meet the team

at South Valley Vet Clinic

meet the team

at South Valley Vet Clinic

meet our team

at South Valley Veterinary Clinic

Meet the team at South Valley Vet Clinic. Our staff are friendly and accommodating, with genuine love and compassion for animals.

We strive to provide your pet with a high standard of veterinary care, so that they live longer and healthier lives.

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Dr Shayal Bidesi

Dr. Shayal Bidesi

Veterinarian

Shayal graduated with a BSc then a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Melbourne. She moved to Geelong and joined South Valley Vet Clinic in 2019. She has now become a partner of the clinic. 

Growing up in Fiji with pet chickens and dogs, and having worked with animals from a young age, Shayal understands the need for veterinary care for all animals. She has done an array of volunteer work around the South Pacific.

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Shayal has a passion for emergency medicine and has worked with the local emergency clinic. 

She enjoys all aspects of general practice and has a keen interest in animal nutrition and surgery.

Shayal fell in love with Geelong and now lives here with her young family, flock of budgies, chickens and her beloved Spoodle, Scout. You would catch her out and about with her four legged mate around Geelong’s dog friendly hotspots or with her family at the cricket or at a Cats game!

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Dr Jenny Palmer

Dr. Jenny Palmer

Veterinarian

Jenny graduated from the University of Melbourne, with Honours, in 1982. She started work as a small animal veterinarian in Melbourne but moved back after a few years to her hometown Geelong, where she has practiced as a small animal veterinarian ever since. Jenny also actively pursued her interest in Animal Behaviour.

She has qualified as a Veterinary Behaviour Consultant, having passed examinations to become a Member of the Animal Behaviour Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.

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In 2006, Jenny and Karminda built and opened South Valley Veterinary Clinic. Jenny loves general practice, as well as incorporating her love of animal behaviour into all aspects of the practice. She also has a special interest in emergency medicine and completed a 12 month off-campus post-graduate course in Emergency Medicine at University of Sydney. She has also completed several courses in ultrasound.

Jenny continues to attend conferences and seminars on a regular basis on a wide range of small animal veterinary topics. She is also a member of the AVA Animal Behaviour and Small Animal Veterinarian special interest groups.

Jenny owns and loves her two adorable mini-Dachshunds, Gus and Lottie, who have managed to train her to do most things that they want!

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Dr Lauren Del Rio

Dr. Lauren Del Rio

Veterinarian

Lauren is a Geelong local who graduated from The University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. 

She has worked as a rural mixed practice vet, a zoo vet and now a small animal vet. Lauren’s favourite areas of Veterinary Medicine are behaviour, soft tissue surgery, neonatal care and shelter/welfare work. 

Lauren has a young family, three dogs, two cats and a full sized pig to keep her busy when she isn’t working or fostering animals of all shapes and sizes.

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Dr Brooke Scanlon

Dr. Brooke Scanlon

Veterinarian

Brooke graduated from the University of Sydney, with first class honours, in 2004. She initially worked in rural mixed practice vet in South Australia, England, and Queensland, before returning to her home town of Geelong with her young family.

Prior to studying veterinary medicine she completed a degree in Agricultural Science at the University of Melbourne. Working as a country vet has allowed her to combine her knowledge from both degrees with her background of growing up on a dairy farm. During her veterinary career she has been responsible for the veterinary care of a wide range of animals including; domestic and exotic pets, cattle, sheep, alpacas, goats, horses, native animals and even zoo animals!

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Brooke enjoys all aspects of veterinary practice but is particularly interested in emergency medicine and critical care, dentistry and pocket pets. She continues to attend conferences and seminars on a wide range of subjects.

Brooke is the proud owner of three pampered Whippets, Olive and Hugo.

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Jordyn Lubcke

Jordyn Lubcke

Veterinary Nurse

Jordyn joined our team in October, 2011. During that time she has developed into a highly skilled veterinary nurse and has completed her Certificate 4 in Veterinary Nursing. Jordyn still performs reception duties for several hours each week, where clients have come to love her friendliness and compassion for animals. We also really benefit from her organisational skills around the clinic. Jordyn especially enjoys surgical nursing and caring for our hospital patients. Jordyn is now a partner of the clinic.

Jordyn is pictured here with her darling old Holly, who was a firm favourite until she died at a very old age. She now has Dre, a gentle and laid back Golden Retriever/Rottweiler cross.

Jordyn enjoys spending time with her husband, two beautiful children.

