Chris Stone - President

Chris is currently Chief Speech Pathology Advisor, Eastern Health and Manager Speech Pathology, Outer East, in Victoria. She has extensive experience over many years in rural and metropolitan health settings.

Chris was awarded Fellowship of Speech Pathology Australia in 2007 having demonstrated a significant contribution to the Association and profession including roles of:

• Vice President Communications, August 2004 – May 2005
• National Professional Standards Coordinator, May 2002 – August 2004
• Victorian Branch Rural and Remote Representative, January 2001 – May 2002
• Conference Planning Committee, Speech Pathology Australia National Conference, January 2000 – May 2001

Chris is currently a member of the Charles Sturt University Speech Pathology External Advisory Committee and Speech Pathology Australia Fellowship Committee; however she plans to take leave of absence from these roles while undertaking the National President term of office.

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Natalie Ellston (TAS) - Vice President Communications

Natalie Ellston grew up in the harbour city of Hobart before moving to La Trobe University to study speech pathology.  After four years enjoying the Melbourne life, Natalie moved to Darwin to taste the ‘Top End’ experience, working in adult disability and having the opportunity to work in some local indigenous communities.  After a fabulous eighteen months (including a whirlwind romance with her now husband!) Natalie moved back to Hobart to work in paediatric rehabilitation.  Catching the travel bug along the way, Natalie then made her way to Ireland to for a working holiday where she lived in Dublin and worked in the sea-side village of Bray.  Again, Natalie felt the pull back to Hobart where she has now worked for the past three years as Senior Speech Pathologist and Line Manager of Speech Pathology at the Community Rehabilitation Unit.  Natalie loves her current role and is excited to be involved in the working party for the re-structure of multi-disciplinary rehabilitation services in southern Tasmania.  Natalie has worked on the CPD portfolio and on small branch projects before taking on the role of Tasmanian Councillor and National Public Affairs Co-ordinator.  Following two years on Council, Natalie is now thrilled to be in the role of Vice President – Communications. 

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Gillian Dickman (VIC) - Vice President Operations

Gillian Dickman graduated from Curtin University in 1986 and has worked clinically in community health and hospital settings in Western Australia, London and Victoria. Gillian worked as a Case Manager and then had project management roles at Ballarat and Western Health Services. Currently, she is managing an Outpatients Department in Melbourne's North.
Gillian has been a part of the Victorian PWG Portfolio since 2003 and became Leader in 2004. She has found involvement with Speech Pathology Australia Victorian Branch a very rewarding experience.

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Beth King (NSW) - Member Networks

Beth moved from the coastal town of Kiama to the big smoke to study speech pathology, graduating from Sydney University in 2002. Since then she has developed a specialty in acute care at Nepean Hospital, Wollongong Hospital and Liverpool Hospital. Beth indulged her passion for neurosciences in the senior role at Liverpool Hospital. She was the Adult Team Leader for the Liverpool Hospital speech pathology department. More recently Beth branched into rehabilitation, with the Community Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney.
Beth has been involved with New South Wales Branch since graduation, starting out as Branch Secretary then moving into Public Affairs leader. She was on the Conference Planning Committee for the Sydney Conference in 2007. Shortly thereafter Beth was extremely flattered to be asked to nominate for NSW Councillor. Beth was keen to take her seat again at the NSW Branch meetings and to take up the new role at the national table.
Outside of speech pathology you might find Beth on one of the ski slopes of the world – seeking the perfect balance of travel, action and a good red wine.

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Felicity Martin (ACT) - Practice Workplace & Government - Communication

Felicity Martin graduated from Adelaide’s Flinders University in 1996. Since graduating, Felicity has had a broad range of professional experience. Most of this time has been spent in acute and rehabilitation settings in each of the Australian Capital Territory’s two major hospitals. For two years, Felicity also worked with adult and paediatric disability clients in regional NSW and the ACT. In 2005, Felicity had the opportunity to work with the ACT Health Department’s Access and Improvement Program driving a plan to improve the older person’s patient journey. A notable highlight from this period for Felicity was the establishment of a Medical Admissions Planning Unit at the Canberra Hospital. Perhaps as a natural extension of this work, Felicity went on to manage the ACT's Commonwealth Government funded Transition Care Program. More recently, Felicity has managed the Acute Speech Pathology Services at the Canberra Hospital taking on the Lead Professional role for good measure. Felicity’s primary goal over the next 3-5 years is to build on existing work to develop a centre of excellence in Speech Pathology in the Canberra and the surrounding region.

