Ph: (03) 6295 1460 | 5 Thorp Street Cygnet, 7112 | Urgent and After Hours Service Available.

Our Team

The practice’s mission is “kind, holistic health care with a community spirit”. Our philosophy is to support and empower the patients to make choices to promote self-care. Selection of the right team members, whose personal philosophy aligned with the practice’s, ensures that patients are treated with kindness. 

Collaboration with the patients, team members and the local community has been the key for the growth of the service and satisfaction of all involved.

Management

Founder and Director

Kerrie​

From small things, big things grow, as the saying goes. Kerrie and business partners Carl and Linda Childs van Wijk continued Dr. Annette Hackett’s legacy of providing kind, holistic healthcare in 2014.

A winner of a national business award in October, 2022 for Innovation in Business, Kerrie is passionate about providing new practice systems which improve the quality of, and access to health care provided through a team-based, patient-centred approach to residents and visitors to the Huon Valley.

Kerrie’s advocacy for improved access to health care in rural areas was also recognised in October 2024 by receiving a national Medicare Champion award. This award was in recognition of establishing our Urgent and After-Hours Service. This innovative nurse practitioner led, community paramedic supported model of care provides an additional 120 appointments per week for a community where waiting times to access general practice care can be over 4 weeks.

Doctors

Dr. Shiwei Wang

He has a MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), Masters of Neurology and a PhD in Neuroscience.
He is currently in his second year of studying to become a General Practitioner. He has worked in rural Victoria and has relocated to the Huon Valley from Deloraine.
He enjoys the wide variety of in general practice and has a special interest in skin procedures.
He is fluent in English and Mardarin and conversant in German.
He will be working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays from 9 am until 5pm, and Thursdays 2pm until 6.30pm.

Dr Ingrid Smethurst

Ingrid obtained her medical degree through University of Tasmania in 2011, spending her final two years at the Rural Clinical School in Burnie. She obtained her RACGP Fellowship in 2018. Ingrid enjoys the breadth and depth of general practice, especially pregnancy care and youth health. She is a champion for non-drug therapies alongside traditional medicines. She enjoys working with her colleagues, in a team of health professionals.

Outside work hours, Ingrid enjoys spending time in the outdoors (with and without her family), crafting at home and dancing to live music.

Dr Tammy Bennetts

Dr Tammy graduated from the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle WA , going on to work at Royal Perth Hospital and then in the Emergency Department in Bunbury Regional Hospital before completing her Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Diploma in Child Health.

Tammy has worked as a GP in the South West of WA, both in private practice and Aboriginal medical services. She has also enjoyed rural hospital emergency and hospital work as well as urgent care. Tammy enjoys working with all ages and presentations in family general practice and has special interests in women’s health and menopause.

Outside of work, Tammy enjoys spending time with her children, family, friends and dogs and gardening , hiking and travel. She is excited to have made a tree change to this beautiful corner of the world and join the team at Cygnet Family Practice.

Dr Catherine Kennedy

Catherine completed her Bachelor of Medicine with Distinction at the University of Newcastle in 2016, before moving to the Central Coast of NSW to complete her hospital and then GP training. She enjoys the wide spectrum of family medicine and has an interest in public health, completing her Masters in 2018.  In 2022, she travelled around Australia working in different communities along her way, before deciding to settle back home in Tassie. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, running, cooking and playing the bagpipes.

Catherine is currently not taking any new patients.

Dr. Angela Lewis

Dr Ang completed her medical degree with honours at the University of New South Wales and went on to complete a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Launceston General Hospital as well as General Practice training in Newcastle.

Ang and Simon moved to Cygnet in 2019 and love living in this beautiful area.

Ang enjoys the diversity of general practice and in her spare time loves bushwalking and camping with Simon and the kids.

Dr. Simon McCluskey

Dr Simon graduated from the University of New South Wales, going on to complete further clinical training in Launceston and Newcastle. Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and has a Diploma in Child Health. Simon enjoys the diversity of general practice and is excited to be joining the caring team at Cygnet Family Practice as well as moving to such a beautiful part of the world with Angie and the kids.

Dr. Nikki Randriamahefa

Nikki is excited to join the team at Cygnet Family Practice. She completed her medical degree at the University of Tasmania in 2016 and spent two years at the Royal Hobart Hospital prior to starting out in general practice at a community based health service in Hobart. Approaching healthcare from a physical, emotional, spiritual and community perspective is central to Nikki’s practice. She has three children and enjoys family, friends, running, camping and sunshine on her shoulders.

Nurses

REGISTERED NURSE​

Melanie​

Melanie is our English trained registered nurse who moved to Australia in 2010 after completing her Bachelor of Nursing in the UK and has worked in Emergency Departments both in the UK and Australia for the last 15 years. She relocated to Tasmania in September to be close to family and was excited to start work at the Cygnet Family practice with all the new learning opportunities in General Practice. She loves talking to and meeting with new people whilst learning new skills along the way.

Her animals are her passion outside of work with an entourage of her dog, cat, chooks, geese and 2 ponies moving to Tasmania with her ….. we are expecting the animal family to continue to grow!

