Call Bunbury Vet Clinic
(08) 9721 5999
Call Eaton Vet Clinic
(08) 9725 0399
Meet our Partners and Management
at Bunbury and Eaton Vets
Partners
Discover the friendly, compassionate team leading our clinics with care and dedication.
Dr Joe Cockerill
Practice Partner / Veterinary Surgeon
BSc BVMS
Dr Joe graduated from Murdoch University in Perth, 2000. He initially built practice experience working in and then running the Kojonup Veterinary Hospital for 10 years in rural WA – this mixed practice was instrumental in providing him with opportunities to work closely with a rural town and it’s mostly farming population. This nurtured a broad Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none skill-set, setting him in fine stead to tackle most situations that came his way.
Realising that the cold, dirty, often hazardous conditions of large animal practice were more of a young buck’s game, he grabbed the opportunity to hang up his boots and set off on an 18-month trip with his partner, Elaura, living and working in regional England, Scotland and Wales, where he broadened his exposure to predominantly small animal practice and domestic pet care.
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Upon returning from the UK, Dr Joe moved to Bunbury Veterinary Clinic, employed by the previous owners in September 2009. He worked as an Associate for 3.5yrs before purchasing the practice with Dr Braden Collins in 2012. During this time, Dr Joe and Elaura started a family and now have 3 sons – Phoenix, Archer and Maccabee and are loving being well entrenched in Greater Bunbury life.
A second time around, Joe’s practice ownership goals were finely honed. He has at his heart, a goal to provide a progressive practice, based on old-school values, accessible to all clients, whilst offering best-practice care tailored to suit every budget. The practices have grown progressively and so have the teams – Joe likes to consider the 25+ staff as one big happy family, with common goals, aiming to produce quality pet care outcomes.
On the vet front, Dr Joe loves the diverse scope of general practice, but his main interests include extending himself with more complex Canine and Feline Internal Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging (especially Ultrasonography and Video Endoscopy), Dentistry and Endocrinology (with a particular Canine and Feline Diabetes focus).
Dr Joe has an extended fur-family at his house in Bunbury, which includes a clever, sweetheart of a Standard Poodle named Juniper, a fun-loving rocket of a Stag Hound named Marlu, and a mischievous cat named Furphy, who was rescued after fracturing his leg, via the Bunbury Vet Practice. Next time you are at the practice, keep an eye out for Juniper and Marlu, likely causing mischief somewhere, or sneaking into the waiting area to say Hi!
Dr Braden Collins
Practice Partner / Veterinary Surgeon
BSc BVMS
Dr Braden is a Greater-Bunbury local, having been born and raised in Boyanup. As a young adult, he moved to Perth to study Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at Murdoch University, graduating in 1999.
Dr Braden jumped at the opportunity to head regionally upon completing his qualification – this saw him based in Esperance for several years, where he built skills in caring for everything from Wildlife and Domestic Pets to Cattle and Horses.
Subsequent to this rapid-fire stripe-earning phase, Dr Braden spread his wings and headed to the ‘Mother Country’, completing Veterinary Locum stints in various parts of the UK, before taking on a more consistent role in Cornwall, Southwest England. This is where Dr Braden met his wife-to-be, Dee who was close to completing her medical degree. Soon afterwards, together they moved back to Bunbury, where Dr Braden spent a further 3 years in small animal practice, before taking the opportunity to co-purchase the Bunbury Veterinary Clinic with Dr Joe.
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As not only a senior member of our vet team, but also a partner in the practice, Dr Braden’s typical daily tasks can encompass everything from vaccinating puppies, carrying out health checks and completing a solid surgical caseload. His additional study in cancer therapy honed an additional skill-set allowing him to provide advanced cancer treatment options to patients in the Greater Bunbury and Southwest of WA. Given the rapid growth in popularity of our ‘flat-faced’ dog breeds, Dr Braden has also taken it upon himself to upskill in corrective (BOAS) surgery of these super-cute patients, to prevent serious health risks and a life of trouble breathing / overheating and allow them to live their best lives. He has kitted the practices out with state-of-the-art equipment to ensure these tricky procedures can be completed as safely as possible.
Dr Braden’s favourite part of the veterinary side of his job is seeing the interaction between pets and their owners, and he admits “Seeing owners who love their pets and take care of them is what gets me up in the morning and puts a spring in my step”. Dr Braden is committed to providing a high quality of care to his patients, and is also enjoying the challenges of veterinary practice ownership.
Outside of work, Dr Braden and Dee have three young boys, Jake, Alfie and Griffin and he enjoys spending time with the family as well as participating in triathlons, surf lifesaving and rowing.
Management
Dr Josie Hobbs BSc
Practice Manager / Veterinary Surgeon
BSc BVMS (Hons)
After graduating from Murdoch University, Josie built her professional career providing high quality care, working in busy Perth practices for many years. During this time, Dr Josie put her own health-needs second to her patients, working each day whilst quietly coping with significant allergies to many animals.
When an opportunity arose to ‘step sideways’ into a Veterinary Manager role at a large chain of Perth Vet Practices, Dr Josie saw this as a natural direction to pursue, managing 30+ Vets across 10 practice locations.
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Despite her allergies, Dr Josie says she couldn’t be without pets at home! She has 2 cats rescued from the Bunbury Vet Clinic – Lila and Rascal, along with a cheeky recent puppy addition – Tabitha – (a Groodle x Schnauzer), along with free-ranging Chooks, Quail and Sheep! In her rare down-time, Dr Josie enjoys bush walking, tennis, cross stitching and classical guitar.
