Somerset lifetimes 2019 Semester 1

Track ALUMNI – A FEW YEARS DOWN THE

How do you spend a working day? I have two small boys aged two and four, so I feel like I’ve done half a day’s work before I even get to work! I’m lucky that I now work part time at Canberra Veterinary Hospital, which is a large, multi-vet hospital in the centre of Canberra and we see a very varied caseload. I may spend a few hours consulting and seeing dermatology, ophthalmology or oncology patients. I then might do a couple of surgeries for example a de-sexing surgery or a lump removal and then the afternoons are spent writing up cases, calling owners to discuss any in-patients in our hospital and reporting laboratory results to owners. You never know what might walk in the door next and this continues to make it an interesting and exciting career. My other part time job is at the Canberra Institute of Technology (TAFE) teaching Veterinary Nurses. I love teaching these young and enthusiastic students in subjects including anatomy and physiology, surgical nursing, nutrition and radiography. Teaching mature aged students is rewarding and I feel I can draw on my experience as a Vet to engage them in their learning. Who are the people who inspire you? This is a difficult question to answer as I think along our lives we interact with so many different people who inspire us in different ways. That said, each day my children inspire me to be a better mother, my parents inspire me to be a better daughter, my colleagues inspire me to be a better Vet and my husband inspires me to be a better wife and person. Looking back as a student at Somerset, all of

Kimberley Godwin (nee Orth) (Class of 1997) What are some of your fondest memories of your time at Somerset? I feel so privileged to have been able to attend Somerset from Year 2 to Year 12 and I have many wonderful memories of my time there. I particularly enjoyed the school musicals, school camps, being part of several choirs and forming close relationships with many teachers. Time spent playing chess with the Chess Programme initiated by Mr Gardiner also makes me smile. How did Somerset shape your career path? Somerset gave me many opportunities being involved in a diverse range of subjects and experiences. The teachers at Somerset always believed in me and this allowed me to have the confidence to follow my dreams of becoming a Veterinary Surgeon. Somerset instilled values of hard work, diligence and ambition, which helped me through University.

28 A Few Years Down the Track

Kimberley with her husband, Michael, and their sons, Zach (5) and Alexander (2)