General News
8 November, 2024
Dentist couple calls Horsham home as they set up Wimmera Family Dental
Dr Hugo Hancock and Dr Gabby Jun launch Wimmera Family Dental.
Couples who dentist together stay together, and for married couple Dr Hugo Hancock and Dr Gabby Jun, they've decided to do it in Horsham.
The pair have brought their dentistry expertise to Horsham's Hamilton Street by opening up Wimmera Family Dental.
"It's been really rewarding and enjoyable," said Dr Hancock.
"It's our first time owning or running a business, so certainly, there are challenges.
"You don't realise how much is involved [with running a business] when you're just working as an employee or as an associate dentist."
Dr Hancock has found it 'really rewarding' to be able to work towards his own vision of how the business should ideally run.
"There's always going to be things you've got to work towards; it's never going to be perfect," he said.
"But having that freedom to change things is really good."
While Dr Jun admits owning her own business is 'definitely different' than working for someone else, she said it is great to be able to run things alongside her husband, Dr Hancock.
"I have Hugo as a partner; it just makes your relationship stronger," she said.
"It's busy, but it's good."
Both Dr Hancock and Dr Jun said that they complement one another in running their business.
"There are quite a lot of things that you need to do running a business, [it is] not just seeing your patients, there's a lot of admin to do, and staff issues as well," said Dr Jun.
"We've been together for a long time; we've known each other since university, so we know how to work with each other."
Dr Hancock added, "We've never owned a business before, but we've worked in the same clinic, so we're pretty familiar with each other. We know how to communicate effectively."
Dr Hancock and Dr Jun met while they were both attending the University of Melbourne's Doctor of Dental Surgery program.
But, having previously worked at a dental clinic in Horsham, the pair decided to call the city home when setting up their own shop.
"We love the Horsham area, and we wanted to provide high-quality dentistry to the area," said Dr Hancock.
Dr Jun said the couple's previous experience in Horsham drew them back.
"We really enjoyed the community, and we loved living in Horsham" she said.
"I always wanted to open a clinic later on [in my career], so I thought it was a good time for us to open up."
For Dr Jun, dentistry was a calling for her from a young age.
"Growing up, I had a really good general dentist, so I always enjoyed visiting my dentist," she said.
"It was always my passion and my dream to become a dentist; it's something that I always wanted to do."
For Dr Hancock, it was a desire to help people, and an interest in science, that led him to dentistry.
"I'd always wanted to do something in the health field, something that was just helping people, even if it's just in some small way," he said.