Episode 349 - Big Swoop

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HostsMelissa Ellis Tony O'Connell

Roving reportersBillo Melissa Ellis

Show notes

From the Facebook post

It's Swoopy Septmeber and we're all streaking! This week TOC joins Mel as we return to our 'Big Things' discussion. Mel recounts her trip to Ballina Coast (opens in a new tab) parkrun and TOC re-indexes at Rosebud.

Billo drops by with a stellar report from Yackandandah Rail Trail (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Pippa has more motivation for getting it done, and Johan has all the proper pronunciations. Plus we explain the bingoe card challenges and suggest the next level up.

From the podcast feed

It’s Swoopy Septmeber and we’re all streaking! This week Toc joins Mel as we return to our ‘Big Things’ discussion. Mel recounts her trip to Ballina Coast (opens in a new tab) parkrun and TOC re-indexes at Rosebud. Billo drops by with a stella report for Yackandandah parkrun, Pippa has more motivation for getting it done and Johan has all the proper pronunciations. Plus we explain the bingoe card challenges and suggest the next level up.

Roving reports

1Ballina Coast2Yackandandah Rail Trail

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  TOC on Bunurong Country with Mel on Wurundjeri Country, thanking him for the Lego Mel figurine made in Copenhagen. TOC's month took in Kilmore, Diamond Creek, Tallangatta and Rosebud, where he and Jackie park walked for the R of the volunteer alphabet (J still to go, Jerrabomberra in mind) and met first-timer Deidre from Ireland. Mel flew to Ballina Coast (event 264, 7am start) with Martine Barrot and Dawn Branton as Uber Dawn, recorded RD Teddy, spotted dolphins and ticked off the Big Prawn beside Bunnings.

• Big Things starts at 11:15

  The hosts return to their running 'Big Things' thread: Mel has visited the Big Prawn at Ballina (nine metres, 35 tonnes, saved from demolition in 2009 by a Bunnings-funded makeover that added its tail), and then TOC and Mel work through a newly announced Australia Post $1 coin set celebrating big things, the Big Pineapple, Big Banana, Giant Koala at Dadswells Bridge, Big Tassie Devil, Big Blue Heeler, Big Jumping Croc, Big Lobster, Giant Ram, Giant Murray Cod and the Big Swoop in Canberra. $3 a coin or $29 the set, on sale from Monday.

• Streaky September starts at 15:13

  TOC and Mel walk through the 2023 Streaky September Bingoe card, sixteen squares of which several are stars still to be revealed during the month: rainbow, create a challenge, Streaky Strava Art, an uphill streak (requested by the intern ahead of the Panorama Punish), try a new volly role, now that's a garden, a cat in a window, full scale, sign them up (a push to reach 500 Adventurer Club members), and re-index an event. They explain the re-index (events done more than once) and float a magpie-themed square as next week's level-up.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 29:50

  Mel hands over with "Let's go to the roving reports". Two reports follow back to back: Mel's own recording from Ballina Coast parkrun with RD Teddy, and Billo's report from Yackandandah Rail Trail parkrun featuring deaf parkrunners Ian and Lydia with Auslan interpreter Naomi. The hosts pick both up afterwards.

• Emails starts at 50:35

  Two emails. Andy Airey from the UK writes in with the history of his 'Airey Airlines' free parkrun trips, a hired bus to Bushy after his local event was cancelled, then buying out a winter ferry to Inis Meáin in Ireland on the spot after the operator asked for 1,000 euros of ticket sales, which sold out several sailings and boosted the island's shop and pub; he plans to be in Australia in December to finish his seventh alphabet. Martine Barrot submits the Rotary Duck Race at Fawcett Park on the Richmond River near Ballina Coast parkrun (10 September) for the adventurers' spreadsheet of events to note when touristing.

