The club’s Memorial Run was on last Sunday and it was again a very special day for members and the community. We were of course raising funds for Gippsland Lifeline, and awareness for the important topics of mental health, depression and suicide prevention, but this event also has a very special place for many members, remembering not only club members who have taken their lives, but also many other friends, family members and acquaintances.
Suicide is an epidemic in Australia, and so many people are affected. It’s a difficult topic, and it makes people feel uncomfortable for obvious reasons, but being the leading cause of death for 14-44 year olds in Australia, more than cancer, car accidents, or shark attacks, it’s essential we have the conversations.
When someone takes their life, for whatever reason, it is a tragedy. It is especially difficult for those they leave behind, for those who loved them, for their friends, and for those they may have only had a brief acquaintance with. When we lose people to suicide, no words can make things better.
Talking to people when they’re feeling low, when you sense distance or disconnection, being there when times are difficult or emotional, does help. Discussing and having conversations around the topic of suicide, is so important. Just being there can make all the difference. We need to take away the stigma of these conversations and be brave to have them for the benefit of our friends and family, and for the community.
This event was first run in 1997 in memory of Geoff “Swaggy” Wilson, who was a valued Harriers club member and a great runner, and who tragically took his own life. It was set up to not only acknowledge his life and contribution to the club, but also as a support to other club members and his family, and to shine a light on mental health. The 6k event was added in 2012, and a few years later, was allocated to honour club member Nick Schilling, who also took his own life.
In 2018 the club decided to rename the event The Memorial Run, to make it more relevant as an event open to the public, and to align with Lifeline Gippsland, to raise funds for their invaluable work around depression awareness, suicide prevention, crisis support and mental health.
Thank you to all those club members who came along and supported the event by volunteering to ensure it ran smoothly, and to all our external supporters and sponsors; Gippsland Lifeline, Latrobe Health Assembly, Anthony Bloomfield and the Latrobe Cricket Club, Valley Trophy Centre, Cindy Shanahan & David McInnes (Morwell Rotary & Neighbourhood Watch Latrobe), Andrew Legge, Sep Marino, Greg Semmler, Tobi Grzmil, Marieka Reilly, Mark Fairbairn, Ann Bombers, Kate Mayer, Danelle Wright, Krissi Creighton, Trent Kooyman, Clinton Jolly, Adrian Sutcliffe, Shane & Shay Wilson, Stephen Renehan, Kaye & Ian Livingstone and everyone who chipped in to help set up or pack up.
I’ll do a wrap-up of results for the next newsletter.
We had another great showing for our club dinner at Churchill last week. These social events are a fantastic way for members to chat and get to know each other. It was wonderful to see the mixing of groups and individuals, and members mixing with others that perhaps aren’t usually in their social group. Check the photos in this NL.
Safety is always a concern for the club, and protecting club members is a really important consideration for all our events, and especially for Thursday runs. Many of our club winter runs were established in the past, when Traralgon was less busy, and some of them now are becoming untenable, with more traffic and road crossings. So we’re throwing it to you, the general members, to make suggestions for new runs, which are safer, consider winter aspects of lighting, roads, traffic, volume of runners on course, trip hazards etc.
If you have a suggestion for a run in town that you think may fit the bill, have a chat with a committee member, so we can consider it, do a safety audit and hopefully include some new runs to replace some of the more risky winter Thursday courses.
Don’t forget to check the Summer 2024/25 Duty Roster and the Season Run Calendar in this newsletter. The onus is on you to make sure your allocated duty night is filled, so please mark your allocated date in your diary.
We have the Barry & Carol Summersgill run coming up on November 14 (RD Sep Marino), Boolarra (10 Nov / RD Kaye Livingstone & Molly Irvine), and King & Queen of the Mountain (1 Dec / RD Ron Verschuur). Make sure you put the dates in you diary. These events offer members, friends, and the wider community, different opportunities, environments and surfaces to run on, and are always wonderful experiences. The RDs will also be looking for volunteers, so please chat to them if you can help out.
Club running singlets are available, with all sizes in stock. See Ann Bomers. Singlets cost the club $55 each (which is the cost to non-members). Continuing the policy of supporting and giving back to members, the cost to members is $40, which is a great subsidized rate, and yet another benefit of membership.
Marieka Reilly is also organising club T-shirts. See the note in the NL for details.
We get so many wonderful stories in the club newsletter, and many of our members are always off doing something around the state (and indeed the world on some accounts). All members have a story, and other members love hearing about the achievements and adventures in running outside the club. Make sure you submit your stories, even if they’re just brief. It’s not just about beating your own drum; your stories are interesting, entertaining and you never know who you’ll be inspiring, so take the time to write and get your articles into the newsletter.
The club newsletter is an important communication medium, and most members use it as a place to get updates, information and share stories. Our NL editors work hard to ensure its engaging and informative, so don’t be shy to share. The editing team, led by Glenn Crawford, spend a lot of time and care putting the NL together, so shoot your articles, thoughts, photos, and running snippets through to [email protected]
*IMPORTANT Harriers Dates
10 Nov Boolarra (RDs Kaye Livingstone & Molly Irvine)
14 Nov Barry & Carol Summersgill Ed Hunter Moe (RD Sep Marino)
1 Dec King & Queen of the Mountain (RD Ron Verschuur)
12 Dec Club X’Mas Break-up, Novelty Run & Winter Presentations
19 Dec Club X’Mas Lights Run Traralgon
23 March Harriers Community Fun Run (RD Trent Kooyman & Clinton Jolly)
Thought for the fortnight: We’re all fighting battles that no-one else sees, that no-one else knows about, so be kind, offer a smile, and add positive to the world.
Phill Mayer – President
*Duty Roster Summer 2024/25
REMEMBER: If you can’t fulfil your allocated duty, the onus is on you to swap with someone.
OCTOBER
10 Tania Whitehead & Danelle Wright
17 Stephen Renehan & Shay Lorenz
24 David Hood & Matthew Deppeler
31 Andrew Panayiotou & Claire Mcumber
NOVEMBER
7 Callie Cook & Sav Mavrofridis
14 Angelo Gaudiano & Shane Gavin
21 Kathy Quinn & Michelle Colwell
28 Bjorn Luzmann & Adrian Sutcliffe
DECEMBER
5 Adam Riddle & Samantha Riddle
12 X’Mas Break-up & Winter Presentation
19 X’Mas Lights Run
JANUARY
16 Megan Scott & Paul Smith
23 Stephen McLeod & Kylee Earl
30 Peter Fairbairn & Catherine Leonard
FEBRUARY
6 Darrel Cross & Alfred Warner
13 Angeline Snell & Geoff Francis
20 Elizabeth Kenney & Mandy Ellis
27 Maree Graham & Stacey Podmore
MARCH
6 Luke Witham & Timothy Graham
13 Collette Hofmann & Anja Norwood
20 Gay Cornthwaite & Owen Notting
27 Glenn Graham & Michelle Sawyer
APRIL
3 Newborough Track (volunteers please)
