LOCAL LIFE
BLACKTOWN’ S FINEST...
Man’ s best friend – and dog’ s best friend too! Dr Michael Sames with yet another satisfied patient, a very happy Cavoodle. by Greg Martin
After spending an enjoyable afternoon chatting with venerable veterinarian Dr Michael Sames, I came away thinking he could spin a yarn to rival the wonderful memoirs of James Herriot( Alf Wight, 1916 – 1995).
Herriot’ s much-loved All Creatures Great and Small has entertained animal lovers for more than half a century and, after hearing Mike’ s stories, I reckon he could give him a fair nudge.
Dr Sames is the head director of Glenhaven and Winston Hills Veterinary Hospitals; a role built on a remarkable and wide-ranging career caring for animals of every shape and size.
And he certainly knows a thing or two about all creatures great and small- as you’ d expect from someone who has spent close to four decades training, learning and working as a vet.
Dogs and cats- man’ s best mates- have been part of his life since he was a toddler.
“ Our family lived in what was then semi-bushland at Winston Hills in the early’ 70s, and we always had dogs and cats,” Mike said.
“ My grandmother even bred Yorkshire Terriers and produced an Australian champion.
“ There were horses and cattle across the road, and one night we even watched a calving.”
After finishing at Northmead High School in 1987, Mike set his sights firmly on a veterinary career and never looked back. He graduated from the University of Sydney in 1992 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science, later adding further qualifications in Ophthalmology through the Royal Veterinary College in London, along with Membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Feline Medicine.
Crikey, about the only awards he hasn’ t picked up are the Nobel Peace Prize and the FIFA Fair Play Award!
Mike began his career in January 1993 in Port Macquarie, where he spent three years at the local veterinary hospital and where he also met the love of his life.
Together they now have two sons, Christopher( 21) and Benjamin.
“ Meeting my partner was the biggest moment of my life,” he said,“ but working in Port Macquarie gave me incredible experience with a huge range of animals.
“ Alongside the usual dogs and cats, I treated horses, cattle, goats, camels, ostriches and in my second week, a giant loggerhead sea turtle weighing over 50 kilos.
“ We saw plenty of wildlife too. One carpet python had been hit by a car and had 60 broken ribs. It went into care and wasn’ t fed for two months so the ribs could heal. When we did follow-up X-rays, it was fully healed- and very, very hungry!”
The clinic also worked closely with local race meetings and the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, giving Mike exposure to an extraordinary mix of cases.
“ Those three years were an incredible
6 ISSUE 61 // APRIL 2026 theindependentmagazine. com. au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT