Milly Watts measures her work by a simple test: whether she can go home and sleep at night.  

As a cattle veterinarian, that standard guides every decision she makes – especially the difficult ones – and underpins a career grounded in welfare, honesty and respect. 

For Milly, care has always been practical. She grew up on a sheep and cropping farm, where animals were part of daily life and loss was a regular part of that.  

One of her earliest memories is standing beside her dad – a fellow Murdoch veterinary medicine graduate – as he carried out a post‑mortem on sheep that had died from poisoning. While others turned away, Milly leaned in. 

“I just remember being absolutely enamoured,” she said. “I thought it was the coolest thing.” 

Looking back, the signs were there early. But choosing that career didn’t feel obvious at 17.  

Like many students drawn to science, Milly weighed up human medicine and veterinary medicine. The moment that tipped the balance came from a course guide. 

“There was this huge photo of someone in Murdoch overalls doing an IV on a cow,” she said.  

“I remember thinking, that looks really cool. That’s something I’d love to do.” 

The on‑campus farm at Murdoch University sealed it. It promised to provide learning by doing, not just reading, which suited her hands-on approach to life.  

I wanted as much real-life experience as possible, and at Murdoch you could literally go a couple of kilometres down the road and be on the farm.

By second year, Milly was taking blood from sheep, performing rectal exams on cattle, handling pigs and catching horses – all on campus. 

“I came from a sheep and crop farm and had never touched a cow in my life,” she said. “You can read about it all you want, but until you do it, it’s completely different.” 

Her university days were split between morning lectures and afternoons on the farm, pulling on overalls and learning with animals in front of them.  

It was preparing her for a career that her dad explained early on was really about people.  

“He said, don’t go into vet work for the animals. Go into it to help people. Because as much as it’s about animals, it’s mostly about people,” she said. 

That advice stuck.  

Every animal is part of a human story – a business, a livelihood, a family. One of her placements in a small animal clinic brought her face‑to‑face with the emotional weight of that: euthanasia, grief and the resilience required to deal with both. 

“Death was part of my childhood on the farm. But the emotional drain – that was something I wasn’t fully prepared for.” 

Murdoch didn’t shield students from that reality. Instead, practical experience prepared Milly for it, along with a little help from her friends. 

“You’re there all the time, so you form a really tight‑knit community,” she said. 

I honestly wouldn’t have graduated without my friends. We got each other through.

Today, Milly is a cattle veterinarian based near Albany. She works with herds across the region at Bovitech, a business started by another Murdoch alumnus, Jess Shilling.  

Her days are shaped by seasons – calvings, sick animals, bull testing, pregnancy diagnosis, herd health consulting 

“Every day is different,” she said. “I’m outside, I’m problem‑solving, I’m never bored.” 

She still feels the pinch‑me moments – driving through karri forests, emerging over hills to see the ocean in view.  

“I can’t believe this is what I do,” she said. 

But the hardest moments stay with her too, because sometimes care means knowing when to stop. 

“Having to give up on an animal is really hard. Failure is probably the hardest thing for me.” 

Her line on making those hard calls is clear: animal welfare comes first.  

“I have to be able to go home and sleep at night,” she said. “If something breaches my values, I won’t do it.” 

The care she provides to the community also shows up in less expected ways. In phone calls that stretch from pink eye treatment into half‑hour conversations about drought, isolation and family pressure. In remembering the names of clients’ partners and children. In ringing, not texting. 

“Farmers don’t talk easily, and because their families are often carrying the same load, they don't want to add to it. So, they end up talking to me.” 

When asked what she’s most proud of, Milly doesn’t point to individual cases. She talks about growth – of herself, her clients and her students.  

“I’m really proud of how far I’ve come from being a new grad and seeing the role we’ve played in helping our clients’ businesses grow and improve.” 

“I am fortunate that my boss took a chance on me early and has mentored me since.” 

She’s also proud of the students she now trains – many from Murdoch – offering them the same real‑world experiences that shaped her. 

“It’s hard work, but if you’ve got the right attitude, it’s incredibly rewarding.” 

When done with care, it’s a career that allows you to sleep at night, too. 

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