Episode 435 - The Restructure

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HostsMelissa Ellis Tony O'Connell

Roving reportersAli Sheppard David Messenger Lyndell Murray

Show notes

From the Facebook post

We wish to advise that due to recent office restructures… this week's pod may be a little longer than usual.

Jokes. It's really because Mel and TOC are back and like a yarn. Blah, blah, blah, change of staff. Blah, blah, blah, palm location announcement.

Also, those roving reporters love a chat, namely at East Brighton (opens in a new tab), Pallara (opens in a new tab) and Merredin Peak (opens in a new tab) parkruns.

Tune in for all the things.

Link in comments

Mary De Luna and family at Brooklyn Bridge (opens in a new tab) parkrun

From the podcast feed

We wish to advise, that due to recent office restructures, this weeks pod may be a little longer than usual. Jokes. It’s really because Mel and TOC are back and like a yarn. Blah, blah, blah, change of staff. Blah, blah, blah, palm location announcement. Also those roving reporters love a chat *eyeroll* *hug* *laughing face*, namely at East Brighton (opens in a new tab), Pallara (opens in a new tab) and Merredin Peak (opens in a new tab) parkruns. Tune in for all the things.

Roving reports

1East Brighton2Pallara3Merredin Peak

In this episode

• Welcome starts at 0:23

  TOC recording on scratchy motel Wi-Fi from Cowra, on what he calls Wirra Wurrung people's lands, and Melissa Ellis on Wurundjeri Country. They confirm palm26 will be on 7 March, welcome the OG Office Lady back to the socials, and thank David Bravos for taking over editing. Mel re-indexed Bannockburn Bush, returned to Puckapunyal, was turned away from Pucka with her UK friend Rachel (plan B Goulburn River Trail), and ran Port Sorell in Tasmania on the grand final long weekend; TOC did Point Hut Pond, Inverloch's 11th anniversary, a muddy hailstorm at Red Hill Rail Trail, and Coombs to finish the ACT, then Floriade; the 5K app's Michael Clayton joining parkrun and its new Match of the Day challenge round out the chat.

• Roving reports & the Channel 5 News crew starts at 23:14

  Melissa hands over - "I think, Tony, it might be time to listen to some of our roving reports" - for three back-to-back reports: Ali Sheppard with the two co-EDs of East Brighton parkrun in the UK (including the air ambulance that lands on the course), Lyndell Murray with Brian the RD/ED at Pallara parkrun in Brisbane, and David from Western Australia at Merredin Peak parkrun, where he interviews Run Director Sue, turnaround marshal Grant, Tail Walker Sarah and visiting caravanner Sue from Geraldton. TOC and Melissa come back and recap all three.

• Dazza's starts at 47:38

  Five comments chosen from each of the last two Dazza posts. From the 20 September World Wellness Weekend post: Val Warwick (WA) and Chloe at Sir James Mitchell; Yvette Turner from Singapore with a 200 milestone; Ali Sheppard from Mura di Lucca parkrun in Tuscany, celebrating the end of her chemo; Sharon Lark, who travelled from Newcastle NSW to Esperance; and Sarah, whose Redland Bay entry is a full poem that prompts Melissa to say "I think it's time to bring the Poem Zone back". From the 27 September railway post (200 years of the Stockton and Darlington Railway): Debbie Jessup at Red Hill Rail Trail, Andy Poole at Kettering with a Golden Kaspathia, Gareth Arnold at Kadina Trail, Simon Mackley at Nambour, and Johan Duvenhage, who went to Tzaneen in South Africa after Hoedspruit was cancelled.

• Emails starts at 57:14

  Two listener emails. Sunil, volunteering at Boultham Park juniors in Lincoln in the UK, met an Adelaide woman who works with a major health sponsor and described a beach parkrun that gives away free t-shirts; TOC and Melissa answer that the sponsor is Medibank and that the beach event could be any of Largs Bay, West Beach, Seacliff, Christies Beach, Moana or Aldinga Beach, then discuss childhood obesity, junior parkrun expansion and the coming parkrun in Schools initiative. Second, Brendan Scholarly, Event Director of Reddall Reserve parkrun, sent a photo of an "Ooroo" art installation at Shell Cove near Shellharbour and asked whether there is a better farewell than "Ooroo".

