Our Team

Lydia and Sandra started up Summer Hill Village Vet together in April 2008

Their goal is to provide all the care you need for a healthier happier pet.

Rest assured, they will look after YOU too

They have gathered together a strong team of Veterinarians and Nurses with varied skill set as well as a passion for all animals.

Both Lydia and Sandra have also achieved the Lincoln Leadership – Accredited Practice award for Summer Hill Village Vet! This award recognises the clinic as a trusted place for your pets and with staff being led well in a happy, healthy environment.

Dr Sandra has extensive experience in Emergency work and is very knowledgeable about complex case management in older pets.

She is our ‘go to’ person for birds and wildlife and continues to build on her experience. She loves a challenge and is always doing continuing education. Sandra also has 20 years of experience in preparing animals for export.

Dr Lydia is the go-to Vet to look after any sheep you’ve got in Summer Hill! She initially worked in Western Australia in mixed practice seeing horses, sheep, cats, dogs and wildlife but she does admit that was a long time ago. She then worked in Small Animal practice all over the world including in the UK for many years, as well as in exotic places such as Dubai, Broken Hill & Sydney.

Dr Lydia is still living her childhood dream career. She especially loves dentistry & surgery and is passionately committed to life-long learning as well as supporting the younger vets in their careers and professional progress.

Mackenzie (aka Mac) is our Practice Manager. Having graduated from The University of Sydney with a major in Animal Science, just like the rest of us Mac is an avid animal lover and keen to meet you and your fur babies! Mac is a calming and calculated member of the team who bases all of his actions on the wellbeing of the patients, clients and team- it shows! He also melts when he sees baby animals.

When he isn’t at the clinic you can find him playing D&D with his mates and chilling out with his sweet cat Eclair.

Dr Arianne is from Alberta, Canada and recently graduated from the University of Sydney. Her passion for animals was evident at a young age, as she spent a large portion of her spare time volunteering at shelters, clinics, and ranches. She worked at a piggery for two years during her undergraduate degree and found a deep appreciation for pigs’ intelligence and strong personalities!

After completing her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 2019, she moved to Sydney for her DVM studies. When she’s not working or studying, she loves to soak up the sun, ocean, and beaches with her new husband and play with her two lovely cats. In the clinic, Arianne is enthusiastic about providing high-quality and compassionate care for all animals.

Natasha joined the Summer Hill team in 2014, after working in a busy hospital in London.

After growing up horse riding, it surprised even her that her career path led her to small animals. However, it was with these patients and clients she was able to satisfy her need to do her best for her patients and deliver individual care. Recently her interest shifted to animal behaviour, taking her care to the next level by aiming to calm her anxious patient.

Currently she is slowly returning after maternity leave, starting with some behind the scenes support for Sandra and Lydia

When she’s not working, you’ll probably find her chasing her kids at the local playgrounds

Dr Molly blew us away during her student placement while completing her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at The University of Sydney & we were quick to offer her a permanent position at the clinic due to her impressive skill set. Molly thrives when commanding the surgery table and is known for going above and beyond for her patients and clients when consulting. It didn’t take long for Molly to fall in love with surrendered cat Snowy who was swiftly and lovingly adopted into her home. Snowy says he still can’t believe his luck!

While Molly’s Veterinary skills continue to impress in the clinic, her skills on the skateboard can be seen impressing on the street!

Jordan joined our practice in March 2024 as our new head nurse! With a diverse background spanning various areas of nursing, she brings invaluable experience to our team. Jordan began her career in a mixed general practice in Dubbo, where she honed her skills over three years. She then transitioned to the emergency department at ARH Homebush, further solidifying her expertise over another three years before joining us here at SHVV.

Outside of the clinic, Jordan is an avid reader and enjoys staying active through sports. She cherishes her time spent with her beloved Bull Arab mix, Lexi, and her pet snake, Lagertha.

Elissa is one of our veterinary nurses with industry experience that spans over 10+ years. She began her career in animal care working on farms with horses then moved into vet nursing when she moved to Sydney. She has gone from strength to strength and her deeply caring and compassionate nature towards our animals sets a high standard of care and is an excellent reflection of the SHVV values.

