Episode 157 - State of the Nation
2019-05-23
— open the full-size artworkShow artwork, 20 February 2019HostsMelissa Erbacher Scott Trickett
GuestsChris Timms Grette Wilkinson Sonja Pohlman Steve Rayner Tony O'Connell
Show notes
From the Facebook post
This week we bring back State of the Nation with some familiar voices dropping by to provide a round-up of what’s going on from around the country!
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From the podcast feed
The parkrun adventurers test the limits and reach new distances. Plus we bring back State of the Nation with some familiar voices dropping by to provide a round-up of what’s going on from around the country!
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Enhanced transcript
Speakers named, sound described and segments marked by the editing pass — not yet checked by a person.
Read the transcriptGuests
Chris Timms
State of the Nation update for Tasmania: the Whitemark Wharf parkrun launch on Flinders Island (Tasmania's 14th event, 30 finishers on an island of 800 people), a Community Innovations Healthy Tasmania grant fully funding four more launches, work under way at Kingston, Sorell and Bridport, hopes for the east and west coasts, and Scott's question about how far off a west-coast parkrun is.
Sonja Pohlman
State of the Nation update for NSW and the ACT: 86 of Australia's 353 public events (Queensland still ahead on 29%), six ACT events, a teased new event she won't name, the new Casino event, and a challenge that you can now drive from the Queensland border to Batemans Bay, about 1,200km, stopping for a freedom run every two hours. Phoning in from the Tamworth BP on the drive home from the Warwick Pentathlon.
Steve Rayner
State of the Nation update for Queensland: past 100 events (104, with two more announced), 21 prospects mostly in remote regional centres rather than cities, anniversaries at Ocean View, Yarrabilba, Roma, Varsity Lakes, Barron Bar and Bowen, and a challenge to drive the same road west from Brisbane through Toowoomba, Dalby, Chinchilla, Miles, Roma and Charleville on to Birdsville and Mount Isa.
Tony O'Connell
State of the Nation update for Victoria ("the Greater State"): from 14 events at the Inverloch launch four or five years ago to 75 plus a junior event today, 19 prospects with about half expected to launch within six to eight months, Mildura averaging 210 a week, prospects in the Goldfields, Woodend, the snowfields and Mallacoota, 7,217 Victorian finishes and 1,320 PBs that week, 18 Victorian statespeople, and gaps still to fill around Frankston/Seaford and Bayside.
Grette Wilkinson
State of the Nation update for South Australia: three early-stage prospects (mostly country), the launch of Mobilong parkrun at Murray Bridge on 27 April, Australia's second prison parkrun and the first in SA, with 31 of 33 finishers from the prisoner group, all volunteer roles filled by prisoners, an Aboriginal inmate performing a bilingual welcome to country and a prisoner acting as Run Director, Greta's own reaction to the day, and a progress report on Meningie after its rocky start (record attendance of 37 over Easter).
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:17
Scott Trickett and Mel Erbacher. Scott updates listeners on last week's scare: a possible heart problem meant a solidarity walk at Darebin with two fast mates (quietly boosting his P-index), then a treadmill stress test and ultrasound that cleared him to run again; Mel adds that she saw a cardiologist herself late last year. Mel skipped a Gold Coast anniversary surprise in favour of sleep, walked two kilometres with Wes at his pace, and volunteered at her home parkrun in National Volunteers Week before Scott takes over for the State of the Nation.
State of the Nation starts at 14:30
The episode's headline segment, explicitly revived: "Back by popular demand is our State of the Nation address by all our ambassadors all around the country." Scott carries it solo (he tells Mel to "take the next few minutes off") and crosses to six regional ambassadors in turn: Chris Timms on Tasmania (Whitemark Wharf parkrun launch on Flinders Island, Tasmania's 14th event; a Healthy Tasmania grant fully funding four more events at Kingston, Sorell and Bridport; on track for 20 events); Sonja Pohlman on New South Wales and the ACT (86 of 353 Australian events, ACT on six, a new event at Casino, and a challenge to freedom-run the 1,200km from the Queensland border to Batemans Bay stopping every two hours); Melissa Erbacher stepping out of the co-host chair to report as Malaysia ambassador ("the North Island of Australia") on Taman Pudu Ulu and Precinct 18, plus prospects at Bangi, Lake Gardens KL, Malacca, Penang, Gunung Lang and Tanjung Lipat; Steve Rayner on Queensland (104 events heading to 106, 21 prospects, and a challenge to drive Brisbane-Toowoomba-Dalby-Chinchilla-Miles-Roma-Charleville-Birdsville-Mount Isa); Tony O'Connell on Victoria (14 events at the Inverloch launch four or five years ago, now 75 plus a junior event, 19 prospects, 7,217 finishes and 1,320 PBs that week); and Greta Wilkinson on South Australia (the Mobilong prison parkrun launch at Murray Bridge, the country's second prison event, and an update on Meningie).
The Channel 5 News crew starts at 33:08
Two of the State of the Nation crossings are framed explicitly as Channel 5 News Crew slots: TOC self-introduces "It's Toc [TOC] reporting in for the Channel 5 News crew in the Greater State" with the Victorian update, and Scott then says "we're continuing the Channel 5 News crew theme as we head to South Australia" before crossing to Greta Wilkinson. Referred to again "We've already heard from some of our Channel 5 news crew who double up their roles in the parkrun world."
Launches and anniversaries starts at 43:43"Where is the cake?"
One Queensland launch, Graham Andrews parkrun at Charleville this Saturday, the event Steve Rayner had alluded to in his State of the Nation update. Anniversaries at Ballina Coast (NSW), Castlemaine (Vic), Devonport (Tas), Highlands (Vic), Mawson Lakes (SA), Mount Beauty (Vic), Mount Penang (NSW), North Sydney (NSW), Penrith Lakes (NSW) and the Ponds (NSW), with the hosts trading "been there / haven't been there" and a digression on why some places abbreviate Mount and others don't.
Sign-off starts at 46:02