April 26, 2016
Famous athletes Petero Civoniceva, Shannon McCann and Larissa Chambers will be coming to Cherbourg on Sunday, May 15.
They be joining well-known educator Dr Chris Sarra, author Dr Anita Heiss and Queensland’s Director-General of Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Clare O’Connor at the 3rd annual Reconciliation Fun Run.
Petero, Shannon and Larissa have all featured at previous Fun Runs and will be returning to have another go at the popular event, which will follow a 7km path from the Murgon Showgrounds to Cherbourg’s Ration Shed Museum.
Dr Chris Sarra, the former principal of Cherbourg State School, has also taken part in previous Fun Runs as a participant and will be back to take part again, as well as renew old friendships.
Dr Anita Heiss, an Adjunct Professor at Sydney’s University of Technology and a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central NSW, will be making her first visit to the Fun Run.
Anita is a Lifetime Ambassador of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, a regular guest at writers’ festivals and travels internationally performing her work and lecturing on Indigenous literature.
And Clare O’Connor, who holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts Public Sector Leadership (Policy), is one of Queensland’s most senior public servants as well as the Government Champion for Cherbourg.
The Fun Run is the brainchild of Cherbourg’s Ration Shed Museum committee, who came up with the idea to promote reconciliation, both locally and State-wide, as well as creating a fun way to raise funds for the Museum’s operations.
After the first Fun Run in 2014 attracted almost 300 participants, attendance numbers nearly doubled last year.
So this year, organisers are naturally hoping they’ll swell again.
Fun Run participants will gather at the Murgon Showgrounds on Sunday morning, May 15 from 7:30am for registration and instruction before the race gets underway at 8:00am.
From there, walkers and runners will continue along Perkins Street to the Cherbourg-Murgon Road at their own pace until they reach the finish line outside the Ration Shed Museum in Barambah Avenue, Cherbourg.
Murgon-Cherbourg Road, including Barambah Avenue, will be closed to all traffic from 8:00am to 10:00am, and traffic using Pearon and Perkins Streets in Murgon may experience small delays between 8:00am and 8:20am as participants leave Murgon Showgrounds.
Along the route, there’ll be three strategically-located water stations equipped with qualified health workers, toilet facilities, rubbish bins, water and orange pieces to help revive anyone who flags.
Keen athletes can vie to be first across the line for a range of prizes on offer (eg: first male primary student, first female secondary student, best dressed team etc).
But everyone else can just enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning stroll wending along the Barambah Creek flats and over a few hills into the heart of Cherbourg.
Afterwards, there’ll be a party-themed morning of fun, food, displays, stalls and live entertainment in the Museum’s grounds and the adjoining Cherbourg Memorial Park, while shuttle buses ferry anyone who needs a ride back to Murgon Showgrounds..
Participation costs in this year’s Reconciliation Fun Run are $5 for children up to 18 years (or $2 if they enter as part of a local school team), $20 for adults, $12 for pensioners or $50 for a family.
However Ration Shed chairperson Aunty Sandra Morgan was keen to stress that registration costs should not put anyone off, and if they were too high for anyone or their family, they should talk to The Ration Shed.
“We will work something out,” she said.
Registrations for this year’s Reconciliation Fun Run are now open, and can be made through the Ration Shed Museum’s website.
A full-size copy of the 2016 Reconciliation Fun Run poster can be downloaded here (126Kb PDF).
Related articles:
- Fitness, Fun and Friendship (2015 Fun Run)
- Running For Fun And Reconciliation (2014 Fun Run)
