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Vet professional and explorer Geoff Wilson has spent a lifetime conquering new heights. Now he’s offering others the chance to emulate his journey. By Tracey Porter
Dr Geoff Wilson (AM) has devoted much of his life to pushing the boundaries of human endurance.
The founder of a Queensland-headquartered veterinary group—as well as a world-class polar explorer, philanthropist and climate change activist—Dr Wilson knows what it takes to operate out of his comfort zone and fail.
But he’s had many wins along the way too.
In 2015, he founded VetLove, a consortium of vet practices bringing small one-on-one family practice-type vet work to state-of-the-art animal hospitals.
When not busy in his day job as a veterinary surgeon and CEO overseeing the group’s 14 vet hospitals across northern NSW and South East Queensland, Dr Wilson finds time to indulge his other passion—traversing the Sahara, Simpson and Namib deserts on his kiteboard.
To raise awareness for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer charity, his 2013/14 Antarctic expedition was completed on a “boob sled”, a journey which not only attracted hundreds of thousands in charitable donations but also drew worldwide media attention.
More recently, he broke the Guinness World Records for the fastest unsupported crossing of Greenland and becoming the first person to summit Dome Argus, the highest point on the Antarctic Plateau, solo and unsupported.
Now he is attracting attention of a different kind—this time for his efforts with Project Zero, a net zero docu-series that follows him and his son as they journey to some of the world’s most isolated and vulnerable environments on a wind and solar-powered net zero carbon emission vessel to raise awareness and dispel myths about climate change.
However, after a lifetime of pushing his mind and body to extremes, Dr Wilson is now integrating his polar survival knowledge into his veterinary work to mentor and inspire young professionals to discover their greater purpose.
Learning to be tough
Now 55, Dr Wilson was programmed to overcome adversity almost from the moment of birth.
I did a locum for a very nasty human being and felt that I could show more love and care in what we did. Either that or walk away. I’m glad I didn’t take the easier option.
Dr Geoff Wilson, owner, VetLove
Born with a cleft palate in the village of Kitale in Kenya in 1970, he endured multiple corrective surgeries from a very young age. In 1975 his family escaped the heavy rule of Idi Amin after his father sold all their possessions and purchased a Cessna 75 to bring the family to Australia.
Here he was sent to boarding school and very quickly learned the importance of resilience after enduring taunts from his schoolmates about his multiple facial surgeries.
This resilience has held him in good stead. In an interview on The Vet Vault podcast in 2024, Dr Wilson describes the hardship of surviving a polar storm. He recalls being alone in a tent when he received news of the potentially deadly storm heading his way before calling his family to say his goodbyes.
“Having survived that sort of storm, you think that the veterinary world would have nothing to challenge you. But on a day where you’ve got back-to-back surgeries, you’ve got consults in the morning, a couple of staff issues to sort out …And then [you find] you’re three consults behind in the afternoon session. Those sorts of days can be equally as tough.
“So for vets to hear that and go, ‘Okay, you’ve got this polar explorer saying the veterinary environment will throw a similar kind of stress load on the human frame.’ It just allows you to go, ‘Hey, it’s fine to have days where you feel a bit pushed. But it’s how you respond that matters.’
“Resilience is not innate, it’s a learned behaviour,” he adds. “You can discipline yourself to be more resilient over time.”
Working hard
With nearly three decades of clinic experience, Dr Wilson has been at the coalface of almost every style of veterinary practice. After graduating, he worked in large animal practices for eight years before transitioning—having become a father of three—to small animal practices because it was “kinder on family life”.
Likewise, his explorations have been strategically planned. After finishing school, he was just 18 when he embarked on his first adventure, cycling from London to Nairobi. He was just 28 when he first entered practice ownership and in his late 40s when he found the courage to follow his dream of creating a small group of vet practices with “dedicated, passionate, animal-loving healthcare professionals who believe that pets are not a profitable commodity, but an imperative part of the family unit.
“I did a locum for a very nasty human being and felt that I could show more love and care in what we did. Either that or walk away. I’m glad I didn’t take the easier option.
“Without significant risk, significant reward comes down to pure luck. The harder I work, the greater I stretch, the luckier I get.”
Keeping promises
On all his adventures, Dr Wilson admits that at some point progress seems impossible. That’s when he gives himself two choices—either keep pushing or turn around and accept defeat.
The same can be said of building a practice, he says.
Owing to his experiences in the polar regions (Arctic, Greenland, Antarctica), he has committed his clinics to planting two trees in Kalimantan, Borneo, for every surgery completed. It is hoped the ambitious project will result in a forest where Dr Wilson can one day send his team and clients to create habitat for the native orangutan that live there, with the ultimate aim of restoring the lungs of the planet while also helping to reduce the group’s carbon footprint.
Dr Wilson says it’s important when building a practice that vet practice owners continually strive to deliver on their commitments no matter how audacious. “The easiest part of this process is building brand and image. The hardest is living up to the promises you have made.”
Lessons learned
Polar exploration and veterinary work have much in common, Dr Wilson says. Both involve visiting places you may not have been to before, and both require solid financial backing and a strong team to succeed. “In our industry more than most, teamwork is key. Hiring smarter people than me, hiring more passionate people than me has been key to my being able to continue working as an explorer and as a veterinarian.”
Dr Wilson says he has learned that when considering expanding into practice ownership, hiring staff or inviting an equity partner to join his business, ground rules should be established to ensure everyone is working towards the same goal. “Get good advice. Establish a clear partnership agreement and understand each person’s motivations for being at the table—make sure they align. Prioritise the animals, and the financial success will follow naturally.”
The three Ps
Dr Wilson knows better than most that tomorrow isn’t a given. He has been struck down by oxygen deprivation, hypothermia and hallucinations while exploring, and almost died eight times.
While vets in Australia might not have the same hobbies as Dr Wilson, that doesn’t mean the profession isn’t without its own set of risks to both mental and physical wellbeing.
The key to managing these, Dr Wilson says, is to ensure you have built resilience within your veterinary teams using what he terms “the three Ps. The first is Purpose, knowing why we do what we do every day. The second is Passion, approaching each day with 100 per cent enthusiasm. And the third is Persistence. When setbacks come, breathe, heal, recharge, and come back stronger. Never, ever give up.”
