Speak Out August 2019 Digital Edition

From the President

Amazing! Well, that’s the first word written at least. I need to start my first Speak Out introduction somehow, and that word seems to start things off perfectly. It’s something I tend to say a whole load in my everyday interactions within this profession, so perhaps let’s go with that. As you flick through this issue, you might realise that it’s a bumper sized one. And I guess my challenge to you is to find a page that you couldn’t describe the content as "amazing". There’s so much going on both within and outside of the Association, that a further eight pages has had to be crammed in. And fair enough that it’s a higher page count too. After all, our membership is continuing to grow. By the time you read this, we are close to nudging past the ten thousand strong mark. It’s fantastic to read about engagement in state and territory Branch meetings, and towards the end of this issue, you’ll find several examples of initiatives in which members making a real impact in their local contexts. Branch Chairs are making sure that everyone can link into meetings, in some cases using teleconferencing across multiple sites. It’s an exciting time to join in and become connected, with both ‘Communicating with Confidence’, and ‘Book of the Year’ on the horizon. With this many colleagues, the Association’s voice continues to build in strength and volume, and you will find out about the advances SPA has recently made for the profession, particularly in the areas of aged care and disability. Having this year’s joint conference shared between NZSTA and SPA, meant close to a thousand delegates were able to come together, and discuss their ideas and innovations for the future. This year I was intrigued by increasingly varied environments in which the profession is operating, and just how challenging it actually is to enumerate the outcomes our profession generates on a daily basis. And you didn’t have to be in Brisbane to gain from the conference. Again, our reach through social media meant that we interacted with members around the world. I would like to thank the conference convenors Alison Smith and Felicity Bright, along with their respective planning committees, and of course Pamela Richards. Those 18 months of planning paid off in spectacular fashion. The Association’s professional development calendar is still in full swing, with webinars and local workshops across a range of topics. And excitingly, the new podcast series Speak Up has now launched, with bite-sized conversations making Wednesday afternoon commutes much more palatable. I arrived home a few weeks ago, invigorated by Dr Mary Claessen and Dr Sharon Smart’s discussion of their research findings. While many of us were in “post-conference-information-assembly-mode” (surely that’s a real thing), Gaenor Dixon, Belinda Hill, Professor Sharynne McLeod, and Gail Mulcair, representing Speech Pathology Australia, jetted off to the United Nations. Joining with other international voices, they were able to advance the conversation about the rights of people with communication disability on a worldwide platform. This marks an exciting step forward for the Association, and one on which we will continue to build. And speaking of which, I would like to thank Gaenor for her leadership of the Association over the past four years. The impromptu standing ovation she received at this year’s AGM is indicative of how grateful we as members are for her work in moving the Association ever forward. In this instance, actually the word amazing doesn’t quite capture the impact she has made. Do we go with inspirational instead? Answers on the back of a postcard! How like a typical speech pathologist I’m being – agonising over the exact, "right" words to use. At least I’m in good company. Together with the Board, CEO, National Office staff, the Branch Chairs and their committees, we’ll continue to move towards realising the aspirations of SP2030. And we’ll be amazing while we do it. Don’t believe we can? Keep on reading.

Tim Kittell

Tim Kittell National President

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August 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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