Outstanding service award
Susan Clutterbuck has been awarded the outstanding service award at the recent National Audiology Australia Conference held in Melbourne.
The certificate of outstanding service was established in 1994 to recognise the contribution of
individual audiologists to the audiology profession, and to Audiology Australia. Only six awards are made every two years.
In her presentation of the award to Susan, president of Audiology Australia Professor Louise Hickson said the award was long overdue.
“It recognises Susan’s contribution to the profession of audiology and her commitment to the highest standards of hearing care over her long career,” she said.
“In particular, her outstanding work on measuring clinical outcomes started before we even knew how to ask the questions.”
Susan’s audiology career started 47 years ago, working at the Commonwealth Acoustic Laboratories and Royal Childrens’ Hospital in Melbourne.
She moved to the Latrobe Valley in 1976 and continued working in specialist medical practice and Australian Hearing before starting her independent private practice, Gippsland Audiology Services, in 1983.
Susan takes great pride in the audiology services provided to Gippslanders, and has built the practice to its current level, with 10 audiologists and seven clerical staff working at clinics in Morwell, Sale, Warragul and Leongatha.
“Prior to the start of Gippsland Audiology, people often had to travel to Melbourne for many of the hearing services that we can now provide locally,” Susan said.
Susan’s award also recognises her work developing EARtrak, an independent process that helps hearing clinics to measure the effectiveness of their hearing care.
The process enables clinics to receive performance ratings (up to five stars) based on the quality of their treatment.
EARtrak has been used not only in Australia, but has been recognised world-wide with take-up by clinics in the United States, New Zealand and Germany.
Residents have until next Friday to make suggestions about what they’d like to see in the Civic Parks at Warragul and Drouin.
The inputs will help frame master plans for future development of the two parks.
Maw Baw Shire mayor Joe Gauci said there had already been significant feedback and there were several ways people could contribute up until the closing time of 5 p.m. on Friday.
Suggestions and comments can be emailed to bawbaw@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au, on line at www.bawbawshire,vic.gov.au/Have YourSay by writing to Urban Operations, Baw Baw Shire Council, P.O.Box 304, Warragul, 3820, or by visiting a council customer service centre and completing a Have Your Say pack.
Cr Gauci said some key considerations in developing plans for the parks were the shire’s population growth and changing demographics.
He said of responses so far there had been a strong desire for additional plantings and trees, improved safety especially in play areas, improved accessibility and path connections and upgrades of park facilities such