Lynne Mowbray
The doors of the new Maclean Veterinary Hospital (formerly known as Maclean Vet Clinic) were opened for the first time on Monday, September 19.
The newly completed facility is located at 62 River Street, Maclean (opposite Botero Cafe), with ample dedicated parking for clients, at the front door.
Practice Manager, Amanda Galloway said that the new building is a lot bigger than the old premises.
“Because of our new facilities here, we’ve had our credentials upgraded from a ‘clinic’ to a ‘Veterinary Hospital’, which is great for us,” Amanda said.
“We’ve been able to focus on being a lot more cat friendly and stress free, for both canines and felines.
“We have a separate cat consult room as well as a cat hospital ward, which means it’s only for cats – it’s only cat smells and it can reduce their stress a lot, which in turn reduces client stress and that’s what we have been focusing on for quite a while.
“Having a separate side (of the building) for our dogs means we’ve got the facilities to accommodate their anxieties as well, which is really helpful for not only the dogs or cats coming in, it’s great for the clients and also really helps the staff dealing with these patients, if they are in a less stressful environment. So, we’ve really worked hard to get that balance.
“The practice has a lot better surgical Xray facilities out the back, which really helps to improve our patient care.
“We still have all of the same services that we offered before (like the puppy preschool etc), and we have the space now to grow.
“There are three consultation rooms and an extra treatment bay which means we can see more patients and have better spaces to treat patients, which we didn’t have in the previous clinic – things were quite cramped. We now have the space to integrate bigger and better equipment, which is great for future planning.
“We now have a dedicated Xray (area), a dedicated surgery, dedicated infectious diseases area and extra prep rooms for the staff, which really makes the functionality of the place a lot more streamline.
“The Vet Hospital has around nine staff on rotation here in Maclean, with around 12-15 (shared staff) between both of our branches here in Maclean and Yamba – Yamba Veterinary Clinic.
“We really needed an updated, modern facility that would house our growing collection of staff which we are very fortunate to have on board and to make our clients and patients a lot more comfortable, whilst we carry out our work,” she said.
BREAK OUT BOX
Amanda Galloway – Vet Nurse and Practice Manager – Maclean Veterinary Hospital
Amanda said that she had always wanted to be a Vet nurse.
“I’ve been (working) here for about 14 years, since I started nursing,” Amanda said.
“I love the staff and love the people.
“It (the job) has its highs and lows, but I think we’re quite fortunate with the team we have behind us here.
“It’s part of the reason why we come to work – it’s that support network. You can bounce your feelings off them (your colleagues), because everyone in this building understands (the highs and lows), and that’s what makes it work,” she said.
When asked if she had a favourite animal, Amanda said that she is definitely a dog person.
“I’m a bit different if someone brings in a snake,” she said laughing.
“I’m always extremely busy with paperwork in the office, with the door locked, when there’s snakes. I’m very busy – I can’t help with snakes.
“We do deal with the local WIRES community, and we get a lot of different types of wildlife in here and that’s always fun and interesting.
“We’ve had reptiles, eagles, sugar gliders, kangaroos and that always brings a bit of interest to the day, when WIRES come in with cases.
“It’s always quite rewarding, and we have some great outcomes,” she said.
BREAK OUT BOX Contact: aurora.vet.ross@gmail.com
Megan Ross – Maclean Veterinary Hospital owner 
Veterinarian Megan Ross, owner of the Maclean Veterinary Hospital said that she moved to Maclean 14 years ago, when she bought the business.
“I came to the area because I thought it was a beautiful location, and I met my husband there,” Megan said.
“He moved to Sydney for work, which is why I’m no longer (living) there,” she said.
Megan said that her decision to relocate the business to a better location stemmed from the lack of adequate parking (in the vicinity) for both staff and customers.
“The access for customers and lack of parking was terrible, particularly on court (sitting) days,” Megan said.
“And the other reason was the desire to have a flood free location; but accessibility was by far the biggest issue.
“There wasn’t enough parking for our staff, or our clients and it was awkward for people if they’re carrying a cat cage and had a pram or had walking aids – it was just a nightmare for people to get their animals to the vets”, she said.
Megan said that the new hospital provides a better facility for their patients.
“Cats and dogs don’t always like being in each other company and for cats in hospital it can be quite stressful being right next to a barking dog, so now they have their own ward, completely on the other side of the building,” Megan said.
“That’s why we now have separate waiting rooms for dogs and cats – for the same reason.
“One thing that we did do this year, was get our “Stress free pet” accreditation. So that’s really important to us as a practice, to make sure that we’re treating our patients as nicely as possible – that way their mental health is looked after as well as their physical health.
“We’ve been here now for 40 plus years as a business and we don’t have any plans on going anywhere – we want to be here for the future for the Lower Clarence’s pets and it’s about having a future proof facility, for us to use for the next 40 years.
“I’d just like to thank the community for their support because there are plenty of local businesses that don’t have the longevity that we do and the reason we’ve been around 40 plus years is because of the continued support from the community.
“So as the community supports us, we want to support them,” she said.