Southern View: May 08, 2018
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4 Tuesday <strong>May</strong> 8 <strong>2018</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
SOUTHERN VIEW<br />
Your Local <strong>View</strong>s<br />
McMaster & Heap<br />
Veterinary practice<br />
OUR “EYE’ VET…..<br />
Its not often I write about my husband,<br />
Steve Heap, but I must say I’m often<br />
very proud of the work he does at our<br />
Practice, and how he is always looking<br />
ahead to grow, improve and provide the<br />
best workplace for our staff. Steve has a<br />
keen interest in all things involving “eyes”<br />
but he’s also very competent at dental<br />
surgery too. Patients come far and wide<br />
to see Steve for his expert advice on eyes<br />
and compassionate, friendly service. He<br />
sees a myriad of animals,<br />
ranging from very expensive<br />
thoroughbreds and alpacas,<br />
to lions and kiwis at Orana<br />
park and then all domestic<br />
animals inbetween.<br />
Steve decided to study<br />
Ophthalmology while<br />
we were in the UK in our<br />
20’s on a working/holiday<br />
and it is one of the best<br />
specialities Steve could<br />
have chosen. Not only does<br />
Steve really enjoy eyes, but<br />
it has helped to grow our<br />
business and stand it apart from others.<br />
There are currently only 3 or 4 vets seeing<br />
ophthalmology referrals in NZL.<br />
Most days Steve has 3-6 Ophthalmology<br />
surgeries. He actually gets excited at the<br />
prospect of returning an eye to normal<br />
function and pain free.<br />
A few days ago was one of those “jubilant”<br />
moments. In waltzed a very friendly 8<br />
year old Labrador called “Arnie”. Arnie was<br />
referred to Steve with a persistent infected<br />
discharge coming from his Left eye that<br />
he had for 8 months. Eight months ago he<br />
had an ulcer in the same eye which initially<br />
cleared up, but quickly became constantly<br />
infected, weepy, red and sore. He had been<br />
on every eye ointment possible with no<br />
real results. The owners claimed they were<br />
cleaning the eye out 5 times a day. The<br />
purulent discharge seemed to be coming<br />
from the lower<br />
tear ducts.<br />
Steve suspected<br />
a foreign<br />
body so he<br />
recommended<br />
anaesthetizing<br />
Arnie and<br />
taking a closer<br />
look.<br />
Sure enough<br />
Steve removed<br />
a large barley<br />
grass awn from<br />
the left tear<br />
duct by cutting<br />
down into the duct. It had probably been<br />
sitting there for the past 8 months causing a<br />
chronic persistent eye infection. Steve is sure<br />
Arnie will make a full recovery with no need<br />
for eye drops. As a surgeon moments like<br />
these are hugely rewarding because straight<br />
away Steve has made a big difference to<br />
Open 7 days<br />
Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place<br />
phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624<br />
e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz<br />
www.mcmasterheap.co.nz<br />
Arnies quality of life….and his<br />
owners.<br />
Clients and vets alike speak<br />
highly of Steve. His sole<br />
purpose is to solve problems<br />
quickly and professionally,<br />
with skill and expertise and he<br />
is great at explaining things<br />
clearly and simply, so clients<br />
really “get” what his plan is for<br />
their pet. Clients apparently<br />
love his scribbley little eye<br />
diagrams they leave with, diagrammatically<br />
describing the surgical procedure. I recently<br />
attended a veterinary meeting and felt<br />
very proud at all the accolades my fellow<br />
colleagues spoke about my husband. Steve<br />
is one of the very few vets around who<br />
freely, 24/7 gives ophthalmology advice to<br />
any vet in the country free of charge. He just<br />
enjoys sharing his knowledge to benefit all<br />
animals in need.<br />
We are currently in the throes of building<br />
a large, modern addition to adjoin our<br />
current premises in Hoon Hay. We are very<br />
excited about what this will mean for us<br />
and our patients in the future. We hope<br />
to be seen as a referral centre, with more<br />
specialists vets coming on board, as well<br />
as a first opinion clinic. We have very loyal,<br />
committed clients who often recommend<br />
us to others. We want to improve our level<br />
of knowledge and expertise and provide<br />
better care by creating<br />
separate dog and cat<br />
treatment , consult and<br />
waiting areas. We are<br />
constantly looking ahead<br />
to the future and trying<br />
to set ourselves up to<br />
stand alone, offering<br />
outstanding care, service<br />
and communication in an<br />
ever increasing corporate<br />
veterinary world, one<br />
in which we will never<br />
become part of.<br />
Steve and I are living<br />
the dream. What could<br />
be better than surrounding ourselves with<br />
animals all day, solving problems using our<br />
skill and expertise, making people smile<br />
again and saving animals lives. It just doesn’t<br />
get much better than that.<br />
Dr Michele McMaster<br />
McMaster & Heap<br />
CREATING CHANGE: Chrys Horn says the community worked together to get<br />
Kennedys Bush Track reopened.<br />
Working together<br />
to change<br />
your community<br />
Halswell<br />
Community<br />
Project<br />
chairwoman<br />
Chrys Horn<br />
talks about<br />
making<br />
changes happen in her<br />
area<br />
CHANGE happens most<br />
often and most easily when<br />
we work together to make<br />
it happen.<br />
A recent example was<br />
the formation of the<br />
Kennedys Bush Track<br />
Network, which led to the<br />
reopening of the track.<br />
It was great to see the<br />
network grow quickly<br />
and highlight the critical<br />
mass of people out there<br />
interested in getting the<br />
track open.<br />
As the group formed,<br />
the media became more<br />
interested in the issue and<br />
people worked together to<br />
tell the city council that<br />
they really wanted that<br />
road line open.<br />
Time and again we see<br />
the same principle in the<br />
work that the Halswell<br />
Residents’ Association<br />
does around our area, such<br />
as ensuring our local roads<br />
are safe and that we have<br />
necessary local facilities.<br />
Sports clubs shape our<br />
kids and our Saturdays;<br />
while churches provide<br />
support and activities for<br />
our local area.<br />
Another way we are<br />
seeing the work achieved<br />
by communities is in<br />
the many planting days<br />
that we see happening<br />
on the Port Hills, in the<br />
quarry, and around local<br />
streams. Here people<br />
are making a significant<br />
positive difference to our<br />
landscapes and to local<br />
water quality. A recent<br />
example is the Cashmere<br />
Streamcare group which<br />
met two weeks ago to weed<br />
and put mulch around<br />
plantings along the edge<br />
of a local drain between<br />
Sparks and Sutherlands<br />
Rds. Communities change<br />
things in all sorts of<br />
different ways around our<br />
city and our local area.<br />
We have a huge range<br />
of wonderful community<br />
groups in Halswell and<br />
they need your support.<br />
Get out there and get<br />
involved in a community<br />
that interests you and see<br />
how you can help to make<br />
a difference.