Our
Team
our team
DR OWEN JOHNSTON
DENTIST
B.Dent (JCU- Cairns). B.OH (Griffith- GC). B.Hlth.Sci (Griffith- GC)
Hailing all the way from the Gold Coast, Dr. Owen is loving the slower-paced lifestyle in Devonport, without peak hour traffic and the long commute to work. He and Dr Nicole met at university in Cairns, and it was Owen who suggested moving to Devonport, we are quite sure he regrets this decision in the midst of the Tassie winter!
Dr. Owen has a kind and caring approach to dentistry, enjoying all aspects of private practice. He loves meeting new patients and helping them to achieve their dental goals, with a bit (a lot) of social chat in between! He enjoys getting to know each patient, and values the relationships he builds. 
Dr. Owen has previously spent time working in Bundaberg, Cairns, Thursday Island and has undertaken outreach work in the Solomon Islands, which was an incredible experience and something he hopes to do again in the future. When not at work, Dr. Owen enjoys spending time with his little girl Pia (and occasionally with Dr Nicole!), mountain biking, bush walking, catching up with friends over a Tassie craft beer and walking his weimaraner Mo (who can often be seen roaming around in the practice yard on weekends or driving around Devonport on the back of the ute!)
Fun Fact: He is ambidextrous, which is a little challenging for his dental assistant. He also worked as a long haul truck driver for 6 years before deciding he would like to be a dentist, definitely not the most common career progression!
DR NICOLE JOHNSTON (NEE PERRY)
DENTIST
B.Dent (JCU- Cairns). B.Nurse (UTAS – Launceston)
Dr. Nicole is a Devonport local born and bred, and is very much enjoying being a part of the tight-knit Devonport community again, after many years living in Queensland, although she is missing the sunny QLD weather just a little.
Since working as a registered nurse in various emergency departments throughout Tasmania, Queensland and the Northern Territory, Nicole has discovered her true passion in a career in dentistry. 
Dr. Nicole enjoys all areas of private practice, and like Dr Owen, is always up for a chat. Dr. Nicole loves treating children and is thrilled that her new pink dental chair is attracting so many small people to Oldaker Street Dental. She has worked publicly in Cairns and Alice Springs, where she thoroughly enjoyed delivering dental treatment to remote Indigenous communities.
Outside of work, Dr. Nicole spends most of her time running, swimming or at the gym, and has competed nationally in the 800m (running) over many years, although spending time with their daughter, little Pia, has recently taken centre stage in both Dr Nicole and Dr Owen’s lives… along with their dog Mo, of course!
Fun Fact: Dr Nicole’s favourite colour is pink (yes, not a great fact, this is obvious to anyone who steps into her surgery), she also LOVES shopping and once featured in a Mazda TV advertisement which aired in Japan while she was at university. She has a thing for earrings and wears some interesting ones most days to work!
Dr Gerhardus Van De Merwe
DENTIST
Dr Gerhard is originally from South Africa, and has been working in Australia for 12 years. He has worked with Dr Owen and Dr Nicole over the past 4 years in the public dental service. These three enjoyed working together so much that Dr Gerhard decided to join them at OSD a few days a week.

Dr Gerhard enjoys all areas of general dentistry with a special interest (and loads of experience) in wisdom teeth removal.
In his non-dental time, Dr Gerhard loves camping and recently returned from travelling around Australia with his wife and two boys (in arguably one of the best camper set ups around) for a whole year! You may also find Dr Gerhard out in his boat fishing or spending time with his family and their two dogs, Charlotte and Romeo 
Fun Fact: Before studying dentistry, Dr Gerhard ran a holiday resort in Mozambique where he took people out scuba diving and fishing. He almost didn’t accept the University’s offer to study Dentistry because the resort life was so enjoyable… we are so pleased he did though!
Dr Fraser Lyon
DENTIST
Dr Fraser is a little like a boomerang, he always seems to return to Devonport, which we are very happy about.Dr Fraser is a Devonport local born and bred. He came back last year to help when Dr Nicole and Dr Owen went on holiday… he clearly enjoyed it and is now back working with us 3 days a week.
Dr Fraser trained in athletics with Dr Nicole for many years in Devonport (Yessssss, there’s that pattern again… we promise we DO employ dentists who are NOT runners too!). He also studied in Cairns at James Cook University with both Dr Owen and Dr Nicole. The three have done many a trip together, including hiking, mountain biking and the odd triathlon.
Dr Fraser has spent the past few years working in private practice in beautiful Airlie Beach, and enjoys all areas of private practice.In his downtime, Dr Fraser enjoys mountain biking, hiking and fishing

