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HD Spotlight on John Conaghan

SOCIAL WORKER Hunter HD Service, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle NSW

Q. Why did you decide to become a social worker?
A.  I think I had been pondering for a while about what to do with my life. I liked the humanities at uni and it probably grew from there. I also think that various life experiences propelled me to have a genuine interest in the relational and emotional self. Social work seemed to be the best fit for me.

Q. How did Huntington’s disease become your specialty?
A. I first was introduced to HD when I was studying social work in Melbourne in the early 1980s. I ended up working as a care assistant at a place called Mary’s Mount which was a care facility for people with HD. It was this experience which made me interested in HD and hence applying for the job I currently have back in 1991. I remember being challenged by how I could be helpful to people with an incurable disease and this stuck with me for some time before I went into the work.

Q. What’s the best part about working with HD families?
A. Without a doubt the longer term nature of the relationship with families, bearing witness to people’s courage, resilience, compassion, sadness and love for each other.

Q. What keeps you enthusiastic about your job?
A. The idea of working in the service of others, the development and maintenance of the relationship with people who have HD and their families and the hope of a better treatment.

Q. What is your ideal Sunday?
A. Knocking over a few jobs around the house, a pot of ginger infused chai tea with my partner Suzie over lunch and playing some cricket with my son Tomas at the nets in the afternoon.

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Huntington’s Australia is a national leader in the delivery of services to support and empower people impacted by Huntington’s Disease (HD) to live their best life. We provide NDIS services, community education, individual and group capability building activities and advocacy at all levels. As part of the Business Development, Fundraising and Partnerships Team this role ... Read more
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Published date: 31 July, 2023

Download your copy of HD News Winter edition by clicking on the link. Some of the highlights in this edition are Introduction to our HD Youth Specialist and program update, HD Awareness Month and the High Tea 4 HD, an update on the progress of Huntington's Australia, dates and registration details for Walk 4 Hope.
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We are recruiting – HD Specialist

Published date: 5 July, 2023

Huntington’s NSW ACT is the peak body representing the Huntington’s community in NSW and the ACT. We support people affected by Huntington’s Disease (HD) to live their best possible life, while striving to eliminate the factors that make our organisation necessary. We provide leadership in Huntington’s disease information, education, awareness, support and advocacy. 

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Published date: 8 June, 2023

As a valued member of the HD community, we’d like to keep you up to date with Huntington’s Australia (HA) developments. A summary of the article: Our NDIS registration is taking longer than expected and as such the merger date of 1 July has been postponed. The different associations are working together to share resources ... Read more

An update on all things Huntington’s Australia

Published date: 29 March, 2023

As a valued member of the HD community, we’d like to keep you up to date with Huntington’s Australia (HA) developments. The merger implementation is in full swing and just about everyone is getting involved in some way, shape or form. All staff are in the process of having discussions with our CEO, Lenni, and our HR Specialist, Lyn, about transitioning into the new HA organisation. We are still expecting that most of the staff employed by State Associations will transfer to HA. In addition to our CEO, we now also have another two of the senior management team selected, and both are starting this month - Leah Atkinson as the Head of Finance and Corporate Services and Basil Mabuza as the Head of Community Programs and Services.