09-10-2007
Keri Sweet (right) thanks Don Maclurcan for his presentation.
Don Maclurcan gave a presentation on his 2002 run across Australia, from Perth to Sydney, ocean to ocean.
- While running across Australia, Don broke an ankle, so he only ran 15k that day.
- To finance the run, Don got a bank loan which he is still paying off.
- Before doing the cross-Australia run, he ran from Sydney to Melbourne twice.
- On the run, he camped in his tent outside McDonalds at Mittagong, only to wake up and find that it was raining. After half an hour, he found that it was actually McDonalds sprinklers, not rain.
- When thinking about which organisation should receive the results of the fund-raising from the run, Don realised that there were many worthy organisations, but the Fred Hollows Foundation's emphasis on sight gelled with his thinking.
- Usually ran about 65-70k per day.
- If you're intending to run across Australia, you only have to hang in for the first week. After that, you're fine.
- Some interesting things about the Fred Hollows Foundation.
- Cataract lenses were begun after it was noticed, in the aftermath of fighter aircraft smashes, that Perspex could enter the eye without affecting it.
- Eritrea and Nepal produce lenses very cheaply. They have brought the cost down from about $US300 to about $US6.50, and now sell them to the rest of the world.
- The Fred Hollows Foundation is a small organisation, but it punches above its weight. Mainly because of their emphasis on training and self-sufficiency.
- Some operations are for one eye, some for two. It's wonderful when you see people who have hardly been able to see at all, just walking around smiling - not saying anything, just smiling - after such an operation.
- While on the run, Don tried to connect with community groups across Australia to get the message across.
- The main cause of cataracts is old age, but this is exacerbated by exposure to the Sun without the protection of ultra-violet stopping sunglasses.
- To play music on the trip, Don bought an MP3 played for $1200. He recently sold it for $6 on Ebay, but has yet to receive the money.
- Took breaks between 1:30 and 3:30 every day on the run because it was just too hot - the tar on the road melted, and made the road very slippery.
- The run took place in the break from university. The day after the run finished, Don had to return to lectures.
- To deal with poverty in the world requires a different mind set; we have to decide to consume less.
- Don is currently 25 years old, and will be finishing his PhD on nanotechnology in the next few months.
Last changed: 03:20:52 04-10-2008