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Alyce Lester

Alyce Lester

Veterinary Nurse

Alyce joined us in 2013 as our veterinary receptionist and clients have come to love her welcoming smile and gentle, efficient manner. We also value Alyce for the same reasons but also for her unflappable, can-do attitude. Like all our staff, Alyce cares passionately about animals and often undertakes nursing tasks when she is not in demand at our front desk. She hopes to expand her nursing experience when she starts her Certificate 4 in Veterinary Nursing in the near future.

Alyce enjoys keeping active and fit. She has also developed skills in home renovation since buying a home. Oh, and she is addicted to peanut butter!

Alyce is pictured here with Axel, her Staffy/Kelpie Cross. She also has Cleo and Maggie, two cats – one white, one black.

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Tina Epworth

Tina Epworth

Veterinary Nurse

Tina joined the clinic in 2013 but her veterinary nurse experience dates back to 2002. Further back than that, Tina immigrated to Australia from Yorkshire, which explains her wonderful accent and love of a strong cup of Yorkshire tea! She is a skilful surgical nurse and especially enjoys anaesthetics, post-surgical care and caring for our hospital patients.

Tina is currently updating her Certificate IV qualifications and is a member of the VNCA.
In her spare time, Tina is a keen jogger and also enjoys playing the guitar.

Samson is her dear geriatric Jack Russell/Fox Terrier cross, but Tina is also the proud ‘mother’ of Basil Boots, a cheeky Blue Heeler, who loves to ‘help’ in the garden!

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Megan Lubcke

Megan Lubcke

Veterinary Nurse

Megan joined our team in April, 2018. During that time, she has developed into a highly skilled veterinary nurse and has completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. 

You will find Megan working throughout the clinic where her warm, helpful manner is much appreciated by clients. Megan enjoys all aspects of animal care and has a keen interest in animal reproduction, puppy development, training and behaviour. 

Megan grew up on a farm, which has allowed her to develop her strong love for animals. Megan is a big lover of Labradors. She loves their goofy personality and loving nature. 

When not at work, Megan loves being outdoors on the farm and spending time with family and friends. 

Megan owns a goofy, adorable Labrador named Macy and a sweet old Kelpie named Brooke. She also has a very special geriatric cat named Soxy who is 19 years of age.

Georgie Bushell

Veterinary Nurse

Georgie began working with our team in 2021 at 15 years of age. After starting as a clinic assistant, she has progressed to studying Veterinary Nursing with the University of Queensland.

Georgie is currently building her skills in all areas of animal care, including reception, surgery and consult nursing. Her creativity, attention to detail and keen interest in Medical Sciences makes her a tremendous asset to our team.

Outside of work, she loves spending time with her beautiful kitten, Nala and two friendly Toy Cavoodles, Rafiki and Naku. 

They inspired ‘Fiki & Ku Portraits’, her small business focused on creating picturesque coloured pencil drawings of pets. In her free time Georgie also enjoys going for runs with her dogs and shopping with friends.

Meet the Team at South Valley Vet - Chelsea Trewin

Chelsea Trewin

Veterinary Nurse

Chelsea joined our team in 2019 whilst completing her Veterinary Nursing studies. She finished her qualification in Animal Studies III in 2018 and completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2021.

Chelsea can be found in all areas of the clinic but you will most likely find her cuddling patients out the back. We value Chelsea’s organisation skills, her down to earth nature and being our social media manager behind the scenes. 

In her free time, Chelsea enjoys pilates, reading, walking her dogs and catching up with friends. She also loves going to the football with her family and boyfriend to support the Cats.

Her main passion lies with animals which is why she is working her dream job, caring and helping patients. 

Chelsea has two Shoodles (Shih Tzu X Poodles) from the same litter named Rosie and Aliee. They are both very cheeky and sweet little girls.

Paige

Paige Boulton

Veterinary Nurse

Paige joined our team in June 2020 as our friendly receptionist where clients got to know her bubbly and kind nature. She completed her Certificate IV of Veterinary Nursing in 2022 and is now found in all areas of the clinic as a valued team member. 

Paige has found a love for consultation nursing as she has excellent organisation skills and proficient animal handling. She also finds great satisfaction assisting with grass seed retrievals and cleaning up cat bite abscesses. 

In her spare time Paige enjoys Pilates, going for brunch and taking the dogs to the beach. She has also recently found a new passion for home renovations after purchasing her first home. 

Paige has rescued a long-haired mini-dachshund named Heidi, a black and white cat named Milo and also has a very cheeky Golden Retriever named Boris. Her newest ‘foster fail’ mini-dachshund Mango is awaiting her to sign the paperwork! 

Contact Us

We are located in Highton, VIC and service the South West area of Geelong, including Armstrong Creek, Belmont, Grovedale, and Waurn Ponds.