Our Team
Dr. Simon Wake BVSc
Dr Simon Wake (Simon) grew up on a farm near Kingaroy. It was there that he developed an interest in animal health and after high school work experience with the local vet his future was set. He graduated from the University of Queensland in 1995 and after working as a large animal vet for 2 years set off to the UK. He spent a decade in various parts of Wales and England gradually transitioning from mixed practice to entirely small animal practice.
After returning to Australia in 2006, Simon worked as a locum for a few years before purchasing a one vet small animal practice in Kallangur. After a decade which saw significant growth of the practice he sold it in 2018 and moved with his family to a property in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
During his time in the Northern Rivers, he worked in a number of small animal and emergency practices but in 2021 moved back to Queensland to be closer to extended family.
Simon has been working part time in a practice on Brisbane’s northside since 2021 and also spending long weekends on the family ‘bush block’ in the Northern Rivers spraying weeds, slashing, fencing and looking after a small breeding herd of cattle. He feels he is incredibly fortunate to be able to spend time away from city life in his family’s tranquil 200 acres of native forest on the doorstep of the World Heritage listed Border Ranges National Park.
In practice, Simon enjoys the challenge of surgery but mostly enjoys performing the role of ‘the other family GP’ and the immense rewards that come with being a trusted professional adviser focussed on enhancing the human-animal bond. This bond is recognised as being mutually beneficial and improves the wellbeing of both people and the animals in their lives. Simon values being independent and non-corporate owned as this allows him to focus on providing individualised care to all of his patients and their families.
Away from practice, Simon enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, Otto the labradoodle and his Speckle Park cows. He is also a keen cyclist.
Jenna
After many years in the hair and beauty industry, Jenna made the bold decision to follow her lifelong passion and transition into the animal care field. Now Jenna brings the same dedication, compassion, and attention to detail that she had in her first career into her new role in the veterinary world.
Jenna is originally from Ireland but made New Zealand home for 17 years after meeting her husband there and then moved to Ferny Grove a couple of years ago. She is a proud Mum to two children and they have two beloved British Bulldogs. When she’s not at the clinic, you’ll likely find her enjoying quality time with her family and the dogs or cheering her children on in their darts competitions.
Jenna is thrilled to be living her dream working as a vet nurse and she genuinely feels she’s finally doing what she feels she was always meant to do.
Rosie
Rosie has a love for animals that begun when she was just a toddler, eager to help her parents on their family farm. She raised companion dogs throughout her schooling and has a knack for finding stay animals and reuniting them with their families. With everything pointing in the direction of continuing to care for animals, she moved to Brisbane in 2017 to pursue an education in Veterinary Nursing.
Rosie has a Certificate III in Animal Studies and a Certificate IV in Veterinary nursing on successful completion though TAFE QLD in 2018.
In her career she has worked at General Practice clinics in Brisbane building skills in fear-free handling, surgical nursing including orthopedics, disease prevention and management, puppy pre-school education as well as work health and safety legislation relative to her industry.
Moving into Emergency Veterinary Nursing in 2020 proved to be a success and a new found passion. The skills gained in a short period of time were monumental in her career allowing her to move into Specialist Veterinary Nursing at two of Brisbane’s larges Specialist Centers. Focusing on Internal Medicine practices allowed the building of skills in areas of mechanical ventilation, managing post-operative complications, diabetic crisis management, seizure management, chemotherapy, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation.
She is great at sharing her knowledge and skills with new and upcoming nurses and techs and is a terrific mentor in the workplace allowing students to complete their placements and gain certification. When she is not working, there is no surprise she is out and about with her two Border Collies, Delta and Ivar enjoying the great outdoors, still often returning a wayward pet to their owners otherwise at home snuggling with her biggest fan, her pet Conure.
Cassie
Hi, I’m Cassie — a qualified veterinary nurse with over 19 years of experience in a profession I truly love. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of caring for animals and supporting their owners, building lasting relationships along the way.
At home, I’m the proud companion of Marlee, my golden retriever, and a regular babysitter to Winston the Frenchie, Lulu the Shar Pei, and Charlie, a spirited Kelpie/Border Collie mix. Whether I’m walking dogs, painting abstract art, or spending time in the garden, animals and creativity have always been at the heart of my life.
As I begin to step into semi-retirement, I look forward to continuing to enjoy the things I love most — caring for pets, making art, and spending more time in nature.
