By Tanya Faulkner
A local man is taking the art of fundraising one step further.
Boronia resident Dr Prabodh Malhotra is embarking on his second ‘long walk’, making the journey from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on foot in the coming weeks.
His walk marks the second trek that the almost 72 year-old man is doing, after walking over 1,000 kilometres in 2022 from the SCG to the MCG, to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation.
Dr Malhotra said last years’ walk took him 52 days, with this years’ walk set to be even longer.
“Last year I walked 1,111 kilometres, even though I’d only planned 1,083, but it was made longer because of the flooding and some of the roads and bridges on my route being closed.
“This years’ walk is even longer because I’m not walking straight up north.
“I’ll be going from the MCG to Sorrento, walking towards Frankston, then to Sorrento, I’ll catch a ferry to Queenscliff, then walk to Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Wagga Wagga, and Goulburn in New South Wales, and then I’ll continue on last years’ route to the SCG,” he said.
He said the walk will take approximately ten weeks, or 68b days, and is an estimated 1,325 kilometres.
Dr Malhotra said for him, it’s a great challenge to complete the walk and support a good cause.
“I’m a realist and minimalist at the same time.
“I know we are here one day and can be gone the next.
“I came here from Austria in 1980, I’m from India, and this country has given me a beautiful life, so this is my chance to give something back to the community before I go,” he said.
For many, his endeavours are very out of the ordinary, particularly with Dr Malhotra being in his later years of life.
“I’m a retired academic after teaching at Swinburne University.
“Some friends are telling me ‘you are crazy, just put your feet up and relax’,” he said.
But for Dr Malhotra, that isn’t what he wants his retirement to look like.
After the completion of his walk in New South Wales in 2022, he was received by premier Dominic Perrottet, who was quite impressed with his efforts, as were several others who welcomed him to the SCG.
“One of the guys at a press conference asked me about the walk, and if there were any days or moments when you thought about giving up.
“I said, no, that doesn’t exist in my dictionary,” he said.
This year he has a big team of supporters behind him, to ensure he is safe and looked after on his walk.
“My friends will be driving a support van along the way so I can eat and sleep.
“I have made a proper roster of my friends and support who will help me along the way.
Dr Malhotra’s family are also right behind his venture to New South Wales.
“My son, who also lives in Boronia, drove him all the way to Sydney before the walk last year.
“He is now taking 5 weeks off to take over the driving from Wagga Wagga all the way to Sydney to finish the walk,” he said.
Looking back at his 2022 efforts, Dr Malhotra said there were a lot of challenges that he had to overcome that led to some great stories upon his return to Boronia.
“The toughest time was when I walked over the Snowy Mountains.
“When I entered the area I didn’t know we required a permit and had to pay for it, so I did that.
“We then found out there was no communication at all – no phone signal or internet for the few days they were up there,” he said.
Alongside that, he said because you’re on a steeper walk, you’re sweating more than usual, and the only place to wash was the river.
“I had to walk through 1.5m tall grass with snakes to get to the river and wash,” he said.
On another occasion, he and his van driver pulled into a forest to stay over because there was a camping place, and he couldn’t park on the side of the road and sleep.
“While we were there we saw one kangaroo, then two, then about 20, then 50, then over 100 – a whole army of Kangaroos.
“One big boss kangaroo was bigger than the others – it was almost like they were asking ‘what are you doing on our territory?’,” he said.
Despite the challenges, there were also many positives to the walk.
“I met so many great people on the way last year.
“Some restaurant owners wouldn’t take any money for food because they said I was doing such a good job.
“A few cabin and park owners also wouldn’t take any money to stay over, and I had lots of other support along the way,” he said.
Dr Malhotra said it’s not as simple as just picking up a bag and walking down the road.
“There are lots of permits to get through Victoria and NSW, like with Vic roads, and all of the councils that we pass through to get clearance.
“All of their regulations vary as well so there’s a lot to do,” he said.
The long walk is not without purpose, as Dr Malhorta said he is fundraising for the McGrath foundation in support of breast cancer.
According to the academic, it is not only women who can be diagnosed with the disease.
“I met with members of the foundation last year, and I was not aware until then that men can also get breast cancer.
“They said around 200-250 men are diagnosed, alongside approximately 20,000 women in Australia each year,” he said.
The McGrath foundation is particularly well known in Australia, since the public experience of Jane and Glenn McGrath’s run-in with breast cancer.
Jane was diagnosed twice with cancer, and thankfully had the support of a breast cancer nurse who was able to support her and her family.
This experience set the mission for the Foundation, who work hard for Australians in need.
Dr Malhorta will embark on his trek in the coming weeks, and his journey can be followed on his blog prabodhmalhotra.com/
More information on the McGrath Foundation can be found on mcgrathfoundation.com.au/
