It is International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, and the club will acknowledge this important day at our run on Thursday the 6th. We ask everyone to wear purple, which is the colour of IWD, and our female committee members will lead proceedings.
IWD is a global day to celebrate the achievements of women. It’s a call to action for accelerating gender parity, and an acknowledgement of how far we’ve come, but also of how much work there is still left to do. Gender equality benefits everyone.
Traralgon Harriers is first and foremost a running club, but that doesn’t mean we can’t stand up, fly the flag, and acknowledge things which affect our community and our members, and try to do our bit to change perceptions and realities, within our sphere, to make the world a better place.
I strongly believe that we have an inclusive, socially aware and proactive membership, and that these sorts of events are about showing the outside community what we stand for.
12 months ago, the club did an audit with Gippsport to assess our engagement of women in the club, and we rated the highest level among clubs in Gippsland. It’s important to continue to develop our engagement and inclusion processes, and build upon this positive work. It is an ongoing mission which does not end. We want to be a leader in this area, progressive, thoughtful and inclusive, and we need to remain vigilant.
Some may think it’s not the place for a sports club to be doing this sort of work, acknowledging “causes” and events, that it’s not our core “business”, but let me say this; these sorts of events make for a better society, community and world. It’s what all organisations should be about. It strengthens our club.
Whether we’re championing gender equality, the prevention of violence against women, awareness about important community issues, inclusivity, or mental health, a progressive club should create conversations. Talking about difficult topics like suicide, or cancer, or anything else deemed taboo or controversial, at our small club, isn’t going to change the world overnight, but being a part of the conversation is essential in creating waves of change.
Last week we had a wonderful picnic in the railway reserve after our Thursday run. It was fantastic to see so many members stay around and enjoy the social interaction and food provided by members. Huge thanks to Trent Kooyman for the Zooper Doopers!
The 2025 McMillans Community Fun Run is only 4 weeks away, and Race Directors Trent Kooyman and Clinton Jolly are doing a mountain of work behind the scenes to ensure we have a great event for the club and community.
They need your help and support. Get your friends and family involved and entered. It’d be excellent if members formed teams from their workplaces or schools. It’s really important that everyone gets behind the event and helps to promote. The earlier everyone gets on and enters, the easier it is for the organising team to plan.
We need members to help organise spot prizes, and to promote in schools, sports clubs, gyms and workplaces. Please see Trent and Clinton to offer your assistance.
With Greg Semmler and Callie Cook stepping down from their roles as club AV Captains, I’m happy to announce that Corey Milner will be stepping up to assist Miles Verschuur for the new season. Corey is not only an incredible runner, but a top fellow as well, and we look forward to his energy and leadership taking the club AV team forward.
Safety is an essential consideration for all our runs, and Winter Season fast approaches. Safety is a major issue for the club, and protecting club members is a prime consideration for all our events, and especially for Thursday runs. Many of our club winter runs were established during a time when Traralgon wasn’t so busy, had less traffic and fewer road crossings, and some of these course have become untenable as the population of Traralgon grows.
This is your last chance to suggest a new or altered course, which is safer, considers 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 in 2025.
Just a reminder to members about etiquette for Thursday runs. All members are important, and all are equal, but it’s essential we show courtesy to each other. Most runners run for time, whereas walkers don’t have as much emphasis on this aspect of participation, so we ask that walkers try and give way to runners, especially on narrow paths. If everyone stays to the left, to allow passing on the right, it would be appreciated by all.
In response to a couple of recent incidents, I’ll remind everyone that kindness is a cornerstone of successful, welcoming community organisations. We wish to foster a welcoming, supportive, and positive environment for all members, irrelevant of which group they may start in, and there is no place for rudeness or behaviour considered threatening. I ask all members to employ courtesy and consideration, and to call out rude behaviour if you see it. Simply, it won’t be tolerated at the club. Remember, everyone has things going on behind their smiles. You never know what people are privately battling, and kindness and consideration are pretty simple courtesies to employ.
*IMPORTANT Harriers Dates
13 March Committee Meeting
23 March 27th Harriers Community Fun Run (RD Trent Kooyman & Clinton Jolly)
1 June 58th Harriers Traralgon Marathon (New start location) (RD Desley Gray)
June Date TBC Midyear Presentation
June / July Date TBC AGM
Thought for the fortnight: Life is just a big game of perspective, and comparison is the thief of joy!
Phill Mayer – President
We have a super deal on a couple of local runs - Our friends organising the Rokeby Twilight Saturday 22nd March, and Run Tarra Bulga Saturday April 12th have generously offered discounts to Harriers members for entry to both events.
Both these discount codes are valid to February 28th.
Run Tarra-Bulga VIP code for Traralgon Harriers - Saves 20% RTBTHVIP
Rokeby TTR VIP code for Traralgon Harriers - Saves 20% RTTRTHVIP
*Duty Roster Summer Season 2024/25
REMEMBER: If you can’t fulfil your allocated duty, the onus is on you to swap with someone.
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)
