Meet Our Team
Learn more about the people that are included in the Young Allied Health family.
Our Speech Pathologists
Jessica
Senior Speech Pathologist, Founding DirectorWhat do you like to do in your spare time?
I love spending time with my family – taking the kids to the beach sounds like the perfect day!
What made you want to become a Speech Pathologist?
I think it was a long journey to figure out what I was going to do, starting with my introduction to speech therapy when I was in preschool with a lisp! I deferred going to uni fora year after school and took a gap year in America, and it was when I was studying anatomy and physiology over there that I realised I had chosen right. Now I can't imagine doing anything else!
What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
My role has evolved so much as the business has grown – now it’s not just the reward of seeing the children I work with grow, but also being a part of the growth of our amazing clinicians and team members. I genuinely love that both as a business owner and as a speech pathologist, you never know it all and there is always more to learn.
What is your most cherished memory from working at Young Allied Health?
There have been so many special memories – there’s been the big milestones like moving to our new offices in Kirwan in 2019, but it’s really the little achievements that make it all worthwhile. I just love that we get to work alongside families so closely and watch their children grow up and achieve their goals – it’s such a privilege to be part of their journey!
Samantha
Senior Speech Pathologist & Clinical Team LeaderWhat are your hobbies/interests?
I love spending time with my family including going to the beach, swimming and camping.
What is your favourite food?
Anything sweet!
What made you want to become a Speech Pathologist?
I wanted to do a job where I could not only help people but that was interesting and rewarding and speech pathology seemed to tick all of those boxes!
What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
Working with lots of beautiful young people and watching them achieve their goals, whether they are big or small.
What is your most cherished memory from working at Young Allied Health?
I can't pinpoint only one memory but one of my favourite things that I get to be apart of is sharing many milestones, achievements and ongoing developments within the lives of the people we support.
Cassie
Speech PathologistWhat are your hobbies/interests?
I enjoy playing tennis and soccer, listening to music and being outdoors.
What is your favourite food?
Does coffee count as food?
What made you want to become a Speech Pathologist?
I have always wanted to work in healthcare, and chose speech pathology because our profession involves many different topics; speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing; from babies, toddlers, school aged children to the geriatric population. There is always something new to learn!
What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
I love that each and every day is different and challenging, and it gives me a chance to make a real difference in the lives of the students we see. I love following their journey week to week and seeing them achieve things that many of us take for granted.
What is your most cherished memory from working at Young Allied Health?
It's hard to choose just one, but it has to be the session I introduced one of my students to an AAC system (Proloquo2Go). The smile on their face was incredible as they began to learn to combine words to make requests and comments, where previously their expressive language was limited to single words. Those moments make coming to work so rewarding.
Tiffany - on maternity leave
Speech PathologistWhere are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
I was born and grew up in Rockhampton. I moved to Townsville in 2012 for university.
What are your hobbies/interests?
I enjoy playing volleyball, making clothes and socialising with friends.
What is your favourite food?
Chocolate ice-cream and Spaghetti Bolognese
What made you want to become a Speech Pathogist?
I knew I wanted to be a health professional but not necessarily which profession. I started Speech Pathology as a suggestion from a family friend. After beginning I fell in love with what we do and how we can help people achieve their goals. When I then began clinical sessions at university, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
What's your favourite thing about working with kids?
How raw and unfiltered they can be, they will say what comes to their mind. They brighten my day and make me laugh.
Amelia - on maternity leave
Speech PathologistWhere are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
I was born in Oakey but have lived in Townsville most of my life. My father was in the defence force which is how we ended up here.
What are your hobbies/interests?
I love jigsaw puzzles! I could finish a 1000pc jigsaw puzzle in as little as three days. I also love reading adventure fiction books like the 7 Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly.
What is your favourite food?
Spaghetti Bolognese has to be my favourite dinner meal!
What made you want to become an Speech Pathologist?
I knew I wanted to work with children but didn’t want to be a teacher. A friend suggested speech pathology so I enrolled and loved it!
What’s your favourite thing about working with kids?
I love the hilarious things children say and do and find it very hard to keep a straight face at times! They are brutally honest and are so fun to work with. It is also incredibly rewarding when a child achieves their therapy goals and seeing their proud faces when they have loads of success!
Madeleine
Speech PathologistWhere are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
I was born and raised in Townsville and was fortunate to be able to stay in Townsville for my university studies.
What are your hobbies/interests?
I love spending time with family, friends, and keeping my puppy out of mischief. I enjoy running, yoga and being outdoors.
What is your favourite food?
Any sort of pasta dish, cheese platters and chocolate.
What made you want to become an Speech Pathologist?
I have always had a passion for helping people and wanting to make a positive difference in someone’s life. I had a keen interest in working in the health industry, specifically Dentistry for a long time but this very quickly changed when I researched and learned through a family friend what she did as a speech pathologist. I loved learning about the industry and the diversity in which we are able to help.
What’s your favourite thing about working with kids?
They brighten up your day and always have something interesting to share. Kids have no filter so it’s exciting to see what they have to say.
Kass
Speech Pathologist
Where are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
I grew up in Giru, just south of Townsville and ended up completing my high school up here
and eventually made the move just after leaving high school. Townsville has been home for
me since forever!
What are your hobbies/interests?
I spend a lot of time with my little family cooking, gardening and getting outside and we get
on our boat for a ride whenever we can! I like to look after myself with Yoga and meditation
and doing some crafty things.
What is your favourite food?
Lots of things! I love a great home cooked meal like corned beef, pasta, or smoked meats
like brisket. A delicious gluten free baked good will always lead me astray!
