SHE has worked in Africa with wildlife, in the United Kingdom as a veterinarian, and now a Biloela local is back at home, and has purchased the local veterinary clinic alongside a good friend.
Cherie Gooding has been working part time at the Biloela Veterinary Clinic for about eight years, but now alongside Katie Scott, a Monto local, she will be taking over the reigns as of July 1.
Dr Gooding said she and Dr Scott will be renaming the business as the Callide Valley Veterinary Clinic, and will be kept “very busy”.
“It will just be the two of us initially, and we care for all animals including wildlife,” Dr Gooding said.
“We support the local wildlife group as well, which I’m a director of.
“Katie’s preference is the equine work and mine is the cattle, so we have it nicely covered.”
After growing up in Biloela on a cattle and cropping property, Dr Gooding said a childhood involved in the family’s Charolais stud, and then Charbray stud (which she now runs), pointed her in the direction of a career with animals.
She said recently, the region has been struck with the same issues as most others – with a bout of three day sickness, and then tick fever.
Dr Gooding was back in the spotlight in the local community at the Baralaba Show, where she judged the stud cattle section.
“I was about nine or 10 years old when my parents started showing, and I started off in junior judges and paraders way back then and I kept at it until I was competing in Brisbane for judging,” she said.
“When I was 16 I won the prime cattle judging and went on to be runner-up three times for the stud cattle junior judging - I just never could quite get there.”
Dr Gooding is a mum to seven-year-old Cooper, and said while she never saw herself setting up her life in Biloela, she could not imagine it any other way now.
“It’s interesting - I never thought I would do it (move home),” she laughed.
“I have been in lots of other places over time, I worked in the UK for a while, worked in Africa with wildlife there, and have ironically landed back up in Biloela.
“It’s a great community of people.”