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Jennifer Moody (SA) - Practice Workplace & Government - Operations

Jenny graduated from Sturt college of Advanced Education (now Flinders University) in 1979. She worked in SA Department of Education before taking a break to travel. She returned to the Education Department for a short time before travelling to Cardiff in the UK to work for 12 months in a special school for children with severe speech and language difficulties. She returned to the Education department and in 1989 won a position as Senior Speech Pathologist managing a team of speech pathologists in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. Over the next few years she had time in and out of the workforce to have children and in 2004 when the SA Department of Education and Children’s Services restructured she took on the role of managing a team of service providers which included speech pathologists, psychologists and teachers with specialised skills in children with disabilities or hearing impairments. When the Department restructured again in 2009 she added Social Workers, Attendance councillors and teachers specialising in behaviour management to her team. Jenny took on the challenge of becoming the SA Councillor in 2008 after having various roles at branch level including Scientific Affairs and Treasurer.

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Amanda Seymour (NT) - Professional Standards

Amanda Seymour graduated from La Trobe University in 1998. Following graduation Amanda spent two years working in England and Scotland; two years working in country Victoria and three years working in Melbourne as a Senior Speech Pathologist in a Rehabilitation Unit. During the last two years Amanda has been working as a Senior Speech Pathologist / Manager of Department in Darwin.
Amanda has developed a wide range of skills and knowledge through her experience with a generalist adult caseload, in a variety of settings including acute, sub-acute and rehabilitation. Amanda enjoys the challenge of a varied workload and offering student placements demonstrating the highs and lows of working within an acute generalist setting.
Whilst working full-time Amanda completed her Masters in Speech - Language Pathology (Neurogenic Impairment) via distance education through the University of Sydney, focusing on exploring the issues surrounding decision making and tube feeding in a variety of caseloads. This provided a great opportunity for the development of time management skills.
Amanda’s immediate goal is to develop the acute speech pathology services offered to inpatients at Royal Darwin Hospital. This involves developing culturally appropriate resources and learning and understanding more about Indigenous Australians in the Top End. After almost two years, Amanda claims to be starting to scratch the surface, indicating a lot more challenges lye ahead.

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Judith Rathmell (QLD) - Public Affairs

Judith was born “in the bush” in Central Queensland. Like many country kids, she found her way to the bright lights of the city - to study speech pathology (and the night life) and graduated from Queensland University in 1979. After gaining a few years experience in the ‘big smoke’ she headed back to Central Queensland for ten years. Her husband, wanting to express a familial trait for farming, resulted in a southward move to Cambooya – a farming community on the door-steps of Toowoomba in south-east Queensland.  Until then, Judith worked predominately in multidisciplinary teams in adult rehabilitation in metropolitan and regional hospitals, followed by rural services provision which introduced her to paediatrics. With the move southward came the opportunity to work in Child and Youth Mental Health where she provided services in an interdisciplinary manner, acquiring many other therapeutic skills, and taking on the team leader role after three years.  Nearly another decade down, she was wooed by the work-life balance offered in Education Queensland and so began her next decade working in schools.  Recently she went back to her roots in Central Queensland for twelve months acting as the District Director of Speech Pathology, checking out the changes in health services.  Now back on the farm she continues working part-time in Education and is completing her post-graduate studies in Learning and Teaching.
Judith has always been an active member of combined therapies and speech pathology interagency groups in regional and rural areas receiving a Recognition of Service certificate from Australian Association of Speech and Hearing in the 90s. It was through this forum that Judith engaged with activities of Speech Pathology Australia.  She was honoured when approached to nominate for council and hopes to use this opportunity as Public Affairs portfolio leader to promote rural and regional speech pathology practice. Many professional colleagues over the past thirty years have made the comment: You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl!

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Jade Cartwright (WA) - Scientific Affairs & Continuing Professional Development

Jade Cartwright was born in Whyalla, South Australia, spent her first few years in Tasmania, and is now a Perth girl at heart.  She graduated from Curtin University in Western Australia in 2000 with first class honours and has worked across the fields of adult rehabilitation, community and acute care. She spent 12 months working in London on a community stroke team, before returning to sunny Perth. Since then, Jade has developed a dual interest in rehabilitation and dementia. She is currently working as the Senior Speech Pathologist at Royal Perth Hospital, Shenton Park Campus on the state’s primary Neurorehabilitation ward.  She is also in the early stages of her doctoral research at the University of Western Australia, investigating the benefits of early intervention on the progression and course of Alzheimer’s disease.  Jade has a strong dedication to tightening the divide between research and clinical practise, while raising the profile of Speech Pathology services in the realms of stroke rehabilitation and dementia care.  Jade has been actively involved in the WA Branch of Speech Pathology Australia since graduating – beginning her volunteer work as a sub committee member of the Continuing Professional Development portfolio. She has since gained varied experience as leader of the Professional Standards and Scientific Affairs portfolios, and most recently as the Vice President and Treasurer of the WA Branch.

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