Dr Jane Rickard

Director / Veterinarian

Dr Jane, better known as 'Aunty Jane', is the founder and owner of Hills District Veterinary Hospital. She has a strong interest in orthopedic surgery, sports rehabilitation, physiotherapy and chiropractic services. In her free time she is heavily involved in dressage and also loves to ski when on holidays. She lives with her husband, her two sons who come and go,  her horse (Lorenzo), Labrador (Louie), cat (Patrick) and an assortment of chickens.  

Dr Cassandra O'Callaghan

Veterinarian

Dr Cassie has been with us for nearly half a decade after working at a practice in the Upper Hunter. She enjoys consulting and has completed post-graduate study in Feline Medicine through the University of Sydney. She is also certified as a Low Stress Handler™. In her spare time she enjoys pampering her ragdoll Luna, scuba diving and exploring the national parks and beaches of New South Wales.

Alana Willemsen

Practice Manager / Veterinary Nurse

Alana joined our team in early 2017 as a trainee. She has since completed her Cert IV Veterinary Nursing and is now studying her Diploma of Veterinary Nursing (General Practice). Alana is very bubbly and enthusiastic and will always greet you with her big smile. Alana has a Beagle x Basset Hound named Lou, but can’t wait to add more to her fur family. In her spare time Alana enjoys listening to music, playing video games and eating good food!

Olivia Gillett

Veterinary Nurse

Olivia has recently completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and would like to continue her studies in surgical and medical nursing. Olivia has a Great Dane named Hoey who, despite weighing over 70kgs, is the biggest softy and sweetheart. She also has a cat called Daenerys who is a sassy-pants. Olivia is a very friendly and compassionate person who will always greet you with a smile and makes sure your pet gets lots of love and attention whilst staying with us. Olivia is looking forward to learning as much as she can and gaining experience in the veterinary industry.

Jessica Wilkinson

Junior Veterinary Nurse

Jess joined our team in late November 2018. She is still currently studying her Cert IV in veterinary nursing but has a particular interest in exotics and wildlife. Jess is always willing to try anything new and has a great attitude. She has two rescues - a Mini Dachshund (Cali) and a DSH (Fury). When she's not working or studying you will find her either camping, 4WDriving or rescuing and caring for wildlife. She absolutely loves vet nursing and hopes to keep expanding her knowledge and experience.

Hannah Mowen

Animal Attendant

Hannah works part-time at our hospital as an animal attendant. She has no pets at home (yet!) but enjoys feeding cockatoos and other wild birds on her balcony. In her spare time she enjoys studying wildlife, horse-riding, drawing, taekwondo and wildlife photography. She is also a huge Disney fan!

Amanda Trovato

Cert IV Veterinary Nursing Trainee

Amanda is a full time animal attendant at a Sydney rescue shelter and is currently in her first year studying Cert IV in Vet Nursing. She is known as Ace Ventura as she can tame any animal other than her own Maltese Terrier 'Arnie'. Animal care and welfare is a strong passion of Amanda's and she will passionately defend the best interests of all animals. Amanda is looking forward to gaining as much experience and knowledge to be the best she can be for all animals.

Taela Morovich

Cert IV Veterinary Nursing Trainee

Taela is currently studying her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing full time and has a particular interest in wildlife and birds. She has been caring for wildlife since she was a child. At home she has a pigeon aviary, cockatiels, and a budgie which she adopted through us. His name is Blueberry and he is a little bit cheeky. In her spare time she likes to travel and spend time with her brother.
Taela can't wait to pursue her career in Veterinary Nursing and take her skills further.

Elle Robertson

Cert II Animal Studies (Vet Nursing Stream) Trainee

Elle is currently doing her Cert II in Veterinary Nursing. She plans on continuing to show her love for animals by starting her Cert IV course as soon as she can! Elle is a huge dog lover and owns three dogs named Ella, Fluffy and Shadow. She loves being able to come home, cuddle up with her dogs and watch TV with them. Elle loves meeting new people (and animals) as she feels as though you can learn a lot from the people around you. 

Piper Anderson

Cert IV Veterinary Nursing Trainee

Piper is currently studying her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing, full time. She is very passionate and loves all kinds of animals and is going to treat your pets just like her own. Piper has three adorable cats; Tootsie, Narla and Mars as well as two cuddly dogs; Hattie and Lexi. She has a special interest in exotics and is always willing to further her experiences with handling and assisting in Veterinary procedures with as many different animals as possible. Piper is enthusiastic and excited to see what her future in Veterinary Nursing holds for her.

Hayley Newman

Cert II Animal Studies (Vet Nursing Stream) Trainee

Hayley has just completed studying her Cert II in Veterinary Nursing and is planning to continue onto Cert IV Veterinary Nursing as soon as possible. Hayley loves all animals but her favourite would have to be dogs. She owns a 14 year old spoodle (cocker spaniel x standard poodle) who is quite big but despite his size, thinks he's a little puppy who loves cuddles, attention and lots of belly rubs! Hayley loves to help others around her and is always willing to learn and pick up new skills to expand her knowledge about animal care.

Keegan Robertson

Cert III Animal Studies (Vet Nursing Stream) Trainee

Keegan is currently studying his Cert III in Animal studies (Veterinary Nursing Bridging),and is planning on starting his Cert IV as soon as he finishes. He loves all kinds animals and owns three dogs called Fluffy, Ella and Shadow. Keegan has an interest in exotic animals and has even completed his Cert II in Captive Animals. Keegan is looking forward to learning as much as he can about animals and learning new skills along the way.

Zakia Sahib

Cert II Animal Studies (Vet Nursing Stream) Trainee

Zakia is studying Certficate IV in Veterinary Nursing full time with aim to further studies in Veterinary Science. Zakia has a Cavoodle named Zoey and spoils her with love everyday. In her spare time she loves exploring new beaches and eating out at cafes. Zakia is looking forward to further her career in this industry over the next couple of years.

Dorothy ('Dotty')

Clinic Cat / Self-Appointed Boss

Found behind the shops in Oakville at the end of 2014, Dorothy/Dotty came to us at just a few weeks old. ​She was underweight, covered in fleas, riddled with worms and full of cat influenza!

She lived in our hospital recovering for two months until she was well enough to be moved into the waiting room to look for a furever home.

​

Another month went by, she was desexed, vaccinated, wormed and flea treated. Dotty was the hit of the hospital, but still no home.

It took another few months before we understood why such a gorgeous girl hadn’t found a new family… we were all too in love with her! We suspect everyone but us knew that she would become a permanent resident!

As of today, she is clearly the boss of the clinic. Super sweet and a big hit with all of our clients and patients – canine and feline alike – Dotty is definitely one of the highlights of our hospital.

She’s now has her very own room upstairs with a big couch, scratching posts galore, a sun hammock, drinking fountain and piles of toys! Everything a kitty could need.

​