• Club Corner starts at 1:04:34

  Melissa throws to Reginald and Reginald Yardley Pomphrey III delivers Club Corner on Canada: parkrun began there in August 2016 with Okanagan and then Nose Hill; the regions and their gaps (nothing in Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut); Prince Edward Island's 707km Island Walk; the retired "Dateline Double" club, where a Time Traveller completed two parkruns on the same day either side of the date line, typically Brisbane or Auckland then Richmond Olympic near Vancouver, last possible in 2020; 56 events open at time of scripting; Saint-Paulin in Quebec, which closes December to April; and Canada Day. Next Club Corner: Sweden. TOC follows up on the Dateline Double.

• Consolidated Club Report starts at 1:09:53

  For Saturday 27 September 2025: of 838 members, 605 took part in 13 countries across 316 locations. Internationally, 77 UK events, 9 in South Africa, 4 in the USA, 2 each in Ireland and Italy, and one each in Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Poland and Sweden - with a note that the week before saw 83 different UK events, creeping towards 100. Locally: 54 events in NSW, 52 in Queensland, 46 in the Greater State, 22 in WA, 16 in SA, 8 each in the ACT and Tasmania, 5 each in the North and South Islands, and none in the NT. TOC notes the ACT has only nine events, so eight is nearly a clean sweep.

• the Frond starts at 1:11:28

  International fronds on 20 September: two fronds of four, at Meon Valley Trail, Wickham (Ian and Alexander Thompson, Rachel and Dale Morgan) and at Whiteley (Neil Catchlove, Chris and Karen Gore, Andy Simpson). On 27 September a frond of 14 at Abbey Park in the UK during a Cowfest tourism meet-up, including Calum Burrell. Bushy pilgrimage: Alison Giblin on the 20th (36:02, third visit), and on the 27th Neil Catchlove (18:06, 20th place, third visit) and Lee Cabarita (53:51, first visit). Back in Australia, a frond of 14 at Reddall Reserve NSW on the 20th (event 2) and a frond of nine at Red Hill Rail Trail in the Greater State (event 4), with a shout-out to adventurers who waited rather than going to the launches.

• Launches and anniversaries starts at 1:15:21"Where is the cake?"

  126 launches globally in 2025 so far - 26 in Australia, 8 in New Zealand, 6 in Japan, plus the relaunch of Bedok Reservoir in Singapore. On 20 September: Baylands Nature Preserve (USA, 208 finishers, 17 volunteers), Tuff Crater Reserve (Auckland, 237/27) and Lough Head (Northern Ireland, 76/15). On 27 September: Victoria Park, Newbury (UK, 347/33, with Newbury parkrun renaming to Greenham Common), Lake Colac (Victoria, 52/10 - TOC was its original event ambassador before handing over to Kay), Porin Metsa in Finland (49/10) and Broadmeadow Linear north of Dublin (153/23). Earlier in the episode TOC also marks Inverloch's 11th anniversary, "and yes, we had cake".

• Watching the numbers starts at 1:19:16

  Brooklyn Bridge parkrun events five and six: 285 finishers with 18 volunteers, then 240 with 16, trending down from 538 at event one but levelling off. Followed by a message from listener Mary DeLuna, a Ponds parkrunner who visited Brooklyn Bridge with family, compared it to Parramatta for iconic city views and volunteered as Tail Walker.

• the Obi Award — Mary DeLuna starts at 1:21:20

  TOC realises that no Obi was named during Dazza's and proposes Mary DeLuna instead - "that's a pretty big adventure to get over to this iconic Brooklyn Bridge parkrun" - for making it to Brooklyn Bridge parkrun in New York, tail walking there, writing in about it and sending a photo with the bridge behind her.

• Sign-off starts at 1:26:00

  Mel asked TOC what he had in his sights: on holidays, he had a visit to Jerrabomberra planned on the way home to complete that region and add another J, guests coming to stay in the new house, then two weeks as Run Director at Inverloch. Mel said October would keep her in her home state catching up on three new Victorian events plus a jaunt to Inverloch and Cape Paterson, that she was heading this coming Saturday to the new Phar Lap Track parkrun, and then to her grandson's first birthday. They then revealed the Palm location, Clare Valley parkrun in South Australia on 7 March next year, an event none of the four hosts had done, noting it is a small event averaging around 50 finishers who should be warned they are coming. Simon and Sarah were due back next fortnight.