Irishmans' 5,000km achievement in Sydney

national | miscellaneous | news report Sunday July 22, 2007 04:56 by Markham O Neill

On the 29th July 2007, an Irishman who recovered from a brain haemorrhage 22 years ago, is not going to achieve something remarkable, by completing a 5,000km walk for peace across Australia. He started from Perth in April the 2nd last year, and 15 months later he will reach the other side of this continent.

Frank and Harvey on the road

Mr Frank Muldowney, embarked on an impossible mission, to create a wave of peace across a country as big as Australia. He wanted to do it with no financial support and no sponsorship, as he believes the message is more important than money.

I asked him what was the puspose of this walk?

"I believe everyone has a dream, and the only one that is in each ones heart is peace. I believe people seek for an inspirational figure to lead to peace, but so many end up being murdered under the hands of jealousy and hate. I created Harvey, the invisible character living in a wheelchair - the meaning to it is simple to me. Harvey 'is' the dream for peace, and by being imaginary can be of any religion, race or creed. By Harvey living in a wheelchair is a fitting way of showing that the entire world is disabled, physically, emotionally and financially, because of fear, racism and injustice. We will all be disabled until we have peace."

I asked Mr Muldowney how can Harvey create peace?

"I started this walk on a whim. I knew in my heart that if Harvey would be the most known, cartoon and living character would bring humour, happiness and unity across the world. It's meaning is pure and will spread peace like the riple effect when a stone drops into a pond, you cannot stop the ripples. So, honestly I do not know how to make Harvey known everywhere, that is up to the hands of the media. If they report this walk and this story, it is possible to spread from all sources of media. For now I just talk to people one by one."

You live in the future a lot, so what do you see will happen in the future?

"I just see peace. I read Martin Luther King's 'Dream speech' of over 40 years ago. Today what he dreamed for has happened. I see people of all races and creeds living together treated equally - and you do not have to go far to see it, just live in a good hostel in any country. Students communicating, cooking and sharing things together, and learning more about each others cultures. Every good dream that you think about and discuss it will become a reality in time. So I believe in peace in the future. We now have peace in Ireland, why not start spreading this news to Israel, South Africa, USA, Australia. Everything is possible"

More of this interviews to be added to the web site www.believinginharvey.com

Sydney Harbour Bridge