Today we were up and at’em pretty early. We had been camping for so long we hadn't gotten use to the fact it didn't take us so long to get ready. Sitting around in the motel room waiting for our departure time, we decided to go to our start location at the other end of Charters Towers and run through the town to the school. Two of us leapt out and ran. We met many people on the way and were even meet by the local reporter, Cynthia, from the Northern Miner. She took our number and said she would meet us at our first appointment, Richmond Hill State School ...
... where we arrived as the assembly was just starting and stayed at the back listening to all the awards that were given out to the students ...
... we listened as it was announced which Houses had covered which distances in their collective goal of "running around Australia." There was a deafening roar from the winning team for the week – Burdekin House. The school is doing just what we are doing, only in their own back yard! They started at the beginning of the school year and every day all the students run around their school yard. They then record how many laps they do each day and it is totalled each week. The school in total has now run 3,809km, the distance from Charters Towers to Adelaide! Well done!
We were introduced to the parade by the Acting Principal, Cameron Warne, who handed over to Abhinabha for the run-down on the Peace Run ...
... the Deputy Mayor, Police Sargent Wally Brewer came to welcome us on behalf of the Charters Towers Regional Council. He expressed how vital and necessary the Peace Run is, saying: "Believe me, I know”. We were able to pass on the letter from the ACT Chief Minister and he offered us a letter from the Mayor to take with us as we run back into Canberra.
The two school captains came up to accept the Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the school ...
... Ruby (holding Torch) and Paige (holding certificate) kindly thanked us for visiting their parade.
The children – and teachers – listened attentively and cheerfully ...
Feeling peace inside our hearts ...
... and getting involved with the actions for the World Harmony Run song ...
We then broke into three groups and had three torches going so that each of the 380 students could hold the Torch and make their wish for peace ...
... as we passed the Torch around, we were struck by the school motto emblazoned on the students' shirts: What a great motto!
All too soon we were on our way. The girls team was running the first 30km and left straight from the school gates and followed the signs to Townsville. Today we didn't have many kms to run, so again opted to run in pairs. This was great and we had the banner and Torch and were able to stop and give out information about the Peace Run as we ran the rest of the way through Charters Towers on our way out of town ...
We really felt the humidity today, so knew we were getting closer to the ocean! The day was overcast and there was a cool breeze but still we found it hot.
Further ahead, the boys teams ran down the Range and onto the humid coastal plain ...
... we are now in another world from the previous few weeks in the outback. This is the Australia most of us are so familiar with: the eastern seaboard with its mountains, greenery and bustle of activity ...
... our running today brought new inspiration and new challenges ...
... the inspiration of surrounding mountains and varied scenery ...
... and the challenge of much higher humidity than we have experienced up until now ...
The build-up of traffic was marked as we approached Townsville, unofficial Capital of Northern Australia ...
Soon our kms were over and we were in Townsville and gathered for a meeting at St Clare's Catholic School ...
... this school opened only three years ago and in this short time has doubled in size. With construction still happening and a waiting list of 100 children they expect to double again in a few more years ...
... when we arrived, the children were bringing their chairs to the outdoor assembly area in preparation for our visit ...
... as we approached with the Torch, there was a deafening sound of excitement from all 400 students ...
All the students offered unique and appropriate meanings for the word 'peace' and sang with us as we sang the World Harmony Run song ...
... at the conclusion of our presentation, the Deputy Principal accepted a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the school and expressed that the message we are carrying is one that is very special and asked that each student, when they hold the Torch, to please put their hand on their heart as they make their prayer for Peace ...
... as this morning in Charters Towers, again because of the large numbers we had three torches alight and the students made their prayer for peace as they filed out ...
The students – and teachers – here certainly are a happy bunch!
As we were departing, the kids were eager to bid their farewells one last time ...
What a great school – thank you so much for your enthusiastic embrace of the Peace Run!
At the same time as our visit to St Clare's, on the other side of town our other boys team were at Townsville Central State School ...
... here is a great place to go to school: terrific views, brightly-coloured classrooms, and within vicinity of the beach!
... the assmbled students gave us a raging reception when we were introduced by the Acting Principal, Judd Burgess.
The students cheered and sang along with the team, offering loud and enthusiastic applause.
Everyone got to hold the Peace Torch ...
After the presentation, one classroom ran across the oval with the Torch ...
... followed by another, and another, as more classes insisted on joining in the fun. It was a great final school visit for the week.
As the day was still early and we were in beautiful Townsville we thought we would pop down to the sea as we have not seen the ocean since Darwin!
Our girls team were warmly greeted at the Holiday Inn Townsville by staff members Becs and Justin ...
... and by Simon, the General Manager. One of Simon's best mates is the General Manager of the Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru where we stayed a number of weeks ago, who had phoned Simon to tell him about us coming to Townsville. Simon was so enthusiastic about the run we nearly got him out on the road with us! Thank you to Simon and the team at Holiday Inn Townsville for hosting us for the next two nights in your beautiful hotel (oh and the yummy sweets and great hat you also gave us) ...
Several other team members are the beneficiary of the wonderful hospitality of Sonya and Dean at the Cascade Motel in Townsville on Bowen Drive ...
... a superb place to stay for which we are most grateful!
In the evening, we had a home-cooked meal that seemed to be of professional quality – which is fair enough. This banquet of cauliflower-cashew soup, vegetarian lasagna, quinoa salad and berries a la mode, was lovingly made by Rathin Boulton (left), the latest member to join our team here in his home town, and his mother Janice, who also offered some of us a place to stay (next to Rathin, with brother Al next to her) ...
Rathin should be good for a few miles. He has three times completed the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race in New York (which is not a relay – he did the entire distance by himself!). When not running long distances, he is a cook at My Rainbow-Dreams in Canberra, a happening vegetarian café.
After a tough and challenging week of running, the team enjoyed our relaxing dinner at Janice’s place. Having camped out for most nights over the past month, we had the luxury of beds and cosy rooms. It was a good time to “chill out” before the next stage in our journey, in which we tackle the east coast. Less than a month to go before we reach our goal ...
