Dr Will Tonisson / Hearing Solutions

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	The Short Story (Written by Will):
	As one of the most qualified audiologists in the country, Dr Will Tonisson has used his expertise
	and his 31 years of experience to improve the quality of life for thousands of his clients. He is a joint
	owner and director of Hearing Solutions. As a research scientist he has been involved in several
	important standards and procedures used in audiology. He enjoys a high profile in the profession in
	Australia, and has an international reputation.
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	The Long Story (Written by Will's father):
	Will graduated from the University of Queensland in 1969 with an Honours degree in psychology.
	During that period he was introduced to the relatively new and emerging field of audiology. This attracted
	him because audiology was a practical "hands on" profession - helping people with hearing problems.
	His post graduate traineeship in audiology began with the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) in
	Brisbane, with an advancement into research in Sydney soon following. His many research projects
	there included audiometric bone calibration standards, speech discrimination tests for NAL Hearing
	Centres, and measuring in situ performance of hearing aids. Perhaps the best known was the so-called
	"NAL Procedure", published in 1976, co-authored with the late Dr Denis Byrne. This has become the
	most widely used hearing aid selection standard internationally, and is incorporated into various
	specialized hearing aid selection computer software.
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	In 1985 he obtained his Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in audiology. Again, this was a practical, research

degree - an intensive investigation of factors determining the development of language in congenitally deaf children.

In the course of his career Will published many articles with important implications for audiology. As a result he was invited to visit the United States and speak at several universities and the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis. A highlight was an invitation to join several eminent hearing scientists on a "Round Table of Experts" panel discussion on hearing aid selection at the 11th World Congress of Oto-rhino-laryngology in Buenos Aires in 1977.

Will was one of the first audiologists to enter private practice - in 1986. To obtain the best quality of hearing for his clients he established his own hearing aid manufacturing laboratory. Through this he pioneered the use of the K-AMP hearing aid technology in Australia. The K-AMP (invented by U.S. engineer-audiologist-musician, Dr Mead Killion) was the first major breakthrough in reducing background noise in hearing aid amplification.

The National Safety Council of Australia commissioned Will to develop hearing standards for Queensland Rail train drivers and guards in 1998. His other clients have included industry giants Bougainville Copper, Telstra, and BHP/Utah Mining.

Professionally, Will is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and the Australian Acoustical Society, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. He is also a member of the Audiological Society of Australia, serving as the federal president in 1990 and 1991. He is a co-founder, and an inaugural Honorary Fellow, of the Australian College of Audiology (ACAud), a new professional organisation that incorporates both audiologists and audiometrists. In 1999 he was one of the founding directors of "EAR Associates". This new and innovative buying group has helped many private audiology groups deal more effectively with hearing aid manufacturers.

Concerned about the increasing incidence of hearing loss Will has investigated research on people who have normal hearing well into their 90's. Intensive further research has led him to develop a prevention regime, including nutritional supplements and anti-oxidants, that he can now recommend to help prevent hearing loss. In 2000 he presented papers on this groundbreaking topic at the American Academy of Audiology conference in Chicago, and at the National Conference of the Audiological Society of Australia in Adelaide. He continues to actively pursue this area of research.

Estonian born, Will (Tõnisson) has had, from time to time, involvement in ethnic affairs. He has been a past president of the Estonian Society in Brisbane, and was an inaugural committee member of the Brisbane Migrant Resource Centre. Since independence from the USSR in 1991, Will has a commitment to return to Estonia periodically - to visit relatives, and to offer his professional expertise to colleagues there.

An important extra-curricular interest is music. In his younger days Will fronted a popular rock 'n roll band in Brisbane, and appeared on television "teen shows" in Adelaide. He has a particular love of country music, in which field (under the alias Will Tison) he has been a recording artist, and a multi award winning performer and song-writer. These days, sporting his guitar, he occasionally appears on stage at conference dinners as a "surprise guest"!