ACQ Vol 11 No 1 2009

F rom the P resident I t’s always a challenge to begin a new edition of “From the President”. Where to start is the first question, followed soon by what theme to address. When I opened a new Word document to begin writing this comment, it was with the awareness that this volume of ACQ ushers in a change of editors. This inevitably (or perhaps not inevitably) led me to think about change. The phrase “to every thing there is a season” sprang to mind. From there, I did what every good technophile does, and opened Google to search for quotes about change. Three and a half million hits. It seemed that there must be something appropriate in there, and indeed there were many interesting quotes reflecting a range of per­ spectives. Some of them were entertaining, some were food for thought, some were from people I had heard of, some from people unknown to me, some were appropriate to this time of change in the editorship of the ACQ . Let me share with you just a few. Irene Peter: “Just because everything is different doesn’t mean that everything has changed”. Just because the editors of ACQ have changed, doesn’t mean that everything has changed. Our thanks go to Louise Brown and Chyrisse Heine as they lay down the editorial pens (editorial typing fingers, while more accurate, doesn’t sound quite right). Editing this publication involves a multitude of tasks. The editors must determine themes, source material (including pictures), organise and oversee the review of some articles, edit others, organise and oversee the columns, provide inspiration for the cover and correct proofs, to name just some. Chyrisse and Louise have produced six exciting issues, which I’m sure you have all enjoyed. The new editors, Nicole Watts Pappas and Marleen Westerveld, will continue with the same tasks (not everything has changed) and, through their own special talents and interests, bring something different to the end product. I look forward to it! George Bernard Shaw: “Some men see things as they are and say ‘why?’ I dream of things that never were and say ‘why not?’” Perhaps you are surprised to see this quote attributed to George Bernard Shaw rather than to Robert F. Kennedy – I was. Nevertheless, we can see how this may be applied to new editors of any of our publications – dreaming of things that never were (in the publication), and asking “why not?” are desirable characteristics, as is the ability to

follow up and turn the dreams into reality. Each new editorial team brings change – new columns, a new approach. We thank Chyrisse and Louise for the changes they made to the ACQ , and look forward to the innovations that Marleen and Nicole will make. I think we can also agree with Nancy Astor: “The main dangers in life are people who want to change everything or nothing”. There are many things about the ACQ that we, as readers, appreciate – so we don’t want to see everything change, nor yet do we want to see nothing change. Change has also been taking place in other areas of the Association. The new mutual recognition agreement (MRA) came into effect on 1 January of this year. This revised agreement sees the addition of two new signatory associations – the New Zealand Speech-Language Therapy Association and the Irish Association of Speech Language Therapists. Thanks must go to all the negotiators, from all the countries involved, without whose efforts there would be no agreement. Speech-language pathologists from the six associations who are part of the agreement will now find it easier to obtain membership of these associations, a factor which will make it easier to travel between countries. The registration bodies of various countries, states and provinces, however, impose their own regulations which fall outside of the MRA. Members interested in using the MRA will need to look carefully at the information provided on the Speech Pathology Australia website, and on the website of the country to which they wish to travel, in order to determine the extra conditions which must be met. There are some things which haven’t changed! TheAssociation continues to make every effort to provide members with relevant and valued services of all kinds. Gail Mulcair, our CEO, continues to lead these efforts competently and with a constant view to the future of both the profession and the Association. The paid staff, at National Office and in the states, provides efficient service, and the volunteers around the country add immense value to the Association through their actions and ideas. I thank them all. And to finish, with tongue firmly in cheek, I would remind you of the words of that famous person, Unknown, “change is inevitable, except from vending machines”. Enjoy the in­ evitable change that you will experience in the year to come. Cori Williams

Get involved. Show your passion for speech pathology! Speech Pathology Week 2009 is the perfect time to help raise the profile of the profession. This year’s theme is ‘Communicate to participate’ Start planning your events and promotions and check out the website for inspiration: www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

S p eech P athology A ustralia

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