News and Stories

Over 100 attendees gathered in June for Hear and Say’s live crowdfunding event. Hosted at EY Brisbane and in collaboration with The Funding Network, this bespoke event brought together a mix of corporate, philanthropic and community supporters to collectively help fund three Hear and Say programs.   With this style of event often referred to as a Shark Tank for charities, we were thrilled to have the former “Sharks” themselves, Dr Glen Richards and Steve Baxter, join with us to help raise over $100,000 in pledges across our Audiology, Early Intervention and Hear to Learn ...

Five-year-old Finn will be fitted with hearing aids next month, after a school hearing screening discovered that he had a hearing loss. Hear and Say’s Hear to Learn – School Hearing Screening program visited Finn’s school, in Brisbane’s south. He was found to be suspected of having a progressive middle ear issue resulting in hearing loss. Finn was screened at birth through the Australia-wide newborn screening program and passed with flying colours, however more recently his parents Lucinda and Dale, had questioned if Finn was having difficulty hearing. “We had recently noticed ...

A father of three, John enjoys playing golf and having breakfast at local cafes with his friends. Around five years ago, John found out he had a hearing loss, and has been wearing hearing aids since. “As my hearing loss is mainly in the high frequencies, I have trouble with speech clarity, and hearing in background noise and social situations,” said John. “I was recently fitted with two new hearing aids, and with the updated technology I am hearing better and clearer than ever before.” Hear and Say has recently expanded our services to support adults through hearing ...

From psychology and exercise science, to environmental studies and graphic design – for 19-year-old Rosa, the world is her oyster when it comes to deciding which career path to follow. “I have had many career aspirations both in sporting and creative fields, but I don’t yet know what I see myself pursuing in the future,” said Rosa, who has recently completed her first year of a Bachelor of Design at Griffith University. “With my current course I’ll likely choose graphic design as my major for next year, and see where that takes me.” Rosa’s profound hearing loss, ...

One-year-old Benjamin has a cheeky grin and sparkling eyes which light up a room. Born with profound hearing loss in both ears, Benjamin was six-weeks-old when he first received hearing aids, followed by two cochlear implants at 10-months-old. His hearing loss was initially a shock for parents, Caio and Camila, who had relocated from Brazil to Brisbane three years earlier. “We did not expect Benjamin’s diagnosis – we didn’t have any family history of hearing loss, and there weren’t signs during the pregnancy of any issues,” said Caio. “The journey started really early for ...

Cheeky, playful, smart, cute and funny. These are the five words 11-year-old Cale used to describe his dog Freddie, in his speech that took out the top prize in his age group at the 2019 Calanna Public Speaking Competition. Winning this prestigious award in his hometown of Cairns was no easy feat, with Cale taking part in four rounds of public speaking competitions, with the final speech hosted in the Cairns Regional Council Chambers.   “The topic was, ‘My Five Favourite Words’, and my speech was about my dog, Freddie. Now I am the best public speaker in my age group in ...

“We have two children with profound hearing loss and because of the support we have received from Hear and Say both Amelie and Xavier can hear and speak just like their peers.” – Marc Kenney, Managing Director of construction company, Mettle. For Marc Kenney, Loud Shirt Day is a time to give back and raise awareness – and this year, his team got creative. Mettle has supported Loud Shirt Day for many years and stepped it up in 2019 after being named a Hear and Say Loud Shirt Day Ambassador. The company has rallied behind Marc and his family to support even more children with ...

Amy and Alastair were on a holiday in Melbourne, away from their regional Queensland town and the support network it holds, when Amy unexpectedly faced an emergency birth. Following a complicated pregnancy and now an unplanned caesarean interstate, the young couple felt so grateful to finally hold their little Elspeth in their arms. However, it was in those early days of adjusting to a new baby, Amy and Alastair were told Elspeth had been born with two rare conditions known as microtia and atresia, affecting the formation of her ear and ear canal. “I was in recovery when Alastair ...