Parkrun – fun, fitness and friends

Behind the counter...

My friend Mandy, previously more of a ‘cake and coffee girl’, started going to the gym with me 18 months ago and announced that she would like to set herself the goal of running the 10km event at the Melbourne Marathon in October. I was pretty excited to hear this. With the help of our trainers at the gym, she built up her distance on the treadmill each session. Once she could run 6km inside, it was time for her to try running outside ‘in the wild’, so we decided to try the Gisborne Parkrun.

Parkrun is a free, weekly, timed, 5km community event for participants of all standards, where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.

Two local blokes with young families

By Julie Ireland

A regular article about general health

There are currently 475 parkrun events taking place every weekend around Australia, with more being added all the time. You can go along to any event, any weekend.

The Dixon Field parkrun was started by Tom Kovacs in May this year. Tom is an inspirational man who lost a leg in an accident and now wears a prosthetic. He credits Parkrun and its community for helping him get back on his feet (literally!) again. When we arrived at Dixon Field we were warmly welcomed by Tom, his wife Christine and their gorgeous dog Sydney, the parkrun mascot. All the volunteers and participants were really supportive and encouraging, and any trepidation we felt about not being able to complete the course or keep up just melted away. Once we started, volunteers clapped and encouraged us at every turn in the course and all the participants supported each other as we wound around the Gisborne Botanic Gardens and back to the finish line at Dixon Field (by the way, Mandy easily completed the 5km course!). I was overcome by the sense of community and how positive, inclusive and welcoming everyone was. photos provided by a one of those lucky haven’t changed much in older Bob. Older Bob with staff members in

This month, we meet brothers-in-law Daniel Salpietro and Mark Scerri who own Fallen Freight on Prince Street, Gisborne.

I cannot recommend this community event more highly and look forward to seeing many more people taking part on Saturday mornings at 8am. And remember: it’s not all hard work; you can always go for coffee and breakfast afterwards (okay, or cake, Mandy)! Take care of yourselves.

Daniel and Mark opened Fallen Freight in December 2022, with the same ambitious goal of creating a family friendly cafe-bar.

A winning message

opportunity to work for his athlete sponsor brand, Icon Sports Pty Ltd, which led him to open his own franchise store in Tasmania. After five years in Tasmania and three children,

Daniel and his wife Jackie decided it was time to move back to Gisborne. He also then decided to open two additional Icon Sports franchises. Mark grew up in Woodend, went to secondary school in Kyneton and played football for Kyneton Football Club while in school. He followed his dream to work in aviation and has done so for the past 15 years, travelling all over Essentially, Daniel and Mark have travelled a lot in their careers but continue to look back and remember the days of growing up in the Macedon Ranges community, playing local sports and spending time with family. They also remember not always having a place to visit locally, often having to travel to Melbourne or Bendigo to find a venue. This memory inspired them “to do something for Gisborne … and create a place where parents could have a drink and something to eat and the kids could go play.”

Daniel and Mark are hoping that through their business they can give back to the community that has given them and their families so much.

Home Care Packages available for eligible individuals

The Federal Government’s Home Care Package scheme provides money to eligible individuals to access services to enable them to live safely and independently at home. Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health has been a Home Care Package provider for the Macedon Ranges for the past two years and has just reopened its books to new clients.

The not-for-profit organisation can help people to manage Home Care Package funds and organise the services people need to keep living at home.

“We work with Home Care Package recipients to tailor services that meet their needs and their goals,” Sunbury and Cobaw’s community connections manager, Deb McCallum, says. “We offer a trusted, personalised support where the individual has choice and control over their care.

"You get to choose what services you get, where and when you get them and who you get them from.”

The types of services that can be purchased include help with personal care, housework, light gardening and minor maintenance, assistance with shopping or transport along with healthcare supports such as podiatry and physiotherapy. They can also find suitable social, activity and exercise groups locally.

To chat to someone from the team, call 5421 6061 or email hcp@scchc.org.au.