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