Karuah River Speech Pathology

08/08/2026

🌿 Nature Imprints – Clay Creations 🌿

Come along for a creative morning with nature! 🍃

At this Junior Landcare workshop, kids will use air-dry clay to make their own small dishes, bowls or ornaments, using leaves, flowers, twigs and other natural items to create beautiful patterns and textures.

🌱 What we’ll do:
✨ Explore natural textures and patterns
🍂 Use nature items to make impressions in clay
🤲 Create a clay dish, bowl or ornament
🎨 Take your creation home to dry and paint

📅 Sunday 23 August
⏰ 10:00–11:30am
📍 Lions Park, Mill Creek

🥪 Bring: Morning tea and wet weather gear, just in case!

👨‍👩‍👧 Please note: Children must be supervised by an accompanying adult throughout the workshop.

Come along, get creative and turn nature’s textures into your own unique creation! 🌿✨

04/08/2026

ATTN Speech Pathologists!

Michelle will be facilitating this upcoming discussion as part of her role as the Hunter New England Local Health District Representative for the NSW/ACT Branch of Speech Pathology Australia.

Working in rural and regional health is incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with unique challenges. Across Australia, many clinicians are navigating workforce shortages, long waitlists, large travel distances, and the ongoing challenge of providing sustainable, high-quality services with limited resources.

This online discussion is an opportunity to connect with colleagues from across regional Australia to share experiences, explore practical ideas, and learn from one another. We'll be discussing topics including:
• Telehealth and hybrid models of care
• Innovative workforce approaches
• Sustainable service delivery in rural, regional and remote communities
• The realities of practising outside metropolitan centres

Whether you're an experienced rural clinician or are interested in working in regional practice, I'd love for you to join the conversation.
📍 Online via Zoom (link provided prior to the event)
🎟️ Free for Speech Pathology Australia members | $50 for non-members

Regional practice is built on collaboration, and some of the best ideas come from clinicians sharing what's working in their own communities. I hope to see you there!

Register via: https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=26NSWV02&WebsiteKey=bf2f5d12-81e9-45de-b848-da380f72ca15

02/08/2026

🌿 Happy Landcare Week! 💚

Landcare is about so much more than looking after the environment, it’s about bringing communities together, learning from one another, and inspiring the next generation to care for the places we call home.

It’s been such a privilege to partner with Stroud Junior Landcare this year, and watch local children discover nature through play, creativity and hands-on experiences. From building frog hotels and bee hotels to planting trees, creating seed bombs and exploring local wildlife, every activity has helped children build confidence, curiosity and a connection with the natural world.

This Landcare Week, why not take a moment to:
🍃 Explore a local park or bush track.
🦋 Look for birds, insects or frogs.
🌱 Plant something together.
💚 Spend some time appreciating the incredible environment around us.

Small actions today help create a healthier environment, and a stronger community, for tomorrow.

Australia

01/08/2026

💙 One Year of Karuah River Speech Pathology 💛

This month marks one year since Karuah River Speech Pathology began supporting people across our local communities.

Over the past year, one thing has stood out above everything else - it isn't the kilometres travelled or the number of appointments, it's the people.

Working across regional and rural communities has reinforced the knowledge that healthcare is at its best when it feels personal. Families, neighbours, teachers, carers, support workers, health professionals and community organisations all come together to support one another, often in ways that don't happen in larger centres.

We've had the privilege of meeting people of all ages, each with their own story, goals and challenges. Whether it's supporting a young child to say their first words, helping a teenager build confidence, working alongside adults after illness or injury, or supporting older adults to maintain safe swallowing and communication, every journey is unique, and every milestone is worth celebrating.

Thank you to every person, family, carer, educator, support worker, GP, allied health colleague and community organisation who have welcomed us over the past year. Your kindness, trust and willingness to work together are what make regional communities so special.

Here's to another year of supporting communication, connection and participation for people of every age and every stage of life.

Thank you for making this first year one to remember. 💚💙💛

29/07/2026

How great is this?! For those with kids in Kindy 2026 and 2027 see the shared link below about free weekly tips and strategies you can get to help you child’s communication development 🙌

Is your child starting kindergarten in 2027?

Sign up for Pocket Speechie, a free SMS program that sends practical tips and easy activities straight to your phone to support talking, early literacy, and school readiness.

Written by speech pathologists, it’s perfect for children in their first year of school or the year before.

