Meet Our Team
at St George Vets
Meet Our Team
At St George Vets, we’re proud to have a caring and dedicated team of veterinarians, nurses, and support staff who are passionate about providing the highest standard of care for your pets. From our experienced vets and attentive nurses to our friendly receptionists and hardworking kennel hands, every member of our team plays an important role in making your visit as comfortable and stress-free as possible, for both you and your pet.
Our Vets
Dr Shelton Smith – Principal Veterinarian
BVSc (Hons) GP Cert (SAM, B&PS)
Dr Shelton Smith and Sarah Smith are the new owners of St George Animal Hospital and Princes Highway Veterinary Hospital, sister clinics under St George Vets.
Dr Shelton was born and raised in the local area, however he has spent many years travelling to parts of Australia and abroad in order to further his Veterinary skills.
Working in both Australia and the UK, Dr Shelton has gained extensive experience in veterinary medicine and surgery. In 2008/2009, he obtained the further postgraduate qualifications in Small Animal Medicine and Veterinary Business and Professional Services from the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies.
Read more about Dr Shelton...
Dr Shelton also has a keen personal interest in reptile medicine and surgery. He has kept many species of reptiles and currently has several pythons at home.
When not working, Dr Shelton enjoys spending family time with his wife and three children, being bossed around by three cats, Ginger, Zach and Clementine, and three dogs, Luna, Stella and Seren.
Dr Louise Dawson
BVSc
Ever since a very young age, Dr Louise always wanted to be a vet. Dr Louise graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney in 2004. She began her journey at St George Animal Hospital as a vet student in 2000 and has remained part of the team ever since.
Dr Louise is one of our consulting veterinarians and her humour and bubbly personality is adored by many long-term clients. She has an extensive knowledge and experience with the treatment of feline diabetes and a variety of skin conditions.
On her days off, Dr Louise loves to bake and read, and you can often find her enjoying walks with her family and their dog, Reggie, on the sidelines of a soccer field.
Dr Pauline Phan
BVSc
Pauline has been a part of the St George Animal Hospital team since 2010 when she first started as a veterinary nurse whilst studying veterinary science at The University of Sydney.
Since graduating in 2014, Pauline has continued to develop impressive skills over the years in both small animal medicine and surgery. She has a keen interest in soft tissue surgery and is also very experienced in laparoscopic desexing.
Pauline has two rescue cats named Benjamin Button and Neville Longbottom, as well as a new cavoodle named Willow. On her days off, Pauline is a foodie who enjoys travelling, outdoor adventures and tasting new cuisines.
Dr Corliss Chi
BVSc / DVM
Dr Corliss Chi graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Biology and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Sydney in 2019 and has been a part of the SGAH family since the start of 2020. She is known to be cheerful and extremely passionate in providing the best care for your pets. Dr Corliss has a strong interest in small animal surgery and medicine and has recently completed her training in laparoscopic desexing!
Being raised in Hong Kong, Dr Corliss is also fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, so please do not hesitate to ask for her if you prefer speaking in Cantonese or Mandarin.
On her days off, Dr Corliss enjoys spending time with her rescue cat from SGV named Chia who loves food and cuddles. Since joining Dr Corliss’ family, Chia has already mastered many skills including sit, shake, drop and spin!
Dr Alana Costi
BVB / DVM
Alana graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/ Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2020 and joined the SGAH team at the start of 2021. She has a keen interest in surgery and medicine but is also very interested in preventative care.
Alana endeavours to make each visit for your pet as stress free as possible and loves it when animals are happy to come and see her.
On days off, Alana enjoys spending time with her 6 cats Honey, Felix, Blossom, Archie, Oliver and Olivia, also chasing (and being chased around) by her kelpie puppy – Jasmine.
Dr Jesse (Chung Lam) Wong
BVB / DVM
Jesse Wong is a dedicated veterinarian who joined St George Vets in July, 2024. A recent graduate from the University of Sydney (Class of 2023), Jesse brings a fresh perspective and a passion for small animal medicine and surgery. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jesse is fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin, so feel free to ask for him if they are your first language.
