Episode 309 - Bruce & Gill Fordyce
2022-11-03
— open the full-size coverHostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake
GuestsBruce Fordyce Gill Fordyce
Show notes
From the Facebook post
Mel & Olly return this week with tales from Bathurst (opens in a new tab) parkrun and the Mount Panorama Punish, plus their recap from last weekend's Halloween fun from their home parkruns (Toolern Creek (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Shellharbour (opens in a new tab) parkrun).
We hear from Phil and Gemma Gore on how to go from 5km to a backyard ultra (how far can he go?) and we have a special interview from Johan with Bruce & Gill Fordyce.
Not only that – listen in for a big announcement!
From the podcast feed
Mel & Olly return this week with tales from Bathurst (opens in a new tab) parkrun and the Mount Panorama Punish, plus their recap from last weekend’s Halloween fun from their home parkruns. We hear from Phil and Gemma Gore on how to go from 5km to a backyard ultra (how far can he go?) and we have a special interview from Johan with Bruce & Gill Fordyce. Not only that – listen in for a big announcement!
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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
Bruce Fordyce
How parkrun came to South Africa - Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Tom Williams and Peter Fordham talking Bruce and Gill into Bushy Park in April 2011, and the launch of Delta parkrun with 26 runners on 12 November 2011 (its 500th event was that morning). Also his Comrades career (30 finishes, nine wins, from June 1976), 5km becoming his favourite distance, South Africa's proudly slowest average finish time and its township events, the near-fatal 18-month lockdown and recovery towards 30,000 weekly participants, the drive to put an AED at all ~200 South African events, and parkrun tourism.
Gill Fordyce
What a parkrun territory manager actually does - results processing, incidents, volunteer and ambassador management, global weekly update calls with Tom Williams, the new-event pipeline. Also volunteering at the very first Delta event (six weeks of rehearsals beforehand, 42 cones), South Africa originating the barcode wristband and the volunteer T-shirt, walkers being welcomed from day one against global resistance, the defibrillator fundraiser via Backabuddy, and why parkrun is special: "the evils of money, politics and religion that separate people do not exist at a parkrun."
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:24
Ollie Spake from home on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis back on Wurundjeri Country, thanking Mel Erbacher and Scotty for filling in. Recording on Halloween night, Mel tells some Halloween jokes and has just spent two hours dressed as a T-Rex volunteering at a local charity event organised by Wyndham Vale parkrun founding EDs Maria and Andy. Mel then recaps the weekend at Bathurst parkrun and the Panorama Punish: thanks to co-EDs Jen and Steve, a course record 332 at event 270 with Mel and Ollie park walking, 24 adventurers plus Heather Morgan, tutus for the 22nd, Happy Birthday recorded for Janet Reid, and camping beside the Baileys at the Bathurst showgrounds.
Mel's top tourist tips starts at 5:52
Melissa Ellis delivers a travel tip inside her Bathurst/Panorama Punish recap: "if you're listening with anticipation for one of Mel's top tourist tips, well, here it is. When taking an inflatable mattress camping, you would be well advised to also bring some form of electric pump." Ollie answers it with an "Ollie travel tip" - buy some tutus, "you'll be very popular."
The Channel 5 News crew starts at 20:22
Crossover to submitted audio from Phil and Gemma Gore, Event Directors at Shipwreck parkrun (WA), recorded straight after Phil won the Backyard Satellite World Championships - 76 hours, 76 x 6.7km loops, over 500km, beating Harvey Lewis by one loop. They trace it all back to parkrun: Gemma on being talked into her first parkrun and going on to 70 run-director shifts, Phil on "5K leads into 10K and then a half marathon, and if you don't stop, you just end up doing back[yard] ultras."
Dazza's starts at 25:46
This week's Dazza's prompt was "Zoomies". Posts read out: Claire Stutchbury (volunteering at Mansfield, Queensland in the new purple shirt); Bruce Purdy, most likes, zooming through the finish flags at Nhill; Chantelle Hosking (crossed to Mount Gambier, interviewed by ABC South Australia, completed run around UK and Ireland); Wendy Glen (volunteer 100 and hubby Ross's 50 at Gardiners Creek); Kirstie Ganji (course PB and jump shot at Goldfields Reservoir's third birthday); Kylie Ritchie (Toolern Creek after Ballarat cancelled); Yvette Turner (a squadron of pre-start zoomies at Goulburn); Christine Imbert (Tail Walker at Swakopmund, Namibia, with flamingos overhead); and Ian Shaw's long saga chasing event number 31 for his Wilson index. Catch-up posts from the previous week: Chris Fraser (regaining NSW statesman at Jindabyne Sport and Recreation), TOC (most liked, congratulating Bruce Purdy on Gippslander), Michael Blain (The Beaches after Inverell flooded) and Booze Dayton (first RD briefing at Whalan Reserve).
the Obi Award — Yvette Turner starts at 34:36
Ollie has the winner on a Post-it note rather than the usual envelope. He notes no Obi was awarded the previous week, so "the first Obi winner in two weeks is Yvette Turner" - for her Dazza's post of a group who travelled to Goulburn and did pre-start zoomies, "a whole squadron of zoomies in that photo at the top of the Goulburn parkrun zipper."
The Channel 5 News crew starts at 1:12:32
The episode's teased "big announcement". Ollie reveals the hosts had set Johan a secret challenge - "so secret that Johan didn't know either" - to interview not just Bruce but also Gill. Melissa Ellis then announces "our latest Channel 5 News Crew member, no other than Johan Duvenhage", with Ollie clapping ("I'm taking a fine for that") and both thanking him for reports from South Africa and Eswatini.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:13:19
The adventurers Consolidated Club Report for 29 October 2022: of 326 members, 262 took part at 140 locations. Adventurers in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, USA, Namibia and Denmark. Queensland topped the table with 32 events, Victoria 29, New South Wales 24, South Australia and WA nine each, five on the North Island, three in the ACT, two in Tasmania and two on the South Island.
the Frond starts at 1:13:42
Delivered inside the Consolidated Club Report: the largest frond was at Toolern Creek with 11 members plus Heather Morgan, with five adventurers volunteering at Eynesbury Heritage Trail Junior parkrun also in contention. Ollie concedes Shellharbour can't beat it this week - "not that it's a competition. Who's counting?"
International Ugly Christmas Singlet Day starts at 1:15:10
Looking-forward item: a second-chance release of the Ugly Christmas Singlet/shirt is imminent, prompted by "associate of the Ugly Christmas Singlet or Shirt Day elves, Mel Erbacher" on the previous episode, "suggesting that us or you lot are far too beautiful and we need more ugly out there." Reminders to Renee (Abby's mum) and Scott to order; deliveries for those who ordered on time expected in mailboxes shortly.
Sign-off starts at 1:16:14
Ollie asked where parkrun was taking Mel next week: she was not ready to think about it but might get to Boort, which is Nolan's Park parkrun, an event she still needed to regain her complete set of Victorian events, floodwaters permitting. Ollie planned to stay at home at Shellharbour, probably volunteering, with a couple of milestones to celebrate, before a fleeting trip to Tasmania with Cathy on the 19th for Queen's Domain. He thanked Mel for the long pod, for the interview and for being his fellow adventurer camping in the rain; she gave the Facebook and email contacts and said that was it for another week.