By Angie Hilton
I met Newtown Veterinary Clinic co-owner Dr Jane Miller in the most random way.
I was looking to cast a vet on my TV show Destination Happiness and had been scouring the country for the next Bondi Vet.
I was sitting at my sister Lee’s kitchen table googling ‘spunky vets’ when she said, “Jane across the road is a vet. She’s gorgeous and really bubbly, why don’t I ask her over?”
I gave an internal eye roll thinking ‘as if it could be that easy’ and said, “Sure, call her now”.
So in bounces Dr Jane, full of life, completely down to earth, not a scrap of make-up but naturally stunning, a great sense of humour, up for anything and sharp as a tack.
I pulled out the iPhone, filmed her telling some funny animal stories and the search was over. It was quite serendipitous!
How did you meet the love of your life?
My sister’s husband is good friends with James and for many years, through several of my boyfriends, my sister would carry on about this James guy. “Oh James has got a girlfriend and she’s really nice and he’ll probably marry her and you’ve missed out.” And I would say, “I’ve never met this guy … and I have a boyfriend who’s standing right next to me. It was just this ongoing joke.”
So when I first met him at my niece’s first birthday, I ran up to him and said “Oh my God, I’m going to marry you one day, I’m Jane.” He just looked at me like I was a lunatic.
After that we didn’t see each other for a long time (laughs).
Then one day my sister asked me to come camping. I was sitting beside James by the campfire and this song came on the radio and I said “oh, Lemon Jelly” (an alternative band). Apparently the fact that I knew who it was was enough to really impress him. And that’s how it all blossomed. Little did he know I’m top 40 all the way.
What a great story. Now I feel like I need to know how this fairytale continued? How did the ‘man who you were going to marry’ ask you to marry him?
We went away to his friend’s wedding and we hadn’t been together that long. We were just going to camp but somehow got offered to stay at this amazing house on the inlet in Tathra.
So overlooking the ocean, kangaroos all around and he says, “I’m going to ask you a question.”
And I was like, “Oh yeah?”
And he said, “Will you marry me?”
I blurted out “Are you serious?”
And he said, “Enough of this sh**!” and then just walked off.
Then neither of us said anything and we just left it. And I just thought, ‘I don’t know what that was. Was he joking? Was that real?’ We said nothing.
Four days later, we drove home and stopped by his parent’s place. As we walked into their house, they popped a bottle of champagne and said “So what’s the answer?”
I was still thinking what the heck is going on?
Then James said, “I asked you to marry me and you never even answered.”
So then we got it back in the car and bought a $5 ring from Speaky’s and he proposed to me in the Geelong mall (laughs).
That pretty much sums up our relationship … like perhaps not so good on the communication.
What a classic story! So romantic. Fast forward a few years and you’re having babies. How was that whole experience?
Harriet’s birth was very traumatic for me. I wish I had a cesarean.
I was in labour for two days. At the very end, her heart rate started to drop so they gave me an epidural. She came out blue so they put her straight on oxygen.
She was a big, healthy baby but she had a bluish tinge for quite a while.
I actually don’t remember the first two or three days of Harriet’s life. I think I was just that exhausted. And then you go straight into breastfeeding every hour and your baby doesn’t sleep and then you don’t sleep for the next nine years! (laughs)
After Harriet, I said to myself I’m never doing that again. Happy to adopt if we can do that, but I’m never doing that again. Or if a man can be pregnant and give birth, I’m all for that. Or I’m quite into science, so even if they’re grown off-site at some factory, and then you just get them when they’re babies (laughs).
So when it came to having Will I booked in for an epidural first, then got induced, then read a magazine, out came my baby, the epidural was wearing off as I started to push so I was able to reach down and pull him out and was able to control the whole thing. He came out pink to my surprise! I thought, ‘why didn’t I do that the first time?’ I remember every second of that, but my memory of Harriet is missing.
Do you and James share a parenting philosophy?
First and foremost we want our children to be kind, polite and resilient. If they have issues, we want them to understand how to talk them through and manage them.
