MEDIA RELEASE - Believing in Harvey 2006/07

The 6,000km walk for peace will end at 1pm, 29th September, at the lighthouse in Byron Bay

Creating the Pilgrimage for Peace across Australia 2007.

A 41 year old Irishman Mr Frank Muldowney, said goodbye to his homeland and his comfortable career to embark on a 6,000km walk across Australia, to create a Pilgrimage for Peace. He believes we will have world peace in 8 years, speaking on behalf for ‘Harvey’ the imaginary peace maker living in a wheelchair. Mr Muldowney believes a Global Pilgrimage for Peace is literally a path to peace where anyone can participate to express their desire for peace in their own individual way.

Mr. Muldowney’s story is remarkable. In 1985 at the age of 19, he suffered a brain haemorrhage (AVM), reported having intensive brain damage after 8 hours of brain surgery. For close to a year, he lived in his own world in the future as he was unable to speak or comprehend correctly in society, but he believed it was temporary, just like medical knowledge and intelligence, everything changes in time. While learning how to read again, Mr. Muldowney read a quotation from Albert Einstein that confirmed his own belief of the power of the human mind can cure oneself, a theory to solve any problem – “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the entire world”

The Camino de Santiago, the aincent pilgrimage across Spain

Mr. Muldowney then applied the philosophical strength of that quotation to his own health. Despite having no prior medical knowledge, he decided to ignore medical diagnosis and took charge of his own health, through physical training, travelling, learning, walking and thinking of the future rather in the past.

From 1989 to 1999, Mr. Muldowney completed 16 long distant walks for charity in Ireland, France, Spain and Peru, to improve himself and learn from the wisdom of others. These walks were pilgrimages and Mr. Muldowney felt peacefulness spreading within himself and others from these walks. Peace in his own heart started to cure his own disabilities. He then knew it was the most powerful source of healing, both his health and creating peace between people. It came to be his belief that world peace will come from these historical paths in the future, and he must expand on it. The practice of being an advocate for world peace accelerated vast improvements in Mr. Muldowney’s speech, comprehension and thinking skills over the last 2 years. In 2006 he used the same Einstein-inspired approach when he embarked on his 6,000km walk for peace across Australia carrying ‘Harvey’ the imaginary peace maker, the catalyst, who can unify peoples desire for peace.

The Inca trail to Machu Picchu, Peru.

“The important things of life are invisible, love, respect and peace. When I talk about peace, in the future, it changes the way people think. The dream for peace is in everyone’s heart, you cannot see it, but you can feel it, this dream cannot die, this is Harvey ,the imaginary peace maker who lives in your own heart. This desire for peace is something we have in common, of all races and creeds, a desire to be free or fear, together, not alone. Harvey's wheelchair is a symbol for everyone, for a world disabled by fear, racism and injustice. We are all disabled until we have peace.”

Mr. Muldowney has walked other pilgrimages, the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. He felt that peace grows in peoples hearts on these paths. He aims to ask the councils, citizens and governments to acknowledge this walk across Australia, as an official pilgrimage and promote it as part of this country’s culture and history. Then expand this walk to be a single global pilgrimage for peace, united between other countries. This walk for peace can transform areas of violence into areas of peace, as over time, peace will grow as there will be no room for violence anymore.

Mr Muldowney believes if each individual can create individual ideas or symbols for peace, and show them to others on this Global Pilgrimage for Peace, this will inspire and empower the people of each town on this path. Now one can start participating and creating peace as artists, walkers, speakers, musicians, comedians and travellers. Peace is now the first thought and objective, where as thoughts of fear and war are becoming a part of history.

Early days, after Frank's 950mile walk around Ireland, 1993.

“Using one’s imagination and being prepared to work hard to create it, is the way to happiness, and happiness is the way to peace” Frank Muldowney

For full details - www.believinginharvey.com
Mr Frank Muldowney’s email - [email protected]
Mobile - 0407 435196 (Australian)

Frank with the Irish Prime Minister in 1997 - Frank with the Irish Ambassador in Canberra 2007

*Mr Muldowney has already walked over 10,000km across Australia, France, Spain, Peru and Ireland creating the roots of this Global Pilgrimage for Peace. He is awaiting for support from business men and women, the United Nations, and ministers of tourism in all nations, to promote and create this path for peace.

Please pass this web page to anyone who you think could be interested in promoting this pilgrimage.

Namaste