Parkinsong

Baulkham Hills has been my home for 30 years. For many, many years I worked for a bank in Baulkham Hills. Those were the days when banking was about customer service. I loved caring for customers and excelled in that role.

Five years ago, I felt something was wrong. I had small symptoms but one day, when babysitting my baby granddaughter, I sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and tried to move my fingers to twinkle. One hand wouldn’t twinkle at all. Something was wrong! It was as though all the wind had gone from my sails when I was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease.

I was one of the 50 people each day who are diagnosed with this disease. I found Parkinsong, which is part of the Hornsby Kur-ring-gai Parkinson’s Association Inc, when I was thinking of joining a support group. I dreaded the thought of a group who met to discuss the members’ illnesses and problems. I joined PARKINSONG about 2 years ago. Parkinsong is a choir run by volunteers. The choir was launched in 2018, Chris Davis being the main force in establishing the choir and is known by both Parkinsong and Chris Davis Choir.

The group meets weekly on Thursdays from 10am to 11.30am at the Turramurra Seniors Centre, 1 Gilroy Road, Turramurra. Meetings are held in a nice old cottage. The room is cosy and air conditioned.

Parkinsong is an amateur choir. There are no auditions, and a good voice is not a prerequisite. I don’t have a good voice, by anyone’s standards, but I do enjoy singing.

The first day I attended, the volunteers who met me at the door were friendly and welcoming AND I was greeted with a warm, comforting cup of tea.

I wasn’t prepared for the fabulous sound the choir made. The combination of male and female voices was fantastic. We sang rounds with the help of words projected on a screen as well as words on printed sheets. All the songs chosen to sing are uplifting. From time to time, we perform at local retirement villages and the Wahroonga Fair, highlights being singing at Government House and the Sydney Recital Centre as part of Singout Sydney.

This is a unique group which is made up of people with Parkinsons, their families, volunteers, carers and friends. Singing, particularly in groups, improves the voice and swallowing mechanisms which are common complaints with Parkinson sufferers. Singing relaxes muscles and releases tension in the back and neck which is shown to also reduce Parkinson’s symptoms like tremor, posture and walking problems.

Coming away from singing, I feel uplifted and I’m often humming along to a tune that has stuck in my head. I also enjoy the friendship and support of choir members.

We have members from Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill and Galston amongst our number. I would like to encourage anyone who is interested to give Parkinsong a try.

More information is available on our website: www.parkypeople.org OR please contact Michael Parkin 0491 009 557. ALL WELCOME!