• Dazza's — Maria Wicks starts at 54:47

  International Bacon Day week, roughly 180 comments. Read out: Paul Whelan as the Viking at Umbagong District (tourist number 77); Greg Garner finally running Wes Mitchell Park at event six as its ED; Sonja Pohlman back at Warwick parkrun for its 10th anniversary with a re-created back-to-back heel-tap photo with Peter Pohlman eight years apart; Jonathan Morgan park walking at Claisebrook Cove and joining both the Peel Club and the Olly Volley Club; Dan Baldwin at Yodogawa kasenkoen Hirakata chiku parkrun in Japan; and Maria Wicks marshalling at Jersey Farm. TOC opens the envelope from Ollie's desk and draws the winner.

• Club Corner starts at 59:21

  Club Corner number 18, delivered by Rachel: the Peel Club (a finish at a parkrun in every Australian state and territory), named after Brendan Peel, the first to do it, and, she notes, he saved Queensland until last, not Darwin; and the Olly Volley Club (a volunteer credit in every state and territory), named after Margie Olsen, aka Margie Olly Volley Olsen. She closes with the reminder that all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun. The Victorian hosts return to joke that Rachel needs rebooting for calling Queensland the great state.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:01:48

  For Saturday 2 September 2023: of 459 members, 353 took part across nine countries and 188 locations. Overseas, 26 events in the UK, three in Canada, two each in South Africa and America, one each in Denmark, Austria and Sweden. Locally, 41 in New South Wales, 36 in Queensland, 35 in Victoria, 13 in South Australia, nine in WA, seven on the North Island, five in the ACT, three in Tasmania, two on the South Island and one in the Northern Territory. Mel also reports that Jack and Claire Corkill took line honours at the new Millennium parkrun in Canada.

• the Frond — Calum Burrell, Karen Hurrell and Steve Milne (international, Philips Park); North Wollongong group of eleven including Bec Bailey (local) starts at 1:02:42

  Largest gatherings of adventurers for the week, reported inside the Consolidated Club Report. Internationally the largest frond was three at Philips Park in the UK, Calum Burrell, Karen Hurrell and Steve Milne, with a congratulation to Calum on his camel cow. Locally the largest frond was eleven at North Wollongong, including Bec Bailey.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 1:04:12"Where is the cake?"

  Launches for the week. Wilson Inlet Heritage Trail parkrun at Denmark, WA, 117 participants, 57 of them first-timers, an out-and-back east of the Denmark River mouth footbridge. Thorp Perrow parkrun at Bedale, North Yorkshire, 143 at the launch with just one first-timer, a single anti-clockwise circuit of a private estate on trail and grass, 35 miles north of Leeds. Johan Duvenhage then covers five South African launches in one weekend, the country's most ever on one day: Aviators Paradise (North West, between Brits and Hartbeespoort), Lieberwalt Farm (Northern Cape, near Van der Kloof Dam), Velskoendraai (Western Cape, near Clanwilliam), Pirates Sport Club at Qonce (Eastern Cape, replacing the closed KWT parkrun and missing the chance to give South Africa a Q) and Hazelmere Dam (KwaZulu-Natal). TOC also flags Inverloch's ninth anniversary next week, dress to glow, with cake.

• Streaky September starts at 1:08:44

  Four days into the month, TOC and Mel throw to the Streakmeister audio. Pippa explains the challenge for newcomers, two kilometres a day on foot, a little less swimming, a little more cycling, or yoga, Pilates or any other committed activity, and describes her own extra rule of doing her two kilometres in the afternoon whatever happens, once at ten at night. She thanks Val Warwick for the idea of hunting a number matching the date on each outing as a way of getting out of your own head, and invites people into the Facebook group.

• Sign-off starts at 1:14:27

  Mel asked TOC where he would be next parkrun day and he said Inverloch's ninth anniversary, a dress-to-glow theme with cake, which he reckoned put him in seventh heaven and which he was assured would be sunny; Mel said she had plans afoot but was not ready to divulge them and would fess up on Friday in the Office Lady's Friday post. She thanked TOC for joining her again, said it had been good to catch up, and gave the parkrun adventurers Facebook page and email address before signing off.