Meet the Team

I qualified from vet school in South Africa in 1987 and then worked as a vet during my compulsory army service. My first job was in a city practice in Kempton Park. I knew I wanted to work in a mixed practice, so after 9 months we moved to the West Free State town of Bultfontein. 

There my work consisted mainly of dairy, beef, sheep herds and pet animals, with the odd bit of game work mixed in. 

After four years I sold my practice to move to the Eastern Cape, to the town of Humansdorp. My main work was pet animals with a few dairy and beef herds to look after. Four years later my wife and I decided to move abroad, choosing the United Kingdom as our destination.  

My first job in England was in Sevenoaks where I worked for 18 months. An opportunity of practice ownership opened up in Essex and here, together with my business partners, we ran our surgery for 12 years. This is where I did numerous personal development courses in pursuit of my main interests, which included canine and feline medicine, abdominal and cardiac ultrasound, soft tissue surgery and oncology (both advanced surgery and chemotherapy treatments). 

I was one of the students to complete the first UK based course in Endoscopy and Endosurgery and have gone on to obtain a postgraduate General Practitioner Certificate in Endoscopy and Endosurgery. Although I hold this qualification, my focus has been primarily on ultrasonography over the last few years, allowing us to offer an extensive range of ultrasound services to our clients.  

My wife Roulé and I have 2 daughters who both work in the veterinary industry. 

Growing up my hobbies were all very dog related, as I did obedience and attack work training and some tracking trails with German Shepherds, Dobermanns and Border Collies. Over the years we have downsized our dogs to two long-haired chihuahuas, Peanut and Ellie. 

I enjoy gardening and walking the dogs in my spare time. 

Gerald Stam – BVSc MRCVS

I have always loved animals and wanted a career that was very hands on where I was able to make a difference to their lives. I started at Heathfield Vets in 2015 as a nursing assistant before progressing to studying as a veterinary nurse.  After three years of training, I qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2019 and became lead nurse alongside Rosie in 2022.  I am also trained as a clinical supervisor and now coach our student nurses in their training. 

The best part of my job is that every day is different and varied, I go from nursing hospital patients and monitoring anaesthetics to running nurse clinics or coaching students.  The role of every Registered Veterinary Nurse is far bigger than just cuddling pets (although that is the best part!). 

My main areas of interest are surgery and anaesthesia, both challenging areas but very rewarding. I also enjoy running our mobility clinics for older pets. 

I spend most of my free time horse riding, walking or running in the countryside. 

Jason Main – Lead Vet Nurse (RVN)

I joined Heathfield Vets as a kennel assistant in 2016 before training as a student veterinary nurse.  I qualified and registered as a Veterinary Nurse in 2020.  In June 2022 I took on the role as Lead Nurse alongside Jason, with my focus on coordinating our student veterinary nurse training. 

I grew up surrounded by lots of different animals and have always loved spending time with them.  My mum can remember me visiting Heathfield Vets as a child and saying I wanted to be an “animal nurse”! My family now has two cats, Nellie and Betsy, and a crazy collie called Tod. 

My main area of interest is anaesthesia and emergency and critical care, which I find hugely rewarding.  It gives me the opportunity to build amazing relationships with pets and their owners, especially with long term patients requiring close monitoring. 

One of my favourite parts of the day is watching dogs being reunited with their owners after a day in the hospital, their tails go 100mph! 

Rosie Bourne – Lead Vet Nurse (RVN)

I started working at Heathfield Vets as a receptionist in 2018 before taking on the role of head receptionist in November 2019.   

My main role is overseeing our admin team, making sure our clients and patients get the best service possible.  I also take care of our social media, posting lots of educational content and photographs of our patients.   

My area of interest is insurance, I process most of the insurance claims and am passionate about educating clients about the importance of insuring their pets and helping them get the most from their policy. I also help clients with pet travel, which has become a lot more complicated in recent years! 

I have a very spoilt cockapoo called Milo who keeps me on my toes and loves training to hunt truffles. 

Grace Coveney – Head Receptionist