogs and a myriad of pocket pets, and being a vet was the goal from a young age. She currently has with her in the ACT her three legged Cocker Spaniel “Seb” and her four legged English Setter “Theo”.

I joined GVH in the second half of 2018 as the Practice Manager. I have a background in business, administration and HR management and was thrilled to have the opportunity to combine that with a lifelong love of animals by joining the team at GVH. It is truly a pleasure to come to work each day and be surrounded by dedicated, passionate individuals who are always striving to deliver the best in patient and client care.

I was born in Canberra and from a young age was passionate about wanting to work with animals. I studied my Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing at CIT Bruce and graduated in 2017. I have been working at GVH since June 2016 where I started as a trainee nurse.

Growing up I have had many types of pets including horses, birds, fish, a lamb and the list goes on! I currently have 3 fur babies; 2 dogs “Loui” a silky terrier, “Lady” a bull arab mix and “Harley” a DSH cat. I also have 2 fish and multiple cherry shrimp.

One of my special interests is the challenge of surgical nursing; I love being a patient advocate from preoperative, during surgery to aftercare. It requires organisation, attention to detail, critical thinking and at times can be fast paced needing quick reactions to a patients status. I love that each day challenges me with many patients facing multiple different surgeries.

When I first started working as a veterinary nurse in 2014, I knew right away that it was something I’d want to do for a long time as I must say, this is a very rewarding career. However, when I started working at the Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital, I fell in love with the job even more. After joining this practice, I have suddenly found passion in surgical procedures and anything involving anaesthetic monitoring and pre/post operative patient care. As a nurse, you build very special bonds with our furry friends and is worth all the hard work and long days.

Putting my love for animals aside, I have a few other interests including spending time with friends and family or enjoying some Netflix shows until I fall asleep (which normally doesn’t take very long). I also like to get crafty and create new things out of old wooden furniture and find it very relaxing.

Peta Amiss has been with Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital since April 2019, and has taken on the role of Veterinary Nurse within the hospital.

With her comes years over 5 years’ experience from a number of different veterinary hospitals in ACT, NSW and QLD. She is amidst completion of Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing.

Her wholesome and inviting nature ensures not only her family and friends, but every client and patient that comes in to the hospital feels welcome and tended to. Her passions within the industry lie with anaesthesia and surgical nursing, and low stress animal handling. Every patient should feel the hospital could be their second home.

I grew up in a small country town, always surrounded by many different animals while I was growing up. I’ve always had a passion for caring for animals which made me decide to start my veterinary nursing career in 2017. Since then I have completed my Certificate II in Animal Studies and my Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing.  I love the fast paced environment of veterinary hospitals and that no two days are ever the same.

I currently have 3 horses, 3 cats, a couple of chickens and a golden retriever to keep me busy. Outside of work I enjoy spending time outdoors and catching up with with family and friends.

Growing up in rural NSW, I have always been surrounded by animals. It is my passion to deliver the best quality care that I can to pets in need. I have worked in both small animal and mixed practice, and truly love all animals big and small.

I studied my Certificate II in Animal Studies while in high school and I couldn’t wait to start my Certificate IV in Vet Nursing once I had finished; graduating in 2017.

In my spare time, you will find me hanging out with my cat Stanley, a DSH, that I have raised since 3 weeks old, and my Cattle dog X Kelpie, Rose.

Growing up I always knew I wanted a career working with animals. I soon turned that dream into a reality in 2017 where firstly I completed my Certificate II in Animal Studies as one of my school subjects before jetting off to the USA in 2018 for 4 months to teach horse riding at a summer camp located in Detroit, Michigan. When I landed back home I jumped straight into completing my Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing at Goulburn TAFE where I was given the chance to undertake my first placement in a small mixed animal practice working with both small and large animals until I completed the course in 2020.

I have been a veterinary nurse for nearly half of my life now! 15 years this year (2021) and I have been Certificate 4 qualified for 12 years. I am one of those lucky ones who can honestly say I absolutely love my job! As each year goes on, I am continually learning and advancing my skills too. In early 2021, my family and I moved from SA to Canberra, as my husband is in the Air Force and was posted here. We were born and raised in Adelaide and have never lived anywhere else, so this is an exciting, new adventure for us!

I started at GVH shortly after arriving in Canberra and am loving it so much already. I was at my last practice for 12 years before coming here, and at a smaller, country practice in the Adelaide hills for 3 years prior to that, so I have had a range of experience in different veterinary hospitals. My interests are definitely with surgical nursing. I love anaesthesia and surgeries. You will always find me most excited when an emergency caesarean or GDV (bloat) comes into the hospital. It’s the excitement and satisfaction after such a big surgery that keeps me so passionate for this job. You just never know what is going to walk in the door and no two days are the same!

I have been surrounded by animals all my life, and I feel very fortunate that I have always been accompanied by many pets, especially whilst growing up. From a very young age, my household was filled with dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, mice, birds, and I also managed to befriend some local kangaroos! Having a great love for all animals runs in the family, as my grandfather was also an Agricultural Vet. Once I was old enough to work, I was able to get a job at a small Horse Riding Park as a farm hand and riding assistant. There, I learnt how to ride and care for horses as well as the other farm animals, and my desire to work within the animal industry began.

