Murray Mendel is profoundly deaf but that hasn’t stood in his way of becoming an accomplished classical guitarist.
And the 72-year-old is about to begin a two-year fundraising and public awareness, Australia-wide tour of shopping centres around Australia for charity the Smith Family.
Murray sets off on March 17, driving anti-clockwise around Australia in his Toyota Hiace campervan, returning to Perth in March 2027.
He’s hoping to cover Western Australia first, entertaining shoppers at Geraldton, Kwinana, Rockingham, Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton, Albany and Esperance before heading to South Australia.
Every week or two he’s spent Wednesday to Saturday, from 10am to 4pm playing melodic soothing classical guitar pieces from his 72-piece repertoire to passers-by.
Shoppers can drop cash into a donation box 100 percent of which goes to the Smith Family. In between pieces of music Murray is happy to chat to passers-by about the Smith Family or anything else for that matter.
The Smith Family is an Australian, independent non-profit children’s charity whose goal is to create opportunities for disadvantaged Australian children and their families and enable them to participate more fully in society.
They believe that education is one of the world’s most powerful change agents. The Smith Family focus on helping young Australians to overcome educational inequality caused by poverty.
“I’ve had hundreds of passers-by approaching me and wanting to have a chat with me whether it’s about The Smith Family or other topics, many of them expressing their admiration for my live music and also for what I’m doing for Australia. That really provides me a lot of satisfaction and motivation to help my fellow Australians.”
Murray says he’s also been approached by family members wanting support for their children from the Smith Family. “It’s always a privilege to be able to help them,” he says.
“I just play my guitar for the passers-by, and I’ve had feedback from them and nearby shop staff expressing their delight with my classical guitar music,” Murray says.
He’s already played in nine local large shopping centres since the middle of May last year. Overall he’s given 125 performances in 36 large shopping centres and raised more than $26,000 directly from passers-by and a further $9500 donated by the shopping centres.
The Smith Family is not Murray’s only charity gig. From 2017 to 2020 he took part in a three-year Australian tour for Lifeline with 409 performances in 156 major shopping centres. Over $71,000 was donated directly from passers-by.
“After a very successful three years touring for Lifeline and then helping desperate farmers/orchardists with orange and blueberry picking in NSW during the pandemic, I decided I wanted to undertake another fundraising/public awareness for another good cause.
“I selected The Smith Family. The work they do helping disadvantaged Australian children and young people get the most of their education is a great cause – I consider it a privilege to help.”
“My goal is to reach out to as many people as possible and let them know of the good work The Smith Family does. Education is the key to children’s and young people’s future. Education is the hope of the world.
“Of course, it is also a great chance to meet my fellow Australians from different walks of life.
“After I retired from serving as a hospital microbiologist for 34 years, I happened to be in Mildura (Victoria) and one evening a local man joked with me that I could play my guitar at his niece’s local award-winning restaurant.
“I only knew one piece of guitar music, but I thought it would be interesting and challenging so I began an incredible journey. I started off practising and researching almost every day for four to seven hours while working as a backpacker lodge cleaner and teaching Qigong/Tai Chi to several locals.
“Twelve months later I had my professional début in that restaurant and continued in two local restaurants for another three months.”
Murray then decided to drive to Cairns for experience, playing six times a week in three restaurants for eight months, before moving on to the Gold Coast, working in several restaurants and an exclusive yacht club for 13 months before returning to Sydney.
As a mature Australian, Murray says performing his own Qigong Tai Chi exercises has provided him with the energy to keep going.
“I have an incredible amount of inner energy, which is beneficial to not only for physical but also mental stamina required for my everyday life. With lots of concentration needed in listening to people, speaking and also when playing the guitar, it is personally important to have lots of stamina.
“I always like to encourage my fellow Australians of all ages in whatever they want to achieve. I like to express my congratulations to all carrying on with their life, especially their careers or work, their family responsibilities and their general interests.
“For my fellow older Australians, I encourage them to carry on with their life within their abilities – to try and experience as many different things as possible, getting involved with different community services, doing different hobbies, getting involved with gentle physical exercises, especially walking within their abilities, to spend more time outside for fresh air.
“Telling them to be positive and keep fighting.
“For everybody, I always say that there is no shortcut in life and it is never too late in life for anything.”