Fun Fact: Dr Fraser is deaf in one ear! He also competed as a professional triathlete prior to beginning dentistry.
Dr Lily Horniblow
DENTIST
After joining us for a few locum stints, Dr Lily has decided it’s time to make the NW coast her home again, and we are VERY excited to have her back!
Dr Lily is a North West Coast original, completing her schooling at Marist Regional College and Don College before relocating to Melbourne and Sydney to study Science & then Dentistry.
You might see Dr Lily out walking or running with her cute doggie Rory, or at a yoga class. She also enjoys travelling, camping and hiking when not helping people achieve their best smile.
Fun Fact: Lily is taking an online course in Spanish! So if you happen to be fluent in Spanish, book in with Lily to test her out!
Justine Barber
Cosmetic Injector/ Registered Nurse
Justine qualified as a Registered nurse at the University of Tasmania and has since been working in the Emergency Department at the Mersey and North West Regional Hospitals. Her true passion, however, lies with cosmetic nursing and helping individuals achieve an appearance they love.
Services Offered by Justine:
- Anti
- Wrinkle
- Dermal filler
- PDO threads
- Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment
For a consultation/ treatment with Justine please book via primaaesthetics.gettimely.com
SHANNAE von Stieglitz
Senior Dental Assistant
Shannae brings an impressive 10 years of dental experience to OSD, and the place would not run as smoothly without her. She manages to not only tick off her own to-do-list in record time, but puts a big dent in Dr Owen’s ever increasing jobs list (which Dr Nicole loves!).
Shannae has worked in both public and private practice and enjoys getting to know our returning patients, and catching up on what has been happening in their lives between visits. She also has a knack for managing to find emergency appointments in an already fully booked day, so for those people calling up with a toothache, Shannae could very well be your new best friend.
In her down time, you’ll likely find Shannae at a local café or restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner… her ideal day may even involve eating out for all three meals! She also spends a lot of time helping her partner build their new house and hanging out with her very cute golden retriever, Ralph.
Fun Fact: Shannae loves online shopping! The number of parcels delivered to OSD for Shannae suggest that she may even rival Dr Nicole in the retail stakes! Her go to coffee spot is 33 Cups in Ulverstone.
Hayley Davies
Dental Assistant 
A Sheffield girl born and bred, Hayley has been working in the dental industry for 8 years in both the public and private sector, with a little time off in between to have her two beautiful children, Austin and Estelle.
Hayley enjoys getting to know patients and their families in private practice, and is great at making our clients feel comfortable.
In her spare time, Hayley enjoys spending time with her young family, catching up with friends over a meal and a good glass of wine, or heading out for an afternoon stroll (or a run if it’s a Wednesday and there is a fun run coming up 
Fun fact: She is a Home & Away addict and cannot miss an episode. She also has a very cute pet…. McGregor the Scottish Highland COW!!!! 
Natalie Hagemann
Dental Assistant 
Nat brings a huge 15 years of experience working in the dental industry to the Oldaker Street team. In this time, she has worked in both public and private, spending a large amount of this time as a practice manager.Nat is our go to on the reception desk and seems to be able to find a solution for any issue that pops up. 
She enjoys getting to know patients, listening to their stories, and finds it very satisfying when we are able to transform someone’s smile.
When she’s not at work, Nat loves spending time with her two cute little girls (Eden & Ruby) and husband, enjoying the outdoors on bikes or camping. 
Fun Fact: Nat and Dr Nicole also spent their whole schooling lives together (Nixon Street Primary, Devonport High & Don College), often teaming up for netball together. Nat also makes a pretty impressive rubber glove chicken and has recently added rubber glove elephants to her repertoire.
Keneisha Steward
DENTAL ASSISTANT
Prior to working at OSD, Keneisha had spent all of her working life in hospitality, which may be credited for her bubbly personality, people skills and excellent time management. Dr Nicole and Dr Owen were regularly served coffee and cake by the delightful Keneisha, prompting them to ask her if she would like to work in dental, and fortunately the answer was yes!Keneisha’s favourite part of being a dental assistant is making people feel comfortable at the dentist and helping to transform a patient’s smile.
Outside of work, you might find Keneisha dog sitting, travelling, playing a round of golf, or spending her day drinking tea... it is a close competition between her and Dr Nicole when it comes to daily tea consumption!Fun Fact: She has travelled to 18 countries so far, with many more on the to do list, we are sure.
Tillie Shaw
DENTAL ASSISTANT
Tillie grew up on the Northwest coast of Tassie, and has spent the past 7 years enjoying the sunshine on the Gold Coast. She has worked in dental for 9 years, and enjoys meeting lots of different people and working in the team environment.
In her spare time you will most likely find Tillie at the gym, exploring the outdoors or spending time with her friends and family.
Fun Fact: Tillie is also a qualified personal trainer. She doesn't like hot drinks... which leaves most of us feeling guilty for not buying her something when we do the coffee run.
Tess Horton
Receptionist/Sterilisation Technician
Tess works with us part-time whilst she is completing a Bachelor of Psychology at the University of Tasmania. She has been a very welcome addition to the team, with her bubbly personality and speedy work in both sterilisation and reception.
Tess has long had an interest in dentistry (after a tiny mishap when she was younger!) and loves seeing the end result of treatment and the resultant improvement in a patient’s confidence.
In her free time (not that she has a lot of it), Tess enjoys photography, travel, athletics and enjoying the outdoors with family and friends.

Fun Fact: Tess can run 100m in 12.85 seconds. That’s FAST! Making her, hands down, the fastest member of the OSD team.