Paul graduated from Murdoch University Vet School in 1992, and has spent nearly 30 years in small animal practice. As a partner in 5 veterinary clinics, he is now primarily involved in administration, management and staff support. He remains connected to Murdoch as a Banksia Association Member, and Senior Adjunct Lecturer in Professional Practice. He was President of the WA Division of the AVA in 2011 and 2013 and prior to that was heavily involved in Graduate Support Programs and Mental Health Initiatives for which he received an Order of Australia Medal.

In December 2021 he was elected to the Veterinary Surgeon’s Board, and in July 2022 was selected as the first official member of the new Veterinary Practice Board of WA. Paul is passionate about supporting veterinarians throughout their careers and is very excited to be a part of the human- animal benefits offered by Veterinary and Community Care. 

I graduated with Honours with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in 2003 from Punjab Agricultural University. I received my Masters in Gut Microbiology from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 2007. I have worked as a Research Scientist at the University of New England NSW and completed Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program (by examination) through American Veterinary Medical Association in 2011. I have an extensive experience in the small animal emergency and critical care medicine field and also have wide knowledge of all exotic species of companion animals. I perform my duties of principal veterinarian at 24-hour veterinary hospital.

With my heart at animal and human welfare I spend time volunteering overseas and in Australia work closely with several charitable organisations supporting Veterinary and community services.

When not at work, I spend most of my free time with wife Shalini and son Aryan and family dog, Archie.

Having practiced as a small animal veterinarian for over 30 years, and working in management within both private and corporate practices, I have been aware of the increasing challenges facing my profession which now sees it in the grips of a mental health and workforce crisis.

Connections and alliances with friends and colleagues over the last 2-3 years has enabled me to see an opportunity to contribute a solution to this crisis. This has led me to becoming a self-proclaimed “Veterinary Social Work Advocate”.

Veterinary and Community Care is the fruition of this opportunity – a social enterprise working collaboratively and in partnership with other similar organisations and individuals to provide veterinary services focused on being accessible to the ever-increasing community of people experiencing disadvantage who are animal custodians benefiting from the Human-Animal Bond.

The mental health of those working in the veterinary profession is closely linked to the daily challenges of managing this often-challenging aspect of client and animal care. Services provided through VaCC, with the utilisation of Veterinary Social Workers, will support not only clients and the animals in their care, but also the veterinary teams themselves, improving the mental health of the profession.

Warwick is an experienced equine practitioner who has practised in the Northern Suburbs of Perth for over 30 years. He has held numerous positions on the Equine Veterinarians Australia executive, including President, and during this time was involved in issues such as Hendra, Equine Influenza, Racing Licensing and governance change.

He is an ex-Chairman and Director of Equestrian Australia. Warwick has previously owned and managed a 5 veterinarian equine hospital and has previously owned mixed and small animal based practices. He is currently working consulting as an equine clinician and offering a veterinary business consultancy service.  Warwick is an Australian Veterinary Association Fellow.

I am a social worker with a special interest in the human–nonhuman animal bond.  The connections between people and companion animals can profoundly enhance health and well-being, and this is reflected with animals increasingly included within modern family systems.  While many interspecies families have sufficient resources to care for animal companions, this can be a privilege some others may not experience, as access to financial, social, and physical resources may be limited.  For those experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, mental or physical ill-health, social and/or financial disadvantage and the elderly, the barriers to caring for companion animals may cause distress for both sides of this unique and special bond.  Those who rely on companion animals the most for physical and emotional wellbeing, are often those most disadvantaged by lack of access to the resources to care for their animal family. 

Having been involved in Veterinary Social Work since 2017 when I undertook the Post Grad Certificate through the University of Tennessee, I have been eager to bring a social work lens to support both the Veterinary profession and human-animal families.  Forging connections with other passionate professionals from a range of disciplines has created VaCC which has huge potential to enrich the lives of humans, and the welfare of the animals that bring them companionship, safety, and joy.  It has been a privilege to work within this group of dedicated, compassionate and community-minded souls as we establish an important and relevant organisation to facilitate equitable sharing of resources for human-animal families.   My vision is that as VaCC grows, we will explore creative and innovative ways to share resources, provide education and training, and network with other community assets to ensure every companion animal and their human receives the care and support to enable the flourishing of this human-animal bond.

Brian was admitted as a lawyer in South Africa in 1989 and spent his South African career as a human rights lawyer focusing on low-income housing related issues. Brian was appointed to various Statutory Boards by the new South African Government in 1994 including the National Housing Board; the Rental Tribunal and was also the Chair of the Advertising Standards Complaints Committee.

Brian emigrated to Australia in 2002 and initially was employed as a Ministerial advisor while requalifying as a lawyer. He was re-admitted as a solicitor in 2004 and has practiced as a government lawyer ever since. He has been the Director of the WA Department of Transport’s Legal and Legislative Services branch since 2012. 

Brian’s family obtained a beagle – Molly who subsequently tore both cruciate ligaments. Brian had pet insurance but felt another ‘awakening’ to again strive to make a difference, this time for those vulnerable members of the community who rely on their animals for companionship but who struggle to fund veterinary services when their animals require attention. Brian has been striving for some time, to ensure that an organisation such as VaCC exists and prospers

Gerri has over 25 years in financial services and the investment management industry, 18 as Private Client Advisor; steward for individuals, families, trustees and SME owners. After studying Business Management at Griffith University, Queensland and International Business at the University of Puget Sound, Washington State, USA she pursued her career in investments working with international firms; Yorkton Financial Securities Vancouver, Canada; State Street Global Asset Management (UK) and Kemper Asset Management (UK). In 2005 she returned to Australia and established Demeter Wealth Management and – with the support of her family – the Demeter Legacy Fund. As Founder and Partnership Manager for the Demeter Legacy Fund she advises not-for-profits, working closely with Directors and Board members advising, facilitating and contributing resources and funding – supporting their outreach programs and purpose. Being a Founding partner of VaCC allows her to express her belief in the importance of the Human Animal Bond (HAB) and the part that it plays in healing and companionship.

A practicing Buddhist, this philosophy guides her day-to-day engagement with life, and in her quiet time you will find her happiest exploring design and architecture with her long-time partner Gary, spending time with her inspiring god- daughters and enjoying the company of her wise and much loved elderly parents in beautiful Tasmania where she grew up. A lover of animals from an early age, she is currently attempting to raise 3 French bulldogs (Mabel, Frank and Fox), and enjoying the adventures of a very noisy and demanding 10 year old Tonkinese rescue (Nahla) – the absolute joys of her life.