Hamish ‘Rocky’ Sutherland was born in Albury, New South Wales, and grew up on a farm in the Upper Murray area.

“Dad nicknamed me Rocky as a child and everyone calls me that,” explains Rocky, now 53. “I had an idyllic childhood and did all the things kids don’t seem to do much today. I would go up to the hills to check rabbit traps, milk the cows and do things before and after school and I loved the lifestyle.

“After I finished my HSC, I had a gap year working on the farm and then I went to England on a holiday to visit friends. I discovered travel there and loved it, and ended up going all round the world for seven years. I would spend half my time working and then travel and I was going to all different countries. I went to North and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It was an amazing experience.”

After that Rocky moved to working on a cattle station in Texas, Queensland, for a few years.

“While I was there I met a Dutch backpacker and we fell in love and got married,” says Rocky. “There was a bit of a drought in Queensland and farming wasn’t going well but there was a mining boom on in Western Australia, so we bought a caravan and headed across the Nullabor to do a lap of Western Australia and find a place to settle.

“When we got to Kunanurra it was our last stop, and I got a job in construction and worked over there for eight years.”

Unfortunately, the marriage ultimately broke up and in 2017 Rocky made the move back to Albury.

“While I had been working in Western Australia I’d found I was increasingly really struggling with fatigue,” says Rocky. “It was really hot and it was really oppressive fatigue, and I was struggling to cope. I was eventually diagnosed with CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukaemia), which is a type of leukaemia which creates fatigue.

“I had that and all these different symptoms, and when I moved back to Albury in 2018 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It was the worst experience of my life. The neurologist had no bedside manner, and it was a huge shock. I was on my own and came out crying my eyes out and they’re just saying here’s the bill, you have to pay $500.

“Afterwards I remembered that my left hand had been dodgy and really slow, and that arm didn’t swing when I walked. I spoke to friends later who said they had noticed I wasn’t talking as clearly to them.”

After a visit to the local Parkinson’s support group, Rocky, then 47, decided he would try to form a group for younger people.

“It was all old people in wheelchairs,” recalls Rocky. “I wanted to find people under 60. I did a bit of research and the people from Parkinson’s NSW helped me set up Young@Park. Most people in it would be in their mid-60s and they’re all lovely people, but I really want to help younger ones. But we are gradually getting more members.”

“Every Wednesday we have a coffee meet-up, we also do Sunday lunches and Wednesday night dinners at someone’s house,” he explains. “We have had a few guest speakers and enjoy the camaraderie as we are all in the same boat.

“I found that being diagnosed I went through the same stages of grief as a death. Shock, I was dumbfounded; anger, sadness; but the sooner you can start to accept it the better. The quicker you can get through to the other side and become at ease and accept it, the easier it becomes.

“It opened my eyes a bit, going from a very deep, dark place. My girlfriend had left me, and I had to adjust to a whole new normal.”

Rocky now has a good support system of friends and family.

“My father died a while ago, but Mum is 88 and loves to cook for me. My sister and my ex-wife look after me as well. My son is 14 now and is a lovely boy with a very caring side.

“We’ll go out to the farm and do a few jobs, I pay him for work he does and he’ll give me a hand when I need it. If I need assistance when I’m out – such as in a supermarket – I will just ask people, and explain that I have Parkinson’s. Most people will help with something.”

Rocky is also a keen photographer and uses drones, both for landscape photography and for checking on cattle on the farm.

“I love photography, particularly astrophotography which is photographing the stars and the Milky Way,” says Rocky. “You need to get out of town and away from the light pollution for that. I drove across the Simpson Desert with a few friends in a four-wheel drive.

“Got some nice photos from that trip. Now a gallery in France wants to do an exhibition of my photos and I am getting information on that.”

Mountain biking is another unexpected hobby Rocky took up when he was told to ‘do the exercise that you hate least’!

“I do more exercise now than I would have if I didn’t have Parkinson’s,” says Rocky. “And mountain biking also helps with balance.

“I always say to people that Parkinson’s is your new normal. Get over any stigma about having it. You’re at a higher risk of depression with it, and I take antidepressants which helps me manage it.

“The future starts now, don’t worry about what might happen later. Get on with today.”