Inside the Stethoscope Dr Margie Bale By Phoebe Nunn
Dr Margie Bale is undeniably warm, friendly, open and infectiously enthusiastic about being a veterinarian. Additionally, as one of Australia’s only camel vets, she is also somewhat of a veterinary adventurer. When asked about her early days, Margie recounts a tale that is familiar to many veterinarians. She studied at the University of Queensland (UQ) and started in mixed prac�ce. While her first outcall to an ostrich autopsy was complicated by the fact that it had been buried two days prior in the Queensland heat, she soon found her feet and loved the job. A�er the inevitable trip to locum in the UK, Margie worked at The University of Queensland’s Dayboro campus. Her roles clinician within the university gave Margie the best of both worlds, providing teaching opportuni�es, technology and the camaraderie of mixed prac�ce.
Dayboro was also home to hobby farms and novel pa�ents, including camels, alpacas and the occasional pot-bellied pig. However, it was not un�l Margie was serving as a veterinarian at the Royal Queensland Show - Ekka, that she got into a conversa�on with a man se�ng up a camel dairy and she passingly offered her assistance. Eventually, Margie became the dairy’s full-�me veterinarian and pioneered her way forward, with much enthusiasm, endless research and bit of trial and error. She travelled to Dubai and experienced camels quite different from the largely wild Australian popula�on. Here, camels could compete in beauty contests, which regularly involved the applica�on of eyelash extensions, Botox, and the occasional cloning of winners. 38
