It has been a long and arduous journey, filled with heartache and enormous health troubles, but this week Rosemarie Davis finally graduated.
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The Temora woman received her bachelor of arts in art history and English literature from Charles Sturt University on Monday night.
Studying part-time over 12 years, Mrs Davis experienced an enormous setback to her tertiary studies when she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
"I was always going to finish it, nothing was going to stop that," Mrs Davis said.
A shock in itself, the diagnosis promoted difficulties in both Mrs Davis cognitive ability and in her physical capacity to complete her work.
"I had to change the way I studied because it took me longer to remember things. I had to study in short bursts," Mrs Davis said.
"My left hand moves slower than my right hand, so I found it hard to touch type. I'd type and only half the word would come up on screen so I had to get in a habit of waiting for my hand to catch up."
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But even as her health deteriorated, her marks improved. Such was the force of her sheer determination.
By the end of her degree, Mrs Davis was excelling with high distinctions and distinctions in almost all her classes.
"The university was fantastic in giving me more time, they were so helpful in helping me get here," she said.
Now in retirement and with her health holding up for now, Mrs Davis hasn't ruled out a return to academic studies in the future.
"I was always interested in art history and literature, so I enjoyed the journey to get here," she said.
"I'll take 12 months off and then decide what I'll do. I might do something in creative writing [but right now] I'm looking forward to reading for pleasure instead of having to read for my studies."