What made you want to become a Speech Pathologist?
It was after a while working in other industries (property, finance) that I realised that I really
wanted to work with children and disability, and I remembered back when I was younger
that my Mum said I should go into this field! Always listen to your Mum, guys! I made the
change in my late 20’s to go into this field and I’ve never regretted the move and the
impacts that speech therapy has on people.
What is your favourite thing about working with children?
I love how children see the world and how they can be so motivated to achieve (winning at
games or otherwise!). I really enjoy working closely with the parents of my clients and giving
them the skills to support their children outside of our clinic room and seeing how small
changes make big impacts for a family.
Bonnie
Speech Pathologist
Where are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
Townsville born and raised!
What are your hobbies/interests?
In my spare time I enjoy cooking/baking and trying new recipes. I also enjoy being outside
and taking in nature!
What is your favourite food?
Well chicken schnitzels for dinner are my all-time favourite. I love a sweet indulgence from
time to time (or all the time).
What made you want to become a Speech Pathologist?
When I was finishing high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduating. I was
considering studying education, but my mum suggested looking into Speech Pathology or
Occupational Therapy. She was working as Learning Aide at the time and loved working with
the Speechies and OT’s. So, I decided to give Speech Pathology a go, and I haven’t looked
back since!
What is your favourite thing about working with children?
I think the best part is seeing kids get excited when the achieve the therapy goals or targets.
Seeing their joy is really uplifting!
Our Occupational Therapists
Renee
Senior Occupational TherapistWhere are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
I was born in Bowen and moved to the big smoke of Townsville in 2011 to study at JCU.
What are your hobbies/interests?
In my spare time I love to practice yoga, read, paint (poorly!) and relax with a good movie or TV show.
What is your favourite food?
I love to cook and enjoy eating all varieties of food. Some of my favourites are rice paper rolls, lasagne, pasta, and Pavlova. The list goes on!
What made you want to become an Occupational Therapist?
I have known since early high school that I wanted to work in the health sector. When I was in mid high school I read a description about what occupational therapists do and it just clicked for me.
What is your most memorable moment working as an OT?
There have been many memorable moments in my time so far as an OT. The ones that really stick out are when a child and/or parent are so excited to tell me they have achieved something they have been practicing so hard for at home and in therapy. Recently a client was over the moon to show me how he can tie shoelaces all by himself now!
Renee is available Tuesdays - Fridays
Emma
Occupational TherapistWhere are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
I’m a Townsville girl, born and bred.
What are your hobbies/interests?
In my spare time you’ll find me anywhere with my friends and family. Or with my head stuck in a book.
What is your favourite food?
Chocolate
What made you want to become an Occupational Therapist?
I always wanted to work with children and have a rewarding career. I took a chance on occupational therapy and haven’t looked back.
What's your favourite thing about working with kids?
Everyday is different! At the end of the day there is always something to smile about when working with kids.
Sascha
Occupational TherapistWhere are you from?
Born and bred in Townsville.
What are your hobbies/interests?
I love sport and play Ultimate Frisbee two nights a week locally. In my spare time I love
hanging out with my family and friends, travelling, and playing with my dogs.
What is your favourite food?
I honestly love all food equally and find it extremely hard to pick a favourite. But I think I’d
have to go with a nice Indian curry (followed by dessert of course).
What made you want to become an Occupational Therapist?
I’ve always had a passion for helping people and wanted a job where I could really make a
positive difference in the lives of others. I sort of stumbled upon OT and very quickly
realised that I’ve always been an OT at heart. I love being able to bring meaning, purpose
and joy to people’s lives.
What's your favourite thing about working with children?
For me, working with kids is the most rewarding thing in the world. They are so full of
potential, enthusiasm, and joy. Their joy is contagious and seeing them learn and grow is
such a beautiful thing.
Rachel
Occupational TherapistWhere are you from? How did you end up in Townsville?
I predominantly grew up in Charters Towers, however made the move and settled in
Townsville in 2014.
What are your hobbies/interests?
I enjoy spending time with friends and family and going anywhere that is scenic. I love
discovering new places to explore.
What is your favourite food?
Anything that is cookies and cream or malteser flavoured is a hit!
What made you want to become an Occupational Therapist?
I started working as a support worker for many years after school and found a passion in
helping people achieve their goals and live a more enriched life. However, it wasn’t until I
worked in a support role at AEIOU that I fell in love with working with children and found
out what Occupational Therapy was that I truly knew Paediatric OT was where I wanted to
be.
What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
I love helping kids overcome challenges and find it very rewarding sharing the moment they
accomplish their goals. I enjoy learning about each child and their unique personalities and
being able to provide family centred practice. I love being able to show them that the
everyday mundane tasks don’t have to be boring or complex.
Our Admin Team
Marie
Co Practice ManagerWhere are you from?
Townsville.
How did you end up in Townsville?
I've lived in Townsville my whole life!
What are your hobbies/interests?
I enjoy spending time with my family, going to the beach, fishing and doing home craft activities.
What is your favourite food?
Anything Caramel....chocolates, cakes and tarts.
What do you enjoy most working at Young Allied?
Meeting new people and learning about everyone as individuals and their families.
Sally
Co Practice ManagerWhere are you from?
Born and raised in Townsville.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Where do I begin? I enjoy cooking and hosting dinner parties with friends and family. I enjoy music and attending local productions and I also love fishing. A mixed bag really!
Oh that's easy. Cheese. Any cheese.
What do you enjoy most working at Young Allied?
Definitely being part of an amazing team. They are simply amazing at their craft and it's wonderful to watch them help children to reach their full potential.