Early in the morning, we ran the final kilometres to the famous Mount Hotham ski resort, where we were greeted by Bev (the general manager) and other Mount Hotham staff. The Mount Hotham Management wished us good tidings, as they welcomed us to the coldest day of Australia’s World Harmony Run.

The school children at Harrietville Primary School gave us a reception par excellence, having gone to some effort with harmony-related artwork. They had also tried to learn the World Harmony Run theme song, but instead sang a new verse that welcomed us to Harrietville, sung more confidently to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat.

The children then sang the original verse of the World Harmony Run theme to the same tune. At the teachers’ request, we then taught them the original tune - and they sang along with no trouble. After all, they knew most of the song already!

The children of Harrietville are a very active bunch. In a few weeks, they will be donning skis and enjoying the winter. Right now, they have some activities that most schools would envy - like jumping rope. As they casually (and cheerfully) demonstrated, these children can skip rope like professional show people, with several tricks that made less acrobatic people like ourselves simply look on in amazement. The jump-rope program is one of the special sports programs of the school. They practise diligently each morning - and it shows!

We ran down the scenic mountain roads to the beautiful town of Bright, where a group of teenaged girls were very inspired by our efforts, running down the street with the Torch, jumping with joy as they heard the names of the famous people who have held it. “I think Paul McCartney’s my favourite,” said one, even as one of her friends praised Cathy Freeman.

At Myrtleford Primary School, we met with 100 children at a sunny outdoor ceremony. Many of the students presented poetry and short essays on the theme of world harmony. Almost as soon as the runners came in, Prabuddha promised that all the kids would have a chance to hold the Torch. From that moment, the anticipation was palpable.

It was a day of change for the World Harmony Run team, as five of the eight members said goodbye in the evening. The remaining three men look forward to the next week of running, with new team members and fesh legs!

We stayed at the Golden Leaf Motor Inn in Myrtleford, thanks to the generosity of our hosts, Paul and Wendy Maskell.

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