A Hughenden vet surgery is bucking industry trends and cultivating a thriving practice in rural Queensland.
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Libby Harriman is the owner and principal veterinary surgeon of Great Artesian Veterinary Surgery based in Hughenden.
Growing up in the Darling Downs, Libby followed in the veterinary footsteps of her father.
"I grew up in Toowoomba," she said.
"My dad is a vet, so I have always grown up in the industry."
Attending the University of Queensland to gain her degree, Libby made the move north to kick start her career after graduation.
"After university I just wanted to get anywhere north or west of Brisbane," she said.
"My first job was in Charters Towers and the production of cattle was my passion.
"I thought it was the coolest job in the world."
During her time in Charters Towers, Libby gained her pilot licence to enable her to fly to stations and offer vet services to remote properties.
"I just fell in love with the north," she said.
"Charters Towers was one of the last flying vet practices at the time."
The veterinarian also dabbled in the equine world and completed a stint in the Hunter Valley region working with thoroughbreds.
However, her northern roots and a bloke from Muttaburra drew her back to the top end.
"I came back to the north and fell in love with a fella from Muttaburra," Libby said.
Libby married her now husband Kelvin Harriman and moved to the Barcaldine region where she started her first clinic.
"I worked as a single woman practice in Muttaburra for five years and it was really tough," she said.
The isolation and reliance on a one woman only team proved challenging. However, in 2017, the opportunity arose to buy the vet clinic in Hughenden.
"The opportunity came up to buy the practice here," Libby said.
"It was a very rundown clinic and a one man show. The previous vet no longer wanted to practise."
The clinic has since expanded to a thriving surgery with three full-time veterinarians and two full-time vet nurses, along with a three person administrative team. The team continues to expand as Libby looks to employ further vet and nursing staff to the roster.
GAVS currently covers over 16-million hectares offering both pet and production animal care and treatment services.
Libby said the scope of animals she treats varies each day.
"One day I can be preg testing 1000 cows and the next I can be plating a leg or doing chest surgery on a dog," she said.
"We do some horse breeding work too.
"I never get bored. Everyday is different."
Libby continues to utilise her pilot licence to visit remote properties and regularly holds outreach clinics in the Winton, Richmond, Aramac, Etheridge and Barcoo regions.
"Flying is my second love after being a vet," she said.
"It's not economical to drive six hours each way to preg test 300 head, but you can fly there in an hour.
"It makes it much more cost effective and time effective."
The original Muttaburra clinic has also relocated to Winton and operates out of a new purpose built facility.
"I am really passionate about providing city level care and making these services accessible to everyone," Libby said.
Libby and Kelvin sold their Muttaburra property and have since relocated to Hughenden. The couple have also welcomed two children, Bob and Bella Harriman.
Along with the vet clinic, the family owns and operates GI Brahman Stud.
Libby is a huge proponent for the veterinary industry and ensures her staff receive professional mentorship to forge lifelong careers in the sphere.
"Burnout is such a huge factor for vets," she said.
"It is physical burnout, as well as mental and emotional burnout. It's a tough job.
"One of the things that I want to do as an employer and hopefully as a leader in the industry, is to implement change. It's not acceptable.
"That's why people leave the industry, because even in dogs and cats, vets will work 14-hour days and don't get appreciated
"You can't treat people like that."
The Hughenden vet has spent the past three years studying an advanced surgical course to receive her surgery memberships.
Libby will sit her surgery exams in the coming weeks, which will allow her to provide higher level animal surgery expertise.
"My dream is to make this clinic a mini referral centre," she said.
"We have a lot of fantastic rural vets, however many clinics don't have the facilities, the staff or the training to do the fancier surgeries.
"I want to pass my memberships and set myself up to provide that high level care for bush clients."
Looking toward the future, Libby hopes to continue building the practice and create an environment that attracts skilled staff to work long term in rural areas.
"We are just getting bigger and bigger," Libby said.
"I would never go back to being on my own having gone back into practice.
"We are continually getting better and you have other vets you can bounce ideas off of and people who've got better skills in certain areas.
"We can help so many more animals."
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Zoe Thomas
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
