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Hello from South Australia! In the last week, we have gone from 44 degrees C (111 F) here with huge, fierce bushfires to torrential rain! Milestones for 2015 are that WFMT is celebrating 30 years and the Australian Music Therapy Association 40 years! I was recently interviewed briefly on local ABC radio and was able to promote the work of WFMT. Still much work to do, but many achievements to celebrate!If anyone is considering heading to Oz this year, please come to our Australian Music Therapy Association National Conference in Sydney’s Darling Harbour from 18-20 September 2015 (http://www.austmta.org.au/conference/amta-national-conference-and-pds-2015)! Also, the Melbourne Children's Applied Music and Neuroscience in Paediatrics Group and the Royal Children’s Hospital Music Therapy Program intend to host the first Australian based training program for the Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Awareness in Disorders of Consciousness (MATADOC) in late May 2015. They would like to hear from potential participants to determine whether there is sufficient interest to go ahead with the course (http://www.austmta.org.au/news).Music therapy for neurological conditions is developing rapidly in this region. The University of Melbourne has been awarded grant funding from the Australian Research Council to investigate the effect of a songwriting intervention on reconstruction of identity and psychological wellbeing post-injury for those with acquired spinal or brain injuries. This grant is for just over $370,000 over three years and is led by Associate Professor Felicity Baker RMT, Associate Professor Nikki Rickard, Professor Jennie Ponsford, Dr. Jeanette Tamplin RMT, and Professor Raymond MacDonald.In New Zealand, music therapists Shari Storie and Alison Talmage led their choir in a performance at the University of Auckland. The CeleBRation Choir for people living with neurological conditions, carers and volunteers, also celebrated its fifth birthday with a lively performance at a seminar for community groups at the Centre for Brain Research. Further information about the choir is available on its website, Facebook page, and the New Zealand Music Foundation YouTube channel.Similarly, the Stroke-a-chord choir in Melbourne has enjoyed a great year dedicated to helping people with aphasia following stroke. Congratulations to music therapist Anja Tanhane and the choir, recent finalists for best short documentary at the International Gold Panda Film Awards in Chengdu, China. They also recently recorded a radio program with the ABC Radio National Life Matters team. More information can be found on the choir’s Facebook page and on the ABC Radio National Life Matters webpage.Barely into 2015 and we are dealing with wars, horrific terrorist acts and a corresponding international swing to unify around support for tolerance and free speech. Let’s hope that WFMT can add our voice to the international movement towards human rights, peace and collaboration!Ms. Jeanette Milford, AustraliaWFMT Regional Liaison, Australia/New Zealand
