Community
5 March, 2025
Prestigious scholarship awarded to Skuza
ONE of Cobden’s own has been announced as a recipient of the inaugural Victorian Livestock Veterinarian Scholarship (VLVS), participating in the program alongside only seven other state-wide early career vet applicants from diverse Victorian regional vet clinics.
The scholarship program will provide candidates with:
Clinical supervision, training and support in their livestock veterinary work;
After hours phone and on-farm clinical support for livestock animals;
Up to eight days per year structured, relevant livestock and professional skills training;
Facilitated monthly online peer support and learning within the candidate cohort;
Opportunity to write one individual animal (year one) and one herd-based (year two) case study and present it within the candidate cohort;
Directives and tools for regular case logging and self-reflections; and
HECS debt relief payments of $20,000 per year in the subsequent two years post program completion.
Associate veterinarian at Hampden Veterinary Clinic and south west recipient of the scholarship Chelsea Skuza is excited about the commencement of the program.
“I’m really keen – I’ve had a few conversations with Becky (Dickinson, organiser) recently, who runs the program, trying to work out what we’re doing going forward with Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and it all sounds very, very involved,” she said.
“We’ve got the residential the week commencing Monday, March 3, where we get to meet all the other candidates and their mentors as well.
“We’re all young early stage vets that have been selected in this program.
“It’s really to make sure that we’re getting support through a mentor and through a bit more of a structured program in our early stages of development and that we’re learning and building on our foundational skills.
“It’s a two-year program, with eight days allocated for further learning, and continued professional development where they’ll look at tailoring practical programs for us.”
Ms Skuza’s mentor is David Buckle, who is a partner and veterinarian at Hampden Veterinary Clinic in Cobden.
“I am excited for Chelsea, and it’s good for myself as a slightly older, more mature vet to mentor her,” he said.
“It’s a great thing for the business. We’re very impressed that Chelsea was selected.
“The scholarship program is ensuring we’ve got good young vets coming through with a strong passion for dairy work.”
Hampden Veterinary Clinic partner and veterinarian Anthony Down said the scholarship was meaningful in getting vets out to rural areas.
“It’s about trying to keep vets in rural practice,” he said.
“What happens often is vets will come out, they’ll do their two years in a mixed practice, and then they’ll return closer to home.
“Part of the idea is to get people to network in rural areas.”
Originally from Drysdale down on the Bellarine and past Geelong, Ms Skuza moved to Cobden for work.
“I did about six weeks of placement here at this clinic as a student before I went, ‘This is where I want to be’ and came and moved out here,” she said.
“The scholarship is helping me with a Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) debt and I’ve just recently bought a house here, so having a mortgage as well as a HECS debt is a lot to deal with.
“I also get to meet new people in the industry and branch out into rural Victoria.
“I’m the only one from south west Victoria who is part of the program, so it’s also good to get to know others, build those networks, and get some extra support.
“I’ve had plenty of support here with these guys – it’s been really good for the past couple of years, and with this program, having other people, getting extra opinions will also be good.”
The VLVS program started on Friday, January 31, so it is still in the beginning stages.
Ms Skuza said she was looking forward to meeting her fellow scholarship recipients and their mentors.
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