Episode 291 - Because
2022-06-30
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersEman Vergara Melissa Ellis Paul Kitching
Show notes
From the Facebook post
This week saw
Olly back at his home parkrun, while
Mel finally ticked off a visit to New Farm (opens in a new tab) parkrun in QLD.
Wait till you hear Olly's
singing at
Dazza's! And there is some
news to share and some to
redirect.
PK returns with a roving report from Copper Trail (opens in a new tab) parkrun,
Eman pops in from Railway Park (opens in a new tab) parkrun and
Mel chats to some visiting EDs at Eynesbury Heritage Trail junior parkrun.
For legal reasons, we cannot comment on the current supply of
Caramilk in the staff room fridge.
From the podcast feed
This week saw Olly back at his home parkrun, while Mel finally ticked off a visit to New Farm (opens in a new tab) in QLD. Wait till you hear Olly’s singing at Dazza’s! And there is some news to share and some to redirect. PK returns with a roving report from Copper Trail (opens in a new tab), Eman pops in from Railway Park (opens in a new tab) and Mel chats to some visiting EDs at Eynesbury Heritage Trail juniors (opens in a new tab). For legal reasons, we cannot comment on the current supply of Caramilk in the staff room fridge.
Listen
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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 transcriptRoving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:23
Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country. Mel flew to Queensland to run New Farm parkrun (event 487, back after flood damage) with Lyndell and listeners Pauline and Russell Taylor, staying with Tracey in a Tutu and Steve, walking the Zillmere course and lifting her III index to six, with Newy next; Ollie handed the Shellharbour RD vest to Duke of Edinburgh junior Dylan, hosted the local mayor as Killalea Park passes to National Parks, and retrieved token 64 from Elmer. Eynesbury juniors marked its 50th with a winter festival and new RD Catherine, Johan wrote in from a freedom walk at Swakopmund, Namibia, the OG Mel hit 250 volunteers at Kawana, and a new three-year Medibank partnership was announced.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 18:57
Ollie: "we've got three roving reports for you this week". Eman from Railway Park parkrun (Proston, South Burnett QLD) interviewing James Rees on his Cow Club 100th different event; PK from Copper Trail parkrun near Wallaroo SA, chasing his sixth C for the Pirate Challenge and chatting to Run Director Trevor, co-ED Jerry, co-ED Nicole and travelling companion Tracey on Global Beatles Day; and Melissa Ellis from Eynesbury Heritage Trail junior parkrun hosting an Event Director meet-up with Bec Bullock (Aurora), Adrian Hillyer (Peppertree) and Natalie Harrison (Sunbury).
Emails starts at 34:32
Two pieces of listener mail plus one message. Brett Bailey (New Zealand) thanks the hosts after winning last week's Obi, plans to visit in October, and notes his NENDY is Foster in Rolleston; the hosts belatedly credit Tanya for her roving report and apologise for mispronouncing her name. Tracey Wood suggests ABBA's Swedish-only song "Åh, vilka tider" for the upcoming episode 299, and Bruce "the ideas man" separately tracks down a song actually titled 299.
Dazza's starts at 38:41
Global Beatles Day themed edition, with Ollie singing several of the entries. Contributions from Janet Reid, Claire Stutchbury (Beringa), Sam Schroder (Catherine Pirotta's 250th at Penrith Lakes), Mel Erbacher volunteering at Kawana, Sonja Pohlman and Peter Pohlman, first-timer Tara Wakefield, Andrew Johnston, Tracey Wood (frond of five at New Farm), Steve's bike, Christine Imbert (Greater London 59/59) and Cass Castleton (VI guiding Lynn Davies to a five-minute PB at Hove Prom).
the Obi Award — Sonja Pohlman starts at 46:50
Awarded for the photo captioned simply "because" (which gives the episode its title) and a cheeky second photo, but above all for the connections she has helped form across the community through the Event Director and Run Director catch-ups she initiated. Ollie: "the connections that Sonia [Sonja] has helped many of us already form with the Event Director and Run Director catch-ups are... something to give a big clap to."
the Informant starts at 48:53
Returns after a break with a scripted workplace-industrial-action sketch about demarcation, Caramilk and almond milk, then delivers deliberately "restricted" stats: 452 runs down under out of 1,709 worldwide, Aussie/NZ attendance 36,370, 4,515 PBs, 1,403 first-timers, 23 bingos, 9 new statespeople, and three Cow Clubbers (James Rees, Janice Whittle, Jacinta Marriott). No p-index or wind-index report "due to industrial action".
Consolidated Club Report starts at 53:19
Adventurers Club for Saturday 26 June: 224 members, 180 of whom took part at 100 different locations, 20 UK events, one in Namibia (Walvis Bay), one in Germany, plus 24 Victorian, 18 Queensland, 17 NSW, 6 South Australian, 5 WA, 3 Tasmanian and 1 ACT event, and 4 in New Zealand.
the Frond starts at 54:52
Four fronds of five this week, Warrandyte River Reserve, Werribee Park Mansion, Kirkdale Reserve and New Farm (Melissa Ellis, Lyndell Murray, Tracey Wood, Pauline and Russell Taylor). Followed by the volunteering "vrond": six adventurers volunteering together at Eynesbury Heritage Trail juniors (Catherine Coombridge, Adrian Hillyer, Melissa Ellis, Vicki Smith, John Smith and Kevin Green).
International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 57:20
Ollie reminds listeners that Ugly Christmas in July is approaching, to watch for the buffs they ordered and to get their Ugly Christmas Singlets and shirts ready; he notes his buffs double as hand warmers and that with two on the hands and two on the ankles he can "go the full Monty".
Sign-off starts at 58:44
Ollie said he had loose plans that would see him away from home, somewhere in New South Wales at a parkrun he had not done before, but would not reveal it as he had not made up his mind; Mel said she was keeping hers a secret too, beyond confirming she was going to adventure and get a new event. Ollie said that on that note they had nothing else to tell the listeners, thanked Mel and everyone, invited mail, roving reports and song suggestions, gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.