By Tate Papworth
A Sydney man and his guitar have arrived in Brimbank as part of a three-year mission to raise funds for Lifeline.
Murray Mandel left Canberra in March 2017 and is touring shopping malls around the country.
So far he’s done 241 performances in 103 shopping malls and raised more than $38,000.
Having finished the Tasmanian leg of his tour, Mr Mandel has made his way to Victoria.
He has just finished four performances at Airport West and will soon move to Sunshine Marketplace and Watergardens.
“During my performances I have had many people tell me they have phoned Lifeline in the past and been really happy with the advice, support and care they’ve received,” he said.
“This tour is out of my sense of compassion. All this keeps me going – the tour is gruelling and there are lots of sacrifices indeed, but it’s a real privilege to be able to give back.”
Mr Mandel knows what it’s like to overcome adversity. The classical guitarist was left profoundly deaf shortly after he was born, but he hasn’t let that hinder his love of music.
“My right ear hearing loss is 92 per cent and the left 83 per cent and I have one of the strongest hearing aids in the world.
“All this comes from many years of hard work, determination, perseverance and patience. And of course the importance of maintaining my deep inner strength.”
