Fresh off the press!

My story begins in 1933 in Wongarbon at the age of 3 during the great depression... ’Run Jimmy Run’, our neighbour the author Jim Cleaver’s first published book. He’s in his 90’s what an achievement!

Dad and I designed the book cover.

Last week I watched the film ”Stutter School”. As a stutterer myself, I have participated in the smooth speech intensive program at the Lidcombe campus NSW, back in 2014. I found this documentary very real, it's exactly what I had gone through, except using a different speech technique. I’ve had a few re-lapses over the years, due to unemployment or when I had to go back into tertiary education. It's an ongoing exercise to keep up the technique and maintain smooth fluency on a daily basis.

It's fantastic that people are becoming more aware of people who do have a speech problem. It was never spoken about or educated at school, when I was growing up. I hope the younger generation who have this, are encouraged to speak in class and not bullied about how they say things.

Positivity and acceptance is what we need, when it comes to people who stutter. Especially in job interviews, which I've attended quite a few over the years. You are judged on how you speak, which can be very tough for someone who needs to break into the job market and who has a severe stutter.

Great documentary, very emotional and real for those who experience this on a day to day basis. I hope when someone sees a person who struggles with their speech, that they see a resilient and strong person who is able to take on any challenge. I hope this documentary shows that!

#stutterschool #sbs #untoldaustralia #maguireprogram #smoothspeech

Spanning 450 years, Botticelli to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, Londonpresents 60 paintings by some of Europe’s most revered artists, including Titian, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Velázquez, Goya, Turner, Renoir, Cézanne and Gauguin. Exclusive to Canberra, it comprises the largest group of works to travel outside of the United Kingdom in the history of the National Gallery, London.

The exhibition explores seven key periods in Western European art history: the Italian Renaissance, Dutch painting of the Golden Age, Van Dyck and British portraiture, the Grand Tour, Spanish art from the seventeenth century, landscape and the picturesque and the birth of modern art.

Highlights include Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 34 1640, Vermeer’s A Young Woman seated at a Virginal c.1670 and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers 1888.

We saw how much the word changed when March 2020 rolled around. During that week prior to lock down I had been applying for jobs everyday, this had gone on for 12 months. Ever since my position at the Canberra Business Chamber was made redundant in 2019.

Then on the day that Quantas axed 6,000 jobs, I received a job offer at Plant Health Australia. I was shocked, I really didn’t think I was going to get the job. But I did, it was a bittersweet moment, realizing that so many Australian’s will lose their jobs and return to the horrid job seeking routine that I had been doing for over a year now.

I was relieved, but at the same time the world changed. My work routine changed, I had to start working on a huge 300 page publication from home, using microsoft teams on a daily basis with my new work colleagues. As a seasoned designer this was a challenge that I was ready for, the end result was fantastic. The CEO was very impressed, and he was leaving the job now after a long 12 years.

We then had a new CEO commence, at that time everyone was brought back into the workplace around April/June. From then on, I have settled well into my new graphic design role, enjoying all the different projects, using my creativity and collaborating with the communication and marketing team, which has been very enjoyable.

Though my speech (stutter) has suffered quite a bit during lock down, I hope to restart my fluency journey again in the new year. Overall, with all of this years fires, droughts and the global pandemic, I feel that everyone has appreciated their lives, and what they have right now.

I have also celebrated my 38th birthday at work this year. I was a miracle baby my parents call me, as I was three months premature, the doctors didn’t give me much of a chance. I am very lucky to have been healthy and being able to live a normal life, which I am very grateful for! I’m looking forward to the future, traveling and seeing my grandmother in Vienna once more… I hope so soon she is 94. My last day at work is today, so I’m excited to be starting the holidays soon, which won’t be for long but a few days of relaxing will be what I need to end this action packed year. Cheers everyone, and Merry Christmas!