Episode 324 - Radio prA

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HostsMelissa Ellis Oliver Spake

Roving reportersLyndell Murray Paul Kitching

Show notes

This week the adventures come from our roving reports, with Lyndell at Railway Park (opens in a new tab) and PK visiting Stebonheath (opens in a new tab), sharing one of the best possible reasons to go to parkrun. We consider a whole host of additional candidates for the proposed Big Things ‘Adventurers at Large’ challenge, and we mix it with the stars at Dazza’s.

From the podcast feed. No Facebook post text is recorded for this episode.

Roving reports

1Stebonheath2Railway Park

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country. Ollie run-directed Pride Day at Shellharbour in the colourful mohawk from last year's 80s party with face paint recalling the old parkrun logo, the girls dressed up too, Hannah and James volunteered and Darwin came as a rainbow bird; Mel worked all weekend and missed the photos.

• parkrun adventure challenge starts at 3:04listener challenge

  Continued development of the proposed "Adventurers at Large" Big Things challenge, taking listener nominations for oversized roadside attractions near parkrun events. Jonathan Morgan nominated the Big Galah; Johan nominated the big red post box near Acre Nature Reserve; Karen Gore sent a family photo at the big trout near Gore parkrun. Runs as a thread through the whole episode, picked up again in Dazza's (Caro Vos at the big sundial, Singleton; Lynne Ann on the big strawberry at Koonoomoo near Cobram) and in the email segment (Calum Burrell's three UK nominations). Lyndell closes her roving report by confirming Proston has no big thing.

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

  Two roving reports back to back, both branded to the news crew. Paul Kitching (PK) from Stebonheath parkrun, Davoren Park, north of Adelaide SA, a course he hadn't done, an out-and-back around a lake with noisy cockatoos, his first sub-30 for the year; he interviews volunteer Tammy (25+ volunteers, came to parkrun on her doctor's suggestion for her mental health and has missed only one week since), young Finn celebrating his third parkrun, and Stebonheath ED Nicky, who is also Finn's mum. Then Lyndell Murray from Railway Park parkrun in Proston, regional Queensland, on Wakka Wakka land, interviewing RD/ED Anita and local Fiona.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 23:31

  Host debrief after the two roving reports, Ollie reflects that he hasn't done many rural parkruns and would like to, Mel notes she likes a good long country drive, and Ollie says Finn's third-parkrun milestone is the inspiration to get his own daughter Ava along after she barcode-scanned at Shellharbour.

• Dazza's starts at 24:30

  Cafe to the Stars listener check-ins: Val Warwick marshalling at Bells Parade with an aurora over the river in Tasmania; Sam Schroder's Pride frond squadron zoomie at Husky; David Bravos touristing at Mangemup parkrun in WA with daughter Lucy while wife Chloe slept in; Caro Vos at the big sundial, Singleton; Lee Cabarita and Sally closing in on the Rayfarers Challenge at East Richmond; Jan Yates's first zoomie at the Terrace; Lynne Ann on the big strawberry at Koonoomoo; Johan Duvenhage from Clarens parkrun in South Africa on a new route climbing to 1,912m (the year the town was founded); Claire from the UK at Maryport Prom after her New Zealand cruise was cancelled; and Stephen Jackson on a record 511-finisher Bathurst parkrun driven by the World Cross Country championships.

• the Obi Award — Sam Schroder starts at 34:51

  Ollie can't find the envelope, so Rachel takes over in a "Big Sister" bit and awards it herself: "This week's Obi goes to somebody who is very hardworking and often underappreciated by her bosses." Awarded to Sam Schroder, the Office Lady, "for all the effort that no one sees behind the scenes", with the sign-off "Rachel sees everything". The hosts joke about bowing down to the machines and Skynet.

• Radio prA starts at 36:29

  Rachel opens Club Corner in the persona of a radio station announcer, "this is Rachel on Radio prA, with Bonnie Tyler singing her latest hit 99 Red Balloons", a deliberately wrong-artist DJ joke. The hosts pick it up afterwards, debating whether prA stands for parkrun adventurers or parkrun Australia. The episode is titled for this bit.

• Club Corner starts at 36:29

  Rachel on letter-based unofficial parkrun clubs, following on from earlier instalments about Alphabeteers and Namely: the Five Ks (five events starting with K), the Queen Bs (all Queensland events starting with B), the Pirate Club (phonetically seven Cs and an R), becoming a BG (three Bs and three Gs), and Old McDonald (E-I-E-I-O). Notes these don't need completing in a set order so are easier to collect but harder to track, and lists tracking tools. Closes with the standing reminder that all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun.

• Emails starts at 38:38

  Ollie reads an email from Calum Burrell nominating three UK events for the adventurers at Large big-things challenge: Sutton Manor (the giant head sculpture "The Dream"), Trentham Gardens (a giant chair) and Northwich (a giant bicycle sculpture). Mel's off-mic interjection over the Northwich/Norwich pronunciation is left in the edit, with her joking "I'll edit myself out." Mel then puts out a call for a big thing from the USA.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 40:35

  Melissa Ellis gives a brief overview only, apologising for not posting it on Sunday because she worked the weekend. For Sunday 18 February 2023: of 393 members, 325 took part at 176 locations, 25 in the UK, two in South Africa, two in the USA, one each in Singapore and Denmark. Locally 37 events in Victoria, 36 in Queensland, 31 in NSW, 10 in WA, 9 in South Australia, 7 in the ACT, 6 on the North Island, 5 in Tasmania and 4 on the South Island.

• the Frond — Maitland parkrun starts at 42:06

  Largest Frond of the weekend went to Maitland parkrun with eight adventurers: Lorraine Collison, Michelle Fyfe, Kathy Mudge, Lisa Thomas, Susan Mitchell, Susan and Dexter Roddick, and Sally Gutierrez. Mel notes there were good fronds happening across all the Pride events that weekend.

• Sign-off starts at 42:36

  Ollie said next parkrun day would be a lot of fun and asked where it would take Mel: another car trip, taking her newly adjusted car west over the border to South Australia's newest event, Mariah Creek Reserve. Ollie was on the annual extended family getaway to Lake Conjola on the New South Wales south coast, and with Huskisson parkrun cancelled that weekend he would duck down to Batemans Bay parkrun again - his equal third most visited event, on three visits. Mel closed the short and punchy podcast, explaining it gave her an easier week after a busy weekend editing, gave the Facebook and email contacts and said that was it for another week.