Veterinary Nurses & Support Staff

Camila Aerts

Veterinary Nurse Leader

After more then 8 years working with animals in South America and Europe, Camila moved to Australia in 2018 with her husband and her chocolate labrador, Lisboa. With experience in domestic animals, wildlife and animal behaviour, she started her Australian journey in Sydney NSW, completing her Cert IV in Vet Nursing at TAFE and working at two Veterinary Hospitals. In November 2018, Camila moved to Kangaroo Island to work as the head nurse at the vet clinic and instantly felt at home with the islander life.

In her spare time, she loves to discover new places to camp and snorkel with her friends and to enjoy what KI has to offer.

Erin Campbell

Veterinary Nurse Leader

Erin was born and raised on a beef cattle property in outback QLD and attended the University of Queensland where she completed a Bachelor of Applied Science, majoring in Wildlife science, and a Certificate 4 in Captive Wildlife. She also volunteered at the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital as well as QLD Zoo.
Erin started her nursing career while she was at school in 2009 and worked on and off part time as a nurse in QLD until moving to Kangaroo Island and starting at the clinic in 2017.

Erin enjoys travelling and exploring and is passionate about domestic and exotic animal care.

Lizi Campbell

Veterinary Nurse

Hi, my name is Lizi & I have been working at the Vet Clinic since February 2015; I started as a receptionist before beginning my nursing career in 2017.
I live with my husband on a large property in Macgillivray where we run sheep & cattle, we also have 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 horse & about 50 chickens. We love our life on Kangaroo Island & I have always felt so grateful to live & work here; I’m very passionate about my role & taking the best care I can of you & your pets

Abi Willson

Veterinary Nurse

Abi grew up on KI and has always had a passion for working with animals and raising orphaned wildlife. After completing school on the Island, Abi moved away for a year and a half to study but mid 2021 Abi decided to move back to the Island and train to become a vet nurse.

Abi enjoys spending her free time at the beach with her friends and dogs and is excited to see what working at the clinic has in store for her.

Emily Hamlyn

Veterinary Nurse/Administration

Emily's grandparents were soldier settlers near Parndana making her a third generation Kangaroo Islander. She went to high school in Adelaide before heading off to work as a roustabout in shearing sheds across outback Australia. She returned to raise her two children on Kangaroo Island, who have since ventured out and onto the mainland for further education and employment.

Most of her working life on Kangaroo Island has been within the tourism and hospitality sectors, so she comes well equipped to handle any queries and make people feel at ease when their pet is in need of help. She has always been passionate about animals - in particularly horses who have been a big part of her life from the age of eight when she acquired her first pony 'Misty' after much begging and pleading with her parents!

Her spare time now largely revolves around the needs of a rather demanding pug x dachshund named 'Tinka' and her horses. She is comfortable and experienced dealing with all animals, from domestic pets, farm livestock and wildlife.

Meredith Hughes

Veterinary Receptionist

Zoe Berden

Veterinary Nurse

Zoe has grown up on Kangaroo Island and enjoys every opportunity to be outdoors. She has always felt a connection to animals and has a strong interest in animal behaviour and husbandry. After completing student work experience at the vet clinic in 2022, Zoe has taken on a traineeship while completing her senior years of schooling at KICE. She is excited about this amazing opportunity and looking forward to adding to her experiences as a vet nurse.

Outside of school and work, Zoe enjoys playing sport, riding her horse “Merlin” and spending time with the family border collie “Gypsy”.

Sienna Donaghy

Veterinary Nurse

A local girl, Sienna has grown up around all sorts of animals and is very passionate about caring for them. She started working with us in 2022 and is excited to be undertaking her nurse traineeship while completing Year 10.

Sienna has a great work ethic and is looking forward to learning new skills and gaining experience with other animals during her nurse training. She tries to spend as much time as possible outdoors; playing sport or riding horses, including her up-and-coming boy “Billybob”

Jenny Bigmore

Veterinary Nurse

Katie Welz

Veterinary Receptionist

Katie Welz first joined the Kangaroo Island Vet Clinic in 2012, after eight years with National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Her love of animals, especially wildlife, meant she fit right in with the team. With the Clinic’s encouragement and support from NPWS, Katie formed the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network (KIWN) in 2015, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of wildlife habitat and the rescue, rehabilitation and release of native fauna.

In 2018, Katie took a break from the vet clinic and joined the amazing team at the KI Wildlife Park, where she worked for just over three years. Due to some big life changes and an opportunity to rejoin the Clinic, Katie returned in late 2021 and loves to work with old and new clients as well as staff members. She loves being around all the varied animals including wildlife that frequent the vet clinic.

Outside of work, Katie is dedicated to raising and rehabilitating native wildlife and birds and helping enrich the lives of the wild animals that call Kangaroo Island home through various volunteering efforts. And let's not forget, keeping her gorgeous kelpie Furphy entertained!

Felix Williams

Veterinary Nurse

Rachel Ripley

Administration/Practice Manager

Rachel moved to Kangaroo Island in the early 2000s and operated the Parndana Post Office with her family. When that adventure finished, she decided to rekindle her interest in veterinary medicine which started while working as a vet nurse in QLD many years prior.

She joined the KI Vet Clinic team in 2010 where she did the hard yards and finished her qualification in Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing. Rachel operated as our head vet nurse for approximately 5 years prior to taking some time off and then returning as the clinic’s practice manager in 2019.

Now, while she’s not keeping our ship sailing, she enjoys spending time with her partner and their family, the menagerie of dogs, cats and chooks, as well as yard work, playing sport and kayaking

Joonas Kindel

Building Manager

I was born in Estonia and came over to Australia in 2014 as a backpacker. I met my partner Jodi in Perth in 2018 and we mutually decided to move over to the beautiful KI in 2019. I have furniture restoration background and know my way around tools so you can see me around the clinic doing general handyman duties and maintenance. You can also see me loading/unloading products and sometimes giving Jodi a hand with after hours procedures.

If I ever have any spare time left, I like to watch shows on TV or cook something nice for the family.

Kaden Perry

Clinic Assistant

Kaden started working with us in 2022 as an alternative to working in hospitality, whilst completing Year 8 at KICE, . He is another wonderful local Island kid. He is super enthusiastic about working… which is impressive at his age!

He has always loved being around animals, especially dogs and that is apparent when he is caring for them. Kaden will continue working with us while completing his schooling to develop his knowledge about animal care and handling.

Outside of work and school, he enjoys riding his motorbike and spending time with family on their property.

Danielle Pratt

Clinic Assistant

Danielle has lived most of her life on Kangaroo Island and starting working for the vet clinic around 2014. She started with dog walking and other jobs around the clinic and is a useful support person to all. Perks of the job include the enjoyment of working with animals and lovely people.

In her spare time Danielle enjoys walking her gorgeous dog "Rosie", looking after her animals and caring about those close to her.

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Meet the Team