Port Macquarie family’s 300km walk in honour of former INXS manager Chris M Murphy OAM

“MY DAD was an absolute whirlwind,” said Jeri Wambeek, the proud daughter of former INXS manager Chris M. Murphy OAM.

“He was ‘go, go, go’. Determined, bold, brave, and often ruthless. But always with a heart for dreaming big.”

On 14 October, however, it will be Jeri and her brother Jack, along with her sons Asher and Jesse, who will be on the move.

They are embarking on the 300km Coast to Country Walk in honour of the late legend’s legacy.

Starting at Port Macquarie’s Town Beach, the foursome will make their journey to Tamworth with the hopes of raising $300,000 for the Country Education Foundation (CEF).

All funds raised will go towards creating a scholarship in their father and grandfather’s name, giving rural and regional students access to education and opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.

It’s a cause that speaks to who Chris M. Murphy OAM was at his very core.

“Dad grew up in Housing Commission in Shellharbour,” Jeri told News Of The Area.

“When his father passed away when he was just 15, he left school to help his mum run their growing theatrical booking agency.

“Mentors stepped in to teach him, and he worked his way up from booking agent to managing INXS and taking them to being one of the biggest bands in the world.”

He also loved the land and had a passion for everything from agriculture to education.

Jeri and her family knew that a scholarship in his name would be a perfect way to keep his legacy alive and give something life-changing to rural and regional communities.

“The Country Education Foundation’s mission – [which is] to help young people, no matter their postcode, pursue education and opportunities – is exactly the kind of support Dad would have wanted for others.

“It’s the help he never had but always wished he could give.”

With other family members travelling in a support vehicle, the walkers will make their journey through many towns along the way including Beechwood, Bellangry, Walcha, and Woolbrook.

Camping at night, they expect to arrive in Tamworth on Friday 24 October, not only exhausted but liberated by knowing that big and audacious goals like this one, were exactly their Dad’s style.

“Our Dad believed in the power of dreaming big and making them happen – whatever it takes.

“He believed we could do absolutely anything we put our minds to and pushed us to work hard for it.

“Nothing came easy in his world; you had to get off your backside and make it happen.

“That grit, determination, and vision is what we carry into this walk.”

After taking on manager duties for INXS in late 1979, Chris M. Murphy was instrumental in transforming them from a Sydney pub band into an international powerhouse.

His strategic ingenuity, ranging from direct global deals and advanced marketing tactics to legacy management and multimedia ventures, made him a visionary force in both artist management and the broader music industry.

He passed away in 2021 at his home in Ballina at the age of 66, lovingly surrounded by family, after a battle with mantle cell lymphoma.

In 2024, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Australia Day Honours for his outstanding service to music and the performing arts.

Jeri and her family invite the community, and potential business sponsors, to learn more about the Coast to Country Walk and show their support via the official campaign page at cef.org.au/coast-to-country-charity-walk/.

By Rikki WALLER