Spelfabet

Alison Clarke, Senior Speech Pathologist

Alison has been a Speech Pathologist since 1988, and also holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics and an ESL teaching qualification. She has worked for the Victorian Education Department, Yooralla, SCOPE, a University in Mexico, a hospital in London, RMIT, the Royal Children’s Hospital and in private practice. She started her own private practice in 2000 in Footscray, moved it to Clifton Hill in 2012, and then to North Fitzroy in 2018.

Alison set up this Spelfabet website in 2012, because she was keen to encourage early literacy teaching and intervention that  reflects scientific reading research. She was 2015-16 Vice President of Learning Difficulties Australia (LDA), and has also worked as an administrator, and been a City Councillor and Mayor. She received LDA’s 2018 Mona Tobias Award, and a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022. Alison works Tuesdays to Saturdays during school terms, and weekdays during school breaks.

Nicola Anglin, Speech Pathologist

Nicola holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Master’s degree in Speech Pathology, completed in 2013. She has worked with children and adults, mostly at private practices.

Nicola’s main clinical interests are literacy, fluency (stuttering) and voice, especially gender-affirming voice training. She is trained in the Sounds-Write program.

Nicola works at Spelfabet on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. She loves peaceful productivity and planning, food, dancing to 80s music, doing craft and going to musicals.

Elle Holloway, Speech Pathologist

Elle holds a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology and Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies and Languages, completed in 2017. She has experience working with children and teens in private clinics, and delivering in-school services.

Elle is back working three days a week at Spelfabet after parental leave. She enjoys sharing videos of her exceptionally cute baby, playing word games, spending time with her two retired greyhounds, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and lifting weights at the gym.

Elle’s clinical interests include literacy, language, and speech sound therapy. She is trained in the Sounds-Write program, Talk for Writing, and PROMPT articulation therapy.

Jo Lomasney, Speech Pathologist

Jo completed a Master’s degree in Speech Pathology in 2019, and her Bachelor’s degree in 1997, majoring in Japanese and Linguistics. Her professional background includes journalism, English language teaching and assessment administration.

Since becoming a speech pathologist, Jo has worked with children and adults with speech, language, literacy and cognitive difficulties, in private clinics, school readiness programs and research trials. She is trained in Sounds-Write and Little Learners Love Literacy methodologies.

Jo is passionate about the importance of literacy to promote academic engagement and life participation. As a parent, Jo understands the need for therapy to be motivating and fun to help achieve the best outcomes for a child. Jo works part-time at Spelfabet, in the mornings on Monday to Friday. She loves camping, bird spotting, bike-riding, cooking and paddleboarding.

Lucy Smith, Speech Pathologist

Lucy gained her Masters in Speech Pathology from the University of Auckland in 2022, and also has an Occupational Therapy qualification and experience.

Before starting work at Spelfabet, Lucy worked supporting families to foster early communication and language skills, and trained in the Sounds-Write synthetic/linguistic phonics program.

In her spare time Lucy enjoys cycling, hiking, reading and being creative in the kitchen.

Lucy works at Spelfabet on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8am to 4pm. 

Melanie Johnson, Speech Pathologist

Melanie holds a Master of Speech Pathology from the University of Melbourne (2024) and a Bachelor of Education from Australian Catholic University. Her professional experience spans primary school teaching and school leadership roles, including deputy principal and literacy and learning leader.

With a passion for literacy and language, Melanie is trained in Sounds-Write and Little Learners Love Literacy. She is deeply committed to the role of literacy in fostering academic engagement and enabling life participation. As the parent of a child who benefited from evidence-based speech pathology services herself, Melanie appreciates the importance of making therapy motivating and enjoyable.

Melanie approaches her practice with empathy and understanding. She collaborates closely with children and their families to set neuro-affirming, functional goals that have a meaningful impact, and values strong partnerships with care teams, teachers, and educators. She works at Spelfabet on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Wanyima Wighton, Speech Pathologist

Wanyima holds a Master’s degree in Speech Pathology, completed in 2024, and an Advanced Graduate Diploma in Linguistics. He has experience working with children and adults in private and public speech pathology settings, and is trained in the Sounds-Write program. His professional background also includes child language research and classroom education support.

In addition to literacy, Wanyima’s clinical interests include speech and language difficulties and culturally and linguistically responsive practice. Outside of work he enjoys camping, music, making lino prints, being a word nerd, and hanging out with his black and white four-legged friend.

Wanyima works full-time at Spelfabet, between 8am and 4pm.

Gloria Raynes, Speech Pathologist

Gloria holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Masters degree in Speech Pathology, completed at La Trobe University in 2022. 

Before commencing at Spelfabet, Gloria worked within primary schools, providing oral language and literacy intervention to students. She has a calm and gentle approach to therapy and enjoys tailoring intervention to her clients interests. 

In her spare time, Gloria enjoys going for leisurely walks, building Lego, trying out new restaurants and going to see musicals. She has a weekend job as a theatre usher. Gloria works at Spelfabet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11am – 7pm. 

Tiana Knights, Office Coordinator

Tiana holds a Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry and has worked with children for over twenty years as a gymnastics coach.

She has also worked in administration for real estate, sporting organisations and not-for-profit gymnastics centres.

General interests include reading, festivals, bouldering and multi-species justice. Tiana enjoys exploring parks with Levi, her big and gentle dog friend, who sometimes comes to work. In December 2024 she became a mum, so she is returning to work gradually in 2025, sharing the role with….

Megha Venkatesh, Office Coordinator

Megha has a Bachelor of Legal Science and Bachelor of Legislative Law from Mumbai University and is currently studying a Master of Business Analytics at Deakin University. She has worked in customer service, legal administration, and office management.

Megha works part-time on Monday to Thursday at Spelfabet (24 hours per week).