BEECHWORTH Bakery founder Tom O’Toole has recovered from a life-threatening flesh-eating bacteria that kept him from Ballarat in July.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Now, Mr O’Toole is confirmed to return next week to share the tales from the outback journey he made with mate Keith McIntosh he says “nearly killed us” in a awareness mission for Ballarat’s Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.
A post-mission nick in the garden derailed his initial plans to be at the premiere of documentary East to West, following their coast-to-coast journey from Byron Bay to Shark Bay in a 1930 A Model Ford.
Mr O’Toole developed a fever after an afternoon in the garden and a few days later, having flown to Port Hedland, he was in hospital fighting for his life as an infection was killing soft tissue and stripping his leg of flesh.
He still has lingering issues with his heart after the infection but can hardly wait to finish what he started with this extra fundraising boost for FECRI – especially as Mr O’Toole is yet to have seen the documentary.
“My mate Keith and I were looking at the map (last week)...looking back, we nearly killed the car and the trip nearly killed us,” Mr O’Toole said.
“It was 40-degree heat most of the time. There’s no-one in the outback in March and we kept breaking down. We ended up getting bogged.
“The old car needs a bit of a rebuild.
This trip was a big ask for an old car and two old buggers...By the end we were buggered, totally exhausted, not knowing if we were going to make it everyday.
Mr O’Toole had previously taken the car on fundraising trips about Australia before, including one to the tip of Cape York, and said the car never let him down. This trip, on far less bitumen, tested the car to the limits.
At one point, the starter motor blew up and the duo had to call for a push start about 500-kilometres from Alice Springs.
Mr O’Toole, who lives in Beechworth, said the support from FECRI and the institute’s honourary director George Kannourakis inspired them along the journey in continuing and in spreading the word about the institute’s work.
FECRI is the only regional cancer research institute in Australia and relies on solely on community donations. The Institute has made a name for its achievements into immunotherapy targets for ovarian cancer and histiocytic disorders.
Based in Ballarat Technology Park, FECRI has nine PhD students from Federation University working alongside 10 senior scientific staff. Other recognised achievements include immune studies in cancer and leukaemia, and identifying a new method for isolating viruses.
East to West screens at Ballarat Technology Park Auditorium, Lydiard Street South, on November 8 at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
Tickets: easttowest.com.au.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.