Hobsons Bay Veterinary Clinic
Visit the front desk at Hobsons Bay Veterinary Clinic and the first creature you’ll probably meet is Eddie, the black-and-white practice cat.
“About twelve years ago Eddie came to us as an eight-week stray. Already he had so much personality - he was very confident and wasn’t scared of anything, even dogs. One of my staff members, a Collingwood supporter, named him after Eddie McGuire because of his colouring. And he’s been here ever since, sitting around and demanding love,” laughs Hobsons Bay Vet co-owner David Elliot.
“It’s nice to have a cat around who’s not a patient. He saunters around as he pleases and acts as a sort of in-house therapy cat - he just calms everyone down.”
Hobsons Bay Vet is owned by David Elliot and Philippa Molnar, who met working at other practices then decided to set up their own business in Newport because David had a long history in the area.
“My love for animals - in fact, all our love for animals - translates into a service that’s very genuine.”
DAVID ELLIOT
“My family’s been in Newport and its surrounds going back over 100 years. While I grew up near Bendigo, I’ve been back in this community for twenty-five years,” he explains. “At the time that we opened there wasn’t a vet clinic in Newport and all the surrounding clinics were owned by big corporations. We wanted to bring a local, family-owned feel to our business.”
They opened Hobsons Bay Vet in 2004 and over the years have found the community in Melbourne’s west to be very welcoming and friendly.
The site is home to not just a vet surgery - it’s a small hospital, pharmacy, dental clinic, pathology lab, radiology clinic and pet shop all rolled into one. They offer consultations as well as operations, x-rays and ultrasounds, laser therapy and acupuncture for rehabilitation.
David, Phillippa and their team of animal health practitioners treat small animals such as dogs, cats, chickens, birds and rabbits, to more exotic creatures like snakes and birds of prey.
They even helped koalas during the 2019 bushfires, with volunteer vets providing triage and treatment services while the animals transited from bushfire-affected areas to wildlife rescue clinics.
“I became a vet because I was always interested in medical things and science when I was a kid. And because I lived on a farm I grew up around a lot of animals. Studying veterinary science seemed like a perfect combination of my love for science and animals,” David explains.
“My love for animals - in fact, all our love for animals - translates into a service that’s very genuine.
“Our goal is to provide a personal, compassionate sort of veterinary service, to offer the best, up-to-date expertise and treatments for our clients and to be a local business for local people.”
