{"id":65376,"date":"2014-04-28T02:35:15","date_gmt":"2014-04-27T16:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=65376"},"modified":"2026-02-15T00:28:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T14:28:33","slug":"running-for-fun-and-reconciliation-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/04\/28\/running-for-fun-and-reconciliation-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Running For Fun And Reconciliation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Floyd<\/a>
11-year-old Floyd “Cookie” Aubrey beat the rest of the field home in Sunday’s inaugural Cherbourg Reconciliation Fun Run<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cherbourg athlete Larissa Chambers, 18, is more used to shorter runs … she’s heading off to the United States in July for the World Junior Championships where she’ll run in the 100 metres; she recently competed at the Australian Junior Championships in Sydney where she came second in the 1oo metres and 200 metres and won the 400 metres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 28, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than 300 runners and walkers took part in the inaugural Cherbourg Reconciliation Fun Run on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

The event, which has been in the planning for more than six months, covered a 7km trek from the Murgon Showgrounds to Cherbourg.<\/p>\n

Cherbourg Road was closed for two hours to allow participants to complete the course in safety.<\/p>\n

Three “reviver” stations spread along the route supplied bottled water and orange slices.<\/p>\n

The Fun Run was a fundraiser for Cherbourg’s Ration Shed Museum but its main purpose was to promote reconciliation.<\/p>\n

It drew support from both the Cherbourg and South Burnett councils, dozens of volunteers and Reconciliation Queensland.<\/p>\n

Runners and walkers began assembling at the Murgon Showgrounds well before the appointed starting time of 8:00am for last-minute registrations, and to collect their caps and wrist-bands.<\/p>\n

South Burnett Deputy Mayor Cr Keith Campbell welcomed guests before Joe Kirk, a former Cherbourg resident who now lives in Brisbane, opened the event by performing a Welcome To Country.<\/p>\n

Cr Kathy Duff read out a special message from Aboriginal Affairs Minister Glen Elmes and Cherbourg pastor Willie Moses blessed the event.<\/p>\n

Special guest athlete, former NRL star Petero Civoniceva, led the runners out of the grounds but was almost instantly overtaken by a horde of young runners who set a breakneck pace along Perkins Street and Cherbourg Road.<\/p>\n

However many of the older participants elected to walk in a leisurely way and were cheered to the finish line by the waiting crowd outside Cherbourg’s Ration Shed Museum.<\/p>\n

Once there, participants and guests were treated to lunch, \u00a0musical entertainment on stage, a performance by the Wakka Wakka junior dancers; and many stalls offering everything from free health checks to souvenirs.<\/p>\n

First across the line was 11-year-old St Joseph’s student Floyd Aubrey, closely followed by adult runners Craig Kapernick, from Cloyna, and Michael McKinnon, from Brisbane.<\/p>\n

The first female home was Angie Knight, from Maryborough.<\/p>\n