Our West team’s large animal Clinical Head, Georgette, has hit the milestone of 20 years with VetSouth. Mark Bryan shares his thoughts about what has made her such a valued member of the team...
Georgette (also known fondly as ‘George’ or ‘G’) came to Southland from the Netherlands, after a stint in south Taranaki. She was looking at a few jobs down here, and I remember ringing her boss, Hoppy, in Hāwera (who I knew) and quietly asking him if she was worth employing. “Bloody hell, grab her as soon as you can,” he said, which was all I needed to hear – and the rest, as they say, is history.
Hoppy was right. No sooner had George arrived in Winton than she got down to business. As our first Dutch vet, we thought we could unleash her onto the Dutch dairy farmers. That worked... mostly. She was instantly respected by all our clients, especially the Dutch, but given their approach to be very direct there were a few occasions when Dutch vet and Dutch client would butt heads!
George is nothing if not organised, and I’ve often noted that she’s the only person I’ve worked with who I never needed to ask to do something. The reason being that she had not only already thought about it herself, but had already done it by the time I’d thought of it.
That capability to see what needs to be done and just get on with it is second only to her incredible capacity for work, and particularly juggling multiple aspects of a ridiculously busy life. In her earlier years, this included young kids, a dairy farm, a runoff block, rearing calves, developing a nutritional consultancy, and setting up our Otautau clinic. More recently she’s ‘eased back’ into other areas, including becoming a multisports participant, joining the Rural Support Trust board, being involved in the Southland Ski Club, and managing teenage kids.
She became a VetSouth shareholder early in our journey – from memory our first female shareholder. The perfect person to demolish any concerns from the pale stale males around the table about how well this female vet would do. Her pioneering capability in a profession that, 20 years ago, was moving reluctantly from old male domination, undoubtedly made the pathway easier for those women who followed.
Whatever George has turned her attention to, she has always been both energetic and effective. She’s also super supportive, whether helping clients navigate through challenging times, mentoring younger vets, providing leadership for VetSouth’s support staff, or gently encouraging her multisports team members at the end of a long day.
Personally, she’s been a tremendous colleague to have at my side, generously giving her time and support, and keeping me honest in her unique Dutch way. Her enthusiasm has shown no sign of dimming over the past 20 years, and I’m sure it will continue for the next 20!
VetSouth is very lucky to have her. Happy anniversary, Georgette!
