Riverton Rossmoyne Veterinary Hospital (RRVH) was established in 1971 by Dr Alan Croxford.
The single storey rendered building closest to High Road is the first and original part of RRVH. Historically, this building was located on Stirling Street, Perth. It was moved to its current location and rebuilt after World War II due to a shortage of bricks. It was previously occupied by a clairvoyant who used to do readings by the fireplace (which is now the staff room!).
For the first approximately two and a half years, the Croxford family both lived and worked in this single three-bedroom house. The main lounge room was converted to the veterinary surgery, one bedroom converted to a lounge room, and the other two bedrooms shared between Dr and Mrs Croxford and their three children. It was a very tight space, and sometimes the Croxfords had to share their bedroom with sick animals requiring treatment overnight!
The area surrounding RRVH was still very rural; further up High Road where Bunnings is currently located was a chicken farm, and there was also a pig farm nearby. Large parts of Willetton were still unbuilt on and contained large horse properties. At this point in time, RRVH treated both horses and farm animals as well as smaller domestic pets.
In 1974 a single storey extension was added to the building
providing much needed space for the expanding veterinary practice. This part of the building is that with the flat roof containing the current waiting room, located closest to the client carpark.
As the practice continued to grow and staff increased, the Croxfords bought the block of land next door and built a separate house for themselves and increased parking facilities for the veterinary practice.
In 1979 a double storey red brick extension was added to the building
Downstairs was fitted out to very high standards, with three consulting rooms and a large open plan reception. Upstairs was fitted out as a one bedroom flat and was intended to be used by live-in staff members who were caring for animals overnight, as afterhours work was commonplace at the time.
In the late 1990s RRVH became one of the very first veterinary practices in Perth to become computerised with leading veterinary record keeping software.
In 2010 Dr Croxford celebrated his 50th year as a veterinarian and began gradually reducing his working hours.
In 2015 husband and wife team Dr Jonathan Spanoghe and Dr Kelly Hall bought RRVH from the Croxfords, ensuring it would continue to operate as a family owned and run practice. Over the next few years gradual steps were taken to upgrade some equipment and modernise parts of the practice. This allowed RRVH to expand the services able to be offered to clients and their pets, including the ability to carry out more advanced soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery.
In mid-2019 RRVH underwent major renovations and equipment upgrades to ensure the highest standards of care and treatment options are available to its patients. It is hoped these will bring a new lease of life to the practice and allow RRVH to continue serving clients and pets of the community for years to come.