Meet our team of animal health professionals
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Elisa NishimotoVeterinarian - Director Elisa was born and raised on the island of Hawai’i and attended the University of Hawai’i at Hilo where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Cellular & Molecular Biology in 2004, and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture/Animal Science in 2007. She then moved to Los Angeles to attend the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences. She joined Kangaroo Island Veterinary Clinic in 2011 to move closer to her partner Brady Peters, and their dog Ziki. In 2019 they had a daughter named Kalani. Elisa has an interest in surgery and wellness care, and enjoys mentoring and managing the clinic team. Being an island girl at heart, Elisa enjoys fishing, surfing and camping with her family on her personal time. |
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Jodi Maher
Veterinarian - Director
As the daughter of two vets and growing up next door to my parents successful vet practice in the Southern Highlands, NSW, I was ultimately destined to follow in their footsteps. I grew up surrounded by animals with horses taking up most of my spare time. Starting off in pony club and then finding my love of eventing. I graduated from Murdoch University, WA in 2013 and shorty after started working at Kangaroo Island Vet. I was attracted to the job as I had spent holidays on the island and I had fond memories of its raw beauty and the friendly community. Since then I spent 2 years back in Perth working sole charge at a busy practice which allowed me to improve my skills in many areas of small animal medicine and surgery. However, Kangaroo Island had won my heart and I was fortunately able to return and put down roots here. In 2021 I was excited to have ventured into part ownership of the vet clinic and I look forward to pursuing my passion in this very special and unique part of the world. I enjoy every minute of my spare time with our growing family of humans and animals, including my two gorgeous Setters, Darci and Jasper and beautiful baby boy Oskar. |
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Lauryn StewartVeterinarian - Director
After graduating high school in rural Victoria, Lauryn spent a year working cattle in the Queensland outback on stations owned by MDH Pty Ltd. It was a fantastic experience that made her want to learn more about agriculture - mostly from the back of a horse - so she spent the next year working in Canada on a family owned ranch and feedlot. She still had a misfit Canadian accent when she did her interviews for the vet school at CSU Wagga Wagga, having flown into Australia only days before. During the time she was doing her vet degree, she worked in shearing sheds, beef and sheep farms, a feedlot, dairies (including a goat rotary dairy) and chicken rearing farm. Her practical experience has proven invaluable when dealing with often unpredictable situations as a large animal vet. Working at Kangaroo Island Veterinary Clinic since 2015, Lauryn has become a skilled mixed animal vet with OB accreditation and a strong interest in all things reproduction. She loves a challenge and learning something new and enjoys helping students and travelling around the Island for on farm visits. Outside of work, Lauryn is busy with her three young children and wool enterprise with her partner, Will, plus caring for their menagerie of animals and cow horses. |
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Debra Lehmann
Veterinarian
Deb grew up on a sheep farm west of Keith in South Australia and graduated as a vet from Murdoch University in Western Australia in 1982 after competing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Adelaide. In partnership with husband Greg Johnsson, Deb established the Kangaroo Island Veterinary Clinic later that year. A particular interest in genetics and reproduction in sheep has meant that Deb initiated sheep scanning and investigations into poor reproductive performance through the Clinic. She has a special interest in Clover Disease and infectious causes of reproductive loss such as Toxoplasmosis. Deb attained qualifications to perform Brucellosis free accreditation testing and Johnes Disease Market Assurance certification in sheep, cattle, goats and alpacas. More recently she has trained employed veterinarians to continue this work. Deb worked with University of Sydney researchers for many years from 2007 to trial the use of autologous footrot vaccine to eradicate footrot from selected properties on Kangaroo Island and King Island. She has gained extensive knowledge and experience with footrot diagnosis, control and eradication. Deb is now committed to help famers eradicate all forms of footrot. Deb’s footrot eradication programs are tailored to the severity of disease on individual farms. Vaccine is recommended when there is virulent footrot with many sheep severely affected to prevent and treat infection during the spread period. Less severe intermediate and benign footrot is controlled by regular foot bathing in the spring. These methods dramatically reduce the number of sheep with disease that must be culled at the summer eradication inspection. Clean sheep following the inspection are further foot bathed in the summer to eliminate hidden infection from the skin between the toes. This method has helped many farmers to successfully eradicate footrot from their properties and to improve the welfare of sheep and increase their economic return through increased production. |
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Felicity StoeckelerVeterinarian
Felicity, who you might know as Flick, grew up in Northern Tablelands of NSW and studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Queensland. She officially qualified as a crazy dog lady at a young age, and as a vet in 2017 before joining the team on Kangaroo Island. Felicity spent additional time in her degree learning about exotic and native animals, completing externships at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Adelaide and Monarto Zoos. Felicity spends most of her time with her beautiful American Bulldog at the beach, and enjoys bushwalking, painting, drawing and travelling. |
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Jordan AcklandVeterinarian
Jordan hails from the small country town of Orroroo located 3 hours north of Adelaide in the Flinders Ranges. Growing up in this area he spent plenty of time helping out on his uncle's sheep and cattle property, where he developed a passion for working with animals. After high school, Jordan relocated to Waaga Wagga to complete his Veterinary Science degree. During this time, he decided he wanted to become a mixed practice veterinarian capable of helping all animals great and small. He has thus far managed to avoid acquiring any animals throughout his veterinary career - though we think one day the perfect pet in need of a home will come along and steal his heart! He can regularly be seen out in the community getting involved in park run and weekend sports, particularly footy and tennis. He will jump at any chance to get outdoors, whether it be in his professional or personal life! |
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Clare HodgsonVeterinarian
After growing up in NSW, Clare completed her vet studies in Perth where she met the lovely Dr. Jodi. During her uni years she spent time on cattle stations across Northern Australia, as well as beef and sheep farms in NSW. After graduating, she started out in dairy practice in Victoria where she rescued the main man in her life, her three-legged Kelpie, Ed. Clare continued her travelling vet career to beef country in Goondiwinid, the Pilbara, and then overseas to the heart of rural Wales. The last three years she has loved looking after all animals large and small in the hills of Gloucester, NSW. But she couldn’t turn down the chance to visit beautiful KI while Jodi has her bubba! When she’s not at work, she loves all things outdoors, camping, 4wding, beach-time, travelling, netball and spending time with Ed (who now is a very spoilt town dog with only distant memories of his working days - in fact, he is scared of sheep, which makes us wonder if he ever worked at all…) |
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Jacqui Wheeler-RoffVeterinarian
Born in Brisbane, I spent my early years on the waters of Moreton Bay before moving to Currumbin Valley. Here I spent all my time as a free range kid with the wallabies, birds and my dog Jingo. After school I studied Wildlife Science for a year at UQ Gatton before transferring to Veterinary Science. At the end of my degree I wanted to get a taste of everything as a true mixed practice vet and still maintain my keen interest in wildlife. After graduating I relocated, making the 2300km road trip from QLD down to KI with my budgie Toohey; hopefully soon to be joined by my horse Finn. I like to spend my spare time gardening, trail riding and photographing wildlife and can't wait to explore everything on the Island! |
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Charlie MintzVeterinarian
After graduating high school in rural inner-city Adelaide, Charlie spent a year working cattle in North Queensland on stations. The experience was the catalyst for change, filling him with a passion for Agriculture and a desire to become a Livestock Veterinarian. Out went the boat shoes and Ralph Lauren polos, and in came the RM Williams boots and RB Sellars half button work shirts. Since joining the clinic Charlie has slotted into the team as a mixed animal practitioner, dividing his time between treating small and large animals. Outside of work Charlie enjoys watching the Crom, spending time with his partner Evie and chopping firewood. |