She lives with her adopted a bunny Mars that was handed in as a stray and will often steal friends’ pups for cuddles!

Julie has 25+ years of experience working with animals, beginning at an early age as a volunteer farm hand which kickstarted an exciting progression into lab work, zoo keeping and ultimately starting a career in vet nursing with our very own Dr. Lydia! Since then, two decades later their working relationship has come full circle after reuniting here in 2019 at SHVV! Throughout her career,  Julie has worked directly with a range of farm animals, smaller mammals such as rabbits, rodents & exotic species like meerkats, red pandas, servals & otters. Julie has two gorgeous young cats of her own, Mau and Rosie (Mau is pictured here with Julie)

Steph has 10 + years of veterinary nurse knowledge, initially completing her studies in Ireland where she grew up.  Always one for an adventure, Steph hopped on a plane to Australia only 2 weeks after graduating her course and since then has spent her time developing skills in a wide range of animal care roles (even mastering a stint in dairy farming in the early days of Australian life!). Steph prides herself on excellent patient care and embodies our value of ‘treating patients as if they were our own’. Recently our dear patient, Fox Terrier ‘Dolly’ required urgent rehoming. Steph welcomed Dolly into the family with open arms & you can now see them trotting along together all over the Inner West with Toy Poodle, Georgie in tow.

Monika is a vet nurse who graduated in 2020 with a myriad of experience having worked at another clinic for the entire duration of her studies. Mon will often foster our adoption kittens to give them the best socialisation experience before going to their forever homes. She has recently returned to us after welcoming her beautiful baby son Leo into the world last year!

Shannyn is no stranger when it comes to working in high pressure environments considering her rich background in stage managing for many large events such as Sydney NYE and Carols In The Domain. She has been able to transfer these skills over to the high energy environment that is SHVV,  initially joining us as an animal attendant with a dutiful love for all our hospital patients & now currently developing her skills towards a certificate in veterinary nursing as she continues her training with us.  Always the animal lover, Shannyn has been known to foster cats through Maggie’s Rescue in her downtime & loves relaxing at home with the feline queen of her household, gorgeous long haired Mimi!

Letizia is a member of our fabulous Animal Attendant team and is currently furthering her education in Animal Studies following a push years ago from her daughter (10 years old at the time and also an avid animal lover) to join WIRES on her behalf! Leti has always been passionate about animals and the environment, so quickly fell in love with Australia’s close relationship with native wildlife after relocating here from her homeland of Italy. Leti presents an energetic outlook, friendly demeanour and reliable practice when tending to our hospital patients and is always developing new useful skills (including new Aussie slang)! Say hello to Leti and ask her about her playful cat Mango who she adopted after only a few shifts at the clinic 🙂

Shannon is our Head Receptionist. If you’ve met Shannon at the reception desk it’s likely an experience you’ve not forgotten as this personality-plus staff member is known for putting smiles and giggles on the faces of our clients.  He has always been a people-person with a love for animals so enjoys the best of both worlds in his role. Shannon comes from a background of customer service and technology so brings a wealth of organisation to the team. Shannon has a Cavoodle of his own, a little girl, Billie 🙂

Jess is our 2IC Receptionist. She is energised by the variety of cases and events that can occur over a single day at the clinic. Jess’s love for animals comes from growing up with beautiful pets in the mountains and having access to agriculture. She loves a laugh with the clients and staff alike & relishes giving plenty of cuddles to our hospital patients throughout the day. At home you can find her playing with her gorgeous grumpy bunny Mr.C & super sweet Jack Russell Billie.

Georgia joined our team in October of 2023, and works as both a receptionist and nurse in training. She has a passion for animals and is currently completing her honours of animal health, disease, and welfare at the University of Sydney. She aims to one day become a veterinarian so she can help improve the welfare of animals in production and research industries. Her favourite animals are dogs, and in her spare time she can be found cuddling with her Cavoodle, Patrick, and her Havanese, Billy, while reading a book and eating dessert.