Tom Parry
A FATHER and son are preparing to walk the Kokoda Track to raise awareness for mental health.
Roger and Jakob ‘Jake’ Malouf will be trekking the famous route in Papua New Guinea in support of the Black Dog Institute, a non-profit organisation that specialises in mental health research.
The two have been planning the journey since 2019, when Jake graduated with his Double Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Monash University.
“My wife Lynne and I, when he finished we said ‘Jake … amazing effort to do what you’ve done, do you want to do a trip or something on us?’” Roger, from Sale, said.
“And he came back straight away and said, ‘well Dad, why don’t you and I do something together?’
“I think I might have spotted it somewhere … this Black Dog Institute Kokoda challenge raising money for mental health.
“And I thought, ‘well that resonates with our story,’ so I put it to Jake and he said he would love to do it.”
Jakob spoke openly to the Gippsland Times about his struggle with mental health, which occurred early into his studies.
“As much as I enjoyed the uni experience, being away from home was a challenge,” he said.
“It was really fun, but it certainly wasn’t the most ideal environment for mental health.
“There was a lot of partying, obviously a lot of drinking, that sort of thing…
“One of the catalysts was, I’d just been broken-up with by a serious girlfriend, and really was down in the dumps and not having a great time.
“And I think back then, Dad and I weren’t the closest – we didn’t have the best relationship.
“When I was feeling so crap, to be honest, I sort of sat back and I was like … ‘I don’t feel good, what are some things that I could change to make myself feel better?’ And my relationship with Dad was one of them.”
Within 24 hours of being called by his son, Roger arrived in Melbourne and started to talk with Jakob, and they’ve been talking ever since.
“It’s really helped our relationship, but it’s also just helped me managing my own mental health and being more comfortable with opening up,” Jakob said.
And that experience, in turn, has informed their decision to fundraise for charity.
“I certainly got some support from organisations like Beyond Blue, like the Black Dog Institute, but I think the Black Dog Institute specifically was important to us because it researches ways to improve mental health across the lifespan, and not just for men – for women, for children, (and) for adolescents,” Jakob explained.
The Maloufs have already paid for their journey to Papua New Guinea, and are scheduled to walk the Kokoda Track in November.
Before travelling overseas, their goal is to raise $7000 for the Black Dog Institute; at the time of print, the duo had amassed $3965.
To help reach their target, Roger and Jakob will be running a sausage sizzle outside Bunnings Warehouse in Sale this Sunday (April 23), with another planned at the Traralgon store in September.
Though they are yet to walk the Kokoda Track, Jakob believes that the fundraising efforts on their own have already strengthened his relationship with his Dad.
“Just collaborating together and seeing how much effort he’s putting into this and seeing how much it means to him as well, knowing that he was doing it for me and as a reward for me getting through med school … is really touching to me,” Jakob said.
Roger concurs that their bond has strengthened: “It’s a shared objective, in a sense, and that’s a good thing.”
To donate to Roger and Jake Malouf’s fundraising campaign, head to www.teamblackdog.org.au and type their names in the search bar.