I’ve been working as a receptionist at Gungahlin Veterinary Hospital since 2018, and Reception Manager since late 2020. I love that everyday I come to work, our patients always manage to put a smile on my face, and our human clients do just the same! This job gives me such great satisfaction knowing I am able to provide support to our clients during the good and the bad times, as I constantly strive to offer genuine and compassionate care.

Ronnie’s bio is coming soon

Kellie loves all animals, this is the number one reason she wanted to work in a Veterinary Hospital. She has a special love for her canine companions as her dad passed on the trait of being a dog lover. Large breed dogs are her absolute favourite, especially her crazy staffy mix, who certainly keeps everyday life interesting for her and husband, John.

Kellie is a former paramedic, so she is no stranger to unpredictable chaos in the workplace, which is why she loves working at GVH as there is never a boring day in this fast-paced industry. As well as being an administrator and occasional receptionist at GVH, she also keeps busy with John’s electrical contracting business. Kellie also has a great love for all of her fellow team members here at the hospital, and she feels very lucky to be able to work with people who have also become her dear friends. Kellie always delivers excellent customer service to our clients and patients, and always manages to leave a smile on their faces with her infectious laugh and positive attitude.

In her spare time you can find Kellie travelling to the coast on weekends with John and Mali to visit her mum (and mum’s dogs, Jesse and Kobi) and spend time at the beach – but they must pay close attention to Mali as he has an addiction to eating sticks, and they don’t agree with him!

I have always had a strong passion for animals and knew I would never be truly happy unless I worked with them. I joined the reception team at GVH and am also involved in puppy classes and cat adoption.

Growing up I had as many pets as my parents would allow. My passion grew as I raised day old chicks and poddy lambs and pet sat every chance I could.

In reception I feel I have found the perfect balance, I am able to help people and still receive as many fluffy cuddles as the heart desires.

I myself still have a number of pets and have always loved caring for animals, Ellie my Border Collie x Blue Heeler is my newest addition and due to her mischievous ways she has recently been a frequent visitor to GVH.

I joined the GVH family in December 2019, just in time for a big Christmas rush of dogs, cats and everything in between. I have always had a love for animals, with many pets growing up, but after working in IT for years, I have never had a chance to work with them before GVH. This is the first job I’ve ever had that I can truly say I enjoy. I feel like I can make a difference; helping animals in any capacity is so rewarding.

As you can see pictured, I have a little cat. He is a rescue cat, his name is Watson and I adopted him through the cat adoption program here at GVH soon after starting work here. Along with his brother Wesley (my housemate’s cat), Watson is frequently doing important investigative work all throughout the house.

In 2019 I completed a double degree of Communication and International Studies at the University of Canberra. A year after, I started my journey as receptionist at GVH and I am glad I joined a highly supportive team which embraces clients and pets as part of our family.

Part of the reason as to why I studied my degrees, was because I am keen in understanding the way in which we communicate in different contexts and areas of our society. At a veterinary practice, there is no exception to this, as there are people with different backgrounds, specialisations and interests, as well as pets who I’m sure appreciate our effort to understand their behaviour and ways of communicating with their surroundings. My passion for animals has further developed as throughout COVID restrictions my housemate’s 15 year old Yorkshire terrier became my greatest company. Luckily I now have the company of your little ones too and the privilege to work for them!

I come from Latin America therefore my weekends are full of baseball as it is a big sport over there, and occasionally you might see me around dancing to the sounds of Latin music!

I joined the wonderful team at GVH in early 2021. I have loved every second working with such a compassionate and skilled team and meeting our lovely clients and their beautiful pets!

Growing up in Canberra I have always been surrounded by animals, feathered, furred or scaled. I have owned and worked with animals my whole life which has lead me to some amazing experiences working with everything from snakes to elephants!

My passion is birds and wildlife, so in my spare time I am a registered wildlife carer, helping to rehabilitate and rescue all of our beautiful native wildlife.

I am a bit of a crazy bird lady as you might be able to tell from my photo… I have my little cutie Poppy the chicken with me! As well as Poppy I also have 6 geese, 12 chickens, 2 goats, 2 horses, 2 dogs, a Quaker parrot and a cockatiel!

Pip has been a member of our nursing assistants team since 2019. She enjoys the varied workload, and the task of ensuring the hospital is well-stocked, clean and hygienic. She loves interacting with all patients, and can often be found providing walks, food, water and cuddles. Pip always strives to support the team to provide best quality service for all patients. Since 2020, Pip has also had additional duties with stock control and inventory management/ordering for the hospital.

At home, Pip runs a busy household of 3 primary school aged children, a husband and a very playful cat, Bob. Bob is a recent addition to the household and has brought much laughter and love with his games of fetch, walks on the lead and night time snuggles. Pip’s hobbies include eating out, board games and sewing.