Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales was the guest of honour at an informal gathering with Maitland and Port Stephens Parkinson’s Support Groups on Wednesday, 26 June.

There are more than 550 people living with Parkinson’s disease in the Maitland Local Government Area and another 460 in the Port Stephens area. Taking into account carers and

 family members, there are more than 2,000 people in this region of New South Wales who are in some way impacted by Parkinson’s disease.

“Her Excellency took a keen interest in our lives and challenges. She also shared her own insights into the disease, gained from having close colleagues who were diagnosed – and even personally assisting a gentleman with Parkinson’s in distress who she encountered on the street outside Government House,” said John Horsnell, Leader of the Maitland Support Group.