Noosa Triathlon athlete John Grant is now back in Melbourne with happy memories of Noosa hospitality and being one of the 48-strong Beyond Blue Support team that raised $133,000 for the charity.
John’s story started last May when he tried to enter the Triathlon and found all entry quotas were full.
“I emailed several charity groups in case there were cancellations and kept training.
“After the call from Beyond Blue telling me I was in the team, my training intensified. I had never competed in a Triathlon so I had no idea what to expect.
“After arriving in Noosa, our team, which had runners from New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, had a photoshoot on the beach and lunch the day before the event. What struck me was the friendly team spirit.
“I have a job with some responsibility on a large construction project. We employed several thousand workers through Covid and the strain on the mental health of our workforce has been very evident.
“My company offers several free counselling services to our direct employees including Mates in Construction and Beyond Blue.“
“On race day I was so incredibly inspired by all the warmth and kindness that surrounded the event. The volunteers were tremendously helpful and the other athletes kind and good natured. Families with homes lining the route were kindly hosing the runners down in the mid-morning heat.”
Then after the race John realised he had a problem – he had forgotten where he had left his rental car.
For many years, volunteers have organised the parking of vehicles and management of the Noosa Tri shuttle bus to transport athletes in the individual and team events, along with their support groups and spectators from St Andrews Sunshine Beach Church on Bi-Centennial Drive to the Hastings Street assembling area.
The Noosa Tri volunteers, all from the Anglican Church of Noosa, also provide hospitality with complimentary tea, coffee, cool drinks, and a sausage-sizzle from 4am until 2pm.
It was near pack-up time when John Grant appeared on Bi-Centennial Drive – not on a returning shuttle bus – but very slowly on his bike.
He had finished the swim, cycle, run (his time was a commendable 2:51.29) and he was pleased with his effort, but very weary.
The trouble was he couldn’t recall where he had left his car hours earlier before boarding the shuttle bus.
When he asked for directions, John recalled that he had got on a bus near an oval. The helpful volunteer immediately thought of the rugby union ground at Sunshine Beach and sent him off in that direction.
John knew he was lost when he was greeted at St Andrews Anglican Church alongside the ground by an offer of “coffee, water, sausage-sizzle and chair” from Noosa Tri volunteers Joan Trusler and Jenny Marks.
After the break he gratefully accepted a car-ride to where he had parked his rental vehicle – the Australian Rules Football Oval on Weyba Road.
In an email to Noosa Today this week, John referred to the help and hospitality of the volunteers.
“I sincerely thank you for your kindness on Sunday, I was very grateful to receive a lift back to my car. A decade ago I would have had a paper street map with me; today, no smart phone, no map … different times.”
[Ian Jobling is Honorary Director of the University of Queensland Centre of Olympic and Paralympic Studies]
