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April 2017 Speak Out 3
From the President
Gaenor Dixon
Gaenor Dixon
National President
APRIL MEANS DIFFERENT things to different areas of Australia. In Western
Victoria, the Gariwerd people name this season Gwangal moronn – the honey
bee season – a season of warm still days, but cooler mornings with red
sunrises and golden evenings. The Banbai people of the NSW Tablelands/New
England describe April as Grass Cures time, a time when the weather is dry
and becoming cool. The Nyoongar people of South West Australia call April to
May Djeran – the season of adulthood. The Yanyuwa people of the Gulf country
call this season Lhabayi – wet season; with wet season cyclones and heavy
rainfall.
The contrasts in climate across the country mirror the sometimes disparate
needs of speech pathologists across Australia. In February, the Branch Chairs
met and we worked together strategically on issues that are impacting people
across the country. Some issues are shared between branches, and others are
specific to the local area. Your branch is a great conduit to be able to tackle
local issues, and gather information on issues to develop a strategic response.
I had the opportunity to attend the ACT NSW branch forum in early March
(Sydney’s start to Autumn was wet and cool!). It was great to be able to meet
local members and to hear the work and priorities of the branch. My thanks to
the Branch Chairs across Australia: Jayne Graham in NT, Belinda Morrell in WA,
Cathy Clark in SA, Jane-Elise Cherry in Vic, Rosie Martin in Tas, Fiona Eastley in
ACT NSW and Alison Smith in Qld for your work in supporting members.
Congratulations to the many ways that people marked Swallowing Awareness
Day in March, and used it as an opportunity to increase public awareness of
swallowing difficulty. It is good to see the day grow, and it will be great to see its
reach increase as more people become aware of the importance of eating and
drinking safely and with enjoyment.
April means that the National Conference is next month! Working and Investing
in Future Innovations promises to be a vivid, colourful conference. Looking at
the program, I wish that I had a way to be able to attend multiple sessions at
once (but I am not Hermione Granger). I look forward to seeing you there.
I hope that April means that you have an opportunity for some down time with
the Easter public holiday weekend, and Anzac Day featuring at its end. A copy
of Speak Out, and a preferred drink, will give you a great opportunity to pass
the honey-bee days, the Grass Cure days, the days of adulthood or the end
of the wet season (hopefully no more cyclones!) reflecting on; ethics, attending
conference, and mentoring and supervision, updating your knowledge of the
NDIS, reading about the advocacy that the Association is involved in, learning
the outcomes of a research grant, reflecting on the speech pathologist’s role
in literacy and school services, learning about employing people within your
private practice, and updating where we are with advocacy for aged care.