This morning we were fortunate to visit St Francis Catholic School in Hughenden.
The Mayor of Flinders Shire, Greg Jones was also present with his daughter Shakira – who went to this school herself and still has fond memories of it.
Mayor Greg Jones welcomed us to Flinders Shire and to their unique part of the world. Addressing the children, he went on to say:
“The message of the Peace Run is to foster a growing culture of international friendship and world peace. There would not be one person who does not want to live in a peaceful world and this relay and torch give us all the chance to make a positive difference.
"The Peace Run is a celebration of the power of the human heart and spirit and the power of each individual. Thousands of school children will greet the torch, ensuring the message continues to the next generation...”
We thank you, Greg, for your encouraging and heartfelt words and will carry these with us as we continue on our journey towards Canberra.
The school captains, Josh and Mikita, came up to accept the Certificate of Appreciation ...
They thanked us for coming to visit them and even though they said it was a privilege for them to have us visit them, we believe it is the other way around ...
... it is we who all feel very privileged to have met all the students at St Francis Catholic School!
In preparation for playing the Continents game, the children were issued with their "passports" ...
... before we went outside, we paused for a moment to feel peace inside our hearts.
Then it was the kids' turn to run with the Torch around their school grounds ...
Back inside, a large circle was formed, and each student and teacher passed the Torch in silence from one to the next ...
We all broke into groups at the end and the students went to the different peace runners to ask any questions that they had ...
Clarice was celebrating her birthday today, which made it a special occasion for her as well as for the Peace Runners ...
As we had a lot of kms to cover today, we knew we had to leave, but lingered longer. Kaspars made friends with some of the students and was invited to join them in their classroom ...
... while the rest of us had a hot cuppa and bite to eat that Shannon had kindly organised for us ...
Shannon introduced us to her two daughters, Nancy and Paige, both students at the school.
While the rest of the team were down the road at St Francis' School, our other boys team had a quick assembly at Hughenden State School, with students spanning the whole range of school ages from five to 17 years old ...
... the school captains, Daniel and Maddie, welcomed us to the school and we gave our brief presentation. This was followed by morning tea with the Principal, Janet Austen ...
After over an hour at St Francis School, our girls team knew it was time to go. Our team was scheduled to run the first 48km to Charters Towers so went back into the township to start where the boys team had finished yesterday ...
Today was one of those days where you had the deep inner feeling of peace that just stayed with you throughout the day. We all have those days, but as our days are so busy and full we sometimes forget to embrace those days of inner peace ...
... being on the Peace Run seems to magnify this feeling of peace; and those times by yourself on the road seem more precious than before as more and more of your inner peace is drawn forward ...
... as you ran, the feeling of peace would at times overwhelm you, the strong headwind became a light breeze, the midday sun a pleasant warmth, the hills more a gentle incline and the long straight white line a thing of beauty. It was as if the great soul of this ancient land was moving with you, blessing you and cushioning each footstep you placed upon this vast land, propelling you forward on your journey ...
... all too soon you would see the van, believing this moment would end when you stopped carrying the Peace Torch – only to realise that it is not just the Peace Torch and this run that is bringing about this feeling of peace, but something deep within yourself that is coming forward and shining, encouraging you to live more in the heart and in doing so living more in peace ...
... getting to the van you would sit in quiet stillness while you waited for another runner. These are days that you never want to end and with the high mileage of today we are able to embrace the peace even more ...
In the course of our running today, we moved from seeing the odd lone tree ...
... to the appearance of groups of shrub-like trees ...
... to the real thing!
We move on from the girls team now, further along the road to the first boys team, who are encountering some changes as they move east ...
Often it is the case that we don't appreciate our friends until we are separated from them for some time. Today two of our very dear friends returned, and only now we realise how much we have missed them.
They are two of a runner's best friends, who most of the time we take for granted: trees, and clouds.
Trees offer life, encouragement and enthusiasm to the runner. You feel that they are cheering you from the sides ...
... each one fascinating and unique, the Australian gum trees offer endless beauty, interest and newness, engaging the mind with pleasant distractions while surcharging the vital with life energy, making the distance pass so much more easily ...
Clouds are the runner's guardians and protectors, shielding him or her from the full fierce force of the sun. For the first time since leaving Darwin, today the clouds gathered in concert to wrap us in their cosy blanket of benevolence, watching over us the whole way to Charters Towers ...
Further ahead still, our second boys team forged on ...
As we move steadily closer to Australia’s east coast, we have a sudden change in conditions. The air is cool. The barren plains of the past month have been overtaken with vegetation – bluegums, flowers, and the washed-out green so common in the works of many of Australia’s greatest artists. The surrounding landscape was like a Frederic McCubbin or Albert Namatjira painting, depicting the Australian bush in its glory ...
Occasionally, the powerful aroma of ash was unmistakable, from the controlled burnings of the region, matching the charred ground ...
... other times, the fresh scent of the trees and flowers is overpowering. We even spotted our first palm trees in Queensland, reminding us that we weren’t so far from the holiday islands off the coast.
The day was much cooler, and overcast by mid-afternoon. This made for very pleasant running, some of the nicest running we have experienced for some time ...
... finally we were running in the rain – not a downpour, but a brief sun shower that added some variety to the route.
Steve’s first run of the day seemed to end at a suitable location.
Abhinabha, from Holland, is one of the class runners in our team, with a 2:27 marathon to his credit ...
... when he is not running with the Torch, he is often found performing special plyometric exercises at the side of the road ...
Seve reckoned if he jumped up and down a bit, he could also become as good a runner as Abhinabha ...
... while Bayarkhuu keeps himself limber in other ways ...
... Samalya prefers the modified headstand ...
... and Ion stays in shape with a sandwich and juice.
Yes, we have a team from many nations, with many capacities, many skills, many tastes, many preferences and many natures.
And we love it. This is the Peace Run.
Something else we have not seen in weeks – mountains!
Eventually, after 248 kilometres, we entered the friendly and historic town of Charters Towers. We are told that in the Gold Rush days of the 19th century, it was one of Australia’s most populous towns. Now it is a charming town of only 5000 people – which still makes it the largest place we’ve visited since Mt Isa.
Here in Charters Towers we feel as though we have stepped onto a movie set or else into another world altogether. Lush green parks, hills surrounding the town, bustling activity on the main street – this is a world away from the small outposts we have become used to in the Northern Territory and Western Queensland.
And for the first night since Darwin, we are sleeping in real beds! Ingrid and Tony of the Hillview Motel took great care of two of our runners for the night ...
... while down the road, we thank Cherylle at the Affordable Gold City Motel (28 Dalrymple Street) for offering a room to us for a night, and keeping us au fait with the history and attractions of Charters Towers ...
The remainder of our boys team stayed at the Rix Hotel Motel where we were the guests of John and his kind staff ...
... and lastly, a big big big Thank You to Phoenix and Kerry at Charters Towers Heritage Lodge Motel who kindly hosted our girls team ...
... and generously allowed us to cook for the whole team in their BBQ area.
