by Mat Churchill

The Port Douglas and Mossman Parkinson's Support Group has received a huge boost thanks to a generous philanthropic gesture from the other end of the country.

Nathan Claxton from custom design house Claxton Kustom Design  in Melbourne, who is currently in Port Douglas on holiday, has donated $1,000 to the fledgeling group.

"My Dad had Parkinson's from the age of 34 until about 60 so it's something that's close to my heart," Mr Claxton said.

"I was slacking off at work and was looking up things about Port Douglas because I knew I was flying up here so I was just searching the Internet. It had a link to The Newsport and saw the Parkinson's thing ('Port Douglas Parkinson's Support Group launched', 21 September 2010) and thought well, they're just starting up and need a hand."

Mr Claxton has been a regular visitor to Port Douglas over the last ten years and has a network of friends who still live in town.

Support group co-founder and JCU nursing student, Penny White, said the donation gives the group confidence and surety for the future.

"It means so much. It's the biggest, biggest, biggest kick start. When I told James (fellow co-founder James Watson)   I said are you sitting down and he said yes, and I said (we'd received) $1,000 donation. He just screamed down the phone, he was thrilled.

"It was the start of something and it gave us belief to really know that , ok, we've had a response and it's been massive and we can do this and we can pull this off and it's going to work and James is going to get his dream."

Mr Watson, who was recently awarded Cairns region's Volunteer of the Year for 2010, said the money would go into purchasing diaries that he said are crucial in the ongoing management of the neurological disease.

"The most important thing behind the diary is that you record your medication and at the same time you record whether you're bloody awful or you've got movement in your legs or whatever it is.

"In my case I had terrible, terrible trouble in the morning's because I woke up screaming. The medication I had during the day, morning and afternoon, I was taking at night and it was too strong. Now I've stopped it to a half dose and it makes a difference.

"The reason we're going to get this money is that the carer's and the sufferers get a diary each and they can work on it," he said.

Other areas the group is keen to support are the Parkinson's Foundation, the direct support for sufferers in meeting their day to day needs, and early support for young Parkinson's sufferers.

Ms White and Mr Watson have put the call out to the medical community calling on neurologists who may be visiting the area (the closest practicing neurologist is in Brisbane according to the pair), or give of their time via Skype, to assist in the education of the Port Douglas and Mossman community at the group's monthly meeting.

To contact the group call James Watson on 0438 148 691.