Speak Out August 2019 Digital Edition

Association news

Members’ ACHIEVEMENTS RECOGNISED

Alice Robins Alice is a proud Yuin woman who grew up in Victoria. Alice has been a member of Speech Pathology Australia since 2016, when she joined the Association as a student member. Since 2017, Alice has demonstrated dedicated service to Speech Pathology Australia as an active member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee and the Reconciliation Action Plan Committee. Within these committees, Alice provides positive, strength-based guidance

The Board of Directors was extremely proud to present awards in the following categories at the 2019 Annual General Meeting held in Brisbane during the joint confrence. The Board’s appreciation goes to the many people who took the time to research and prepare the nominations that assist the Association in recognising some of our outstanding colleagues. Early CareerAward The Early Career award is granted by the Association to an early career- practising member in recognition of ongoing, valuable and voluntary service to the Association at either a National or Branch level. Anna Green

Anna Green is a Darwin based early career speech pathologist, employed within the Children’s Development Team. In 2018 Anna joined the Northern Territory Branch Executive to take on the challenging public affairs portfolio. Anna accepted the responsibilities related with this portfolio, with a high level of enthusiasm. The public affairs role within the Northern Territory branch has been constantly evolving to reflect the new ideas of members and ensure a presence in the community.

relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She provides an Aboriginal voice to support Speech Pathology Australia in their commitment to valuing and recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge and connection to land. Alice’s roles within Speech Pathology Australia have been widely recognised within the speech pathology and broader health communities. Alice is committed to the Speech Pathology Australia reconciliation journey, having been quoted as saying: “They are my people and if I don’t make a difference, who will? Aboriginal people helping other Aboriginal people makes a huge difference and ensures better health outcomes”. Alice is passionate about improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This includes increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in health care, providing culturally safe and responsive services, and ensuring identified community needs are met. Service to the Association Award The Service to the Association award is granted by the Association to members in recognition of ongoing, valuable and voluntary service to the Association at either a National or Branch level. In 2019 the Association recognised two highly deserving members of

During her time on the public affairs portfolio, Anna was involved in coordinating the Branch’s participation in the Northern Territory Careers Expo, ‘Smile-A-Mile’ and ‘Fun bus’ initiatives. In addition, Anna prepared a submission to the historical deck chair cinema, presented to members of the Preschool Teachers Association of the Northern Territory and contributed to the Branch Annual General Meeting planning and presentation. In 2019, Anna has taken on a new challenge in the form of the Northern Territory Branch Continuing Professional Development portfolio. This is a position which Anna has embraced with energy, arranging three professional development events in a short timeframe, while supporting the new public affairs representatives. The time, care and skill with which Anna has pursued her volunteer responsibilities, in addition to being a regular attendee and contributor to Branch meetings, Annual General Meetings and planning events is exemplary.

the Association. Erin Coonan Erin Coonan has demonstrated dedicated and significantly productive service to Speech Pathology Australia as a member of the Northern Territory Branch Executive for the past seven years. Within the relatively small speech pathology community based in Darwin, Erin consistently steps up to organise Speech Pathology Australia events and meetings, as well as generate enthusiasm around the profession and the unique contextual practices.

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August 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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