Community Bushland Walk in support of Arthritis Queensland

Arthritis Queensland Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alex Green; Health and Wellbeing Queensland Chief Executive Officer, Dr Robyn Littlewood, and Executive Director, Ms Gemma Hodgetts; fellow walkers.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today.

As Governor and as Joint Patron, with my husband Graeme, of Arthritis Queensland, and as Patron of Health and Wellbeing Queensland, we welcome you this afternoon for our bushland walk in support of a wonderful organisation.

Arthritis Queensland strives to provide help and support to hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders living with this often-debilitating disease.

For many of us there’s little chance of escape from one of the 100 or so conditions grouped under the term ‘arthritis’.

From what we know, family genetics, gender and various bodily characteristics are all risk factors of arthritis, as is the mere act of living!

However, we can often avoid the worst effects of it, and one of the ways we know we can do so is by exercising.

Another of my patronage organisations, Queensland Ballet, has even joined with Arthritis Queensland on an online group dance program called Dance Moves, and if you haven’t heard of it, I encourage you to go to their website and find out more.

In the meantime, I’m glad we can offer you a rigorous but refreshing walk around the beautiful Fernberg Estate this afternoon, cohosted by Health and Wellbeing Queensland.

It’s not a cure, but it is an incredible way to loosen up the joints and in doing so raise awareness and support those living with arthritis.

If you want to know more about how to manage arthritis, please ensure you visit the Arthritis Queensland website, or perhaps even speak to one of their representatives here today.

Thank you all.