Episode 235 - Hi-Vis Heroes

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HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Roving reportersAlison Fraser (King) Cameron Drake Tracy

Show notes

From the Facebook post

It's National Volunteer week and the adventurers are talking all things Hi Vis

We have roving reports from Shelley (opens in a new tab) parkrun, W.A. and Pegasus (opens in a new tab) parkrun parkrun N.Z, we hear Tracey's Top 10 different Volunteering roles, Mel gives the low down on Happy Hill (opens in a new tab) and a familliar voice returns to the podwaves.

If that’s not enough, there’s a very UGLY announcement

From the podcast feed

It's National Volunteer week and the adventurers are talking all things Hi Vis. We have roving reports from Shelley (opens in a new tab) parkrun, W.A. and Pegasus (opens in a new tab) parkrun N.Z, we hear Tracey's Top 10 different Volunteering roles, Mel gives the low down on Happy Hill (opens in a new tab) and a familiar voice returns to the podwaves.

Roving reports

1Shelley2Pegasus3Bunyaville

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  Ollie Spake hosting with Melissa Ellis, congratulated for 21 volunteer roles so far this year in National Volunteer Week. Ollie was RD at a muddy, cold Shellharbour in the annual pink wig tribute to Kiralee, with visitors including Errol and Scott from Tuggeranong and Brendan and Em in pink on the finish line; Mel ran her third Sunbury after overnight rain, in many layers, telling its Ashes and 1970s pop-festival history, planning Happy Hill as training for Panorama Punish, taking a wrong bridge near the finish and missing her last bingo number, while her juniors puddle at Eynesbury still refuses to fill for the rubber ducks.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 16:49

  Mel hands over "we have some roving reports that have come in... perhaps we should listen to those", and two back-to-back roving reports follow: Cameron Drake at Shelley parkrun (WA) and Alison King at Pegasus parkrun (North Canterbury, NZ), both interviewing volunteers for National Volunteer Week. Ollie thanks them "thank you to our roving reporters Alison and Cam".

• Emails starts at 29:57

  "You've got mail", the hosts read listener email, delighted to have received more than one ("Plural!"). The main letter is from Eman of the South Toowoomba parkrun team, inviting Ollie and Mel to visit South Toowoomba as an alternative "South" for the Compass Challenge, with an offer to act as tour guide; the South Toowoomba team also plan to tourist at Shellharbour.

• Dazza's starts at 32:46

  Listener post-parkrun coffee-and-cake round-up. Contributions read out from Mark Scarborough (support crew for ED Ian Shaw doing the UTA 100k), Rebecca Bailey, Greg Garner, Alison King, Jackie Hancock, Tracy Wood, Bernadette Bennett, Karen Hamilton, Claire Stutchbury, Mandy Oliver, Bruce Purdy (birthday and milestone), Brendan and Em at Shellharbour, Chris Fraser (a zero-star sausage roll), Sam Schroder, Ingrid Botha, Tracy Leiper, Tony O'Connell, Cameron Drake, Louise Minty, Janet Reid, Val Warwick, Stephen Warwick and Parth Bomber Candy.

• Poem Zone starts at 43:43

  Ollie reads a long verse sent in by listener Stephen Warwick teasing a new parkrun launch ("parkrun adventurers, a rumour, it was spreading all up and down the coast..."), ending with a dig at Shellharbour. At Mel says "it's almost reminiscent of The Poem Zone. There's one from The Vault", and the pair reminisce about the segment's old introductory sound effect in the past tense.

• Tracey's Top 10 starts at 47:13

  Tracy, recording from Bunyaville parkrun while volunteering as photographer, counts down ten unofficial volunteer roles that don't earn a volunteer credit: Zooper Dooper hander-outer, plogger, cheer squad, token washer, vest washer, baby holder/cuddler, pram pusher, Warm-up Leader's assistant, photo uploader and guide-dog walker. She closes with shout-outs to Joshua Snowy (25 volunteer roles), Angela at Ararat parkrun (100 volunteer credits) and the touring Warwicks, and signs off "see you on the B-side". The hosts then discuss the list at length.

• the Informant starts at 52:45

  Unofficial weekly stats rundown, returning after an absence covered by "the agency casual", "Yes folks, I am back, and the stats are back". 530 events worldwide submitted results (398 Australia, 33 New Zealand); no launches; participation dropping, blamed on colder weather and the start of junior sporting codes. 40,156 of 45,080 runners were in Australia and New Zealand, with 5,958 PBs and 1,525 first-timers; 87 Junior 10, 199 fifty, 124 hundred and 19 two-fifty milestones; 13 people called bingo (Bronte Smith quickest at 166 events, Nicole Schultz slowest at 348). Ends with the Most Aussie NZ events list, Errol Poole up one to 9th, Jason Vela the biggest Wilson mover, and the plug for theinformant.me.

• Statesmen update starts at 54:12

  Delivered inside the Informant's rundown: eight new ACT Territorians (Kate Potter, Debbie Ho, Oscar Lindenmayer, Melanie Cooper, Joey Lindenmayer, John Poyton, Saranki Kargil, David Hughes); Fritz Radha, Shea Hattie and Mitch Wilson completed all three Northern Territory events; Peter Perry is a new South Australian statesman, completing the set at Port Lincoln; and Sarah Ganser became the 47th South Islander and 22nd Countryman in New Zealand after running at Invercargill.

• International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 1:05:24

  "Bear with me because things are going to get ugly." Ollie announces an inaugural Ugly Christmas in July on Saturday 24 July (68 sleeps away at recording), and the release of three ugly Christmas buffs / neck warmers adapted from the previous three years' singlet designs. $1 from every buff sold goes to Beyond Blue. Orders open Thursday 20 May and close Thursday 3 June, via the adventurers online portal with supplier Aventu; details on the International Ugly Christmas Singlet or Shirt Day Facebook page. Mel hunts for and eventually plays a sound effect.

• Sign-off starts at 1:10:05

  Mel asked whether they had covered everything and then gave the thing they always forget to tell everybody - that listeners can contact them via Facebook or their gmail address - joking about how genuinely surprised they are whenever an email arrives. Ollie said they really appreciate it and scour the inbox constantly, then reminded Mel of the other thing he frequently forgets, to bring in the budgies. Mel said that was it for another week and Ollie said they would see her next week, thanking her again for volunteering.