Jesse is always committed to providing compassionate care to ensure the health and well-being of your pets. On his days off, Jesse enjoys trying new cuisines, playing games or spending time with his rescue cat – Pochi.
Our Veterinary Nurses
Ashleigh
Head Nurse / Practice Manager
Ashleigh joined the SGV team in 2008 and is now our Head Veterinary Nurse as well as Practice Manager with 15 years of nursing experience. She hails from Blenheim in New Zealand, where she gained her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. She is our resident cat nurse and has a strong interest in feline care/behaviour and has extensive feline handling skills.
Ashleigh is a massive animal lover and spends her days from work with her partner and their rescue cats, Spencer, Tails, Houdini, Mike Wazowski, Mumma, Henry and rescue dogs, Phoebe and Frankie.
Michelle
Michelle has been part of the St George Vets team for more than a decade. She enjoys all aspects of her role, from caring for our hospital patients, to greeting and assisting clients at reception.
On her days off Michelle spends time with her partner and their two rescue cats, Milo and Archie.
Prudence
Prudence shows great compassion to all our patients, especially rescue animals, and has previous volunteered at Staffy Rescue.
During her time off, she loves to spend quality time with family, her three rescue animals and baking desserts for the clinic to enjoy.
Danielle
Danielle joined our team in 2018 and completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2019. She has a toy poodle whom she enjoys grooming them into different styles in her spare time.
Having worked 2 years in a bakery prior to Vet Nursing, Danielle is the in-house baker at St George Vets where she brings in treats regularly to keep the two-legged hoomans happy.
Danielle is also fluent in Chinese Mandarin and is always happy to help those with language difficulties for a better understanding of how their pets are doing.
Michaela
Michaela also has a soft spot for neonatal kittens and has successfully hand reared and rehomed over 15 litters of kittens. When not at work, Michaela is chasing her crazy toddler around and pampering her two rescue cats Chia and Tex.
Shana-Lee
Whilst studying her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing, Shana hopes to continue on to the captive animal field and wildlife conservation, gaining knowledge to one day travel overseas for her career.
Shana’s furry friends are a Central carpet python, a Green-cheeked Conure and a Sun Conure, a Pom-Chi named Ramen and a cat called Beau. Shana is a friendly face you can rely on to give plenty of cuddles and treats to all your pets during their stay!
Tasia
Tasia also has high interest in surgical nursing and anaesthetics, she hopes to further her knowledge and improve her anaesthetic skills.
When not at the clinic, Tasia is spoiling her senior dog Snickers and spending time with her 2 cats Cinnamon & Muffin.
Haylee
Haylee has a soft spot for puppies and loves all things nursing especially caring for patients in hospital.
Haylee adores her Labrador cross named Cooper. When she’s not at St George Vets, she enjoys playing sports on the weekend and going on adventures with her Cooper.
Finlay
When not at work, she enjoys taking her dog Marley on walks and adventures, looking after her cat Monty, camping and travelling off road.
Sophie
Trainee
Sophie joined us in 2023 as the youngest member of the SGV team, and is currently completing her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. She is extremely passionate about all aspects of veterinary nursing and hopes to continue learning and expanding her knowledge as she advances through her studies.
On her days off, Sophie takes care of her rescue bird, Snowy, and enjoys going on adventures with her two rescue dogs, Lucy and Harlow.
Our Support Staff
Sarah
Accounts Manager
Sarah is the co-owner of SGV along with her husband, Shelton Smith. After graduating from The University of Sydney she began her working life as a practice manager and medical receptionist at St Vincent’s Clinic in Paddington.
During this time Sarah built on her previous degree in English and Sociology and gained a Graduate Diploma in Teaching.
This lead to her travelling to country Australia to begin a High School teaching career. After several years teaching high school children in rural NSW, Sarah moved to the UK and continued teaching in London, Essex and Sussex for over 10 years. During this time, she also travelled extensively through Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. After having children, Sarah left teaching to spend time raising her family while working as our accounts manager which gives her a chance to balance her work and homelife.