Podiatrist Leo Veanes retires

A podiatrist who has been caring for patients on Pakington St for more than four decades is retiring.

Leo Veanes is retiring as a podiatrist after more than four decades. Picture: Alison Wynd

A podiatrist who has been caring for patients on Pakington St for more than four decades is retiring.

Leo Veanes started out as a podiatrist in his early 20s in 1982 after university.

He operated out of a couple of Pako shopfronts and has been in the current Geelong West clinic space for three decades.

Monday will be the last day for him and his practice Podiatry on Pako.

He said patients came from Hoppers Crossing to Anglesea and Portarlington.

Over time he has had a couple of podiatrists work with him casually but largely was the sole podiatrist.

He said when he started out, he saw it as an old profession heading into a modern transition.

“Sports medicine, biomechanics and orthotics was a new era,” he said.

Mr Veanes continued to make his own orthotics in house throughout his career, where as other podiatrists outsourced this, he said.

“That was one of the differences some people sought after,” he said.

“They’re all custom made.”

He said he had seen tens of thousands of patients over more than 40 years, and made thousands of pairs of orthotics.

He said he would miss interacting with people through the job, and the satisfaction of helping people, especially patients who had a long term difficulty and finally had a solution.

“Over time you get to know people,” he said.

“I have a 50 year old lady that first came to me when she was 13.”

Mr Veanes said his retirement would be a new chapter and he would play more golf, travel and spend time with his grandchildren.

Originally published as Podiatrist Leo Veanes retires