Chapter 122 : Wooden Boat Festival

I attend the wooden boat festival.  People I know are thinking: Not likely. More chance of a vegan going to a seminar on how to barbeque meat. 

Well I am going to the wooden boat festival. I’m going because it’s popular and I want to find out why.  That’s why I going.

We wander towards the masts standing upright and proud. Closer and we see many wooden boats gentle rocking.  Each boat lies tied to the pier surrounded by rigging, ropes and a few fluttering flags.

The wharves are covered by crowds of people pointing, looking, taking photos, eating and drinking. 

We join them and see that boats are unlike cars. All the boats are bespoke. They are not made on an assembly line. Not made by people who only put in one screw. Each boat is made by one person or a small group. Each boat reflects the maker in some way and each boat is unique in shape and size. Every boat has a story: who designed it; where was it made; who made it; when it is made; what is its name and why.

As the boats lie tethered to the docks we imagine them moving. We imagine the sails full of wind; a rollicking and rocking sea and a fine spray of sea water.  We imagine these boats moving silently, gracefully and effortlessly.

Most of the boats are painted but all the boats are made from timber. All the timber was lovingly grown, harvested, milled, selected and assembled with care.  The boats are made from natural timber and are powered by the wind. The boats depend on nature but can also be threatened and destroyed by nature.

As we wander we hear music. All the music sounds jaunty and irresistible. Why do music and boats make so good partners? We see a maritime market place and stalls selling equipment or bits and pieces needed to restore or make boats. We see people talking boats. How to build them, restore them or sail them. We see a tent containing school of boat building. Peering in we see another unique bespoke boat. With a story to tell.

As we wander we become part of a large crowd peering, pointing and looking for that photo opportunity. We see photos or a paintings of boats which makes the boats look beautiful. Not difficult. A painting of a boat with sails full of wind on waves looks good. It is a thing of beauty showing balance and harmony.

We wander into an exhibition of model ships. Every model is a replica and has stories. But for me the building contains the story.  This building is where I walking down an aisle and gave away one of my daughters to a man who loves boats.  

As we wander and see some of the tall ships I am reminded of days prior to aeroplanes and the internet when the docks were our connection to the world. Days when everything came and went through the docks.

Seeing the tall ships I am reminded of my antecedents who all came to Australia on wooden boats. I doubt they saw the boats as a thing of beauty. I try and imagine their voyage. They slept in crowded dormitories which continually rocked and rolled. They attempted to keep themselves clean, tidy and free of creepy crawlies. Some of their food came from wooden barrels and is not sold in the food stalls surrounding us. To make their trip almost impossible to comprehend is the knowledge that they knew very little about where you were going and no guarantee that they would arrive. 

We see more food stalls. I don’t need an excuse to eat food on our docks but this Festival gives me another. We sit and eating besides wooden boats on trailers watching boats of beauty.

When we get home I read Facebook and see all the things which we missed seeing. Including a scrimshaw exhibition and ships in bottles. More art involving boats and nature.  More stories. I can’t wait to return in two years’ time.  To see wooden boats; objects of beauty; built and sailed in harmony with nature and exercising my imagination.

Chapter 121: Parkrun

Politicians are waking up to parkrun. In Launceston at 9:00 am on Saturday morning the 2^nd February, Senator McKenzie gave $1.8 million dollars to parkrun.

At the same time six hundred people ran in park runs in Southern Tasmania. 177 on the Queens domain; 241 at Bellerive; 140 at Montrose; 41 at Risdon Brook. Geeveston was cancelled because parkrun is an integral part of its local community.  At present there are 13 parkruns in Tasmania.

Parkrun is a 5km run around a local course. Open to everybody. Everybody runs or walks 5 kms.  Everybody does the same thing.  And everybody is different.  Everybody has a different story about why they are there.  There were people there who had had hip replacements, medical problems, mental health problems, intellectual handicaps. People were there who were losing weight, stopping smoking or ceasing some drug habit.  Every story is unique. What they share is an ambition to run or walk 5 kms. Everybody who finishes wins.  

Parkrun is free.  Every parkrun starts without frantic searching of pockets or cars for loose change. There is no searching for a trestle table and no filling out and signing of entry forms.

It is free because there are a few sponsors and most people take it in turns to volunteer. The initial sponsors can’t believe their luck. They have gone along for the journey. The wakening of a giant. They are associated with health and goodness. They win.

Normally before running in parkrun people register electronically. Once you become part of their data base you can enter and run any parkrun anywhere and automatically receive your time a few hours after running.  Parkrun makes the best use of modern technology. When you register you are given an individual bar code which you have to print out. This bar code is scanned when you finish. Your result in then uploaded. You can see your result and compare it to your previous runs and other runners around the world. 

