The Wee Waa Veterinary Clinic has had to close due to lack of staff

The Wee Waa Veterinary Clinic on Warrior Street closed its doors for the final time on April 20, after veterinarian and owner Michael Read was unable to find enough staff to keep the practice going.

He has been unable to fill two positions since one staff member moved back to Western Australia last year and the other decided to work as a locum, or casual, providing freelance services in the region.

"In years gone by, we could put a job ad out and we might wait a few months, but there would always be the odd vet floating around," Mr Read said.

"I've had an ad out since well before Christmas, and I've had very few applicants."

READ ALSO:

When Mr Read went looking for future staff on the specialised jobs site Kookaburra, he counted about 125 similar positions advertised for veterinarians and vet nurses in the NSW regional and rural areas.

"There are a vast number of jobs in the country that are not being taken up," Mr Read said.

He said part of the problem is that most veterinary science degrees are only available at city campuses [the University of New England does not offer a veterinary degree] so when students graduate they stay in metro areas.

"But we need vets on the ground to keep our export industry open and alive," Mr Read said.

"I suspect that has fallen off the radar for many of our government organisations."

Those with sick pets in Wee Waa will now have to drive about half an hour to the Narrabri clinic on Francis Street, which will remain open on "skeleton staff" while Mr Read and other employees pack up the Wee Waa clinic.

Mr Read was educated at the University of Sydney before he moved to Wee Waa and joined the vet clinic there in 1991. About three years later, he helped set up the Narrabri practice.

The Wee Waa Veterinary Clinic was established in 1976 by former veterinarian Martyn Powell, who retired in 2013 before the reigns were handed to Mr Read.

Writing on the clinic's Facebook page Mr Powell said he was "very sad" the clinic had to close, but that he fully understood the economic situation and "the impossibility" of attracting staff away from metropolitan areas.

"I had a great time during our 37 years in the business...we always tried to make it a happy workplace."

With a population of only about 2,080 people in Wee Waa, tributes began flowing in from former clients who shared their memories and fun times at the cherished clinic.

Wee Waa local Suzanne Shelton-Schatz described Mr Powell as a gentleman with a love of animals and an "incredible vet" who made "quite a few trips" to her place.

"What a very sad day," Ms Shelton-Schatz wrote in the comments section of the Facebook page.

And Odette Avery wrote of how Mr Powell taught her how to "needle" her horse and that she had to first "practice on an orange lol".

Jess Sinclair wrote about her childhood days spent in the Wee Waa clinic when her mother Lyndall Sinclair would bring in wildlife for Mr Powell or Mr Read to look over.

"It was my first choice for year ten work experience that eventually led me down the path to vet nursing," Ms Sinclair wrote.

The Narrabri Veterinary Clinic currently has four full time veterinarians assisted by five vet nurses.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: