Our Veterinary Team
Adam Marques
Hospital Director – Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Member of the Australian and New Zealand
College of Veterinary Surgeons (Surgery)
Adam completed a Bachelor degree in biology, and later graduated as a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine
in 2007. He started his career working in both mixed and rural practice before moving to the UK to
pursue his passion for surgery. During Adam’s time in England he completed rotating internships at
Animal Health Trust in Cambridge, followed by a surgical internship at Fitzpatrick Referrals with
Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick.
Adam runs our Orthopaedic Surgery Service – Knee Reconstructions and TPLO surgery.
Outside of work he is a proud father, husband, and member of the beautiful Sandringham Community.
Laura Cuesta
Practising Veterinarian
Laura graduated in Veterinary Medicine in Spain in 2012, where she is originally from. As a new
grad, she completed an internship in Emergency and Intensive Care at a Small Animal Hospital in the
north of Spain.
Laura has also lived in Canada and the UK before landing in Australia in 2017, for what was meant to
be only one year of adventure, working and travelling around “the Antipodes”. And here she is 6
years later, enjoying Australian nature and lifestyle as much as the first day she arrived.
She recently passed the Australasian Veterinary Examination and became a member of the Australian
Veterinary Association and Veterinary Board of Victoria, and she couldn’t be happier to be able to
work as a vet again.
Laura has been working at Sandringham Veterinary Hospital for almost 3 years and is looking forward
to continuing developing her professional career in this amazing country.
When she is not at work, Laura enjoys spending time with her partner, friends and her cat Ollie,
cooking, exploring new places in Australia and travelling back home to visit her family whenever she
can.
Leanne Little
Practising Veterinarian
Leanne has been one of the vets at SVH since May 2022.
She was raised in Wollongong NSW and graduated from Sydney University in 2011. Since then she
has worked entirely in companion animal medicine, mostly in Sydney, with a few periods in
Wollongong and London. Her husband is a Melbourne local so after a few twists and turns they finally
settled in the Bayside area in 2021.
Leanne has always been a very hands-on kind of person and was known for pulling things to pieces
from a very young age! Which then resulted in a love of all things surgical. Over the years she’s also
come to really enjoy the medicine side and solving the diagnostic riddle. Her favourite part of general
practice is the nice variety to keep the days interesting, as well as every now and then when a
perfectly healthy patient pops in to say hello!
At home Leanne has Rolly, her senior British Shorthair rescue and two young daughters. Outside of
work she once was an enthusiastic traveller and loved to cook, but these days she is most often at a
park with her kids. She has loved settling into bayside life, and is looking forward to getting to know
our clients and patients at Sandringham.
Eva Aschman
Practising Veterinarian
Since 2015, Eva has been part of the clinic team. Her dream of becoming a veterinarian started in
primary school, leading her to Melbourne University where she earned a Bachelor of Science
majoring in Biochemistry, followed by a Bachelor of Veterinary Science which she completed in
2004. Her love of knowledge and animals led her to complete a Master of Science in Veterinary
Epidemiology and Public Health from The Royal Veterinary College of London.
Eva thrives on the complexities of internal medicine, enjoying the diagnostic puzzles it presents. She
is deeply committed to nurturing strong relationships with both clients and their pets.
A lifelong horse enthusiast, Eva dedicates her time to the Riding for Disabled Association. Her home
is a lively mix of personalities including Orca, a black-and-white rescue cat and Ziggy, a Giant
Schnauzer who joins Eva in the Lort Smith Pet Therapy program.
When she’s not at the clinic, Eva loves reading, baking and exploring the beauty of Bayside and the
Peninsula with her partner and son.
Our Veterinary Nurse Team
Claire Dunkley
Head Veterinary Nurse
Claire is a Veterinary Nurse who has been working in small animal general practice since 2010.
When she was very young, she loved helping take her family pets to the vet and has never lived
without multiple animals at home, so caring for them for a living was an obvious calling.
The part of this job that she finds she is most passionate about is ensuring our patients have a positive
experience each time they visit. It isn’t always easy, but she thinks a little TLC can go a long way.
Claire treats every furry friend as though they are her own pet, that way they are getting the very best
from her.
Outside of work, she is very passionate about conservation, regarding both wildlife and our
environment and really enjoys travelling overseas to volunteer with wildlife conservation programs.
Daisie Cooper
Veterinary Nurse
Daisie’s earliest memories of visiting the vet clinic come from taking her pets for check ups, dropping
off lost dogs found on the streets in the hope of them being reunited with their owners, or taking in
injured wildlife to be treated by the vet.
She grew up in an animal-filled home with her extended family consisting of stick insects, budgies, a
cockatoo, turtles, rabbits, cats and dogs!
Daisie’s passion for animal care guided her into a career in veterinary nursing, and in late 2020 she
started working at Sandringham Veterinary Hospital as a volunteer. She completed her Certificate III
in Animal Studies and officially joined the Sandy Vet team in 2021. Daisie is currently studying
Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing at Box Hill TAFE.
Daisie has been vegetarian for 8 years and is now a vegan. She is happiest when around animals and
in nature, and when she’s not at work, you will either find her listening to music, watching movies
with her family, or going for drives to the country to visit friends.
Sam Marques
Veterinary Nurse
Sam grew up in Melbourne with a family obsessed with animals. Her parents always pushed her
brother and her to share a passion for caring for their furry friends, and so she grew up with dogs, cats,
bunnies, fish…. and whatever else we could find to add to our gang.
Throughout her nursing career, she has been lucky enough to work in a number of amazing veterinary
hospitals, both in Melbourne and Sydney. Sam has always had a strong interest in emergency and
critical care. She takes so much pride in taking care of your pets and treating them like her own,
making sure they are as comfortable as possible while in our care.
