Team A

A rest day on the World Harmony Run always brings a special joy to the heart and a definite relief to the body. In the morning some of us took a quick dip in the ocean, others caught up on sleep, or simply walked along the long expanses of coastline in and around beautiful Albany.

We were also able to make some running repairs to one of our vans that had developed a punctured tyre. Many thanks to Troy Bain at Tyre Power in North Rd, Albany, who came to our rescue repairing our tyre free of charge, enabling us to continue our journey westward.

At midday our whole team arrived at Whale World, located at Frenchman Bay, just south of Albany proper. While driving there we were smitten by some breathtaking views of the harbour.

Whale World was originally a whaling station from where crews would daily sail into the Southern Ocean to hunt for Sperm and Humpback Whales.

Back on shore at the station, the rich oil from the whales would be extracted and stored in vats awaiting transportation. It is estimated that 21,000 whales were harpooned from this station in its 26-year operation.

Since the Australian Whale Protection Act of 1980, these days are ancient history, and the station is now a monument to these great creatures of the deep.

We are most grateful to Domini Ravays, the Retail Manager of Whale World, who guided our team around the Station. Interestingly, Domoni commented that our group was the most culturally diverse group she had ever hosted through Whale World.

As a tribute to the changing attitudes to whaling in Australia the old whale oil vats have been transformed into a series of mini cinemas that each show short films about the history of whaling in Albany, and also about the mysterious life of these giant sea mammals.

However the pride of the station is the Cheynes IV, an authentic whaling boat, inviting all on board to explore and imagine what life would have been like on the high seas. I must confess even though I have poor sea legs, I am always fascinated by boats and the courage it must take to venture across the oceans of the world.

After departing Whale World some of the team headed for the Blowhole located on the peninsula near Whale World,

where cooling sea spray gushes up from holes and fissures in the rock from the surging ocean below. Standing on top of the blowhole was a real blast (literally).

Then off to an imposing formation known as The Gap where the forces of ocean and rock clash thunderously in a battle joined every few seconds of every day, month and year...

Over centuries, the power of the water wins by sheer persistence in loosening the massive rocks, inexorably carving into and through them.

Next was the Natural Bridge, where the water has smashed a passage under the rock in a truly amazing fashion.

Our only commitment for the day was a visit to Yakamia Primary School where we were most cordially greeted by Principal Richard Bushell and then ushered onto the school oval, where around 500 students were assembled in rapt attention.

While on the Run we visit a lot of schools, and while all the schools we visit receive us with great warmth, Yakamia Primary School really stands out as something quite special.

Many of the children had prepared artwork on the theme of World Harmony which they presented to us in turn. We were even treated to a short peace song from a group of grade 3 choral singers.

A few games kept everyone engaged until the Torch was passed around a huge circle of students.

Everyone got a chance to participate by holding or running with the Torch.

At the end of the proceedings, all the teachers, some selected students and our host, Principal Richard Bushell (appropriately attired in suit and tie), joined the runners for a lap of the school oval.

Many of the runners commented that it was the first time we had ever witnessed so many teachers running with the Torch.

As the sun began to set, we headed to Mount Clarence to catch the last rays of sun sweeping across the waters below.

Our time in Albany has been most memorable and we are grateful to Ann, Colin and Sandra from the Rose Garden Caravan Park for providing cabins for us during our extended stay here.

– Veeraja Uppal (Australia)

Team B

Gorgeous sunshine, beautiful scenery, no kilometres to run … it was a wonderful rest day for our team!

We enjoyed our morning off: some were woken by seagulls and we could hear the roaring of the nearby ocean waves.

We stopped at a few scenic spots on the coastline…

and had a 'whale of a time' at Whale World, before attending two afternoon ceremonies.

Today at Mt Lockyer Primary School we were greeted by Deputy Principal Steve Faulkner who on our arrival made a P.A. announcement: “The classes who want to meet the Harmony Runners should come down to the assembly hall now!” We chatted with Steve as we watched classes of children file into the hall. Steve used to be a cross-country runner. Later, when we told the children some of the famous people who had held the Torch, Steve piped in, “And guess who held it now!”

About half the school participated – these were among the most excited children we have seen in a while! They expressed their enthusiasm through very loud singing and cheering voices, joining in at every opportunity.

Some thought-provoking questions were asked about the World Harmony Run and our international runners also answered questions about their home countries. When Elke Lindner from Germany asked the children what does ‘Harmony’ mean to you, some of the answers were, 'Love', 'Peace in the world', and 'Freedom'.

Thanks for sharing the joy with us today!

Running out of the school we found someone with an important job looking. Beryl Dibble is a ‘lollipop lady’ as Australian children know, or a ‘traffic warden’. These volunteers can be found in ‘school zones’ all around Australia and play an important role in children’s safety on the roads. Great to meet you, Beryl!

This afternoon all teams met up for a ceremony with the Mayor, His Worship Milton Evans and Deputy Mayor Des Woolfe. The Mayor personally welcomed each and every every runner as we stood outside the Shire Offices. To Runar Gigja from Iceland, he said emphatically: “A warm welcome.”

A warm welcome is indeed what we were given. Albany’s Mayor had prepared a speech which he said, "came from the depth of my heart.” Milton first spoke from the heart saying, “The world is a small village. I’ve travelled in over 40 countries and found that most people have one belief – that irrespective of backgrounds, religion etc, we all just want peace and harmony. The message that is spread throughout your Run is a universal expression of hope and a promise of a better world. With people such as yourselves spreading the message of love, peace and harmony, there is hope that one day our world may be a place of peace and harmony, where we respect and accept one another regardless of race, religion or beliefs.”

We wish to thank you so much Milton, for your heartfelt words and support. You have inspired and fortified us as we continue our journey.

Tonight our entire team was invited for dinner at The Squid Shack. A delicious vegetarian banquet was exhaustively prepared in collaboration with one of our co-ordinators in Melbourne, Christopher Willis. The cheerful, hardworking staff at The Squid Shack on the waterfront in Albany seemed to bring out endless platters of fried delicacies and fresh salads, leaving us utterly satisfied and extremely grateful!

Inside this café, Uddyogini Hall (who is from Melbourne and was recently on the U.S. World Harmony Run and joined our team today), met Sandra from South Africa. After discussing her experience of the Run with Sandra, we passed around a brochure for each runner to sign. Sandra wished to share this with children in her community back home.

– Kylie Williams (Australia)

 

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Team Members:
Kylie Williams (Australia), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Angela Muhs (Germany), Friederike Makowka (Switzerland), Elke Lindner (Germany), Uddyogini Hall (Australia), Prabhakar Street (Canada), Colm Magee (Ireland), Standa Zubaty (Czech Republic), Runar Gigja (Iceland), Misha Kulagin (Russia), Dima Lehonkov (Ukraine), Sandro Zincarini (Italy), Shapathanal Daly (New Zealand), Veeraja Uppal (Australia), Prachar Stegemann (Australia), Edi Serban (Romania)

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

Gallery: See more images!

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