JOANNA Schirrman was born in Sale located in the Gippsland region of Victoria.

Her father worked in the oil and gas industry and the family moved around a lot.

Joanna with her partner Brendan moved to Beechworth seven years ago from the Melbourne suburb of Park Orchards.

What do you do workwise?

I work as an equine veterinarian in Tarrawingee.

I decided to complete further qualifications in biomechanical medicine treating both dogs and horses.

Biomechanical medicine looks at the whole animal looking for the underlying cause of dysfunction.

I use both osteopathic and chiropractic techniques to treat this dysfunction.

What brought you to your role/career?

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a vet.

I took “the scenic route” to becoming a vet.

After completing a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma in Education I taught in a secondary school for a year.

Then, one night my horse developed a catastrophic bout of colic and died.

I vowed to go back to university and become a vet.

Five years later I graduated from Murdoch University in Western Australia.

As a new grad, I met an inspiring equine vet chiropractor.

However, the course as it is known today did not exist.

I had to wait another eight years before it was relaunched as a Post Graduate Diploma for vets, human osteopaths and human chiropractors.

We’re a pretty unique group of professionals.

What do you love about your work?

My favourite thing is being able to ease pain and dysfunction in patients that were deemed “unsalvageable”.

What do you do in the community?

My “free time” is very limited, particularly as Brendan and I have a three-year-old son and a small farm just out of town.

As a vet, we become quite close to our patient’s parents and often end up being a sounding board and/or confidant.

I value the relationships I have with my clients.

Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing?

The state of our roads (the unmade ones in particular) is a disgrace.

Our road was severely damaged during the 2018 floods and was not repaired properly.

The road is frequently used as a shortcut for heavy trucks and with more houses being built it has further deteriorated.

The dust has become so bad, it is affecting my horses as well as us.

I know our road is not the only one affected, but it is infuriating paying ever increasing rates with little to show for it.

What would you do to solve, change, or improve that situation?

Counters should be installed to quantify the volume of traffic.

The list of roads to be sealed needs to be reviewed frequently and adjusted depending on the traffic.

Dust sealing should be a priority.

What do you see as one of the most important current world issues?

Climate change.

It’s real and it’s happening.

If the person you would most like to meet or knew, came to Indigo Shire (past or present), who would that be, what would you show them, and why?

My maternal grandmother passed away before I finished vet school. She loved the country and would have been thrilled to see our farm.

I would take her to Woolshed Falls for its raw beauty and power.

What book are you reading?

‘House of Sky and Breath’ by Sarah J Maas.