Dr. Chris Pretorius

Veterinarian & Practice Owner

Dr Chris grew up on a working farm in rural South Africa, he studied Veterinary Science and qualified in 1989 from the University of Pretoria. He worked for the Department of Agriculture for 4 years before opening his own clinic, and later a second clinic, treating all creatures great and small.

He moved over to Australia in 2005 with his wife and three children. First living and working in Balarat Victoria, before moving to Townsville in 2006. Initially he worked at Kelso Veterinary clinic, however soon after he bought a share in Hammett Street Vet Surgery where he was partner and part owner for 9 years.

It was here that he grew his name and client base among the Townsville community, who have supported him opening his own clinic here at Kings Road Veterinary Surgery in Feburary 2016.

Chris has an interest in all procedure's but has a real passion for all orthopaedic surgeries, especially cruciate and hip surgeries. He is very down to earth, practical vet, who truly cares about his patients and their family.

Chris is a very outdoor's man, with hobby's in camping, 4wd'ing and horse riding. He has 2 dogs; a tiny Chihuahua named Peanut and a Terrier cross name Ellie and 2 Arabian horse's; Power and Tiekie.

Rilie Baker (BVSc)

Veterinarian

Meet our amazing Dr. Rilie. 

Dr. Rilie grew up in the small city of Rockhampton where she completed her year 12 studies at Rockhampton State High School before moving to Townsville to fulfill her lifelong goal of completing a Bachelor of Veterinary Science through James Cook University.  Dr. Rilie graduated in 2020 and kickstarted her career by joining Dr. Chris and the Team at Kings Road Veterinary Surgery where she handles all exotics, including birds, reptiles and fish, as well as your everyday house pets with ease. 

Dr. Rilie has 5 birds, including, Pesto the Scaley Breasted Lorikeet, Melon the Coconut Lorikeet, Bleu the Galah as well as Sherbert and Custard the Bourke’s Parrots.  She also has two rescue cats Grimm (pictured with Dr. Rilie), the Oriental X Ragdoll, and Bastion the Maine coon X.  In addition to these Dr. Rilie keeps an array of tropical fish in her 4-foot tank in her lounge room.

In her spare time, she enjoys digital art, reading and writing fantasy novels, leading campaigns on Dungeons & Dragons and buying plants for her home.

Our Team Members

Registered Veterinary Nurse

Meet the team of Kings Road Veterinary Surgery!

Our Nurses and Administration Support Team, along with Dr Chris and Dr Rilie, provide exceptional care to our clients and patients during every visit in a caring and compassionate manner. 

We ensure excellent veterinary services by utilizing the highest standard of care and staying abreast of the most recent advancements in medicine for our furry, scaly and feathered friends.

We also partner with our clients to nurture and preserve the bond between puppy and owner through our in house Puppy Pre-School, where our Vet Nurses educate our clients about the role they play in keeping their pets healthy, happy and mentally stimulated.  One of the many benefits of our in house Puppy Pre-School is we offer services to puppies with only their first and second vaccination.  We recommend starting enrolling into Puppy Pre-School between 8-12 weeks of age, due to being the prime age of socialisation, to give your little one the best start in life.

Salome Pretorius

Financial Administrator

Salome is our part-time Financial Administration and full-time Wife of our very own Dr. Chris.  Like Chris, Salome studied at the University of Pretoria, completing her Bachelor in Laws (LL.B) with First Class Honours before moving to Australia in 2005 with their three children.  

Salome diligently handles all of our Accounts and Financial Administration throughout the clinic.