Scotch College

Helping to discover

Helping to discover the cause of a serious problem

With a gift of $300,000 to the Murdoch Children's Research Institute at the Royal Children's Hospital, Scotch old boy Philip Myer ('71) hopes to help youngsters avoid the major problems he suffered as a boy with a stutter.

He described his affliction as 'a serious problem' when as a teenager he was trying to talk to girls, converse with his school friends, make a phone call, or simply explain to a shop assistant that he wanted a lolly or an ice cream.

ÒThere was also the feeling that because I stuttered I must be unintelligent,' Philip told Great Scot, Òand that led to a fair bit of teasing when I was at school.'

Philip said that through group therapy treatment almost 30 years ago he learned to control his stutter. ÒBut I'm still conscious of stuttering, and it emerges again sometimes if I'm tired or stressed,' he said.

Great Scot's conversation with Philip was punctuated by 'ums' and 'ahs' from the interviewer, but few from Philip. ÒMost people wouldn't attach any significance to those 'ums', 'ahs' or 'ers' as they speak,

but as a stutterer you are much more conscious of them,' Philip said. ÒIt shows that everyone's speech can be both fluent and hesitant.'

About 1 per cent of the population and 5 per cent of children are stutterers, and the Murdoch Institute team is using Philip's donation to learn more about what causes stuttering in children.

Sheena Reilly, Professor of Paediatric Speech Pathology at the Royal Children's Hospital and La Trobe University, said that Philip's donation had provided the research project with a wonderful kick-start.

ÒPhilip's gift is helping us to make a multi-pronged attack on the causes of stuttering,' Professor Reilly said. ÒFirst, we're looking at the genetics, to understand what role heredity plays; second, we're investigating

a possible association between epilepsy

and stuttering,' she said. ÒIn a few children who stutter (and have epilepsy) we

noted a reduction in stuttering when

the children were treated with

anti-epileptic medication.

ÒThe third project uses a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine brain function in children who stutter,' Professor Reilly said.

Though Philip Myer is a member of the famously benevolent Myer family, he said this gift is not being made through the Myer Foundation philanthropic trust. ÒAlthough I have supported several projects through the Foundation, combating stuttering was a very personal matter to me, and one I wanted to support off my own bat,' he said.

ÒBy making this donation, I feel that I'm giving something back, in recognition of the help I had as a bad stutterer many years ago,' Philip said. ÒIf this donation can ultimately help young people to get on top of this affliction early in life, it will be money well spent.'

Philip is a self-employed builder and designer whose first job out of school was in the office of renowned architect Sir Roy Grounds. He has lately turned his hand to olive-growing, and has groves on the Bellarine Peninsula and along the Murray River, which are managed through his office in Hobart.

He lives at Birchs Bay, south of Hobart, and is a licensed air pilot. He often flies

his own plane across Bass Strait to business meetings in Melbourne, or to visit his

olive groves.