Episode 361 - TOC’s budgies

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HostsMelissa Ellis Tony O'Connell

Show notes

From the Facebook post

TOC joins Melissa on level two this week in his budgies!

While Melissa recaps a crazy WA adventure at Newcastle Park (opens in a new tab) parkrun, TOC enjoyed the sunshine at home at Inverloch (opens in a new tab) parkrun.

We have Thanksgiving parkruns, re-launches, palm updates and corrections.

There's an Obi, the Birthday Boy, the CCR and more.

From the podcast feed

TOC joins Melissa on level two this week in his budgies! While Melissa recaps a crazy WA adventure at Newcastle Park (opens in a new tab) in WA , TOC was enjoying the sunshine at home at Inverloch. We have Thanksgiving parkruns, re-launches, palm updates and corrections. There’s an Obi, the Birthday Boy, the CCR and more.

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:24

  Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and TOC on Bunurong Country, both in their budgie-edition Ugly Christmas Singlets. Mel flew to WA for a 24-hour whirlwind to Newcastle Park parkrun at Toodyay in a 40-degree heatwave, with Sarah Jefferson giving the Noongar acknowledgement, a frond of Sarah and Matt, Chloe Bravos, Ellen Raven and Franz Carroll, Andrew Yeatman photographing, a Tail Walker carrying a snake catcher, and brunch at the Toodyay Bakery; TOC walked at the back of Inverloch with Jack and JJ and moved into the 350+ box on the Charlie Pearce index. Also 12 adventurers at US Thanksgiving parkruns, Jindabyne's return after a 119-week pause, PALM 2024 confirmed for 12 to 14 April in Toowoomba, and TOC correcting last week's Goulburn River Trail name.

• Dazza's starts at 17:13

  Melissa hands straight over after confirming there are no roving reports this week. Dazza's prompt was International Fairy Bread Day, "come on in, tell us about your morning, place your order and accept that whatever you ask for, it will be sprinkled". Comments read out: Fiona Mullin with Rex Gream (50/50, 50 runs and 50 volunteers on the same day, at Fingal Bay); Cherie Cottle (return visit to Blue Gum Hills, photo on a white-painted tractor tyre course marker); Sheridan Davis (Tail Walker at Surfers Paradise event 377, also its eighth anniversary); David O'Brien (Our Park on Tasmania's east coast, with a Collingwood theme-song joke answered by the Office Lady); Johan (Zuurfontein parkrun, South Africa, 193 finishers against an inaugural 374, close to OR Tambo airport, "the Z was the big attraction"); Andrew Yeatman (Newcastle Park, Men's Mental Health and Movember run, volunteering in vest, blue hat and tutu); Bill Barker (a family frond hundreds of kilometres apart, daughters at Ballina Coast and Menai, Bill at San Remo, on his birthday); Andy Airey (19 of the "Airey Airways" posse flew to Scotland and drove to Thurso for Jenny McBain's 250th unique event); and Pippa White (first time as a VI Guide at Yarborough Leisure Centre, fastest parkrun in ages).

• the Obi Award — Cherie Cottle starts at 24:32

  Melissa hands the envelope to TOC ("you will have the envelope because that's the boy's job") and he announces the winner. The winner is Cherie Cottle, for her Dazza's photo from a return visit to Blue Gum Hills parkrun, resting on a large white tractor tyre painted with the parkrun symbol and a direction arrow, which both hosts agree would make a standout course marker visible from a long way away.

• the Birthday Boy starts at 26:03

  TOC throws across ("I reckon we should throw across to the birthday boy and hear who else is having a birthday") to a self-contained pre-recorded monthly rundown for December 2023: seven parkrun days in the month; the 25th is Australia's special date (also Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and the UK), with Poland on the 26th; how to read the ticks and crosses on parkrun.com.au/special-events, and the reminder that special days are optional for event teams. Anniversaries: five events turn one but only two are open to the public (Baxter in WA and Lake Wallace in Victoria, the other three on custodial estates); no junior anniversaries; Torrens in South Australia turns 11; 30 further events celebrating; random shout-out to Nathalia Showgrounds in Victoria. Signs off pointing listeners to "Mel and the rotation of co-hosts" for requests. TOC follows up with the Christmas compendium numbers: 184 Australian events confirmed for Christmas Day, 189 for New Year's Day, with an 11 December confirmation deadline.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 31:17

  Melissa reads the adventurers Consolidated Club Report for Saturday 25 November 2023: of 512 members, 406 took part in eight countries across 196 locations, 25 UK events, four US, two each in Canada and South Africa, one each in Poland and Austria; locally 41 events across Victoria and New South Wales, 38 in Queensland, 12 in WA, 10 in South Australia, six in the ACT, four in the North Island, two in the South Island and one in the Northern Territory. Milestones: Fiona Mullen (50th) and Jennifer Arnold (250th). PBs: Gavin Porter 19:52 at Cleethorpes, Karen Hamilton 20:58 at Picton, Adrian Heawood 24:31 at Beaufort Lake. Closes with the reminder to add the Adventurers Club as one of your five parkrun profile affiliations.

• the Frond starts at 32:11

  Run inside the Consolidated Club Report. Internationally a frond of three at Quakers Walk in the UK, Stuart Henderson, Charlie Marriott and Matthew Wateridge. Locally a frond of 14 at Shellharbour (Chris Fraser, Malcolm Peaty, Julie and Gordon Turner, Kristen McKenzie, Martine Barrot, Andrew Johnston, David Foster, Galen Hanna and James, Luke Schroder, Sue Keane and Catherine Pirotta), plus a frond of nine at The Ponds and fronds of six at two events, Newcastle Park and San Remo, NSW.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 34:12"Where is the cake?"

  Melissa hands over ("Now, I do believe we had a launch in Australia this week, TOC"). One launch worldwide this week: Katherine Hot Springs parkrun in the Northern Territory, 320 km south-east of Darwin down the Stuart Highway, 105 finishers, 12 volunteers, 32 of them first-timers. Out-and-back on a concrete path from the hot springs, north along the Katherine River to the Katherine River Bridge and back. Both hosts add it to their destination lists and joke about a Contiki tour taking in Coober Pedy, Uluru and Katherine Hot Springs on one trip. Earlier in the episode TOC also covers the Jindabyne relaunch at event 123 after a 119-week pause (14 August 2021 to 25 November 2023, during which the team ran Jindabyne Sport and Recreation for 58 weeks), 68 finishers, five first-timers, one adventurer (Russell Johnson); and he corrects last week's roving report, the new Seymour event being Goulburn River Trail parkrun, not "Goulburn River Rail Trail".

• Sign-off starts at 36:49

  Mel said she had not recovered from last week, had to stay local, and would be somewhere Melbourne metro-ish probably working on her p-index, and might fess up in the Friday post; TOC said they had not decided either and would possibly venture down to Melbourne to revisit a parkrun and catch up with friends, also posting on the Friday. In between they reminded travelling adventurers to check destination start times over the holidays, noting exceptions such as Devonport in Tasmania, and Mel explained that Ollie was absent because he was sick, thanked TOC for stepping in, wished Ollie well and congratulated him on his half cow - his 50th unique event at Kingston in Tasmania - and on completing the Point to Pinnacle again, before TOC gave the Facebook and email contacts and closed for another week.