Speak Out OCTOBER 2021 DIGITAL EDITION

81 members

BRANCH NEWS NORTHERN TERRITORY

had been vaccinated prior to the event and of course there were lots of COVID-safe practices in effect. By Saturday morning the radio was announcing that the festival was at capacity and turning away carloads of people at the entry to the community. Participation at Barunga Festival was a first for the SPA NT branch and we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. We set up our shade and a mat, donned our SPA t-shirts and visors and had plenty of SPA branded giveaways and handouts about speech, language and literacy development. We had lots of people stop by to talk and ask us questions, including parents and teachers from across the territory. Sometimes the queries were about individual children, but people also came with questions about resources, language groups, and available services. Branch members Emily Armstrong, Erin Coonan, Fran Speech Pathology Week 2021 went off with a bang in Central Australia! A lovely time was had by all at the Alice Springs Golf Club where we gathered for delicious platters and a round of lawn bowls. There were some amazing workplace activities including crosswords, quizzes, word searches and lots of fun speech facts! A big thank you to those who were able to assist with the Night Market stall, we had lots of questions about speech pathology and the AAC requests were flowing for bubbles and treats! Looking forward to Speech Week 2022 already! SP Week in the NT

Edis, Yolande Burdekin, Birgit Hallenstein, Bea Staley and Rebecca Amery attended, fielded questions and connected with community members and other community organisations. In the heat of the afternoon when the stalls were quieter, and the foot traffic had reduced, Erin and Yolande had the opportunity to play games like pick up stix with a group of local children. SPA members also had opportunities to be participate in and enjoy of all sorts of other activities, from weaving classes to Indigenous rock bands; from a fashion parade to AFL footy finals; from creek swimming to a spear throwing competition. The branch was also able to donate books to the local primary school. As a group we felt that it was a valuable event to represent the profession and make connections and we plan to attend again next year. For more information about Barunga festival see www. barungafestival.com.au

LEFT Lara Cardinal, Donna Akbari, Megan Crowe. ABOVE Chil- dren enjoying the activities at the Branches night markets stall. BELOW Lara Cardinal, Tanya Wright, Victoria Bishop, Matilda Byrne, Donna Akbari, Rebecca McNeil, Stephanie Harding at the Alice Springs Golf Club.

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October 2021 | Speak Out