Паралич мозга унес жизнь 87-летнего активиста Дэвида Венисса, который боролся с болезнью Паркинсона более десяти лет

BORN on February 29, David Veness was always destined for a great life. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading According to his wife of 55 years, Cheryl Veness, a great life is what he had. The couple, who met on a Temora Street corner in September 1968, married in 1971, and shared three beautiful children. Then, 16 years ago, David had a sore leg. "And that's how it all started," Mrs Veness said. This sore leg was the beginning of his battle with Parkinson's disease, which he fought for more than a decade, before it ultimately took his life on Thursday, July 9, 2026. With his wife, and best friend by his side, as well as the team at the Bathurst Health Service who cared for him for around 10 months, he took his last breath. "It wasn't a good death, it was horrible, it was 3am in the morning," Mrs Veness said. But his life was entirely the opposite. A passionate family man, and sporting patriot, David had a keen interest in politics, one which never wavered, even when Parkinson's took over his body. "He was a character. He loved his politics," Mrs Veness said. "He loved his garden, he loved his life, and he loved his work, he had a great work ethic which he has passed on to the children, and his grandchildren. "His love of trains was unbelievable. He loved his trains and he loved Parramatta and Collingwood, but they're not doing much good this year." The driving force of all his greatest loves, however, was his innate need to serve his community. "David was very community focused. He loved his Rotary, and Legacy, and was there for anybody who needed help," Mrs Veness said. Parkinson's pioneer This became clearer than ever when David was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and became a staunch advocate for the community. With a strong desire to help others in his position, he joined the board of Parkinson's NSW as a non-metropolitan representative in 2016. Just two years later, he was elected as the president, before stepping into the vice president role in 2021. He was appointed Parkinson's NSW Ambassador in November 2021 following his tireless work on the board, where he was instrumental in the deployment of Parkinson's specialist nurses across the state. David even helped to secure specialist nursing positions in Northern NSW, Northern Sydney and Southern NSW Local Health Districts. For this, he was named an Order of Australia Medal recipient in June 2023. At first he was reluctant to accept the accolade, but after some coercion from Mrs Veness, he finally said yes. It was an honour that Mrs Veness said she was extremely proud of him for receiving. But, it was simply life with her husband that Mrs Veness said she loved the most, especially David's warm, and welcoming character. Devoted husband and family man "He was genuine, he could look me in the eye. He liked my mother, and mum liked him, which was a plus," she said. "He was caring, kind, and always there when you needed a steady hand." Even up until his final days, David always acted with integrity, and like a true gentleman. So much so, after his death, staff at the Bathurst Hospital called Mrs Veness to thank her on David's behalf. "The hospital called me the other day to thank me for David always being a proper gentleman when he was in hospital," Mrs Veness said. "They all say that he was a thorough gentleman, and there's not a lot of them left." That gentleman is who Mrs Veness said she will miss the most. "We had a wonderful 55 years of marriage," she said. "He meant the world to me, he was my world." Now, after his death, she has been forced to face the reality that her husband is never coming home. There is one thing, however, that Mrs Veness said brought her great comfort. She believes that now David is reunited with their son, Peter, who died of brain cancer in 2012, aged 27. "He had a great life. I would like him still to be here but he can't be, so I would like to think that he is up there having a beer with our son," she said. Now, her hope is that one day, they can find a cure for Parkinson's disease, so that nobody ever has to go through what David went through, and that nobody has to watch the health of their loved ones deteriorate so rapidly from the disease.