Abbey Chalker is a clinician who works in Darwin and remote communities across the Northern Territory. Abbey will be presenting with NT colleagues at this conference.

Melissa (Melba) Ridd works as a balanced academic within Flinders University’s University Department of Rural Health in Darwin, NT. Melba has lived and breathed the Northern Territory for well over a decade, working as a speech pathologist in a community health setting. Melba’s passion for quality clinical education grew when beginning her journey into clinical supervision of speech pathology students in the workplace. She recently completed a Master of Clinical Education at Flinders University and now works to build the skills and knowledge of NT allied health, nursing and medical clinical supervisors and students alike. Melba enjoys lecturing within Flinders University’s Remote Health Practice postgraduate award course. She believes that learners should be nurtured and guided through transformational, memorable, and emotive learning moments. Since completing her Master’s degree and finding more time on her hands, Melba began performing stand-up comedy to enable her passion for edu-tainment to evolve even further!

Amy is currently a General Manager for Disability Services at Somerville. In her role Amy oversees Supported Independent living (SIL) services across Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine and Alice Springs as well as Somerville’s Clinical Care Team. Amy is a qualified speech pathologist by background with experience working with people with disability across the lifespan in urban and remote settings across the Northern Territory. Born in the Northern Territory, Amy has held diverse roles in clinical and leadership capacities within the disability, justice, education, and health sectors.

Dr Marleen Westerveld is a professor of speech pathology at Griffith University and a Fellow of Speech Pathology Australia. She is the inaugural Chair of the Global TALES Network, an Honoured Member of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP), and an executive committee member of the International Association for the Study of Child Language (IASCL). She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles on spoken and written language development in children and young people. Her most current research focuses on personal narratives and the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity. Committed to evidence-based practice, Dr Westerveld collaborates with clinicians, educators, and families to translate research into meaningful outcomes. Her work informs both clinical assessment and intervention, shaping national and international approaches to inclusive language support. Through her leadership and global collaborations, she continues to shape inclusive, evidence-based approaches to supporting children’s communication around the world.