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Speak Out August 2013 3
It has been the most extraordinary
privilege to hold the position of National
President for the best part of the last
four years, a post I step down from at the
end of August. I am incredibly proud of our
members, of our achievements and of our
vibrant Association.
This editorial, my last as President, will
be a brief one as so many of the projects
I want to draw to your attention are
highlighted elsewhere in this edition. In
particular, I urge you to take the time to
read my call to action for Speech Pathology
Week and the International Communication
Project 2014. I genuinely believe we are
in a powerful position to make a real
difference in the lives of people living with
communication and swallowing difficulties.
More importantly, I believe we must do
so. But we cannot achieve this without
your sustained and focused support. I’m
calling on each and every one of you to
embrace your inner activist and step up to
this challenge for the sake of more than one
million Australians.
It was extremely gratifying to see the
overwhelmingly positive vote for constitution
change at the recent AGM. This project has
been a key priority of my presidency and
I am excited by the possibilities it brings.
This has been a truly collaborative and
carefully considered process which has
been strengthened by the informative and
thoughtful input of members around the
country. My personal thanks to everyone
who took the time to provide comment or
to ask questions. Your input has shaped the
final product and, in so doing, the future of
your Association.
I look forward to our strategic planning
workshop in August. Here we will set the
strategic priorities for Speech Pathology
Australia to 2016. There are so many
opportunities, so many needs and such
rapid change on all fronts that we need
a sophisticated, coordinated and well
informed plan to channel our activity and our
efforts. My thanks to all who have provided
input through the member survey or via your
Branch Presidents and Councillors or other
avenues. Your observations and insights will
be instrumental in shaping the new plan, just
as they were with our current plan which
has served us so well.
My final responsibilities as President will
occur at the International Association
of Logopaedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)
Conference in Italy which takes place
during Speech Pathology Week. Speech
Pathology Australia has been invited to
join an international panel discussing
the implications of the World Health
Organisation’s World Report on Disability.
This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase
our approach to influencing systems
and policy change in Australia and to
raising community awareness through the
International Communication Project 2014.
We will also be presenting our bid to host
IALP 2019 in Melbourne and, of course,
participating in the famous flag ceremony!
I simply do not have the time, the space
nor the eloquence to adequately convey
how honoured I have been to hold this
role. I have been graced with incredible
professional, personal and practical support
in an environment so collegial, generous
and talented – a truly unique experience. I
have been humbled by the opportunity to
represent you and your achievements and
to speak on behalf of our members and our
consumers. And I am thrilled to ‘hand the
baton’ to Professor Deborah Theodoros
who brings so much to this position. I am
excited about our future.
My heartfelt thanks.
Chris Stone
National President
From our President