From Ukraine to Yandina, Podiatrist finds home on Coast

Yandina Podiatrist, Tetyana Podkas “I believe everyone should have access to quality podiatry care, regardless of their financial circumstances.”

Business Feature: Yandina Podiatry

A family trip to Melbourne to celebrate their daughter’s university graduation became the beginning of an unexpected new chapter for Tetyana Podkas and her husband, Paul.

“After our daughter’s graduation, we decided to extend our holiday and explore the Sunshine Coast to see whether it could become our new home. We had been thinking of leaving Perth and I had always dreamed of living somewhere the ocean meets the hills. I literally opened a map of Australia looking for a place where the coastline and hinterland came together, and the Sunshine Coast stood out.”

The moment they stepped off the plane, they knew they had found something special.

“The warm, humid air reminded me of summer in my hometown of Odessa, Ukraine. We all immediately fell in love with the area. It simply felt like home.”

The family had just one weekend to inspect properties before flying back to Perth.

“I came across a property in Maroochy River online. The agent wasn’t sure he could arrange a Sunday inspection, but said he’d try.

“We drove there anyway just to see the area and the house from the outside. The owners happened to be home and kindly invited us in. As soon as we walked through the front door, we looked at each other and instantly knew we’d found our new home. We made an offer that afternoon.”

Back in Perth, life became a whirlwind as the family sold their home, most of their belongings and their successful podiatry practice before moving across Australia 10 months later. “It sounded like the perfect plan on paper,” Tetyana laughed. “In reality, almost nothing went according to plan. On moving day, we were still packing three hours after we were supposed to hand over the keys!”

Instead of driving the family car as planned, Tetyana found herself behind the wheel of a six-berth motorhome for almost 5000 kilometres while Paul drove their Nissan towing a furniture trailer.

Travelling with their nine-year-old son, Maxim, and two elderly cats, the journey went surprisingly smoothly.

Tetyana graduated as a podiatrist from Curtin University in 2002. Together with Paul, they owned and operated a successful podiatry practice in Perth for more than 20 years.

After settling on the Sunshine Coast, she spent six months deciding on the next step in her career. “I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to own another clinic again. After exploring other opportunities, I realised how much I valued being able to care for patients according to my own professional standards and personalised approach. I wanted to build a practice where people feel listened to and genuinely cared for.”

That decision led to the opening of Yandina Podiatry. “I offer bulk-billed podiatry appointments for eligible Medicare CDM (GP Care Plan) referrals, with no out-of-pocket cost for standard consultations,” Tetyana said.

“I believe everyone should have access to quality podiatry care, regardless of their financial circumstances. The Sunshine Coast has truly become our home, and I feel privileged to care for the community that welcomed us so warmly.”

• Yandina Podiatry is located within Farrell Street Family Practice in Yandina. For more information or to book an appointment, visit www.yandinapodiatry.com.au or phone (07) 5302 7817.