Keynote Speaker

Claire Hall

With a background in Intensive Care Nursing, Claire always said she would never study midwifery. After what she witnessed during her nursing training she was convinced that midwifery – and even children – were not for her. But a desire to work with women in poorer societies led her to study midwifery which she completed early 1996. It was here that she learned it wasn’t birthing that horrified her, it was the medical management of birth and she has been on a path ever since to see women reclaim their power and autonomy concerning their bodies and their births.. While always involved in the home birth movement, she also worked in a variety of mid-sized to small rural hospitals in Australia, and it was not until 2005 that she left permanent work in the hospital system and embarked fully on her home birth journey. When people discover she is a midwife, they say, “You must love babies!” And she does, but that is not why she is a midwife. She is a midwife because she fell in love with women, and it is for women that she dedicate her work. In 2011 as the political and legal situation in Australia became diametrically opposed to supporting women’s autonomy over their bodies and choices over their births, she formally handed in her licence to practice midwifery. She continues to work with women by sharing information and supporting their choices in practical ways. After finding a publisher (finally) she hopes to have her first book published in 2012. Claire lives in a small rural town called Gympie in the State of Queensland, Australia with her two boys Max (10) and Eli (8). Apart from her passion for helping women achieve their desire for a natural birth, most of her interests these days are centered on family life. She volunteers as a first aid officer for her boys’ football team, and spends most of her time facilitating sports, science and art adventures for her boys, and thinking up interesting ways to experience school lessons. She still enjoys sewing though her sewing machine stays in the cupboard for longer periods than she would like. She is an avid reader (though again, she takes longer to read books than she used to and some are gathering dust on her nightstand). She enjoys camping, writing, speaking at conferences, hiking and cooking. Learning would be her biggest passion and she is always searching for new and interesting information for well family care, and frequently do courses – especially in natural fertility, herbs, aromatherapy, homeopathy and massage. She has an interest in sustainable living and looking after our environment.