Our Story
Barb & Murray
We have always been totally committed to providing personal service to clients and dedicated loving care to their animal patients. Some 25 years ago, alongside David Marshall and some fabulous nurses, we established Marshall & Pringle Kaiapoi clinic and it became our “baby” so to speak.
All our energies went into making this the very best small animal clinic we could be - our respect and love for animals has guided us. We always believed we should maintain private ownership to make our clinic very personal and friendly and special. Years have ticked by and now suddenly, we are 70! How did that happen?!
We are very proud and fortunate to be passing on the clinic to our daughter Donna, and Gemma and Hannah (our two UK ‘daughters’). They now take up the mantle of looking after the Kaiapoi community’s pets and our legacy for the next few decades. They share our values, and they will be steadfast and true to our clinic goals of providing outstanding personal care for your much-loved pets. We will continue to be in the background helping whenever they may need us.
The other vets and the wonderful nurses in the practice have been very carefully chosen to also have the same high standards, beliefs, and values that we as a team have always strived for.
We wish to thank all our clients for entrusting their pets to us, and believing in us, over the many years - we have hundreds of amazing memories of all the pets we’ve cared for. We still talk about these daily and remember many names so fondly.
We also want to say a heartfelt thank you to all our amazing staff who have helped and supported us on our veterinary journey. We couldn’t have done any of this without you.
Gemma, Hannah, and Donna’s story
In an industry of corporatisation, remaining an independent locally owned clinic, treating each of our clients and their pets as individuals, is something we are extremely proud of and promise to ensure continues for our time as owners of Marshall and Pringle. We are excited to take on this new challenge and begin our stewardship of this wonderful caring clinic that Murray and Barbara have built.
Between us we have a combined 50 years of clinical experience and have worked in a variety of clinics around the world. During this time, we have learnt not only what drives our passions, but our preferred clinic environment; one which serves our clients and their pets in the best way possible:
· a high standard of care delivered with compassion and understanding.
· a positive and non-judgmental space to discuss all your concerns and worries.
· the ability to give our time in a non-rushed environment.
· the capacity to discuss your options and to plan care in conjunction with you, at every step.
We wouldn’t be able to serve our clients and patients without the support from our staff and the consideration that we show one another. We have so much respect for every member of staff here and for everything they do.
This profession calls us to be smart, knowledgeable, skilled, and resourceful, but also compassionate, caring, empathetic, and patient. It is our pleasure to work amongst people who are those things. But it can be demanding on us all. Outside of work we are mothers, partners, carers, siblings, and friends. All of which deserves our attention and resources too.
It is also our job to ensure our staff do not get lost whilst looking after everyone else. We want to help support our staff’s mental wellbeing to avoid “burning out” in a challenging profession, and allow ourselves the energy to enjoy our life outside of work too.
Finally, we believe in what Murray & Barb have created and it is our hope to continue their vision of a caring and quality clinic for the community for many years.
