We spent last night on a camping site which was a nice adventure and a test for our team's coordination. The boys were exemplary in putting up all the tents, cooking dinner and preparing the schedule while the girls' team was finishing the rest of their mileage to run. We would also like to thank Sue and Ron from the Riverglade Caravan Park for their generous offer of this accommodation for the team. We woke up into a beautiful morning with some spectacular views and admired natural beauty in peace and silence.
At the same time the Riverglade Caravan Park hosted a gathering of the Australian Bush Poetry Association and we had the privilege to meet these talented writers and share our ideas of creativity.
During a short ceremony in the morning Harita commented on how Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the Peace Run and a prolific writer and poet himself, would encourage everybody to express themselves creatively in all fields of our lives. If we can find ways to express peace, love and joy in our hearts and share it with our communities, this can be a powerful way for each of us to help bring about peace in the world.
Before leaving the camp we made sure everybody got their necessary food supplies and we hit the road!
The girls team was strengthened, Stacey and Tavishi have joined us. Although Tavishi stayed just for a day, it was great to have an authentic Aussie with us to answer all questions about Australia and its landscape.
Dry, vast yet welcoming, the land itself seemed to implore us onwards. With the eloquent voice of stillness echoing in the limitless blue sky, the red soil a reminder that here we are on the outskirts of a grand desert continent, where life fights for its very existence. There in the open country of New South Wales, our journey lay in its infancy, the end still an unfathomable distance away.
Everywhere the land breathes with the subtle hint of greater forces stirring in the ether, of which man tries to distill into words like the bush poets of the previous night's camp in Tumut, and of which the birds and cows sing in their native voice that calls out across the plains and through the mountains.
People too live out here. We meet some of these folk as we stop along the way to wait for our runners. A couple come out to greet us, and suddenly they are torch-bearers, adding their wish for peace to the collective goodwill that propels us further with each step. Outside one farmstead a young dachshund comes running out fearlessly thrilled to see us. It eagerly receives our affectionate pats. At one stage I turn to my left and see Australia's iconic animal, the kangaroo, bounding along beside our vehicle. Sadly the majority of 'roos sighted are the victims of traffic rather than live specimens...
We were fortunate to be visited by our friend Rathin, an ultra-marathon runner from Canberra, who came and clocked some kms for the Team today.
Sadly, our Indian representative, Atul, has to return to work so today we farewelled him from our merry band – for now...
A part of Abhejali's running route coincided with a local cycling competition, and we warmly cheered each other.
And while Harita was running her part, the girls team thought we should also acknowledge the service our great van is giving us.
After finishing our mileage in a famous town called Wagga Wagga (meaning “The city of many crows”), the team ran into our tonight's accommodation generously provided by the Best Western Charles Sturt Suites.
We ended up the day in a well-maintained park where we had a meeting with Andrew from the Daily Advertiser.
The park houses an eternal flame to commemorate men and women who served in WW1.
We hope that by coming with our Peace Torch we have contributed, in our own humble way, to the same aspiration which saw Wagga Wagga dedicated as the world's "First Rotary Peace City."