I think the school ground can be a good place to work on relationship issues, so that when conflict occurs when they’re older and hormones are involved, they already have some tools to draw on.
Our goal later on will be lots and lots of activities so they’re too tired to do anything naughty. We’re a big beach family so I’m happy to take them surfing every weekend to keep them out of trouble.
Tell me about when you were little and you just knew you wanted to be a vet.
I was three when I remember blowing out my candles and wishing I could grow up and be a vet and I had the same wish every year until I became a vet.
I love, love, love, my job.
Pre-kids I travelled with my job working in the UK for a couple of years and then Dr Jack Ayerbe (former owner of Newtwown Vet clinic), employed me and he gave me an incredible opportunity of not only working with him, but being involved with a trial of an anticancer drug, called Stelfonta.
We were one of three practices in the world to do the trial. I treated around 150 animals from all over Australia who were at the stage where they had no options of treatment left. Many of the trials were incredibly successful.
It got registered last year which was a really defining moment in my career. It is still in trial work for the human market but ultimately that’s where it will end up which is fantastic!
So it’s one thing to have a dream of being a vet, but the reality is a lot of hard work. What was your path to get there?
Well it certainly wasn’t straight forward. Even though it was my only dream, once I finished Year 12 I started to doubt myself and decided I’d be better off trying something else.
My best friend at the time Paul was doing commerce, so I decided to do that with him even though I’d never done any commerce subjects before. I dropped out of that after six weeks as I had no idea what the lecturers were talking about (laughs).
So from there I worked full-time and then went to India for a month on my own. I was only 18. My parents tried to stop me but I’d already bought my ticket. I got off the plane and it was hugely overwhelming. The smell, the sounds, the vision, the huge number of people. I got in a taxi, got to the hotel, went to my room, rang dad and said “you’ve got to come and get me”.
As much as I’m sure they wanted to come and get me he said, “Go down to the foyer and join a travel group.” So I did a three-week tour, then once I was comfortable I went off by myself and did a hike in Nepal for a week.
I then came back and did a three-year science degree in Melbourne. I thought, well I can’t be a vet as I’m not smart enough, so I thought I’d do veterinary pharmaceuticals. Then after my third year I thought, I really like talking and being around people, I think I still really want to be a vet.
So I ended up doing another five years. Can you imagine my parents? (laughs)
So point in case, if there are any young crew reading this, whatever you want to do there is always a pathway and if you really want it don’t give up.
How did working as a vet fit in with motherhood?
You want to give your kids all of you, but you also want to give work all of you. And then, like most women, you ended up feeling guilty all the time.
But I’ve come to the conclusion that you just have to forgive yourself and know you’re doing the best that you can. I explain to the kids that most women work now, it’s part of life.
As a vet, most people would be fascinated by what animals you choose to have yourself?
Well, Murray was my first dog as a grown-up and in a way he kind of chose me.
I’m going to write a book on him, ‘The Adventures of Murray Miller’. He was a wire-haired Jack Russell and was such a character.
I was working in a vet clinic, he pushed open the front door and walked in on his own with no owner. He sat down in the waiting room, really skinny and covered in fleas. We sent him off to Geelong animal welfare, and after nine days no one had claimed him so I decided to claim him.
He obviously walked into the vet clinic thinking ‘Hey, I need some help people’ (laughs).
You and Murray were so meant to be … a bit like you and your husband! What’s one of your favourite stories from The Adventures of Murray Miller?
I was about six months pregnant with Harriet. It was a cold day and I was walking along the beach at Point Lonsdale. Murray went straight in the water as usual, but this time he was swimming and didn’t turn around. He was getting a bit older and I think he saw Portsea across the water and decided that’s where he was heading.
So I stripped down to my undies and swam out to sea. My cousin who was with me freaked out and then ran down the beach and found some guy and frantically said “My cousin is swimming out to sea, and she’s pregnant and her dog is out there and they’re all going to drown!”
So he swam out and we were about 100 metres out to sea, then and he’s like, “Are you okay?” And I’m like, “Yeah, I’m just getting my dog.” It was really pretty stupid because sharks like dogs.
