Staff Profiles Ian King Veterinarian Ian has wanted to be a vet since he was 16 years old. He and his wife Gayle purchased Ballina Veterinary Hospital in 1994. He can still remember the excitement of the first day in Ballina at the old site in Tamar Street. The move to the current hospital in River Street was taken in October of 1998. Next year will be the 10th anniversary of the move. Thirteen years is a long time to be in practice and he has recently recognized young families of clients who were children themselves when he took over the practice. It is a nice feeling. Ian graduated from Sydney University in 1977. He has worked as a small animal vet in Sydney but he left the 'big smoke' to work as a 'flying vet' in North West Queensland. Eight years of flying to cattle stations in the gulf and down to the Simpson Desert has left Ian with an extensive array of stories to divulge. He still dines out on these memoirs and many clients will hear the odd anecdote during a fun consultation. He still gets a buzz out of going to work and enjoys the challenges of each day. One nice thing about veterinary practice is that it is never dull. There is always something or someone new or different to do or to meet. Kirsten Hoskins Veterinarian Kirsten is a local girl who attended Alstonville High. Following her graduation from the University of Queensland she headed west for two years (1998, 1999) to gain her first experiences in a mixed practice in Dubbo. Kirsten travelled to Eastern Europe in 2000 before returning to work in a small animal practice at Kirrawee, Sydney. Kirsten spent five years in this very busy practice before returning home to the Northern Rivers. Kirsten has quickly established a local following. She is a part-time Veterinarian at Ballina Veterinary Hospital. Kirsten also works as a locum for other surgeries in the area. Kirsten lives with her pet cat "Tilly" and pet bird.   Renae Barnes. Veterinary Nurse Renae Barnes has been a nurse at Ballina Veterinary Hospital since 1997. She is a Ballina local who went to Ballina High School and started as a trainee after finishing school. She is married to Greg and has 2 "kids", an eight year old Staffordshire Terrier named Kosta and his brother Peden who is seven years old. Renae lists animal behaviour at the top of her interests. Renae also provides the community with a house and dog sitting service that is proving popular. She enjoys working at Ballina Veterinary Hospital because the staff are great and the clients (both furry and human) are wonderful. Renae is entrenched in her current role as Head Nurse. Clients love her bubbly character. Renae is due to take long service leave for ten years of completed service. The difficulty will be dragging her away but meantime the clients reap the benefit of "jolly service." Jessica Roalfe. Veterinary Nurse /Trainee. Jessica Roalfe joined the team at Ballina Veterinary Hospital in January 2007. She is a local and was employed straight out of school. Jess is currently undertaking a traineeship. She loves her work and finds it a very friendly environment. Her interests are animals and everything else that comes along? (we are not sure about this comment)! She has a toy poodle named Gus and 2 cats, both named Puss. There is a bit of confusion around animal meal time at Jess's place but everyone gets fed. Rebecca Hannaford Veterinary Nurse/Dog Groomer Rebecca is a local girl who grew up in Ballina. She has always loved the company of animals and therefore the decision of where to carry out her first work experience while attending St. John's College, Woodlawn was easy. She knocked on the door of Ballina Veterinary Hospital. This experience resulted in Rebecca being employed as a kennel cleaner during her senior years at school. She left school and went on to study Veterinary Nursing qualifying as a Certificate IV Nurse. Rebecca gained practical nursing experience at Albert Street Vet Clinic in Beaudesert before returning to Ballina to start up Pretty Puppies Pet Salon in January 2006. She has Advanced Dog Grooming Qualifications and offers grooming at Ballina Veterinary Hospital on Thursdays. Rebecca is currently our Saturday Vet nurse. She also does some locum nursing at other Northern Rivers Clinics during the quieter winter months when grooming is not so hectic. Gayle King Administration & Veterinary Nurse Gayle is Ian's wife. When Ian made the decision to purchase Ballina Veterinary Hospital in 1994 he required some assistance. Gayle was at that time a full-time mother. Her previous occupation as a Swimming Coach/Teacher had been put on hold to raise their two children, Bryden and Emily. Bryden was in Year 3 and Emily was a pre-schooler. The children spent many hours in the backroom and backyard of the Tamar Street premises (sometimes being carried out asleep). While Gayle juggled the role of mother, taxi , vet nurse etc., she also utilized her previous business skills to assist Ian in running his own practice. Thirteen years later Gayle is still working in the practice (reduced hours) contributing in areas of management, staffing, client service, surgical assistance and after-hours emergencies. However, the children, now young adults at 21 and 17 are both attending Universities in Sydney. Neither are following in Dad's footsteps. Maybe they do not want to raise their (future?) children in a veterinary surgery! Hobbies include swimming, travel, gourmet food & cooking. Lorraine Campbell Cleaner Lorraine (Renae's Mum) took on the hospital cleaning job three years ago. Lorraine is an early riser and one special lady. She maintains a clean environment for the furry people and also gets to clean up her daughter's messes (long after her daughter has left the nest). Sometimes Renae helps Mum out…………when she is nice. Hobbies: Looking after Baz (husband), Renae's siblings, Todd, Dion and Brett plus all the grandchildren. .