MEET THE TEAM
STEPHANIE
Practice Director and Vet Nurse
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Steph joined Wattle Grove in 2025 from CVS UK. Born and raised in Scotland, Steph studied at Glasgow University Vet school, graduating in 2010 with an RCVS qualification in Veterinary Nursing and has worked in first opinion, mixed, emergency and referral practices. She has particular interests in geriatric patient care and wound healing. Steph is loving learning about the Australian wildlife she encounters at Wattle Grove, though the team are still struggling to understand Steph's Scottish accent most days.
Outside work, Steph loves spending time with her husband and son exploring all the beautiful places Western Australia has to offer.
RITA
VETERINARIAN
Rita grew up on a rural property in Victoria. Animals of every sort have been a part of her life ever since and as a vet Rita has probably treated most species of animal you could imagine. Rita used to be our favourite locum vet until we convinced her to join full-time in 2010. Nowadays Rita has a special interest in surgery, both soft tissue and orthopaedic. Away from work she enjoys endurance horse riding and physiology (when she’s not looking after the inevitable menagerie of animals at home).
NIKITA
VETERINARIAN
Nikita was born in the United States of America, grew up in Singapore and graduated from Murdoch University Vet School in 2019. Nikita has worked all around Western Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory with a special interest in emergency medicine. She has a Great Dane called Goose and is sad to admit she has never kept a house plant alive for more than a couple of weeks.
ANGELA
VETERINARIAN
Angela hails from Canada and moved to Perth (with husband Chris) to study veterinary medicine. She graduated from Murdoch University in 2010 and completed an Internship in General Practice the following year. Angela joined our team in 2017. Angela’s passion is soft tissue surgery, including a special interest in correcting airway problems in brachycephalic breeds. In 2021 Angela passed her examinations to be accepted for Membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Veterinary Practice (Small Animal). In her spare time Angela looks after two young children, a dog, three cats and a collection of succulents.
MATT
VETERINARIAN
Matt was born and bred in Fremantle, Western Australia, graduating from Murdoch University in 2021. He worked as a bartender to support himself during vet school, so if you ask nicely he might give you his fabled Bloody Mary recipe! Matt loves all animals from cattle to birds and everything in between. He has a special interest in wildlife stemming from his family’s history in environmental science and his love of the bush. In his spare time he enjoys hanging out with his dogs Thea and Sadie, playing too many video games and training in Brazilian jiu jitsu.
JESS
VETERINARIAN
Jess joined the Wattle Grove team in early 2021 in a part-time role and says she is loving it. We're certainly enjoying her bright and bubbly personality and our clients do too! Jess came from Singapore to pursue her vet dreams and graduated from Murdoch University in 2010. As well as working with us, Jess also teaches vet nurses two days a week and raises her 2 children, 1 dog, 2 rabbits and quite a few stick insects.
TIM
VETERINARY NURSE
Tim started at Wattle Grove in 2025, although he had already done work placement here in 2010! Tim completed his Certificate IV in Vet Nursing that year and has since furthered his qualifications by obtaining Cert III in Captive Animals and an Advanced Program in Veterinary Nursing (Avian). Tim has a passion for both anaesthesia and exotic animals and he spends his free time volunteering as a nurse at Perth Zoo and WA Wildlife.
KATALIN
VETERINARY NURSE
In 2019 Katalin celebrated her 20th year at Wattle Grove Veterinary Hospital. Animals have always been her passion, sparked by watching early David Attenborough documentaries. As well as vet nursing Katalin has spent many years as a docent at Perth Zoo and has kept all manner of animals at home. Katalin loves all aspects of surgical nursing and as you would expect she can be relied on to know where anything can be found in the hospital.
AMANDA
VETERINARY NURSE
After a career in business administration, as well as living and traveling extensively overseas, Amanda became a qualified vet nurse in 2008. Amanda joined Wattle Grove Veterinary Hospital in 2013. You will often meet Amanda at reception answering phones, admitting and discharging patients.
MEL
VETERINARY NURSE
Mel graduated as a vet nurse in 2021 after growing up on a farm in rural WA surrounded by lots of animals. She currently has four pet birds who've all been hand raised (with plans to get more ). Mel enjoys K-pop and travelling (especially to Korea).
ANNABELLA
VETERINARY NURSE
In mid 2023, Annabella graduated with a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, and soon found her place amongst the team at Wattle Grove Vet Hospital. This was a dream come true for Annabella, being passionate about animals from a very young age, a love stemming way back to the first time she ever saw the apes and snakes at Perth Zoo. Since then she has expanded her knowledge and confidence greatly in all aspects of nursing and always looks to learn more. Annabella is a self-proclaimed nerd and outside of work can be found reading fantasy novels, playing videogames or teaching her cat tricks.
TIA
VETERINARY NURSE
Tia completed her Certificate IV in veterinary nursing in 2023. She started as a student nurse doing work placement at Wattle Grove Vet Hospital. Tia then knew she had found where she wanted to stay and joined the team. Tia’s passion for animals is rooted in her love for childhood TV shows like ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ and ‘Bindi the Jungle Girl’. She is very interested in surgical nursing and is hoping to further her education with exotic animals and anaesthetic monitoring in the future. In her spare time Tia is caring for her two naughty ferrets; Evee and Sadie, or you’ll find her at the beach or spending time with friends and family.