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. Fifteen 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 different to do or someone new 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 dog "Toby" and pet bird "Emmi".   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." 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 Tuesdays. Amy Johnston Amy started work in our clinic in March 2009 as a trainee nurse. Amy grew up on a farm in Ireland which started her passion for animal care. She left Ireland in 2006 to travel around Australia. Amy came to Ballina last year with her partner Joe and sought a career close to her heart. She has now started her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Since settling in Ballina the family circle has grown to include “BobTom” a rescue cat with a beautiful but cheeky nature. .