Where are they now?

My name is Courtney Murray and I graduated from Cecil Hills High School in 2016.

While studying at Cecil Hills High School I also completed a TAFE  TVET course in Animal Studies (Certificate II) so I could continue into Veterinary Nursing Certificate IV.

After graduating from school, I was required to find work placement before entering the Veterinary Nursing Certificate IV course. I applied for a work placement position at the Macarthur Vet Group (the clinic I’m currently working at) and I was accepted!  I started my work placement there in February 2017, followed by the Vet Nursing Course which I started in June 2017.  In October of the same year, I was employed at Macarthur Vet Group as a casual nurse and to this date,  I am still employed there.

I have grown up caring for foster animals and injured wildlife.  I have always wanted to work with animals but at times didn’t know exactly what it was I wanted to do. I had a passion for vet nursing after doing two weeks of work experience in a vet clinic while at Cecil Hills High School, but I also had a passion for wildlife after doing a week of work experience at Taronga Zoo, where I was lucky enough to spend my time there helping with the seals and penguins.

During my time at Cecil Hills High School I held a casual job as a swimming instructor and still work as a swimming instructor, with an AustSwim Qualification which I received in 2015.

Weeks before completing my HSC I received my Certificiate II in Animal Studies, then went on to further my studies in Vet Nursing and I received my Certificate IV in 2018.

I am currently studying Certificate III in Companion Animal Services. Through continued education at my workplace,  I have also completed a few short courses in animal behaviour in clinics.

In my spare time I paint, I have sold a few paintings and also had one accepted into an art gallery.

I would say my greatest achievement was in 2019, when I was accepted into a program to travel to South Africa with two other TAFE  students (and friends of mine) who are also now qualified vet nurses. Whilst in South Africa, we attended The N/a’an Ku se Wildlife Veterinary Experience. We experienced such amazing opportunities -  I was lucky enough to be up close, handling many wild African animals! 

We worked alongside two amazing vets on the who taught us so much about these animals. We treated rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, African wild dogs, baboons and many more animals. We were taught so much - including how to treated sick animals and conducting annual health checks on them. We also learnt how to dehorn rhinos to keep them safe from poachers. 

My family has been a huge support to me throughout my studies as has my workplace, with nurses and vets who were always available to help with many assignments and to answer the multitude of questions I asked!

No journey is ever easy, there will always be bumps along the way but only you can decide if they will bring you down or if they will make you stronger.

Everyone is different, there are no two minds alike, but for anyone with a passion for something, I would recommend fighting for that passion because without a fight or a struggle there's no story behind your success. 

All the struggles of high school and the workload of my studies for both my HSC and TAFE studies and working as a swim instructor and an after school care teacher have all made me appreciate what I have now more than anything. I worked towards what I wanted to achieve but that comes with hard work and you will learn to appreciate all that later on.

My future goals are to further my studies within animal care and to branch out into other ways of caring for animals.  At the end of 2019 to early 2020, I helped with the Guide Dog In Training program. Chrissy was our home boarding labrador in the final three months of training.  Chrissy is now a fully trained guide dog, living in the Central Coast with her handler who is completely blind. This experience has left my future goals open for not only animal care within a clinic but also training either guide dogs or therapy dogs for those who need them most.

Courtney Murray

Graduating Class of 2016