Newsletter Highlights, January 2004
Happy new year and holiday greetings to all of our members. I hope everyone managed to relax over the break. There have been a few things happening on one wheel – I hope you’ve had a chance to join in.
The Woodford Folk Festival
December 27, 2003 to January 2, 2004
Every year thousands of festival goers set up camp for a week and brave the extreme heat, humidity and subsequent thunder storms that are always on offer at Queensland's Woodford Folk Festival. The rewards are plenty with performances of music, theatre, dance and circus acts from around the world. For the second year running the Australian Unicycle Society were invited to 'perform' a variety of unicycle skills as part of the street theatre program.
Each morning the group of 16 unicyclists rode in procession through the festival site, stopping regularly for downhill riding, trails obstacles and general one wheel fun.
The injuries were bound to happen during the afternoon trials demonstrations. Tony Melton, who travelled from New Zealand to join the team, dislocated his finger after a huge jump from a 160 cm high platform. Andrew Carter (Brisbane) made a nasty pedal-induced gash in his leg and also managed to bend his hub and cranks. Nathan Watson (a.k.a. Gecko) turned up with a broken rib, joined in all the riding and went home with a broken rib and a broken crank arm.
Wayne (AUS President) would like to thank all the riders who made this a fantastic event, especially those who travelled interstate.
Preparations for the Weekend of Australian Muni (WAM):
Andrew Carter and team in Brisbane are busily preparing for the Weekend of Australian Muni (WAM), to be held at easter time in Brisbane. Accommodation is being looked into, and some really fab t-shirts are being planned (including a fitted style for women). A website will be up and running in the near future with all the WAM details, and we will keep members informed.
NT happenings:
Things got a bit quiet in the Top End over Christmas, but are getting back on track now. After a few weeks’ break we have resumed our weekly rides, and have done some pleasant rides along the foreshore. This week’s ride was in the Jingili Water Gardens, and included riding an overpass over a 6-lane road in rush hour – a major challenge for the beginners, and quite a spectacle for commuters. Next week we are heading out to the Darwin rural area for a change.
Two of our riders recently performed at the arrival of the first transcontinental train to reach Darwin. These young girls did a marvellous job in extremely hot and crowded conditions, handing out balloons to children for three hours. This was an excellent promotion of unicycling, as the event was attended by 15,000 people and attracted worldwide media.
VICTURS situation unsteady:
Geoff Robinson has kindly been looking into the viability of continuing operation of the Victorian Unicycle Riders Society (VICTURS). VICTURS has not been fulfilling its obligations as an incorporated association and is running at a loss. The AUS committee is looking at options for VICTURS. Any riders from Victoria keen to see VICTURS resurrected are urged to contact Karen Martin-Stone. If a solution cannot be found, VICTURS will have to fold.
Unicon XII:
IMPORTANT: Any riders (or non-riders) intending to attend Unicon XII in Tokyo in July are urged to contact the AUS secretary, Karen Martin-Stone as soon as possible. The Japanese Unicycling Association is sending out hard copy information packs, and Karen will be redistributing these when they arrive. We currently have 12 riders and 2 non-riders confirmed (3 are not members of AUS), and we have 5 possible extras attending. Registrations open soon, and more information can be found at the Unicon 12 web-site.
Although it is expensive at $3,500 - $4,500 per person, it should prove to be a fantastic experience. It is also significantly less expensive than attending the last Unicon. I hope as many AUS members as possible take up the opportunity.
If you have anything else you would like to see in this newsletter, please contact me. Thanks to those who have contributed information to this edition. The next edition will come out at the end of March. In the meantime, I will keep you updated with important information as it crosses my desk.
Cheers,
Karen Martin-Stone
Secretary, Australian Unicycle Society (AUS)
President, Unicycling Association of the NT (UniANT)