By Brendan Rees
Murray Mandel has never let being deaf hold him back.
The classical guitarist is on a three year busking tour with his next stop being Cranbourne North to raise funds for crisis support charity Lifeline.
Mr Mandel’s journey began in Canberra in March 2017 which has seen him travel around Australia in his campervan, and due to finish in Canberra in March 2020.
The 64-year-old of Sydney who has profound hearing loss in both ears plans to visit 150 destinations which has attracted huge media attention.
He will perform at Thompsons Parkway Shopping Centre on Thursday 28 February and Friday and Saturday 1-2 March.
“Thompson’s Parkway Shopping Centre is the second last shopping complex in Melbourne before continuing my performances at Mornington then along the coast of Victoria towards the southern part of New South Wales,” Mr Mandel said.
The former microbiologist and Qigong/Tai Chi Instructor who is self-funding his trip says he is using every dollar raised to go towards Lifeline.
“If I do in one or two years I know once I finish the tour, I will regret it for not taking more time to raise public awareness, reach out, and remind as many fellow Australians as possible about the importance of Lifeline,” he said.
“This tour is out of my sense of compassion. It is a very gruelling tour, lots of sacrifice, living in my campervan for three years but a real privilege indeed.”
For every performance at shopping centres, supermarkets, and markets, Mr Mandel plays for four to five hours, three to five times a week.
So far, Mr Mandel’s performances have helped raised $46, 921.90.
