Speak Out October 2016

Branch News

ACT/ New south wales

ACT 76 NSW 2042 members as at August 2016

SPA Week at Sydney Uni The SPA representatives and volunteers of the University of Sydney put on a free baked goods giveaway to promote awareness of the profession. All students on campus were encouraged to ask for their baked good of choice using an AAC device of their choice, from low-tech letter boards to high-tech Proloquo2go. Communication breakdowns prompted students and teachers to ask about what we do as speech pathologists, and recognise the importance of communication and communication disorders. Students and staff were encouraged to ask questions about speech pathology and the people with whom we work, helping them to understand the life-changing work speech pathologists and their clients do every day. Emma Arazzi NSW Branch Student Representative for Sydney University

The Sydney SPArty Celebrating Speech Pathology Week in style!

go into detail here, but let us just say that one of them resulted in this attendee developing a mild aversion to saying the word cupcake. Another game saw nimble fingered members of the Twitterati uploading and tweeting photos. As many readers will be aware, these skilfully shot images looked fabulous on Facebook, were all over Instagram, and travelled to the farthest corners of the social media universe. Those who were unable to attend this year should certainly consider taking up the opportunity in 2017. I am sure those who were there will be eager to go again. Thanks in particular should go to Laura Blasdale and Celine Pascual, who were largely responsible for making this little extravaganza so successful. Those wanting to give feedback on possible changes for next year can contact these two exceptional people: laurablasdale@gmail.com or celine@wssp.com.au.

On Thursday 11 August , a “ragtag” bunch of misfits from across the profession came together at Lotus Restaurant in central Sydney to celebrate their work and that of their peers. In the process they also created new friends and possibly a few sore heads. It was an “Olympic” effort. Participants were drawn to attend from the ranks of academia, government, and private practice, with the odd student and non-speechie thrown in. In the refined surrounds of a private room overlooking the QVB, the champagne flowed and guests sampled a seemingly unending spread of delicacies provided by celebrated head chef Chris Yan. The dumplings were delectable, the noodles divine, and the chopsticks skills impressive. More wondrous still was the array of ingenious and innovative games enjoyed by the participants. These were too complex to

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October 2016 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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