Episode 377 - Purple Patches

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HostsMelissa Ellis Tony O'Connell

Roving reportersJohan Duvenhage Lyndell Murray Mark Scarborough

Show notes

Back to regular programming at Level Two with a View with Mel upping her p-index at Wilson Botanic (opens in a new tab) parkrun while TOC was offering auroras with the sunshine over at the Stump. We chat about the new ED/EA volunteer credits, discuss the Voronoi map, cover May celebrations with the birthday boy, catch up on a swather of launches plus… Johan reports from Piggly Wiggly (opens in a new tab), Lyndell splits herself between Oakey (opens in a new tab) and Capestone Lake (opens in a new tab) and Marvellous Mark shuns Bushy for Gunnersbury (opens in a new tab) parkrun. Tune in to find out why!

The podcast feed and the Facebook post carry the same notes.

Roving reports

1·3Oakey and Capestone Lake2Piggly Wiggly4Gunnersbury

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country and TOC on Bunurong Country, in the post-Palm episode: recapping the Toowoomba weekend, the garden-themed dress-up dinner (Ollie as Princess Jasmine, a swarm of bees, Martine and Andrew winning best dressed again as Floyd the Floriade gnome), the people they met (Ryan Stoddart living in his car on tour, Rex Gream, Andrew Yateman, the Bravos, Clancy and Sam from Armidale, Fiona from Fingal Bay, Amanda from Kerang Regional) and belated thanks to Eman, Sam and Pippa. The 5K app's new Voronoi map has them comparing blobs (Mel's Wynyard and Coober Pedy, Toc's Geeveston); then Toc hosted Roberta at Inverloch, where the sun and a brief aurora showed, while Mel took her P-Index to eight at Wilson Botanic, her old hood, and caught up with Sarah Hurft and Lola. Coming up: roving reports including one from the UK, Rachel and Des, and parkrun's new weekly volunteer credit for EDs and ambassadors.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 20:23

  Four roving reports run back to back: Lyndell Murray at Oakey (a "rebel tour" away from the South Toowoomba listener meetup), Johan Duvenhage at Piggly Wiggly in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Lyndell again at the newly launched Capestone Lake, and Mark Scarborough at Gunnersbury in London on marathon weekend. Mel and TOC recap all four. Lyndell and Mark both sign off "for the Channel 5 News Crew".

• Dazza's starts at 51:36

  Listener posts read out from the week's ~160 comments: Sam Schroder at The Terrace completing the avenues/beaches/entrance/ponds/terrace challenge; Ingrid at Dolls Point in her new adventurers buff; Chris Gore at Ipswich QLD completing the Old MacDonald Challenge; Martine Barrot at Katherine Hot Springs; Laura Amos at Bellerive for her 40th different event; Sarah Jefferson at Cottesloe's ninth birthday; Alana Turi at Yodogawa in Japan; Mark Scarborough at Gunnersbury; Calum Burrell at Treviso in Italy; and Pippa White at Abbey Park.

• the Obi Award — Alana Turi starts at 59:37

  TOC opens the envelope, back from Toowoomba, and announces the winner: Alana Turi from Japan, for her photo of the Yodogawa crew setting up - "it had a little bit of everything in it", a sunrise, the city behind and people appearing out of the long grass.

• Emails starts at 1:00:17

  One email, from Brett and Tanya in New Zealand: congratulations on PALM and the live stream, memories of Perth a year ago, excitement that palm25 is planned for New Zealand, regret at losing Ollie from the pod (TOC clarifies Ollie will still pop up), and notice of a Pegasus Star Wars Day on May the 4th with a roving report to follow.

• the Birthday Boy starts at 1:02:09

  The May 2024 anniversaries rundown, delivered in character: 46 events with anniversaries including seven first anniversaries - Parkindula Reserve and O'Connors Beach on May 4th, Narooma Wetlands and Dixon Field on the 11th, nothing on the 18th, and Woodlands Historic Park, Maroondah Dam and Kilmore Racecourse Walking Track on the 25th; plus Japan's Greenery Day and Golden Week, Westerfolds Junior turning six on Sunday the 26th, and the usual reminder to check the cancellations page. Heavy on Star Wars puns, which Mel praises afterwards.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:05:38

  For Saturday 20 April 2024: of 619 members, 470 took part in 10 countries across 238 locations - 51 UK events, three South Africa, two each USA and Ireland, one each Japan, Malaysia, Italy and the Netherlands; 53 NSW, 44 Victoria, 43 Queensland, 16 South Australia, 15 WA, seven North Island, six ACT, four Tasmania, two each Northern Territory and South Island. Largest international front was three at Southampton; largest local fronds were 10 at Shellharbour, eight each at the Stump and the Ponds, and six at Capestone Lake (Michael Lyttle, Chris Hood, Grant Oliver, Cherie Martin, and Janet and Dave Tozer).

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 1:07:07"Where is the cake?"

  TOC notes the launch rate has picked up - 17 launches January to March against 11 worldwide in the first three weeks of April, seven of them in Australia and New Zealand, including three with "foreshore" in the title. This week: Jubilee parkrun Tenterfield (69 finishers, nine volunteers, 13 first-timers), Esperance Foreshore in WA (120 finishers, 22 volunteers, 58% first-ever parkrunners), Moana Point Reserve in New Zealand (69 participants, 12 first-timers) and Wakehurst in West Sussex (423 participants, only 10 first-timers, prompting a discussion of launches easing pressure on crowded neighbours). Also belated congratulations to Montalto Estate (UK), Kambaku Golf Club (South Africa) and Scarborough (New Zealand), overlooked in the excitement of recording at PALM.

• Sign-off starts at 1:14:09

  TOC trailed the following week's episode, a chat with Travis from Run the World, and Mel said she looked forward to hearing how Run the World had grown since they last checked in. They then said where they were headed: Mel to Puckapunyal, back again, with a special guest she would not name; TOC said the O'Connells were also going to Pucca, where he was booked on the volunteer roster and had offered to run direct but might be timekeeping. He signed off with the Facebook and email contacts and 'that's it for another week'.