When you turn up at a parkrun you will encounter volunteers. The volunteers will tell newcomers about the course; highlight the course, marshaling the course and recording the times of all the finishers and often taking photos.  The volunteers get more than they give. To have a course full of people who take it in turns to volunteer creates this unbelievable community feeling. A feeling that we are in this together.

Parkrun is physical activity. Everybody runs or walks five kms. It is physical exercise for everybody. For a lot of the people it is a small part of weekly physical activates. It precipitates and encourages other activity. Many people go to the gym, or swim or run during the week in order to improve their parkrun time.  People also do parkrun in order to improve their other sport.

Dogs are common. Some people run or walk with their dog. Both dog and owner win.  Other people push a pusher around the course replete with baby. With more winners.

Parkrun has incredible social benefits. I have done parkruns with my wife, my children and grandchildren. I have also done parkruns with people I used to work with. I have also done parkruns with a guy who now spends his week with my old air-conditioner and my old view. I have also done a parkrun with the lady who’s chooks I hear.

I have also done parkruns with my brother-in-law in South Africa and son-in-law in England.  We have bonded over sweat; breathing deeply and the drink afterwards.

Which leads me to parkrun and tourism. Our local parkrun, Queens Domain, always has visitors. We welcome them and talk to them about Tasmania and what to see and where to go. Though on a Saturday they are all off to Salamanca market. A lot of tourists to Tasmania make our local parkrun a part of their Tasmanian holiday. At present there are about 345 parkruns in Australia.

I have found that doing the local parkrun is often a better tourism experience than visiting the local landmark. At present there are about 1740 parkruns globally in about twenty countries around the world. Parkruns around the world are run with the same basic format with local variations. You meet the locals and experience a bit of the local culture.  As in Tasmania your result will be up in the clouds hours after your run. You can then view all your times and so can others.

Chapter 120: How do you raise a champion?

How do you raise a champion?

I feel I am partially qualified to add an addendum to the article by Ian Cole. The reason being one of my children won several Paralympic medals. Once she was named as Tasmanian Sportswoman of the year. In 2005 she was inducted into the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame. 

I will start at the beginning.

We wanted all of our children to have good lives. They were all different and unique. When Melissa was born others classified her as physically handicapped or disabled.

Our aim was to treat all our kids the same. We never gave Melissa special treatment. We never discriminated for or against her or any of her siblings. 

We always had to fight other people’s attitudes. We had to fight people discriminating in favour of Melissa. I remember a parent teacher interview. My aim was to find ways of helping her with her maths.  The teacher’s interests were elsewhere. He said, “She is very brave.”

We constantly had to fight for her to be treated as normal. I loved it when people said to me, “She’s just normal.”

Our aims for all children was the same. We wanted all of them to be physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually healthy and happy.  We wanted them to be well balanced. We wanted an excess of balance.

We gave them healthy food. We provided housing and clothes.

We sent them to one of the local schools so they could learn to read and write.

We wanted them all to have friends. To learn to interact socially with other people.

We wanted and encouraged extra school activities. To help them develop physically, emotionally and socially. With our children we were dragged in disparate directions for mysterious reasons.

When Melissa was young we lived in a warm climate. Swimming pools were a big part of the community. It quickly became obvious that she enjoyed swimming. That swimming was her thing. She enjoyed it. It was impossible to get her out of the pool. Swimming she could glide quietly and gracefully. In the pool she wasn’t awkward or clumsy.

Once swimming became her thing we thought she might as well do it as well as possible. Every child involved in any sport/hobby wants to be as good as possible.  With all of our children and all of their activities we always wanted them to do them properly and as well as possible.

Swimming led to swimming coaching, swimming training, swimming clubs; swimming friends. The swimming coach led to learning the basics of training and tactics and competitions.  Ultimately it led to international competitions, medals and publicity.

It’s well know that I saw the Paralympics as another example of not treating her as a normal person. To be avoided. Under pressure from everybody I changed my mind. I saw a future were Melissa would swim in the paralympics and against able bodied swimmers. She could do both.

My aim with my children has never been to win medals or win Wimbledon or play AFL or play BBL. I never began with the end in mind. I never thought that in order to achieve certain goals I needed to tick certain boxes. I never thought the prize was worth any cost. . I see emphasizing the end leads to a lack of balance. It leds to the sports people we love to hate.

I always thought the journey was more important than the end. The journey involves learning how to lead balanced lives.  Learning how to be physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually healthy and happy.  

When medals happen they happen. Accept them. Be grateful and happy and enjoy them.

At present I have four children and four grandchildren. I see them all as champions. Melissa deserves a medal for her work at the YMCA. Some of my grandkids deserve medals for their long jumping on Wednesday evening on the Domain.