This month marks 60 years since the first Diabetes WA meeting. That meeting, which took place on 18 August 1965, wasn’t the work of government bodies or national organisations, but the result of two Perth families determined to find support for their children. 

Four years earlier, Ken Walker’s three-year-old son had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He and his wife Betty had struggled to find the information they needed and local support was non-existent. 

Ken looked to Victoria, where he visited the Diabetes Federation of Australia, wanting to find out how Western Australia could create an association to rival those of the eastern states. 

While there, he learned that another Perth father, Reg Harle had recently contacted the federation with the same idea. It didn’t take long for Ken and Reg to meet and organise a public meeting. 

Perth doctors Hal Briedhal and John Calder were recruited as guest speakers, a notice was place in the West Australian and, on 18 August, around 100 people gathered at McNess Hall on Pier Street. The focus of that night’s discussion was what it would mean to build a community that could offer the understanding and support that West Australians with diabetes needed. 

The result of this grassroots action was the Diabetes Association of WA – a homegrown organisation that was born from the unique needs of those living in our state. In March the following year, the first AGM was held at Royal Perth Hospital. Soon after, the association ran its first children’s camp in Bunbury. 

The success of this camp illustrated the importance of a local, state-based organisation. Sixteen young West Australians, all living with diabetes, got to meet others going through the same experiences. For many of these kids, it was the first time they had met someone just like them who was living with diabetes. This peer support was a transformative experience for many – and six decades later, our kids camps continue to change young lives. 

The missing piece was a local support and information service that would be accessible to all West Australians. To address this, the association set up its first helpline in 1976. Back then, it was open just one afternoon per week with nurse Noelene Punch answering calls. Today, that helpline is available Monday to Friday, taking thousands of calls a year and supporting people across WA with advice and encouragement. And we’re still based here in Western Australia. 

Support comes in many shapes and sizes. From our beginning, Diabetes WA has also sought to be the voice of West Australians living with diabetes. In 1966, the association wrote to the WA Police Department, explaining how diabetes symptoms could be confused with intoxication. They also reached out to Prime Minister Harold Holt about employment restrictions for people with diabetes in the public service. This was not just about raising awareness of the impact of diabetes, but also making real changes in the lives of West Australians. 

Over the years, we have brought West Australians together through a range of self-management programs, including the DESY program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, in-person and Telehealth clinics, children’s camps, support for women with gestational diabetes and Diabetes Connect, which now links endocrinologists with GPs across the state.  

Some six decades on, we continue to deliver on the vision of the Walker and Harle families. On the eve of our 30th anniversary, Betty Walker wrote: 

“When Ken founded the Diabetes Association of WA all those years ago, he had a vision that one day the organisation would be housed in a suitable building and run by professionals providing services and organising programs such as a Children’s Camp. He would agree his wishes for the association have been fulfilled today.” 

Today we are the state’s peak body for people living with diabetes. It’s our privilege to inform, educate, support and advocate on behalf of the thousands of West Australians who live with this chronic condition. But our mission and our focus remain unchanged. Diabetes WA was created by the WA community, for the WA community. 

Diabetes WA will be celebrating its 60th Anniversary in November 2025.