Fergus

Male Speech and Language Therapists are a very rare creature indeed.  In the 15 years I've worked for the service, we have been lucky enough to have had 2. 

Fergus has been with us for a fixed term contract, and it was his first job after qualifying.  Previously he was in the Navy, but decided to retrain as a 'Speechie', having suffered from a stammer as a child and benefiting from the input of speech therapy then. 

We had a wee night out for him in Paco's in Perth, where you can have almost anything you fancy to eat.  Sadly, we were all driving - the story of our lives on work nights out - so only Shona was able to have a glass of wine as I was taking her home. 

I'll miss the dynamic of having a guy around; it always just gives you a slightly different perspective.  And I think for the children he worked with, it was a great thing to have a young man as a therapist, providing a good role model and the opportunity to see a man working in a more nurturing capacity than they usually get the chance to observe.

I wonder why so few men are attracted to work in caring professions (relatively speaking)?  Anyway, good luck to him in his new post in York.  I hope he enjoys it as much as he thinks he will.