Our Team
Riverside Veterinary Clinic has two veterinarians and one veterinary nurse. Reception is covered by the nurse and by the vets between consultations.
Dr Mira Whelan — Veterinarian and Practice Owner
- Role: Veterinarian, practice owner
- Qualification: Bachelor of Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide (Roseworthy campus), graduated 2012
- Years in practice: 14 years
- At this clinic since: 2018 (owner since 2018)
- Registration: Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia
- Works: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and alternate Saturday mornings
Mira grew up on a family property near Coolagh Creek and spent her first six years after graduating in mixed practice in the Riverland before moving to companion-animal work. She bought the Marlow Bend clinic in 2018.
Special interests - Soft tissue surgery, including desexing and lump removals - Dentistry — she completed additional dental training in 2021 and performs most of the clinic's dental procedures - Senior pet medicine, particularly kidney disease and arthritis management in cats - End-of-life care and home euthanasia
Animals she treats: Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets
Outside work: Mira and her partner run a small flock of Wiltshire Horn sheep on ten acres outside town. She plays netball for the Marlow Bend Broncos in the winter competition, bakes competitively at the Marlow Bend Show, and is a volunteer with the local CFS brigade. She has two dogs, a kelpie cross named Bindi and an ancient beagle named Wombat, and a three-legged cat called Trigger who lives at the clinic.
Dr Callum Reyes — Veterinarian
- Role: Veterinarian
- Qualification: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Western Australia, graduated 2019
- Years in practice: 7 years
- At this clinic since: 2023
- Registration: Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia
- Works: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and alternate Saturday mornings
Callum worked in a busy suburban practice in Perth and then a two-year stint at an after-hours emergency centre in Adelaide before moving to the Mid North with his family in 2023. His emergency background means he takes most of the clinic's urgent and after-hours cases.
Special interests - Emergency and critical care, including snake bite and toxicity cases - Diagnostic imaging — he runs most of the clinic's ultrasound examinations - Puppy and kitten behaviour, socialisation and preventing problem behaviours - Pet birds, particularly budgerigars, cockatiels and backyard chickens kept as pets
Animals he treats: Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, pet birds
Languages: English and Spanish
Outside work: Callum is a keen trout and redfin angler and disappears to the Murray whenever he gets a long weekend. He restores an ageing HQ Holden ute with limited success, coaches his daughter's under-9 soccer team, and roasts his own coffee. He has a greyhound named Pilot and a very loud cockatiel named Bruce.
Bec Tanner — Veterinary Nurse and Practice Manager
- Role: Veterinary nurse, practice manager
- Qualification: Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, TAFE SA, completed 2015
- Additional training: Certificate in Veterinary Dental Nursing (2022)
- Years in practice: 11 years
- At this clinic since: 2016
- Works: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Bec started at the clinic as a trainee and is now the person most clients speak to first. She handles anaesthetic monitoring, dental scaling, pathology, and all of the clinic's administration, including insurance claims and council registrations.
Special interests - Anaesthesia and patient monitoring - Dental hygiene and at-home dental care coaching - Weight-loss and nutrition programs — she runs the clinic's free weight clinics - Nervous and fear-anxious patients, and low-stress handling
What she runs - Free nurse weight-and-nutrition checks (20 minutes, no charge) - Free post-operative recheck appointments - Nail trims, anal gland expression and ear cleaning - Puppy preschool, held over four Wednesday evenings each school term
Outside work: Bec is a foster carer for a cat rescue group in Ellisford and has fostered more than 80 kittens. She rides in the Marlow Bend trail-riding club, is learning the fiddle, and keeps chickens, three cats and a foster dog or two at any given time.
Who to ask for
| If you need | Ask for |
|---|---|
| A dental procedure or quote | Dr Mira Whelan |
| Surgery or a lump removal | Dr Mira Whelan |
| Senior cat or kidney disease management | Dr Mira Whelan |
| An emergency, snake bite or suspected poisoning | Dr Callum Reyes |
| An ultrasound | Dr Callum Reyes |
| A pet bird or chicken | Dr Callum Reyes |
| Puppy behaviour or puppy preschool | Dr Callum Reyes or Bec Tanner |
| A weight check, nail trim or nutrition advice | Bec Tanner |
| Insurance claims, invoices or the RiverCare plan | Bec Tanner |
| End-of-life discussions or home euthanasia | Dr Mira Whelan |
If your preferred vet is unavailable, either vet can see any patient and both have access to the full clinical record.
Plain-text source for this page: content/02-our-team.md