Register for FREE 👉 https://ow.ly/OhXJ50Y7YNK

23/07/2026

This is fantastic news for speech pathology students and a really positive step towards building the future allied health workforce! 👏

Paid placement support will help reduce one of the financial barriers many students face when completing the extensive clinical placements required to graduate. Hopefully, this means more students can access valuable learning opportunities without the added stress of lost income and placement costs.

At Karuah River Speech Pathology, we’re actively exploring ways to support university student placements as our practice continues to grow, while also expanding access to speech pathology services across our local community.

Regional and rural Australia continues to experience significant shortages of allied health professionals. By creating positive placement experiences in communities like ours, we hope to encourage more students and new graduates to discover the benefits of living and working in regional areas, helping to build a stronger, more sustainable local workforce for the future. 💙🌿

A big win for speech pathology students and the future workforce. 🎉

Speech pathology students will be included in the expanded Commonwealth Prac Payment from 1 July 2027 – a big step toward ending placement poverty and supporting more students into the profession.

This outcome reflects years of sustained advocacy, and we want to thank everyone who helped get us here: our members, students, educators, and supportive parliamentarians including Dr Helen Haines MP and Senator David Pocock.

A special thank you to Allied Health Professions Australia for their partnership and tireless advocacy on this issue alongside us.

We also recognise that there are allied health professions not yet included in the Prac Payment, and we hope to see the system continue to expand so more students are supported.

This is a win for students, and a win for the communities who need a strong, growing speech pathology workforce.

Read the media statement: https://bit.ly/4fhostN

Image:
SPA CEO Lyn Brodie, left, wearing a light blue coat, stands with Master of Speech Pathology graduate Kylie Brewster, wearing a beige trench coat, outside Parliament House in Canberra in June. They were there to advocate for speech pathology students to be included in the Commonwealth Prac Payment.

12/07/2026

🌿 Holiday Closure Notice 🌿

Karuah River Speech Pathology will be closed from Monday 13 July to Friday 17 July.

We'll be taking a short break and will be back, refreshed and ready to support our community from Monday 20 July.

If you get in touch during this time, we'll respond to your enquiry as soon as possible after we return.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you have a wonderful week! 💚

06/07/2026

🖤💛❤️ Happy NAIDOC Week❤️💛🖤

This NAIDOC Week, we celebrate and recognise the history, culture, achievements and enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

At Karuah River Speech Pathology, we believe everyone deserves to grow up feeling proud of who they are, where they come from, and the stories that shape their identity. Language, storytelling and connection are at the heart of communication, learning and belonging.

We're proud to support our local community and look forward to celebrating together at the upcoming NAIDOC Week family event in Stroud with Stroud Jr Landcare.

This week, we encourage everyone to take the opportunity to listen, learn and celebrate the world's oldest continuing cultures.

Happy NAIDOC Week!

01/07/2026

📅 Pop the dates in your calendar – we'd love to see you at one (or all!) of our upcoming events!

We've got plenty of hands-on nature activities planned, with opportunities to explore, create, learn and connect with our local environment. Each session is designed to encourage curiosity, communication, teamwork and a love of the outdoors.

Keep an eye on our page for event details and information as each workshop gets closer.

💚 See you in nature!

30/06/2026

🎉 Celebrate NAIDOC Week in Stroud! 🎉

Everyone is welcome to join us for a FREE family event celebrating NAIDOC Week.
Wednesday 15 July,
10am–1pm at Mill Creek Lions Park, Stroud
(Across the road from the Showground)

Come along and enjoy:
🖤 Welcome to Country & Smoking Ceremony with Uncle Justin Ridgeway
❤️ Didgeridoo, traditional Worimi dance and cultural activities with Murrook Culture Centre
💛 Gathang language nature hunt for children
📖 A reading of Where Ripples Rise
🎨 Creative eco-art activities with artist Estelle Leishman
🌱 Community planting with Stroud Community Rivercare
🌭 FREE BBQ, cookies from The Koffee Run, plus tea and coffee

This is a wonderful opportunity for families to come together, celebrate culture, connect with Country, and learn through hands-on experiences.

This is a free event, but registrations are appreciated for catering. Please register using the QR code on the flyer or via the link below:
https://www.midcoast2tops.org.au/index.cfm?module=event&pagemode=indiv&page_id=6369290

Please help us spread the word by liking and sharing this post with your family and friends. We hope to see you there!