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Andrew Suggett is the Victorian Senior of the Year. He was honoured at an official ceremony at Government House yesterday.
He was recognised for his decades of service to the community, particularly for his work with assisting people diagnosed with Parkinson's.
“The Victorian Senior of the Year Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of older Victorians and give us the chance to say thanks for all they do. I congratulate all award recipients and nominees,” Minister for Ageing, Ingrid Stitt said.
“I’m proud to present these awards as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival, which is in its 41st year. I encourage all Victorians to get along and join the celebrations that honour our valued seniors.”
Warrnambool Mayor Cr Debbie Arnott said that it was a worthy recognition for such an amazing person.
"Andrew has lived in Warrnambool for 80 years, and throughout that time, there would be very few people who have done as much good for our city as he has," she said.
"Doctors told Andrew when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2000 that he wouldn’t be able to walk properly within five years. But he kept playing golf, he went to the gym and those years of keeping himself fit and healthy have given him the ability to continue to serve the community he calls home.
"When you help yourself, it puts you in a position to help others. And when you help others, more often than not, it makes you feel pretty good inside too.
"It’s a beautiful circle of community support and connectedness and its people like Andrew who make our city what it is today."
Andrew joined the Warrnambool Rotary Club in 1980 and became one of the charter members of the new Rotary Club of Warrnambool Daybreak when it was formed in 1998.
Serving as a Rotarian for such a long time is enough to earn recognition in itself.
But it was in the year 2000 when Andrew’s life changed. Forced into early retirement following his diagnosis of Parkinson’s, he maintained his infectiously positive outlook on life and resolved not only to do everything he could to improve his own quality of life, but to do what he could to help others.
A lot of people might have slowed down after a Parkinson’s diagnosis, but Andrew accelerated.
Andrew has been the President of the Warrnambool Parkinson’s Support Group since 2009 where he coordinates the monthly meetings and he was also instrumental in the creation of other Parkinson’s subgroups.
He was the inaugural chair of the Warrnambool Rotary House project, a Parkinson’s Victoria board member from 2011 until 2016.
Receiving a diagnosis of a lifelong illness has the potential to be isolating. But Andrew does everything he can to let people know that they are not alone.
He extends this beyond the Parkinson’s support groups, and he is the current Chairperson of the Warrnambool Combined Health Support Network.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SENIORS FESTIVAL