Episode 384 - Indeed

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HostsMelissa Ellis Simon Mackley

Roving reportersAlison Fraser (King) Janet Reid

Show notes

From the Facebook post

Guess who’s back, back again, Simon’s back, tell a friend… It’s Smackley week and he’s been at Greenbank (opens in a new tab) parkrun while Mel ducked down south to Risdon Brook (opens in a new tab) parkrun. We hear from Janet with a interview with Regional Ambassador Kate Corner and Alison brings news from recent launch event Y Promenâd (opens in a new tab) parkrun, Aberhonddu. Over at Dazzas the community was buzzing and Rachel brought food and zoo clubs.

From the podcast feed

Guess who’s back, back again, Simon’s back, tell a friend… It’s Smackley week and he’s been at Greenbank (opens in a new tab) parkrun while Mel ducked down south to Risdon Brook (opens in a new tab). We hear from Janet with a interview with Regional Ambassador Kate Corner and Alison brings news from recent launch event Y Promenade. Over at Dazzas the community was buzzing and Rachel brought food and zoo clubs.

Roving reports

1Anstey Hill Recreation2Y Promenâd

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  Simon Mackley on Quandamooka Country and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country, welcoming Simon back to a chilly 'level two with a view' before the first segment.

• Level 2 with a View starts at 0:41

  The hosts open in the show's 'level two' office. Rather than an interview from the comfy chair, this week the slot is used to announce that The Office Lady, Sam Schroder, has left the team, Melissa thanks her publicly for spell- and grammar-checking published posts, orchestrating the adventurers tops (designed by her son Julian) and the buffs, dealing with the shirt supplier and sales, and scheduling social media. Her replacement as 'equal opportunity employee' is announced as Dave Bravos, from the West Side, who gets a new stand-up desk in the corner of the office.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 16:00

  Melissa throws to this week's roving reports: Janet Reid from Anstey Hill in South Australia, with an interview with SA Regional Ambassador Kate Corner, and Alison from the newly launched Y Promenâd parkrun in Brecon, Wales, with an interview with Run Director Martin.

• Dazza's starts at 32:47

  This week's Dazza's prompt was National Blood Donor Week 2024 (12-18 June): 'Are you a donor? Come on in and share your parkrun adventures and PG blood stories with us.' Posts read out: Adrian Homburg back home at Birdsland Reserve after hiking down the prom; Laura Amos, unable to donate on medication, enjoying the muddy community spirit at Rouse Hill; Tracey Wood at Capalaba, breakfasting with members of the deaf community; Phil Olson at Lowestoft for Cowfest East; Monty Slade park-walking Ross-on-Wye after a night marathon; Tanya Bailey at Pegasus (NZ) for its eighth birthday, with a PB and a dog called Brunner; Chloe Bravos away at Teachers Union State Council, donating plasma fortnightly; and Steve Warwick from Tasmania, leaving Bells Parade for O'Connors Beach to volunteer. Selections were drawn from listeners who used the hidden challenge word 'community'.

• the Obi Award — Monty Slade starts at 38:14

  The Obi (this week on a post-it rather than an envelope) goes to Monty Slade, thanked for dutifully coming into Dazza's every week and giving the hosts encouragement with his trademark thumbs up, and, this week, for his post about park-walking Ross-on-Wye after a night marathon and congratulating blood donors. Melissa notes she posts the winner's photo back to the previous episode's post about a week later so as not to spoil it.

• Club Corner starts at 39:22

  Rachel presents food-themed and zoo-themed parkrun clubs: events with food in their names (Applecross, Orange, Peppertree, Cooks River, Point Cook, New Farm, Picnic Point Parklands), with brand names such as Bega and near-misses such as Broadbeach Waters excluded; and the Zoo Club (Frog Hollow, Birdsland Reserve, Cormorant Bay, Horseshoe Bay Reserve, Kangaroo Island, Wallaby Track). She closes with the standard reminder that all non-milestone clubs are unofficial and unsupported by parkrun. The hosts then debate whether Cowpasture Reserve should have made the Zoo Club.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 45:15

  For Saturday 15 June 2024: of 650 members, 453 took part in nine countries across 228 locations. Adventurers at 40 UK events, seven in South Africa, two in the USA, one each in Austria, Italy, Canada and Poland. Locally: 53 events in Queensland (topping the table), 39 in Victoria, 34 in New South Wales, 18 in Western Australia, 13 in South Australia, seven in the ACT, five in Tasmania, three on the North Island, two in the Northern Territory and one on the South Island, a 'bowling strike' (every region represented). The Pilgrimage was blank: no adventurer at Bushy Park.

• the Frond — Holden Forest, UK (largest international frond, 9); Harmony Boulevard, QLD and Cooks River, NSW (largest Australian fronds highlighted, 5 each) starts at 46:48

  Largest Australian fronds highlighted (the hosts note these are a selection rather than strictly the largest): five adventurers each at Harmony Boulevard, Queensland (Alan and Roisin Burrell, Rhonda Whetton, Lockie Miners, Patrick Peacock, gathered for an ambassador catch-up) and Cooks River, New South Wales (David Soe, Michael Thomson, Russell and Pauline Taylor, Sue Bannister). Largest international frond: nine at Holden Forest in the UK (Deb Airey, James Avery, Mark Perkins, Rhianna Taylor, Kim Leonard, Cameron and Sammy Gerrish, Penelope Thesen, Jenny Dimmick), with Andy Airey over at Orangefield alongside Adrian Luscombe, Nick Alway and Christine Imbert.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 49:00"Where is the cake?"

  Five launches, five profiled. Bug Hunter Waters parkrun, Northstowe, UK, 102 participants, 25 volunteers, two laps of the water park on tarmac and compacted gravel, fully wheelchair accessible, first finisher a parkrun newbie. Great Southern Rail Trail parkrun, Korumburra, Victoria, 131 participants, 13 volunteers, six first-timers, a one-and-a-half loop gravel course through the historic rail precinct into South Gippsland; co-host Tony O'Connell is the event ambassador and was there on the morning. Mangawhero River Walk parkrun, Ohakune, New Zealand, 73 participants, 15 volunteers, 30% first-timers, out-and-back over two bridges including a swing bridge in the heart of Ruapehu. Morden parkrun, UK, 103 participants, 35 volunteers, one first-timer, three clockwise laps of hilly grass and tarmac. Wantijpark parkrun, Dordrecht, Netherlands, 117 participants, 18 volunteers, 27% first-timers, two laps on paved paths. Also mentioned: Pegasus parkrun's eighth birthday (NZ) in the Dazza's posts.

• Sign-off starts at 54:18

  Mel set the week's secret listener challenge - a Monty Slade thumbs up in the photo posted on Saturday - then said where she was going: event two of the Great Southern Rail Trail parkrun at Korumburra, where she expected to finish her pooper scooper challenge by getting her twentieth number two, and to visit her kids while out that way with Ezra home. Simon was unknown, needing to get back for Jackson's soccer game well out of the area, so he might just volunteer locally. He wished TOC luck for the backyard ultra at Wild Dog starting that Friday and they wondered who would post updates. Mel thanked Simon, said she looked forward to chatting again in two weeks, then gave the Facebook and email contacts and 'that's it for another week'.