PingPongParkinson® Australia Coordinator
Global Implementation Specialist
Assistant to Nenad Bach
Helen started the first chapter in Australia in Hervey Bay, Queensland, on 2 September 2024. She assisted PPP founder Nenad Bach with his talk “Ping Pong vs Parkinson: Uncommon Solution” at TEDxZagreb, Croatia, in November 2024 and volunteered at the birthplace of PingPongParkinson, Westchester Table Tennis Centre in Pleasantville, New York, in December 2024 and January 2025.
Helen has been a human rights advocate and a consultant working to assist people with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions and their support people via lifestyle interventions and sensory, cognitive and movement therapies for the past decade. She is also a qualified personal trainer and yoga teacher.
Nenad is a composer, producer, singer-songwriter, peace activist, civil engineer and table tennis champion. Nenad has recorded for Sony, Universal, Decca, Polygram and many other labels and performed all over the world, including Woodstock in 1994 and Modena, Italy, in 1995 with Luciano Pavarotti, Bono & The Edge (U2). Nenad is the creator of the Croatian World Network, www.croatia.org, an information source for Croatians and friends of Croatia. In 2006 Globus Magazine listed Nenad Bach as one of the 100 most influential Croatians in the world. In 2010, Nenad was diagnosed with “Parkinson’s Disease” and in 2017, he founded PingPongParkinson® at Westchester Table Tennis Centre in Pleasantville, New York. In 2024, he released his seventh album. Through singing, songwriting and PingPongParkinson®, Nenad spreads the message of hope, joy, compassion and universal peace. Nenad is a mentor to the Australian PingPongParkinson® movement.
Assistant Coordinator, PingPongParkinson in Victoria
Andy has been a passionate table tennis player for over 40 years. His love for the sport grew alongside his awareness of family members who lived with Parkinson, which also fueled Andy’s personal and professional interest in evidence-based therapies and lifestyle interventions for optimal health, especially strategic applications of light. Music is another of Andy’s passions, and spending time with Nenad Bach during his trip to Melbourne in 2025 was a true highlight. For Andy, light, rhythm and movement can be a life-changing combination in the context of health, technology and the game of table tennis.
Robert Fox is a volunteer with PingPongParkinson™ (PPP) at Dee Why PCYC in Sydney, Australia. He joined the PPP community after meeting Nenad Bach in May 2025 and has been enthusiastically involved ever since.
Now 68, Robert has been married to his wife Jenny for 40 years. He is the proud father of two daughters and became a grandfather to Monty in September 2025. Robert and Jenny live in Narrabeen, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Before retiring in 2020, Robert worked for 30 years as a paramedic. Outside of PPP, his passions include surfing and long-distance adventures—whether multi-day or multi-week walking and cycling trips. He has also had a lifelong love of table tennis and looks forward to being involved with PPP for many years to come.
Dr Jacqui Hislop-Jambrich is a researcher, educator, and advocate who is passionate about helping people with Parkinson’s stay active, connected, and engaged with their communities.
With a background in medical imaging and translational research, Jacqui has spent decades working at the intersection of science, healthcare, and education. Her interest in resilience, movement, and healthy ageing has naturally led her to towards community-based Parkinson’s programs including PingPongParkinson™ Australia.
She believes table tennis offers far more than exercise. It creates routine, confidence, laughter, play and social connection in a supportive environment where people can continue to challenge themselves and each other.
Dr Lakshmi Iyer, Committee member at PingPongParkinson™ (PPP) Australia, came across the organisation by chance, having been introduced to it through a friend in the USA. PPP is of great personal significance to me as I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when I was 53 years old, and once I had passed the initial denial stage, I had vowed to make exercise my focus due to the many research findings that have proven beyond doubt its positive benefits.
In my younger days, I was not very sporty, but more recently I have been participating in several different types of physical activity, such as Badminton, Pickleball, Ping Pong, yoga, hydrotherapy, going for walks, and practicing mindfulness to be happy, content, and less stressed. I would like to use the PPP platform to engage with others in the same condition and offer support, motivate them, and befriend them to avoid isolation, depression and anxiety, all of which are more common for people living with PD.
At a professional level, I retired as a Food Technologist cum Biochemist, with expertise in the processing of cereals and legumes to produce wholesome foods – high in nutritive value and gut health enriching. I specialise in providing technical solutions to R&D teams for minimally processed grain-based foods without compromising nutrition.
Secretary, PingPongParkinson™ Australia
Stephen Indersmith lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. He recently retired after founding and managing a community publishing business for 25 years.
With retirement comes new challenges and goals. Steven’s motivation to get involved in PingPongParkinson™ comes from his father, who passed away with physical and cognitive disabilities.
Steven is happily married with 3 adult sons. He and his family enjoy travelling the world, experiencing other cultures and adventures. He and his wife recently volunteered to teach English in Northern Africa.
As Secretary of PingPongParkinson™, he hopes that, in this chapter of his life, he can make a positive difference for those affected by Parkinson’s.
Tom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his 50s after a long career in law enforcement. Passionate about staying active both mentally and physically, he has embraced new challenges and hobbies with enthusiasm. A keen table tennis player, Tom enjoyed the game so much that he bought his own table for home practice — much to the delight of his pet Doberman, who is always ready to make off with the ping pong balls whenever the opportunity arises. Outside of sport, Tom has a strong interest in military history, cooking and enjoys travelling and exploring new places.