So I said to this lovely guy who came to save this crazy person, “Okay, I’ll swim back with you but I’ll need you to get out first as I’m in my knickers and I’m massively pregnant.”
So what current projects do you have on the go in your vet life?
My latest passion is educating children about dog behaviour. The son of one of my colleagues had his face bitten by a dog. He went over a fence, thought the dog looked friendly, went to pat it and it bit his face. He had to have plastic surgery as it was pretty severe. It got me thinking about how many people don’t have dogs and even people that do have dogs but perhaps don’t understand dog body language and behaviour.
For instance a wagging tail is not always ‘I’m happy’, it can also mean ‘I’m anxious’. There are many subtle signals and a lot of people don’t know them. So I’ve written this course, it’s called the Junior Dog Club for kids to come along with their dog and learn all about animal behaviour in a fun way.
Dog bites still happen quite a lot and I feel like as a vet clinic, it’s our responsibility to be leading that.
How do you unwind?
The beach. My folks live in Point Lonsdale and every time I drive down there I feel my blood pressure and cortisol levels drop.
I love our little family routine. Every Friday night without fail I make pizza on the BBQ and we eat it on our laps in front of a movie.
I walk a lot and listen to podcasts like Mind Valley and Radio Lab. I also just started back at Geelong’s Gym.
So a bad day at the office for you is not like your average job. How do you deal with the heartbreak when things don’t go to plan?
I really do love my job because most of the time I’m meeting amazing people and helping them look after their adored pets. But the sad reality is animals do get sick.
The most stressful thing is making sure you pick the right tests that will confirm what you think is wrong. It’s not like the human world where they can order 48 tests and it all gets run because the government funds it, so you’re constantly mindful of the fact you’re spending other people’s money.
And sometimes there’s no money to test. You’ve just got to assume something and treat based on an assumed diagnosis because everyone’s funds levels are different. So that’s probably the hardest part, because you want to do the best thing for the pet that the owner can afford.
But when it comes to for euthanasia, I actually feel very honoured and privileged to be able to peacefully let an animal go in a dignified way.
It’s case by case but we tend to give the pet a little smorgasbord of things they wouldn’t normally eat like chocolate and cream, etc. They then get sedated so they just fall asleep, so when we’re putting the IV catheter in for the drug that will stop their heart, they’re already off with the pixies sound asleep.
Some families choose to come in which I personally think is a really important moment to help children see death and understand that it’s permanent.
I know I wouldn’t want my children’s first exposure to death to be a loved one when there was the opportunity for them to perhaps learn to deal with grief around a pet that’s lived a great life. The children handle it way better than the adults as they’re very pragmatic.
Do the kids share your same passion for animals?
Well lately, if I’m seeing a patient that needs treatment on the weekend, I’ll ask Harriet to be my little assistant. She loves it. She pops on her protective gloves and mask and is right there, eager to be part of the action. It makes me so happy. Whereas Will finds it all a bit disgusting.
Dr Jane Miller in a snapshot …
Favourite quote: “You don’t have to be friends with everyone but you do need to be friendly”
Favourite book: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Favourite movie: Red Dog
Favourite music: Greatest Showman Soundtrack
Most embarrassing moment: Singing a song written by a friend at our vet school ball and forgetting all the words. I sang random words and looked like an idiot! We had practiced with the band for weeks. I possibly had a few too many courage building drinks!
Who would you like to invite over for Friday night pizza?
Neil Armstrong – I’m obsessed with space
Richard Branson – Amazing life story
Hillary Clinton – I watched the mini doco narrated by Hillary and find her very impressive
Most annoying habit: I can sometimes be too manic and over the top when I get excited!
Guilty pleasure: Lollies, ocean swimming and Lon Day Spa!
Husband: James Povey. He’s extremely kind, clever and creative
Daughter: Harriet (age 9) – Kind, calm, considered (unlike her manic mother)
She’s a beautiful soul. I actually don’t know how she came from James and I.
Son: Will (age 6) – Emotional, hilarious, wild.
We try to get cross with him and he’ll come out with these hilarious one-liners and we just crumble.
