AFTER more than two decades helping locals look after their pets, veterinarian Dr Jenni Trewren and the team at RivaPetz are preparing to say goodbye.
The Berri vet clinic is set to close permanently this Friday after 22 years in operation.
Dr Trewren said the closure had been caused by a number of factors, including an inability to attract vets, and her commute to and from Adelaide since opening a practice there in 2015.
“I’ve lived in the Riverland for 30 years – I made it my home and it was an amazing place to live and it was a fabulous place to bring up a family,” she said.
“Those of us that have experienced the Riverland know how great it is, but it’s hard to get the people up here to keep the clinic going.
“It’s become increasingly hard to recruit vets over the last five years and it’s got to the point where it seems to not be getting any better.
“We unexpectedly had a vet resign just before Christmas and we haven’t been able to replace them, so I just had to make a really tough call.
“It’s not because the business isn’t viable and it’s not because we haven’t got a fabulous team, and we still have clients and patients who love the service we provide.
“It’s hard when you’ve had relationships with people for a long time to just walk away from them.”
Dr Trewren moved to the Riverland in 1991 after graduating from the University of Queensland, and opened her clinic – then known as Jenni Trewren Veterinary Services – in 1999.
“I arrived in the Riverland as a new graduate… so it was a pretty big leap of faith, but it’s been fabulous,” she said.
“The biggest change for me was when I opened my own practice 20 years ago.
“I had worked for the Riverland Veterinary Practice and then had two children before I opened my own practice, so it’s been quite a journey.
“Owning your own business is certainly a challenge, particularly when you have young children, but the support that I’ve had from the Riverland community has just been amazing and that’s what’s very hard to walk away from.
“Country people are so caring, genuine and supportive, and I find that quite a contrast to working in the city.
“I really am going to miss working in the Riverland.”
Dr Trewren has also helped organise the region’s annual Million Paws Walk since 2005, and volunteered for community groups, such as the Riverland Zonta Club, Loxton High School governing council and Riverland Amateur Swimming Association.
“When you live in a country community and the community supports you through your business, it’s important to give back and so I have done a huge amount of volunteering,” she said.
“That’s just part of what you do and I miss it a little bit in the city.”
Dr Trewren said she would miss her clients “dreadfully” and that she and her staff had shed many tears.
“We think all our patients and clients are incredibly special and we certainly value the support that they have given myself and all of our team over the years,” she said.