Thanks for coming to the CleftPALS Information Seminar/ AGM 2010
The CleftPALS Information Seminar & Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 11th May with over 60 attendees and four distinguished guest speakers:
· Dr Julie Reid (speech pathologist specializing in cleft lip and palate and feeding issues)
· Mick Martyn (former AFL North Melbourne footballer, businessman, father of 3 and born with a cleft lip and palate)
· Dr Heather Cleland (Director of Plastics department, RCH, and Director of the Burns unit, Alfred Hospital)
· Associate Professor Nicky Kilpatrick (recently Director of Dentistry, RCH)
Julie’s presentation highlighted common speech difficulties that children with cleft lip and palate may experience and different strategies which are employed to assist with these issues. Her presentation was highly informative and of great interest, particularly to many parents of young or unborn children in our audience. Many attendees took the opportunity to engage in discussion with Julie following her presentation, so that she could share her insights further. Julie, as always, was wonderfully generous with her time.
Mick’s presentation gave us a ‘window’ into his life - his trials and tribulations growing up with a cleft lip and palate within a big family, the rigorous demands of being an elite athlete and as a survivor of the Bali bombings. His presentation was honest, heartfelt and entertaining, captivating the entire audience when he held the floor. His personal story was truly inspirational.
Heather presented current data on the occurrence of cleft lip and palate across Victoria and the developments within the Plastics department at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Among the developments presented were the new NAM clinic and the arrival of the new parent information booklets at the Royal Children’s Hospital which now consists of a series of separate informative brochures.
Nicky presented on the new OzCleft research project. Her presentation was highly engaging and generated much interest, enthusiasm and discussion. The OzCleft project will research familial genetic characteristics which may contribute to the occurrence of cleft lip and palate. During the study, family members are invited to take part in a general dental and medical assessment, a speech recording, a 3D photo session and an ultrasound session.
Following the information seminar, CleftPALS held its Annual General Meeting where:
· Laurie Woods resigned as President.
· Laurie took on the role of Vice President.
· Jarrod Morrison took on the role of President.
· Robyn Skinner resigned as Treasurer.
· Alida Lewis took on the role of Treasurer and Events Coordinator.
· Susannah Bowen took on the role of Public Officer.
· We officially welcomed Rebekah Michelmore and Elyse Schachna as our Contact Parent Coordinators
· All other positions remained the same.
A fabulous evening, not only providing members with an opportunity to meet others but a highly informative and inspirational night!
Thank you to all for attending and contributing to this event! – Evelyn Culnane
Other events
CleftPALS holds monthly Playdate / Morning Teas, where you can meet other parents and have a chat while the kids run around. See the “Playdates” tab for more information.
We also host regular events such as family fun days (recent venues have including Melbourne Zoo and Luna Park), and trivia nights. Please let us know what kind of events you would like, and if you are interested to help with events.
|