Luckily for him, he didn’t have to.

Today marks 15 years since the former Essendon great embarked on the momentous Long Walk from his home in the suburbs of Melbourne to Parliament House in Canberra — more than 650km away — in a bid to meet with then-prime minister John Howard and talk about the abysmal state of indigenous affairs.

GAP widens in the NT, as report shows little progress

ABORIGINAL peak bodies push for new approach to Closing the Gap strategy

CLOSING the Gap report shows plenty of work has to be done to help indigenous Territorians

On the road he was joined by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal supporters from all over Australia.

Some walked in support for an hour, some for a day and some took the journey all the way to Canberra.

Grief-stricken, Long said he decided to embark on the 14-day journey after coming home from yet another Aboriginal funeral in 2004.

He felt like something needed to be done about the plight of his people.

“I had just come back from another community funeral,” he said.

“A good mate of mine, his mum had passed away. I had been to too many funerals for my family and my friends.

“I remember looking around and thinking why does this keep happening?

“The challenges our people face, why are we dying at a young age? Why are the statistics the way they are?”

Born on the Tiwi Islands and raised in Darwin, Long said the challenges they faced in the Northern Territory were particularly harrowing.

Indigenous Territorians have the lowest life expectancy in Australia, with men expected to live just 66.6 years and 69.9 for women.

The NT also has the highest child mortality rate in the country.

Back in 2004, when the Australian Government announced they were going to abolish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Long said he felt like indigenous Australians had been left with “no voice, direction or vision” to address the pressing issues in their communities.

“That’s why I felt so strongly about walking to Canberra — I wanted to make a change,” he said.

“It was about challenging the government about some of the issues Aboriginal people were facing and still face like closing the gap on education, employment, and health and Stolen Generations.”

Looking back 15 years on, Long said Australia still has a very long way to go.

“If we look at what’s happened in the 15 years since then, the gaps widening and we need to put this issue back in the minds and hearts of the Australian public,” he said.

“I won’t deny that there are some wonderful, beautiful things happening to break down barriers for indigenous people, including what football has done but it’s still not enough.

“The Closing the Gap reports shows that, and I think the Stolen Generations hasn’t been resolved either and a lot of those members are now dying.

“It’s a matter close to my heart, both of my parents were a part of that as kids.

“My dad was taken away when he was about two or three; my mother was about two. They were both taken to a Catholic mission on the Tiwi Islands.”

Long said he was hoping to Australia’s newly re-elected Prime Minister Scott Morrison would put indigenous issues back on the national agenda.

The PM and AFL chief Gillon McLachlan are expected to join him at the annual Long Walk down in Melbourne on tonight, where more 17,000 people will walk from Federation Square to the MCG for the Dreamtime at the G match between Richmond and Essendon during the 2019 AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

Long said he’s looking forward to reuniting with some of the “original walkers” who joined him in 2004.

“This year’s indigenous round is a massive milestone for the 15th anniversary of the Long Walk,” he said.

“Retracing the memories since 2004 of walking to Canberra and the stories we shared walking down the dirt roads, the people we met and the friendships that were forged.

“People joined us from everywhere, indigenous and non-indigenous.

“There were people who joined us for a day; some joined us for the whole journey like Paul Briggs, Luke Gosling and AFL players like Alan Thorpe.

“I’ve built a lifelong relationship with those people, who I remain very close to and friends. They’re all a part of this.

“They’re just important as I was on that walk.”

Long before his days in politics, Territory MP Luke Gosling said he was visiting his parents in Melbourne in 2004 when they heard on the radio that ‘Longy’ was walking down the old Hume Highway on his way to Canberra.

“I wanted to support him and ended up becoming the first person that he didn’t know to join him on the road,” Gosling said.

“It was a great experience walking along with Aboriginal elders. Every day the Long Walk was getting more and more media coverage.

“Eventually, the Prime Minister got in touch with Michael and agreed to have a meeting, provided it could take place the following day.

“It was a special moment, walking at night beside Longy under a starry night sky, he took a call stopped walking and said: ‘Howard has agreed to meet but only if it’s tomorrow.’

“So we jumped into cars and drove the rest of the way to Canberra, but stopped short of Parliament House so that we could make the symbolic walk up Commonwealth Avenue to Parliament House.

LIMITED time: Amazing headphones offer for NT News subscribers

“Peter Garrett, Warren Snowdon and thousands of other supporters joined us in the triumphant procession. It’s a moment I won’t forget.”

Looking back at where it all started, Long said he didn’t think he could have ever have imagined his journey to Canberra would grow into the massive movement the Long Walk is today, with thousands of people participating in the annual walk in Melbourne in support of indigenous reconciliation each year.

“I feel like those 15 years have passed by in a flash,” he said.

“But we’ve still got a long way to go.

“We need to continue these conversations, we won’t shy away from these issues.

“Our long walk isn’t over yet.”