Speak Out April 2020 DIGITAL VERSION. pdf

Branch News

Meet your Branch Chair

Victoria

What inspired you to become a speech pathologist? I have always been interested in helping people and especially enjoy working with children. Since becoming a speech pathologist, I can see the impact that I can make to the lives of my clients. To be able to assist my clients and their families with the basic human right of communication is very rewarding. What have you found surprising being a speech pathologist? I have worked in paediatrics since graduating and been fortunate enough to work in regional Victoria, metropolitan Melbourne, the UK and Ireland. I have worked in early intervention, community health and education. It’s great to work in a profession where I am able to have such variety and opportunity. However, there is so much more I could do with my qualifications. I have been involved in Vic Branch for a while in various roles. I feel the Branch gives me and my clients a voice, and the opportunity to work with other professionals across the health, community, justice and education sectors. Within our profession, I have been fortunate to work with an amazingly talented and knowledgeable group of speech pathologists. But everyone has to start somewhere, so I encourage all members to be involved. The Branch has made participation in meetings very accessible to every member. We have videoconferencing at every meeting. Branch meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month. How long have you been involved in Vic Branch?

VIC 2665 members

as at March 2020

What are your hobbies? I enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles and have been known to still be up at 2am completing a puzzle. I also have a beehive and I love when the children I work with ask if I have names for all my bees. I have anywhere from 40,000- 60,000 bees at any one time. It’s a great way to get a conversation started. What’s one thing members may not know about you? I have visited over 30 countries so far. I love to travel and have seen many fantastic places from Alhambra to Zhangjiajie. It’s hard to narrow down a favourite as every place has its gems. As a speech pathologist, even if I don’t know the spoken language, there is always the universal language of gesture and body language.

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April 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speak Out