Episode 213 - On the Rove Again!

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HostMelissa Erbacher

Guest co-hostMark Scarborough

Roving reportersCameron Drake Lyndell Murray

Show notes

From the Facebook post

This week Mark Scarborough joins Mel for her penultimate episode hosting the pod (Mel Ellis and Olly are up next week before the last episode of the year). And our Channel 5 News Crew (plus one) send in roving reports from Nightcliff (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Bunyaville (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Garvey Park (opens in a new tab) parkrun!

From the podcast feed

The parkrun adventurers celebrate having two co-hosts participating at parkrun on the weekend as Mark Scarborough returns to co-host. And our Channel 5 News Crew (plus one) are on the rove again with reports filed from Nightcliff (opens in a new tab) , Bunyaville (opens in a new tab) and Garvey Park (opens in a new tab) parkruns!

Roving reports

1Nightcliff2Bunyaville3Garvey Park

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:22

  Melissa Erbacher, recording through a Sunshine Coast thunderstorm, with Mark Scarborough, home in a chilly Canberra about two months after his family's caravan trip around Australia. Mark was Run Director at his home event Wagi Bridge with Nicole on finish tokens and the kids scanning, and praised the new virtual volunteer app; Mel did First Timers Welcome and Volunteer Coordinator at Kawana with the boys in tow, and told of Emmett tipping out the sandcastle buckets she bought for finish tokens. Mel is sticking close to home and may change Christmas plans to head south; New South Wales has been announced as returning.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 13:19

  Mel frames the roving block as the crew's return to the road now that parkrun is back in most states: "We also have a bunch of the Channel 5 News crew and a special ring-in from the Northern Territory this week who have sent in some roving reports for us." The "plus one" of the show notes is Mark from Darwin.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 13:32

  Three back-to-back roving reports and the studio debrief that follows them (00:27:57-00:30:44): Mark at Nightcliff parkrun in Darwin with Event Director Helen; Lyndell at Bunyaville, her first parkrun in nine months, with Run Director Marty on the new COVID-era course; and Cam at the launch of Garvey Park parkrun in Western Australia, interviewing photographer Paul on his 250th volunteer, a group of women running and kayaking, a repeat parkrun tourist called Simon, launch RD Melody and returning WA contributor Abdul. Mel and Mark then pick over the reports, and the episode's title "On the Rove Again!" comes from this block.

• International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 36:38

  Mel and Mark reminisce about last year's ACT celebration, no parkrun that day, so "a tinsel of us" met at a gastro pub in costume and raided Santa's village in a shopping centre for a group photo. Mel explains why the day matters to her (a Christmas costume built for the Australian climate rather than heavy sweaters), notes the singlets are already out and about, and reports adventurer Mitch still wearing his limited-edition koala shirt to a koala sanctuary. She closes by acknowledging the parkrunners, Victorians especially, who still cannot celebrate it at an event.

• Sign-off starts at 39:24

  Mel asked Mark whether he had travel plans and adventures ahead: he said they would head back up to Queensland in January to the Gold Coast, with stops up the New South Wales coast to do Coffs Harbour properly after a freedom run there and hopefully tick off North Wollongong. Mel said Mel and Ollie would appreciate any roving reports from his travels and thanked him for joining her for another episode, noting it was their last together with only two more episodes before she is no longer co-hosting. Mark said it had been an honour to share the microphone as she leads up to hanging up the headphones, and credited Will Barlow's call-out for ACT roving reporters for getting him involved.