MEET THE
HEARTLAND VETS
DR TRACEY THORNTON
Tracey is passionate about providing excellent veterinary care for all creatures, both large and small. In 2008 she opened Heartlands Veterinary Hospital York and since then the practice has steadily grown, moving into a new purpose-built hospital in the centre of York in 2021.
Much to her husband’s horror Tracey has a veritable menagerie at home which is made up of cats, dogs, horses, donkeys and the odd stray animal that needs looking after!
DR MZURI DAVIES
Mzuri grew up on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria spending her spare time riding and convincing her mum to let her nurse all sorts of animals on their property!
Her move to Perth was only meant to be temporary but she fell in love with the lifestyle and the people and decided to study vet science at Murdoch University.
Mzuri has a special interest in wildlife medicine but loves anything with hooves!
Outside of work she spends time with her two dogs (Scout and Bernard) and goes on an outdoor adventure (especially the beach) whenever she can!
DR NATALIE ULLRICH
Dr Natalie has called York home for most of her life, attending York District High School as a primary school student.
In the years since graduating as a veterinarian from Murdoch University in 2009 she has worked in various mixed and small animal practices in Western Australia.
Outside of work she is kept busy looking after her three children and enjoys gardening and riding her horse.
DR PAIGE LUDBEY
Paige grew up in Tasmania, before moving to WA’s beautiful Kimberley region to fulfil her dream of being a jillaroo. After falling in love with the lifestyle and the cattle, she was inspired to study at Murdoch University, so she could begin to help all creatures great and small. Paige’s main interests are cattle and horse medicine but she enjoys the variety that being a mixed animal practitioner offers.
In her spare time, Paige enjoys trips to the beach and riding out on her horse Baz with the company of her ever-faithful border collies, Jill and newest recruit Scruff.
DR OLIVIA FRUZYNSKI
Olivia is originally from Perth, having spent several years in both Canada and the UK.
She fell in love with treating both big and small animals whilst studying at Murdoch University and was inspired to move to the country to help both people and their animals.
Olivia loves all creatures but especially cows!
DR KIRSTI ADDISON
Kirsti was born in South Africa, in a small town called Nelspruit, very close to Kruger National Park. Kirsti studied Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria where she initially thought her passion lay with treating small animals (dogs and cats) but, after graduating and working for the government for a year, she has discovered a love for treating production animals.
Kirsti spends her down time in the dance studio and also hiking with her dog, Kaya. She has wanted to move to Australia since the age of 4 and is grateful she has now had the opportunity to fulfil this dream, along with having the opportunity to work rurally and see a huge variety of animals on a daily basis.
DR FARAH BARTON
Farah grew up in sunny Singapore for most of her life before moving to Perth a year before starting her studies at Murdoch University.
She fell in love with the charm of the country practice and has since joined us here at Heartlands.
In her spare time, Farah enjoys hiking, going to the beach, cooking and cuddling her cat, “Fin” who is looking less than impressed with her in this photo.
DR RIANNE VAN DER AAR
She is particularly interested in feline and wildlife medicine, enjoying the variety of mixed practice, especially in a country setting. Outside of work, you’ll find Rianne enjoying the best of WA at the beach or in her swag, lost in a good book with her dogs by her side.