21
Jan, 2018
Conference Presenters
Kylie Webb
Kylie Webb is a Paediatric Speech Pathologist with over 20 years experience working directly with children and their families. She has worked in libraries, health, education and disability settings both throughout Australia and internationally. Kylie has conducted and published clinical research in early childhood educator training and has extensive experience running professional development workshops in language and emergent literacy. Kylie has been working with the State Library of Queensland within the First 5 Forever team for over 3 years providing training for libraries and key early childhood professionals across Queensland.
Megan Scully
Megan Scully has worked within the Early Childhood sector for more than 20 years. Megan has worked in educational settings throughout Queensland as a teacher with Education Queensland, a Kindergarten Director with Community Kindergartens, and as lecturer and tutor at a Tertiary level. Megan is currently a Project Officer with State Library of Queensland’s First 5 Forever project team and has recently finished a 2 year tenure with Sunshine Coast Libraries. As the First 5 Forever officer with Sunshine Coast Libraries she worked across 8 branches delivering staff training, facilitating programs, and developing resources.
Melissa Kidd
Melissa Kidd is the Principal Policy Officer for Transition Partnerships and Innovation at the Department of Education in the Darling Downs South West Region. Having started her career as a Speech Language Pathologist, Melissa is motivated by the opportunity to bring partners together to support children and family to be the best they can be.
Kerryanne Hughes
Kerryanne Hughes is the Lead AgeAppropriate Pedagogy Coach at the Department of Education in the Darling Downs South-West Region. Kerryanne has worked as an early years educator for over 35 years in a range of settings in Queensland and overseas. She has always had a desire to influence the outcomes for all children through quality learning environments.
Penny De Waele
Penny has been working for Education Queensland for 27 years. During this time she has had many different roles including Classroom Teacher, Enrichment Program Teacher, Learning Support, Curriculum Coordinator, Literacy Coach, and currently Master Teacher. Penny’s current role involves building the capacity of teachers at Dalby State School to improve their pedagogical practices. She has worked extensively in prep classrooms to further literacy and oral language.
Renata Jayne
Renata Jayne is a children’s musician and storyteller. Before professional performing, Renata began working with children both overseas and in Australia in 1991. Over 10 of these years were spent in the relief industry where she experienced a wide variety of teaching styles and creative ideas for children’s programs. Renata now travels all over Australia to speak at conferences and perform shows. Her presentations are a great opportunity to learn some new and easy ideas for everyday interactions and boost educators in the area of the creative arts.
Amelia Webster
Amelia is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, with 10 years experience in community nutrition education and health promotion and as a private practice dietitian. She is currently the Early Years Program Coordinator at Nutrition Australia Qld and a Teaching Fellow at Bond University.
Marianne Taylor
Marianne is a Social Work Team Leader at BUSHKids. For the last 33 years, Marianne has worked as part of the helping profession in various roles, including nurse, rehabilitation counsellor and, for the last 20 years, has been working as a social worker. The majority of her working life has been in rural and remote Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory and a brief stint in the Kimberly region of Western Australia. Marianne has a passion for working with parents, especially those most disadvantaged in our society, to assist them to achieve the goals they have for their families.
Julie Rathmell
Julie has been the Family Health Support Worker at the Dalby BUSHKids centre for over 15 years. She is very passionate about supporting the whole family by offering parenting group programs as well as providing ‘Parenting for Community Capacity’ education sessions. Julie is very well known in the Dalby community for the group programs she offers in schools to help raise peaceful and resilient kids. She loves to run the PALS Social skills program in kindergartens from many towns and centres as well as here in Dalby. Julie works together with BUSHKids in offering the Read and Grow parent group program each term at the centre.
Justine Boshammer
Justine Boshammer is a Speech Language Pathologist currently working in the Department of Education in the Darling Downs and South West Region. Justine has worked in educational settings for over 25 years both within Queensland and the UK. Justine has a passion for working in schools and providing all children with an opportunity to succeed with their development. She believes strongly in educational partnerships with teachers and embraces any opportunity to support speech and language learning.
Sarah Siran
Sarah Siran is a Speech Language Pathologist at Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme (BUSHkids) in Dalby. Sarah has at least five years experience working with children and families both in Queensland and in Malaysia. She is passionate about empowering children and families in their communication journey.
Lisa Harth
Lisa Harth has worked in Libraries for 15 years. She started in a school Library and moved to Public Libraries where she now holds the position of Library Services Coordinator for Western Downs Libraries. She helps to set the direction for the nine branches in the Western Downs which spread across a huge area from Dalby in the East, to Wandoan in the West and Moonie in the South. Lisa is a self-confessed early literacy nerd and takes great pleasure in seeing little ones discover and develop their potential. Lisa is also the convener of the Western Downs First 5 Forever Reference group.
Troy Dunn
Troy has been working in Early Childhood Education and Care for over 16 years. During this time, he has held many different roles including; Inclusion Support Educator, Early Childhood Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, National Inclusive Practices Consultant, and currently Education Practice Advisor for C&K. Troy’s current role involves building the capacity of teachers and educators at C&K to improve their pedagogical practices and curriculum implementation. He values strong relationships with children and families, and embraces opportunities to support children’s emerging literacy.
Robyn Hine
Robyn has worked in Early Childhood Education and Care for over 30 years, starting as a preschool teacher aide moving into teaching and director roles in our current system. For the past 10 years Robyn has worked as a Children’s Services Manager for C&K. Robyn continues to be excited by the capabilities and competencies of the children we are privileged to work with, and the joy educators can experience and share as we work with them.
Nev De Waele
Nev has been a teacher for 23 years in various large rural towns throughout North West and South East Queensland. Nev has extensive experience teaching many year levels as a general classroom teacher. During this time, Nev has also worked as a Classroom Music Teacher, a Science Spark Facilitator and many other roles. Nev is passionate about using technology in new and innovative ways for education and student development.
Noel McGrath & Val McGrath
Val is a Murri from Queensland. Noel is a Wonghi from the Eastern Goldfields in Western Australia. Val enjoying creating art on every day things like photos frames, shoes, dishes and also does smaller paintings. Noel, who is very handy, makes boomerangs, bull-roarers, clap-sticks, bowls and other wooden items from local timber and Val paints them. Noel and Val have also been very involved in music and have played in bands from North Qld to NSW for over 30 years. Art in its many forms has been a large part of their lives and always will be.
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