Episode 326 - Song sung blue?
2023-03-08
— open the full-size coverHostsLyndell Murray Melissa Ellis Oliver Spake
Roving reportersDavid Messenger Lyndell Murray
GuestJohn Lindsell
Show notes
From the Facebook post
It's a bumper episode of interviews and reports this week. Mel catches up with John Lindsell at Kawana (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Lyndell is on the ground at Kedron (opens in a new tab) parkrun, chatting to the man of the moment, Michael Schultz.
We've got roving reports from Brightwater (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Newcastle Park (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Rachel discusses the Pioneers challenge, but there's a lot less of Mel and Olly than you might be accustomed to. Unless you want Olly singing? Then you're in luck.
From the podcast feed
It's a bumper episode of interviews and reports this week. Mel catches up with John Lindsell at Kawana (opens in a new tab) parkrun and Lyndell is on the ground at Kedron (opens in a new tab) parkrun, chatting to the man of the moment, Michael Schultz. We’ve got roving reports from Brightwater (opens in a new tab) and Newcastle Park (opens in a new tab) parkruns and Rachel discusses the Pioneers challenge, but there’s a lot less of Mel and Olly than you might be accustomed to. Unless you want Olly singing? Then you’re in luck.
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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 transcriptGuest
John Lindsell
His parkrun journey (recruited in an Aldi queue after moving to the Sunshine Coast nine years ago), 29 events in four countries including Norway and Sweden and the St Petersburg parkrun he never got to run, his 75 volunteer occasions, Kawana's lighthouse course and January beach section, and his second career as a songwriter, begun after losing his wife to breast cancer, ~20 songs professionally produced in Nashville and Los Angeles, the female vocalist Alice on "parkrun Party", his objection to Spotify's royalty rates, and his top three non-parkrun songs (the Me Too trio, "Number Three, Rue de la Lique", "The Veteran" and "Fargo").
Roving reports
In this episode
Welcome starts at 0:24
Rachel opens as synth metal host from what she calls Arrernte Country before Ollie Spake on Dharawal Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country take over a quick, contribution-heavy recording. Ollie did his familiar 5K at home; Mel spent 24 hours on the Sunshine Coast on Gubbi Gubbi Country with Mel, Adam and the boys, seeing the Big Pineapple and walking Kawana event 502 for Graham Rose's 80th birthday, where she recorded John Lindsell, the man behind the parkrun Party song, and has since downloaded the Kawana Pie album. Ollie's family weekend in Sydney for Cathy's birthday took in the aquarium and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 19:20
Two roving reports back to back. Lyndell Murray files from Brightwater parkrun on the Sunshine Coast (held over from the previous week), interviewing birthday girl Ruby on her 10th parkrun, Co-Event Director Gary on his 150th volunteer occasion, Run Director Claire and Co-Event Director Andrew about Brightwater's "tunnel of love" milestone tradition. David Messenger then reports from Western Australia at the brand-new Newcastle Park parkrun in Toodyay (pronounced "too-jay"), the 50th parkrun in WA, one week after launch, explaining the Newcastle/Toodyay name history, describing the two-lap Avon River course, and interviewing Tony, a local on his second-ever parkrun. Ollie thanks both.
Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 19:39
Lyndell Murray files her Brightwater report explicitly "for the Channel 5 News crew", and Ollie introduces her Kedron piece as coming from "one of the Channel 5 News crew, Lyndell the Legendary". The crew banner is used for both of her contributions this week.
the Obi Award — Michael Schultz starts at 49:09
"We have this week's Obi Award goes to Schultzy. No need for a drum roll. There's no envelope. It was a one-man race." Awarded to Michael Schultz for reaching his 500th parkrun at Kedron, celebrated in a blue shirt with 13 adventurers and a record Kedron attendance of 438. Ollie notes that in the absence of Dazza's there was only one decision to be made.
Club Corner starts at 49:55
Rachel on the Pioneer and Successor parkrun clubs. World Pioneers are the first parkrun to start in each country (Bushy in the UK, Main Beach in Australia, Lower Hutt in New Zealand). The Australian Pioneers, in launch order: Main Beach QLD, Albert VIC, St Peters NSW, Ginninderra ACT, Claisebrook Cove WA, Launceston TAS, Torrens SA, Darwin NT, the last of which was the 47th Australian event, two and a half years after Main Beach. The Successors (second event in each state/territory): New Farm QLD, Newy NSW, Balyang Sanctuary VIC, Tuggeranong ACT, Rockingham WA, Mount Gambier SA, Hobart TAS (since renamed Risdon Brook), Palmerston NT, the 185th Australian event, a full five years after New Farm. Closes with her standing reminder that all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun.
Emails starts at 52:07
Two listener messages. Darren DeGroot sent a photo of his grey cap with his 50 and V25 pins, "to show my milestones finally". Richard Fortune wrote to thank an unnamed volunteer on the bag station at Port Macquarie Runfest who recognised him and introduced himself as an adventurer, and who suggested Mel and Ollie should come up for it; the hosts appeal for the "mystery volunteer" to show himself.
Consolidated Club Report starts at 54:27
Report for Saturday 4 March 2023: of 395 members, 328 took part at 167 locations (two over the target, "we missed the mark again"). Internationally, adventurers at 21 UK events, two in South Africa, two in Poland, one each in Austria and the Netherlands. Locally: 39 events in NSW, 34 in Victoria, 29 in Queensland, 10 in SA, 9 in WA, 7 in ACT, five each in the North Island and Tasmania, two in the South Island.
the Frond starts at 55:18
The largest frond was at Kedron with 13 adventurers in attendance for Michael Schultz's 500th, which also set a Kedron attendance record of 438, 21 more than the previous record of 25 January 2020. Named attendees: David Moss, Irene and Parth, Ryan Stoddart, Erica Leota, Michael Blain, Michael Schultz, Lance and Robin Plain, David Ryan, Pauline and Russell Taylor, and Tracey Wood, plus Lyndell, off the list because she volunteered. Ollie then flags an upcoming JOMO frond organised by Lyndell at Varsity Lakes parkrun on Saturday 15 April, 7am, for adventurers who cannot get to WA for PALM at the University of WA the same day.
Dazza's starts at 58:08
Declared on hiatus for the week- because the episode was overflowing with contributed content, but one post was still covered at the end: Bill Ellis commented on the Dazza's post in lyrics, and Ollie, having identified the tune with the help of GPT, sings his version about Jerrabomberra Mountain ("I ran up Jerrabomberra Mountain where the little breezes blow ... all for a J and a prime"). This is the source of the episode title "Song sung blue?".
Sign-off starts at 59:35
Ollie's sung rendition of Bill Ellis's Jerrabomberra Mountain lyrics led straight into next parkrun day: Mel said she was road-tripping to the ACT to run Jerrabomberra Mountain, a New South Wales event that would be her fourth J, with something special she would not reveal until Dazza's; Ollie said he would be volunteering at his home event, Shellharbour parkrun, shadowing a trainee Run Director and staying close to home until Palm. Mel added that the adventurers shirts had been made to order after orders closed around 19 February and should arrive late March, in time for Palm, before Ollie thanked the week's contributors and wrapped it up.