The story of the Coolah Veterinary Clinic started back in the late 1960's when Dr. Mark Powell returned to the area where he grew up following his graduation from the University of Sydney. Initially operating from the family property out at 'Binnia', he soon purchased the clinic at 113 Binnia St where we are still operating today. As the practice expanded from those early days, a new graduate called Ralph Kuhn arrived in the early 1980s and soon bought into the business with Mark.

Mark and Ralph continued to grow the business over the next 20 odd years, providing an expert service to livestock producers in the area throughout the days before returning to the clinic in the evenings to deal with whatever small animal problems had arisen. Over time the area covered increased to include Dunedoo, Coonabarabran, Cassilis, Merriwa, Bundella and other regions.

In 2005 Mark decided it was time to hang up the stethoscope after more than 35 years of providing veterinary services to the region. The esteem in which he was held could be appreciated by the huge turnout at his farewell. He didn't have too much spare time on his hands though, continuing to run the worm advisory service as well as spending countless hours on local community committees.

Replacing Mark was Chris Hallett, his son-in-law, who moved into Oban with Charlotte and entered into the partnership with Ralph. In 2010, they decided to take the leap of purchasing the Coonabarabran Veterinary Surgery from Alex Parsons. With the help of several associate veterinarians coming and going, the business continued to grow busier as the range of services expanded, particularly the small animal and equine component.

At the end of 2017, after 35 years of helping countless producers increase their productivity and profitability, Ralph decided it was time to focus all of his attention on his growing cattle operation after years of trying to juggle the two roles (much to Krissy's relief!).

Having done vet prac work at the clinic in 2010, John Bowman had thought that it would be an ideal place to end up one day. Ralph's retirement opened up that opportunity and he bought into the clinic alongside Chris.

In late 2017 the Merriwa Veterinary Surgery was purchased from the late Anthea Wright to continue her legacy of providing a local veterinary service to the community.

Despite a few tough years with the Sir Ivan fire and 3 years of drought, we still see much potential in the agricultural industry across the region and look forward to continuing the same standard of service provided for the past 50 years.