Jane Aarons

Occupational Therapist B.App Sc (OT)
Accredited Hand Therapist as awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association
Member of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) 

Jane started Peninsula Hand Therapy 25 years ago after a very long working holiday in Vancouver, Canada where she worked at a large public hospital, The Arthritis Society of British Columbia and Private Practice before taking a teaching position at the University of British Columbia.

Since that time Jane has developed PHT into Mornington Peninsula’s pre-eminent Hand and Upper Limb Rehabilitation service. As well as leading the team at PHT, Jane continues her clinical work as her primary focus and has a special interest in Rheumatology, musician’s injuries, children with handwriting difficulties and wrist injuries.

Jane has been awarded ‘Accredited Hand Therapist’ status by the Australian Hand Therapy Association and continues to contribute to the profession in presenting and professional development. Jane is also a senior tutor in the ‘Hand Faculty’ Training program. An International training program for early career therapists. Jane is also a volunteer member of Interplast Australia and New Zealand. She has done a number of volunteer programs in developing nations such as Bangladesh and Lao, teaching the local medical and allied health staff management of complex hand injuries.
Away from work she loves to travel, hike, ski and attempts to learn Italian.

Samuel Jubber

Bachelor of Health Science (Occupational Therapy)
Practitioner in Hand Therapy
Associate member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association
Member of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
Graduated from Charles Sturt University in 2004

Sam has been working in the Hand therapy field for 10 years after initially receiving specialist hand therapy training at the renowned Pulvertaft Hand Centre in England.

Sam enjoys the huge variety of conditions that are seen at PHT from GP and surgeon referrals and the self-referred ranging from simple sports injuries to the  more complex trauma.

Sam is an avid sportsman, golfer and cricketer and thrives on getting sports men and women back to sport ahead of schedule.  If Sam is not at work, you’ll probably find him on the golf course or watching his beloved Richmond Tigers.

Ross Bruce

Physiotherapist
(Practitioner in Hand Therapy)
DPT, BSc, APAM
Associate of the Australian Hand Therapy Association
Member of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) 

Ross completed his Doctor of Physiotherapy post-graduate qualification at Melbourne university in 2013. He started his career working in private physiotherapy practices in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

His interest in hands was sparked after his own rehabilitation experience with Peninsula Hand Therapy after surgery on his own wrist.

He made the transition from general physiotherapy to the specialty of hand and upper limb in 2017 working in private practice in the eastern suburbs.

Ross joined our team in 2019 when he moved back to the Mornington Peninsula.

His physiotherapy background gives him a wide experience into upper limb injuries and the rehabilitation process more generally.

Ross takes a keen interest in treating complex and chronic pain, completing courses by the NOI group in pain management. He runs regular education sessions for our patients with chronic pain.

Away from work Ross is a keen bushwalker, rock climber and scuba diver and enjoys working to return patients to their normal activities and life following injury and places a high priority on patient education as a cornerstone of successful patient outcomes.

Kate Large

Physiotherapist
Masters musculoskeletal Physiotherapy

Kate graduated from a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland in 2004. She worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and then St Vincent’s hospital in Fitzroy until 2011 working as a senior physiotherapist in Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. She completed her Masters of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy by coursework in 2010 at Melbourne University. 

Since this time she has worked predominantly in shoulder and neck physiotherapy. Her husband, Richard Large, is an Orthopaedic Surgeon specialising in Shoulders in Mornington. Kate has completed many shoulder and neck professional development courses and traveled extensively around the world to international shoulder conferences.

Kate is happy to see patients with a variety of shoulder conditions including injuries to the rotator cuff, post shoulder surgery, as well as neck and thoracic spine conditions. 

In her free time, Kate loves eating out with friends, sailing, snow skiing and spending time with her family. Kate is very excited to be a part of PHT and compliment the work of the hand therapy team.

Lucas Neale

Occupational Therapist
Practitioner of Hand Therapy

Lucas graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) in 2021, on a background of previous university studies in education, and a diploma of justice, which he obtained in 2017. Throughout his Occupational Therapy degree, Lucas completed a variety of inpatient and outpatient placements in both paediatric and adult settings, including schools, hospitals, and private practices.

Lucas completed his fourth-year placement at Peninsula Hand Therapy, and quickly fell in love with both the team and their approach to comprehensive treatment, as well as the discipline of hand therapy itself.

Lucas is currently working towards accreditation with the Australian Hand Therapy Association, with a special interest in neurorehabilitation and paediatrics.

In his clinical practice, Lucas is particularly passionate about building strong professional relationships with his patients, and allowing them to take the lead in therapy. Placing the patient at the centre of their care not only allows the patient to have more agency in their recovery, but it also allows for targeted therapy that is relevant to the individual.

Lucas is the primary NDIS clinician at Peninsula Hand Therapy, and consults both in the clinic and as a mobile therapist.

Outside of work, you can find Lucas in the kitchen, cooking up any and all kinds of food, or out in the beautiful bays of Victoria on his fishing kayak.

Brooke Taylor 

Occupational Therapist
Practitioner of Hand Therapy

Brooke graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) in 2021 and quickly began her career at Peninsula Hand Therapy.

Brooke’s passion for hand therapy began during her final placement at a public hospital where she built a foundation of hand therapy skills, seeing a variety of traumatic injuries in an acute setting.

Brooke has now developed a particular interest in managing fractures, sporting injuries, and thumb arthritis. Brooke runs Peninsula Hand Therapy’s thumb exercise group which has helped many people manage their arthritis pain so they can continue doing the everyday activities that are important to them.

Brooke’s favourite part of working as a hand therapist is building professional relationships with her patients to understand the person behind the injury/condition that she is treating. She thrives in the collaborative environment that Peninsula Hand Therapy fosters to ensure every patient is treated with the utmost expertise and professionalism.

In her spare time, Brooke loves running, walking her golden retriever puppy, camping and water skiing with her family and friends at the Murray River.