By Dongyun Kwon
Yarra Glen sculptor Josh Hazelwood is on a 4-day journey to fundraise for young people with disabilities.
Hazelwood is going on TheBigDrive traveling through ‘Big Things’ and key Australian landmarks from Melbourne to Brisbane with two eye-catching sculptures in tow.
Hazelwood said he became a Melbourne ambassador for Youngcare to help young people with disabilities and their families.
He started to do sculpture to raise a donation for his friend’s brother Ethan who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive cancerous tumour in the bone in 2018.
“His dad was an electrical contractor and he had to take a lot of time off,” he said.
“His mom was a chef and she had to quit her job to be a full-time carer.
“So I built The War Horse and drove it around regional Victoria getting a donation.”
Hazelwood auctioned the horse for $10,000 which was sent directly to the family and raised another $20,000 via GoFundMe.
Later, Ethan went on to make a full recovery.
For this TheBigDrive, he made two sculptures.
The first one is Dedicated to the Sun.
Hazelwood said he was inspired by Indian culture, ‘Brahmamuhurtha’.
“When I was trying to go from being a fabricator to sculpture, I didn’t have time,” he said.
“Dedicated to the Sun is a thing in Indian culture.
“It’s when you get up an hour before the sunrise and do whatever you were supposed to do.
“I got up at like four o’clock in the morning, went to the factory, did all my sculptures and then started to work at seven.”
The other one is A Mother’s Touch.
It reflects the weight of the world that mothers carry without their children knowing.
M80 Property Group is supporting TheBigDrive.
CEO Praty Patel started a partnership with Youngcare to live an impactful life.
He said he tried to be more impactful in the areas that didn’t have as much visibility and understanding of support.
“What Youngcare is trying to achieve which assists kids with high disabilities is something that resonates with me,” Mr Patel said.
“It is part of the community that doesn’t have support, acknowledgment and awareness.”
Mr Patel is hoping to bring some living spaces for children with disabilities in Melbourne and Brisbane.
“We are looking to try and do some projects for kids to provide some inspiring spaces and living spaces,” Mr Patel said.
He said his partnership with Hazelwood had been about three years.
“We’ve collaborated with Hazelwood about three or four times,” Mr Patel said.
“It’s important to have people who are incredibly creative and inspiring.
“If you work with people like that, you can create and break new boundaries.
“Being able to partner with people like Josh Hazelwood makes my job very easy.”
TheBigDrive hits the road from 29 September to 2 October.