At home she has two beautiful twin girls, and a fairly round and overfed kelpie. Sam loves to be
outdoors and I’m sure you will see her down at the beach chasing the girls around when she’s not at
work and she has recently found a new hobby in growing indoor plants.
Sophia Keast
Veterinary Nurse
Sophia is a studying Veterinary Nurse who was brought up in Black Rock and soon moved to
Gardenvale through her school years where she currently lives.
Growing up she spent most of her time surrounded by animals! Being the youngest child of three and
having a large age gap, pets tended to be her companions while at home. Due to this, animals have
incredibly impacted her life and influenced her towards learning more about this field! Sophia has
been enjoying working as a Student Veterinary Nurse for over a year now in a small animal practice,
inspiring her to further my skills and abilities.
While studying and recently joining the Sandringham Veterinary Team, they have allowed her to learn
and adapt to this professional setting where she hopes to grow as a Nurse.
Outside of work, Sophia spends her time with friends, family, pet sitting, pilates and away at Lake
Eildon enjoying the lake and wildlife. At home she is busy with her own furry bunch including 3 cats,
Mitzie, Charlie and Lola as well as Daisy and Jett Boy, her lovely dogs!
Olivia Maley
Veterinary Nurse
Olivia is a Veterinary Assistant here at Sandringham Veterinary Hospital, and currently training up to
become a vet nurse. She is originally from a small country town on the Murray river, but moved down
to Melbourne to attend university, where she studied zoology and ecology, and loved it here so much
she decided to stay.
She has always loved animals and knew she wanted a career with them. Growing up she always had
lots of pets, from dogs and cats, to rabbits and turtles. Taking care of them was a major part of her
childhood, and she loves being able to continue caring for animals as a career.
In her spare time she enjoys going for hikes, exploring Melbourne, and a bit of drawing here and
there.
Our Reception & Support Team
Adrienne Bizzarri
Receptionist
Adrienne joined the reception team in August 2021, having known the team through her photography
business and her 12 year old Abi the labrador being a client. She jumped at the chance to join SVH
when they put the call out for help.
Adrienne runs our social media accounts and is now balancing her photography business with
working on reception a couple of days a week.
Being a local, and bringing up both her boys in Sandringham over the last 22 years, she also tends to
be a very familiar face to many of our clients! So next time you’re in, make sure to say hello as she
loves a chat!
Jenny McCallum
Receptionist
Jenny is one of the friendly receptionists here at SVH. She grew up in Melbourne, constantly
surrounded by animals, and now owns two cats; Pumpkin and Spy. She’s always been passionate
about animals and as soon as she was of age to volunteer she started at the RSPCA.
Her love for animals and the environment has pushed her to pursue a degree in Wildlife and
Conservation Biology, which she is currently studying at Deakin. Working at a veterinary clinic has
been a childhood dream come true for Jenny, she gets to work with animals everyday and get paid for
it!
Outside of work, she loves watching movies, reading, baking, knitting her own clothes, spending time
with friends and enjoying all that nature has to offer. She looks forward to meeting you and your
four-legged friends!
Annabelle
Receptionist
Annabelle has grown up in Bayside with years of local customer service experience. She is currently
in her final year of Health Science Naturopathy, building on her experience in the nursing sector.
Annabelle is passionate about providing high quality customer care, extending to both animals and
their families. Annabelle has grown up with a lifelong admiration and love for all animals and is
thrilled to employ her childhood dream through her receptionist role within the clinic.
Outside of the clinic, Annabelle continues to pursue her passion of fitness through going to the gym,
running, and boxing, and spending time with her cocker spaniel puppy at the beach.
Kalmia Astbury
Receptionist
Kalmia is our newest team member who started her role with SVH in February 2023. Kalmia has
grown up in Bayside and Phillip Island, where she visits most weekends to spend time with her
family. Kalmia has had years of experience in customer service and administration and has always had
a love for animals which is why her decision to move to SVH was so easy!
Her love for animals started at a very young age, where her family would often listen to her babbling
away to her beloved Labrador Cleo and Cat Chewy, before she could say her first words. At work she
loves to take care of your animals as if they were her own and maybe even spoil them with a few extra
cuddles and treats.
When Kalmia isn’t working, she enjoys going to the gym, spending time with family and friends,
exploring the outdoors on hikes and looking after other peoples animals whilst their owners are on
holidays.
Eliza McLeod
Kennel Hand
Eliza is one of the Veterinary Assistants at the Sandringham Veterinary Hospital, she started working
with the team mid-2022. She is responsible for making sure your pets receive the affection and care
they deserve during their time in the hospital. Your furry friend’s comfort during their stay is her
priority. She’s often seen feeding, exercising, and cuddling our patients.
As a young girl, her family would always joke around that she was like Eliza Thornberry from the
Wild Thornberrys cartoon because she believed she could “speak” to animals. Similar to the
characters in the show, Eliza has always had a passion to learn about animals and the ways in which
they contribute to our amazing environment.
In her free time, she always has a book in her hands and loves adding to her already overflowing
bookshelf.
Lucie Dellazzeri
Kennel Hand
Lucie is currently in her final year studying science at Monash University and joined the team in
2024. Her journey with the clinic began at the age of 4, accompanying her pets for treatment and
rescuing injured wildlife with her mother. The compassionate care she witnessed from veterinarians
inspired Lucie to pursue a career in the veterinary industry.
At home, Lucie shares her life with two affectionate golden retrievers, Gus and Winston. When not
immersed in her studies or working, Lucie enjoys taking Gus and Winston for walks along the beach,
stays active at the gym, and delights in the company of every pet she encounters during her strolls.