Dr Lucy Downs' reputation as a vet is such that years after leaving a community, her clients still seek her out.
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This was the case when she first moved to Orange more than a decade ago.
"There are a couple of clients I have been seeing since I was in Broken Hill. Now they've moved here and they continue to bring their pets to me," Dr Downs said.
"It's lovely to have that long-term relationship with people and see their pets throughout their whole life."
After 25 years in the industry, she recently took over as owner of the Mulberry Lane Vet Hospital.
Despite a few early trepidations, Dr Downs has enjoyed being in the driver's seat for the first time.
"I didn't know it would be a possibility for me, so it was a leap of faith," she said.
"The opportunity was there and after seeing it was possible, I just had to back myself and my experience."
Having graduated from Western Australia's Murdoch University in 1998, she spent a year working in the UK and Ireland before heading back home where she took on a role at a "mixed practice" vet hospital for six years.
Jobs at Sydney University and in Broken Hill followed, before Dr Downs made the move to Orange.
She had two children and settled in town for the next decade.
Since 2014 she was the district vet for Local Land Services which Dr Downs called a "really great experience".
Then in 2023, the opportunity to buy Mulberry Lane Vet Hospital arose.
It was a chance she couldn't turn down.
"It was just the right time, right people, right place," she added.
"It just seemed like a good fit and it's working well so far."
Dr Downs praised the existing group for helping make the transition as smooth as possible.
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"The team is really important. There's been a fair bit in the media about the stress on vets, so for me it's important to make sure everyone is supported and feeling supported in the team," she said.
"I'm enjoying being able to make it my own and implement things that I value and think are important."
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