Gympie Vet Services forced to leave Little Channon St

One of Queensland ‘s biggest rural vet practices and Gympie’s oldest and busiest practice has been forced out of it home of the past three decades. Read why, and what the plan is.

A popular Gympie veterinary clinic is on the hunt for a new location after raging Mary River flood waters damaged the building so badly it has had to relocate.

Gympie Veterinary Services has been forced to squeeze itself into a shop on Channon Street that is only one-fifth the size of its former sprawling Little Channon St premises; a shift which director Dan McDougall said posed some challenges.

The Gympie February floods peaked at 22.96m completely immersing the business.

“The building was designed to go underwater up to ceiling height,” Dr McDougall said.

Unfortunately, floodwaters ended up 60cm higher than the ceiling, submerging electrical and data cables and lifting the ceiling lining.

Vet and building co-owner Justin Schooth said the final damage bill was not yet known but likely approaching seven figures.

Dr Schooth said investigations into the building’s state and its future, including whether it was still sitting on stable ground, were still underway.

“We’re in a holding pattern,” he said.

Gympie Veterinary Services director Dan McDougall (inset) said the clinic was forced to move from its Little Channon St premises after they were severely damaged by the February floods.

Dr McDougall said the clinic’s forced relocation 100m northwest to Channon St had created some challenges.

“It’s causing a hell of a lot of bottlenecks,” he said.

The clinic’s new offices, once home to the Freney Veterinary Clinic, only had 12 cages on hand.

This was significantly less than the 54 cages onsite at the Little Channon St building.

Dr McDougall was not complaining though, but grateful for the helping hands offered following the February flood disaster.

“It was damn nice of the building’s owners to let us use it,” he said.

He was grateful to Energex as well for providing access to an old shed for storage.

Gympie Veterinary Services director Dan McDougall said he was grateful for the helping hands his practice had been offered, not only by the owners of the clinic’s new Channon St home, but from Energex which offered the use of a storage shed.

“It’s saved our bacon,” Dr McDougall said.

Apiam, the company that bought the practice, had “thankfully” guaranteed staff wages for the clinic’s 46 employees too, he said.

“I haven’t had to put anyone off.”

Investigations were underway into possible new locations for the clinic with “a few” options on the table.

Hurdles include the cost and town planning requirements.

“I’ve been told it will take nine months to get town planning to even look at it,” Dr McDougall said.

Originally published as Gympie Vet Services forced to leave Little Channon St