REGISTERED NURSE​

Vicky​

Vicky is our Scottish registered nurse. She worked for 15 years in Scotland working as a Senior Nurse in an Elderly rehabilitation hospital.

Since coming to Tasmania 13 years ago, Vicky has been working in general practice where she has an interest in chronic disease management. Vicky enjoys the holistic health care approach during health assessments and care plans.

Vicky has just moved to Cygnet with her family and is looking forward to getting to know the Cygnet community and exploring the beautiful area.

REGISTERED NURSE​

Jane​

Jane has been a Registered Nurse for 30 years and has been working in General Practice for over ten years. After initially training in a hospital, she studied at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia and gained a Bachelor of Nursing. Previously she worked in Dialysis and remote Aboriginal communities. Jane is a Nurse Immuniser, which means she can give immunisations and childhood immunisations. She specialises in  “Well Womens Health Checks”, which includes pap smears and breast checks. Also has extra training in wound care and health assessments.

REGISTERED NURSE​ & PARAMEDIC

Anna​

Anna is a Registered Nurse who is experienced in working in a variety of settings including aged care, unit management, and transition care programs rehabilitating patients back into their homes. Anna also has an arts degree with a major in psychology and has worked in management roles with a human resources focus and is currently working as a peer support for the Tasmanian Emergency services. Anna is also currently working with Ambulance Tasmania as a registered Paramedic. She enjoys working in all regions of beautiful Tasmania to provide both acute and holistic care to those in need.

Practice Management

Accounts Manager

Solvejg

Practice Manager

Beth​

Reception Staff

Nicole

Karyn​

Rebecca​

Margie​

Urgent and After Hours

Paramedic

Nick

Nick is an experienced paramedic who has worked for ambulance services on the mainland in metropolitan, rural and remote settings before returning back to Tasmania in 2020. He has since lived in the Huon Valley while working as a paramedic for Ambulance Tasmania, and has become increasingly interested in community paramedicine and primary health care.

Nick is now working with the Urgent and After Hours Service here at Cygnet Family Practice, and is providing person-focused urgent and acute health care to our community.

Nurse Practitioner

Ann

I’ve been a Registered Nurse since 1996 and a Nurse Practitioner for over 12 years, with experience in emergency departments and urgent care. I have a particular interest in acute injuries, acute illness, wound care, skin conditions, ENT concerns, and fracture management — all areas where timely, compassionate care can make a real difference. Suturing, wound closure and fracture management has been my most recent area of expertise, and I would like to use these skills to help patients receive safe and timely care and avoid the long journey and often long wait in the emergency department.

I originally trained in Victoria before moving to the UK to complete my Master’s degree, which broadened my clinical perspective and deepened my commitment to patient-centered care. I believe in treating the whole person, not just the condition, and I’m always curious about the story behind each patient. Listening, understanding, and working together is at the heart of how I practice.

Outside of work, I enjoy walking, spending time with my dog Ruby, and I’m keen to learn how to fish and sail — especially now that I’m settling into the beautiful Cygnet community. I’m excited to be here and look forward to meeting you.

NURSE PRACTITIONER/MANAGING DIRECTOR

Kerrie​

An experienced and highly skilled Nurse Practitioner with over 45 years nursing experience, Kerrie can prescribe medications, order blood tests, X-rays and ultrasounds and can diagnose many medical conditions. Kerrie’s advocation for improved access to health care in rural areas was recognised in October 2024 by receiving a national Medicare Champion award.

She holds post graduate certificates in Intensive Care, Midwifery and General Practice Nursing. In addition to these, she is an authorised nurse immuniser, holds a Bachelor of Education Degree, and a Masters in Nursing Science.

She is available to provide care for minor illness and injuries and has a special interest in diabetes and heart disease.

Her passion is to keep you well and prevent you from getting sick where possible. She provides an Annual Health Check which screens for risk factors which can cause cancer and chronic diseases. Kerrie provides a holistic service which includes physical, mental and Christian spiritual health.

Allied Health

CONSULTING CLINICAL PHARMACIST​

Angus Thompson​

Angus Thompson is a Consulting Clinical Pharmacist who has worked with the Cygnet Family Practice team for almost 8 years, primarily providing Home Medicines Review (HMR) services.

Angus trained in the UK, moved to Tasmania in 2008 and has over 30 years of experience in various pharmacy roles spanning Community, Hospital, General Practice and Teaching.

As well as undertaking HMRs for us and other General Practices across the Greater Hobart area, Angus works as a Clinical Editor for Primary Health Tasmania and teaches Therapeutics to Pharmacy students at the University of Tasmania.

Angus’s work is driven by a commitment to the principle of Quality Use of Medicines, which is a central objective of Australia’s National Medicines Policy.

Angus’s significant contribution to the pharmacy profession was acknowledged when he was named Tasmanian Pharmacist of the Year in 2017.

You can learn more about Home Medicines Review (HMR) at the link below:

Home Medicines Review (HMR) Information Page

Therapy Dog

Rupert Duggan

Rupert has been working at our practice for the past 4 years.
His job is to welcome you to our waiting room and taking our team members for walks.

If you would like to know about employment opportunities, please contact Kerrie Duggan for a confidential discussion by emailing to: reception@cygnetfamilypractice.com.au.

Scroll to Top