Fast-forward 20 years, she is now Benalla Veterinary Clinic’s senior nurse, and hopes to be there for another 20.
On Friday, August 7 she reached that milestone.
“I’m amazed that it’s actually 20 years,” Jo said.
“I remember my first day. I was absolutely petrified.
“I had worked in hospitality for a few years when I saw they (Benalla Veterinary Clinic) were offering a traineeship in veterinary nursing.
“I wanted to be a vet when I was younger, but I probably didn’t work hard enough at school.
“So when I got the opportunity to come here, it was perfect.”
Jo started her traineeship under former owner Bruce McIntyre.
“Bruce was who I got to do all of my original training under,” Jo said.
“And it wasn’t a massive difference when Steph and Yonnie (Meichel) took over, because I’d been working with Steph for a long time anyway.
“They’ve let me go further with a whole load of stuff. It was the next step in my development.
“It was a bit like going to a new job, but not really.”
Jo said she loved the job and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
“My favourite part is actually being able to spend time caring for the animals,” she said.
“The vets have to do a lot of the technical stuff, but the nurses get to do a lot of the actual caring.”
Jo said that while there are tough days, seeing a pet get better and go home with their owner is rewarding.
“You’ve got to get a bit of a thick skin,” she said.
“But the positives outweigh the negatives.”
Working at a vets for 20 years has led to Jo having many encounters with dogs and cats she recognises from the clinic.
“I always know the animal’s name,” she said.
“Not always the owners. So I’ll see someone in the street and say, ‘Oh, your Tilly’s owner’.”
Jo said one of the best parts of the job was everyone at the clinic are good friends.
“Even on a bad day, you come into work and these guys are great,” she said.
“They’re not just work colleagues, we really are like a little family. It’s really nice.
“We see each other all the time. We even socialise with each other.
“Even after a 40 hours a week, we’ll still go for drinks.”
In that spirit, Jo and her colleagues went out for a celebratory meal on Friday evening to celebrate her achievement.
And she’s extremely proud to do what she does for a living.
“I'm just grateful that Bruce gave me the opportunity to start with,” she said.
“And then, that Yonnie and Steph kept me on.
“I love my job.”
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