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Dear David, Although your piece about the PD Village had a whimsical tone, some of us young onset Parkinsonians from Victoria, Australia actually experienced this sort of "Parkie community" this last weekend when 20 of us more or less took over a holiday resort in a small country town about 65 kilometres from Melbourne. A few of us knew each other from support group meetings, but there were several new members and some from the country who were accompanied by spouses, partners. We talked about our individual problems, shared with others coping strategies, how we dealt with specific problems, got to know each other, clowned around, played lawn bowls and snooker, took forest walks, sat in the sun on a large balcony, cried a little and found again for a short time the kind of freedom that came from feeling the acceptance and warmth of being with other people who really understood what it was like to have Parkinson's or care for someone with Parkinson's. Consuming ample amounts of wine and port around the fireplace at night made us feel less inhibited, less self-conscious, more normal again despite the tremors, the cramps, the ungainly movements,the forgetfulness, speech problems that usually set us apart because all this was 'normal' in our little 'temporary PD Village.' We agreed that this sort of weekend should become an annual event with our support group. Celia Jones [log in to unmask]