MEET THE TEAM
TIM OLDFIELD
VETERINARIAN/PRACTICE OWNER
Tim graduated from Massey University in 1988, he has worked in private practice in Australia, New Zealand and the UK as well as working in zoos in Australia and South Africa. Tim has been at Wattle Grove Veterinary Hospital since 1998. He has a special interest in birds, reptiles and wildlife and in 2001 he gained membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Avian Health. Away from work Tim loves family time with his wife and three grown up (nearly) kids.
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).
LISA
VETERINARIAN
Originally from Washington State, USA, Lisa graduated from Murdoch University in 2005. After a brief stint back home in mixed practice, Lisa came back to Australia and worked at Wattle Grove Vet Hospital for two years. She then returned to Murdoch University in a teaching role in Small Animal Medicine and as a General Practice Registrar and gained Membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Small Animal Medicine. Lisa then established a wildlife consultancy working with government, mining and rehabilitation groups before returning to Wattle Grove Vet Hospital in 2015. Lisa has a particular interest in internal medicine and ultrasound. Gardening, bush walking, cooking and Spencer the Pug x Shi Tzu take up the rest of her time.
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.
ELENA
VETERINARY NURSE
Elena has been a part of Wattle Grove Veterinary Hospital on and off since the mid-nineties. Since 2010 Elena has been our head nurse. Elena will often be the first point of contact for clients as she handles reception duties and answers the phones most mornings. Elena loves training and showing dogs, riding her standard bred horse and looking after several cats (and two adoring sons).
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.
MACKENZIE
VETERINARY NURSE
Mackenzie commenced her journey with Wattle Grove Veterinary Hospital in 2021, initially here on work experience whilst studying her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing at TAFE. WGVH just wasn't the same without Mackenzie, so in December 2021, after successful completion of her studies, Mackenzie was hired as a Veterinary Nurse. Mackenzie loves all things veterinary nursing and is expanding her skills in anaesthesia monitoring, blood collection and nursing exotics. In her down time, Mackenzie enjoys taxidermy, crafts and caring for her pets including Sweetpea the goat, various birds and a collection of insects. One day Mackenzie would love to return to study to become a veterinarian.
KAYLA
VETERINARY NURSE
Kayla is from a small country town in the wheat belt. She grew up caring for a variety of animals including horses, sheep, birds and kangaroos. She moved to the big smoke to pursue a career with animals. She completed her certificate in captive animals at Perth Zoo following a year studying vet nursing at AVT. She then decided to join our team in late 2021 and has loved working here ever since! Outside of work Kayla is also passionate about helping people, volunteering as a fire fighter for the past four years.
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.