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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-10-18 Daily Xml
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Parkrun

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (15:31): I rise to speak in support of parkrun. I am a convert to parkrun, and I particularly wish to acknowledge today the Oaklands Estate Reserve parkrun.

Parkrun began in London in 2004, and the parkrun we now hold at the Oaklands Estate Reserve every Saturday morning has been going since the beginning of the year. I am proud to say I have now run and volunteered at many of those. I have even walked my dog, Freya, at one of those as well.

I have played sport most of my life. I enjoy team competition, and I really enjoy the camaraderie and the community spirit that it brings and also just the sheer competition of it. But I have found that running is something entirely different. I only began running in my mid-30s, and that was because of Corporate Cup. Much like parkrun, it is a community event purely to give people a go. Your skill level does not matter, as it is a chance to start running at least. As a convert to parkrun, I find it is the self-competition that plays with your mind most of all.

It is a lovely event at Oaklands Estate Reserve, where we have a five-kilometre run around a beautiful course around the Sturt River. I like it because it is two laps, so you are very clear at any point in time how far you have to go and the mind really gets going. You also get to enjoy the beautiful landscape. I acknowledge the Sturt River Landcare group, who have revegetated that area incredibly over the last number of years, and it is a beautiful place to be and a lovely place to run.

When you arrive at parkrun, you are welcomed and you are welcomed by volunteers. Parkrun only exists because of volunteers. It is free and you do not have to register. You can decide at quarter to eight when the alarm goes off that really it is not for you today and no-one minds, but you are always welcome there.

Every morning, at the beginning of parkrun they also give a shout-out to the people who have reached significant milestones. I can see I am quite a junior at this event, with the number of people who have run 25, 50 or 100 parkruns over their time, and I look forward to doing that in the future.

Parkrun gives community connection and is a welcoming event. There are so many young children running it, and it blows my mind how fast some very small people are. You can walk with your friends, use it as an opportunity to catch up, or you can be one of those absolute gun runners who soon start lapping you. It is a really impressive event. It is now run in 22 countries around the world.

I also think it is worth acknowledging that parkrun gives the opportunity to clear your mind. We know how much exercise helps not only our physical wellbeing but also our mental wellbeing. I encourage everyone to give it a go. Please come and join me. I would love to have a run or a walk with you. It is a perfect opportunity to get out and, I tell you what, there is nothing like it at 8.30 in the morning. You have done your parkrun on a Saturday and you are smug. You have exercised for the weekend and you can get on with the rest of your day. It is an absolute joy to participate.

I would like to thank the volunteers. In fact, my personal best has been improving over the last few weeks, and I think that has a lot to do with the sheer encouragement that I and everyone receive purely by participating in this event.

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