Host: Jillian Kelly
Location: New South Wales
Hi,
I’m Jillian Kelly, writing as “Miss Vet” based at Coonamble in central west NSW. I am a large animal veterinarian working with sheep and beef cattle producers to improve their on farm biosecurity, welfare, productivity and therefore profitability!
I’ve always had an interest in the bush and in primary production, and after studying and travelling in lots of different spots both in Australia and overseas, I’ve settled back home in Coonamble, the place where I grew up. My little piece of paradise.
My job is great – I get to see something different every day, and I come home at the end of each day with plenty of good stories!
In my spare time, I enjoy painting, campdrafting and running my own small farm.
I hope you enjoy my blogs on Central Station – I hope it gives you an insight into living and working in a rural area and what a fantastic and fulfilling career veterinary science can be!
How to Make it Rain: Organise a Campdraft
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly We have just recently run the fifth annual Coonamble Challenge & Campdraft, and I’m one of the committee members. Organising an event of this size and calibre takes a full twelve months – we start organising the next one virtually the minute the previous one wraps up. Needless to say, we had put […]
Share this:
Fashions in the Field
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly What I wear to work every day may not be gracing the catwalks of Milan or Paris any time soon, but it’s practical and works for me, and many other ladies on the land across Australia. Here are some fashion and functionality tips for those unacquainted to bush style. The Hat: one […]
Share this:
Too much of a good thing
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly If I had a dollar for every case of grain poisoning I’ve seen in the past few years, I’d be a rich lady. You see, we’ve been in drought and people have been hand feeding livestock for several years. Now you might think that if they’ve been doing it for so long […]
Share this:
CSI: Coonamble, is back!
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly I often think that my job should be fictionalised into a TV show. I think I’d call it “CSI: Coonamble”. It probably wouldn’t be suitable for viewing anywhere near meal times, and maybe it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it would certainly be educational. You see, I’m a large animal […]
Share this:
The Inaugural Colt Starting Competition in Coonamble!
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly All small communities wouldn’t run without volunteers on local event committees and I’m just so proud to be part of the Coonamble Challenge & Campdraft committee – an event that began in 2015 and has grown in size and reputation in just four short years. Have a read of one of my […]
Share this:
CSI: Coonamble
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Sometimes I feel like I’m part of the “CSI” team – investigating livestock illness and death and putting all the little pieces together – history, clinical signs, lab testing, and an examination of the paddock – to get a diagnosis and fix the problem. A while back I got called out by […]
Share this:
The Power of a Cup of Tea
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Smoko: a rest from work for a smoke; a tea break. Everyone knows that smoko is the best meal of the day (closely followed by beer time, might I add). This is very important to me in my job as a veterinarian for several reasons. Not only do I love cake, I […]
Share this:
Meals on Wheels
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Our district has been in a severe drought for a long period – many farmers have been hand feeding cattle and sheep for months, and in some unfortunate cases years. I spoke to one lady this morning in the hairdressers that has been hand feeding stock for five of the last seven […]
Share this:
A day in the life of a district vet
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Many people wonder what I do each day, or why I need a beer at the end of each one! Here’s a typical day in the life of me! 6:30am: Leave home, headed to a farm that is in quarantine for footrot in sheep. Breakfast in the car! Plenty of time in […]
Share this:
When you hear the sound of Hoofbeats . . .
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly Back in my uni days, we were told repeatedly “when you hear the sound of hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras”. Meaning that in veterinary science, common things happen commonly, so look for the obvious answer. Except for some days . . . A few years ago, I received a call from […]
Share this:
CCC is Awesome!
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly A few months ago, we held the Coonamble Challenge and Campdraft, of which I’m secretary. That’s the thing about living and working in a rural area – everyone has to pitch in to help to get community events happening and you often find yourself on multiple committees! We’re a small committee […]
Share this:
It’s a Vet’s World
Host: Dr Jillian Kelly I’m a vet. A female large animal vet. An awesome vet – not because I can do things more awesomely than other vets, just because all female vets are awesome! Whenever I meet new people and am making the get-to-know-you small talk and I answer the question “what do you do for […]
