The first day, Friday, devoted to Teacher/Tutors, proved to be a successful exchange of ideas and experiences, organization and ideals.

On Saturday there were presentations from Telstra and Media Access Australia to remind us that it is important to keep up with technology, valuable group discussions and two emotional Success Stories.  The first address was by a mother and her now teenage daughter whose severe hearing loss was diagnosed at a very early age.  Now, at 17, having been fitted with a cochlear implant, the girl is hoping to go to university.  The second Success Story was from an older lady who was not only deaf but blind as well. She learned her communication skills through Braille.  In her mid-50’s she has written her autobiography and is still writing.  A carer now communicates/ translates by palm reading – a system similar to steno-captioning on the palm of her hand.  Her courage was truly inspiring.

The AGM was held on Sunday morning with a virtually unanimous decision to establish a national secretariat which should do a lot to unburden the heavily laden Board members.

The hospitality and care from our hosts, the excellent captioning and other services, as well as the sight seeing and entertainment, all contributed to the success of the Conference.