[PRESS RELEASE] Townsville's Western Suburbs Vet Clinic celebrates its next chapter with a community open day

TOWNSVILLE,  November 12 2026: Western Suburbs Veterinary Clinic, one of the region's longest-serving veterinary practices, will celebrate joining the Tropical Vets group of North Queensland clinics with a community open day on Sunday 22 November. Clients will see a new name above the door, but the same team, the same vets, and the same standard of care they've relied on for generations remains unchanged.

Dr Helen Tanzer and Dr Alistair Graham-Evans bought the practice in 2011 from founders Dick and Robyn Murray, and built on the solid foundation they had already established. Over the next 15 years they grew the team from around a dozen staff to close to 30. Both remain part of the Western Suburbs team today.

"We intentionally found new owners who have the same ethos as us, and who we have the utmost respect for. We were really pleased that Tropical Vets are writing this next chapter," Dr Tanzer said. "Tropical Vets are a group of locally-owned practices with a 50 year history in North Queensland. They know us very well, and we share the same focus on care and competence in the clinic," she said.

Dr Graham-Evans said the pair had interest from two large corporate groups before choosing Tropical Vets.

"We had offers from some large corporate enterprises, but we chose Tropical Vets because we already knew they had a good reputation, and we were an ideal match for their North Queensland base," Dr Graham-Evans said.

Tropical Vets Director Dr Callan Solari said the acquisition brings Tropical Vets to 10 locations across North Queensland.

"Western Suburbs Veterinary Clinic has a wonderful reputation - there are third and fourth generation clients, it's just where the whole family goes," Dr Solari said. "It's a fantastic fit for our locally-based network of clinics."

Dr Tanzer said clients would notice no change to their day-to-day experience at the clinic.

"Alistair and I are still working in the business, and we have no plans to leave at any set time. It's the same staff. We've got a few new faces, but vet-wise and operationally, nothing's changed and nothing will change," she said.

The community is invited to see that for themselves at the open day, running from 9am at the clinic, with tours, free nail trims and dental checks for dogs and cats, raffles and morning tea. No booking is required.

Western Suburbs clients can continue to book appointments as usual, with more information on the transition available at tropicalvets.com.au [END]

About Tropical Vets

Tropical Vets is a locally and family owned veterinary group with ten clinics across North Queensland, from Ayr to Atherton. Founded in Innisfail in 1975, the group today employs more than 100 team members and holds AVA Employer of Choice accreditation, one of only a small number of practices in Australia to do so. Tropical Vets offers small and large animal, pocket pet and native wildlife services, cattle reproduction services through its Gener8 Reproduction brand, and a remote Indigenous community program on Cape York.