We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 16.12. 22.

Happy Friday, FWP community! It's been another jam-packed week here at HQ, filled with podcasts, trail chats, exciting job opportunities

and a big weekend of racing!

Elle is taking this week off the newsletter as she is currently traversing Mt Kosciuszko at the inaugural Ultra Trail Kosciuszko, on Ngario Country in the (currently, very) Snowy Mountains. Huge kudos to Paige Penrose for taking out the 27km event yesterday, and best of luck to friends of FWP Julie Steele, Sarah Ludowici and of course, Elle Finch, who are enjoying 100km of frosty, trail goodness today! Stay warm out there, and we look forward to hearing more about your experiences soon.

Summer in the Snowy Mountains! Good luck out there Elle 👏🏼

Also this week, I made my podcast debut with the wonderful women on the Stronger Stride pod where we talked all things FWP, Pilliga Ultra and sports activism. Thank you, Sophie and Lydia for sharing the story of For Wild Places and I hope you all enjoy our chat! You can listen via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

As the year comes to a close we are wrapping things up for 2022 and getting excited for a bigger-than-ever year next year. Our team is taking a well-deserved break, including a two-week newsletter hiatus. But before we adieu 2022 we have a bunch of interesting interviews, exciting opportunities and upcoming initiatives to share with you.

So grab yourself a cuppa, sit back and let's catch up on the week that was!

TRAIL CHAT #8: SIMONE BRICK

Running, racing, recovery & rona

Post-Norwegian trail mudbath at Stranda Fjord Trail Race. Image: Jordi Saragossa

Yesterday Simone Brick joined us for Trail Chat #8, for a conversation that covered a lot of ground, literally, from Norway to Zegama, Thailand and back home to Australia. Off the back of a huge (northern hemisphere) summer of racing, Simone has enjoyed a well-deserved month off training and is falling in love with running all over again.

Getting COVID three weeks out from her first Golden Trail World Series race wasn't the ideal start to Simone's racing season. The effect this had on her physically took its toll, including a heart rate of 192bmp in the first 400 meters of Stranda Fjord Trail Race in Norway. However, if Simone knows anything, its that her body is incredibly resilient. As the season continued, plenty of time sleeping, fuelling and playing in the mountains allowed her to compete in 5 Golden Trail World Series events in 5 countries, culminating in a 5-day stage race in Zegama (which sounded like it could double as an eating competition!)

Simone's path to becoming an elite athlete is anything but ordinary, and as Will commented after the trail chat, 'You could make a movie out of Simone's story!'. We strongly recommend taking the time to listen (or watch) the Trail Chat with Simone, as her story is incredibly inspiring. If you know of anyone struggling with poor mental health or an eating disorder, Simone's journey is truly remarkable and a testament to her resilience, strength and the amazing support provided by friends and family.

We are incredibly grateful to Simone for taking the time to chat with us, and we are already keen to get her back to share some more wisdom and life lessons with us. One particular gem was in response to a question about prioritizing recovery while balancing work, training, life etc. Simone's advice was 'if you can't recover, there is no point doing the run'. Simone chooses to eat into her allotted training time to warm up and cool down, rather than maximising the session running. This is a lesson she's learnt from her psychologist, who always encouraged allotting time to recover and rest after a big session.

You can watch or listen to the Trail Chat with Simone Brick via our YouTube channel. Thank you again Simone for taking the time and for your ongoing support of For Wild Places. 🙏🏽

🏃🏻‍♀️ ⛰️ 🥔 🦠

FWP CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Guiding you through the silly season

This week we're bringing you Part Two of our FWP 'doing Christmas differently' guide. It's been really interesting chatting with people to hear what different traditions they have come Christmas time. This week we're hearing from Flick, Lauren and Paige...

~ Flick ~

People go mad trying to find the 'perfect' gift, and then they write a quick card to go with it. For a while now I've made Christmas cards the actual present. Handmade, with photos or images paired with nice paper, and a good old felt tip pen. Taking the time to make the card gets me thinking a lot more about what I want to write and share with the receiver. Some friends and fam are lucky to get a book with it too for good measure (because how good are books?!) Some of my recommendations this Christmas are -

Soil by Matthew Evans, Heartwood by Rowan Reid & Why You Should Give A F*CK About Farming by Gabrielle Chan

~ Lauren ~

It’s just my hubby & I so we actually don’t do pressies. Every Christmas Day we go for a sunrise hike with the dogs then home for lunch. Otherwise, for my niece & nephew, I like to give experiences rather than objects. They’re coming to Australia [from the UK] in March so have booked in a paddle boarding lesson for them!

Christmas morning hike, Lauren enjoying the sunrise and a Christmas Kimi 🎅🏼

~ Paige ~

My family doesn’t have any specific Christmas traditions - we’re not super consistent about Christmas. The main things I try and do is be creative with decorations and wrapping paper...DO NOT buy tinsel, use newspaper, make your own decorations with plants etc. This could include making a wreath from native/foraged plants, or wrapping your gifts using fabric using the Furoskiki technique.

OR - maybe you could give the gift that keeps on giving, and gift your running buddy a FWP Membership? They will receive a welcome card, sticker, embroidered badge & while stocks last, a sweet Fractel hat.

Email me at hilary@forwildplaces.com and we will arrange a covert Membership for your loved one, with next-day shipping guaranteed!

🎁 🎅🏼 🎁

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Use your skills for good

2023 is going to be the biggest year yet at For Wild Places and we are expanding our team to bring new programs to life and build FWP as a sustainable organisation. Heading into the new year, we are looking to fill three positions - TRACTION Program Manager, Marketing & Social Media Manager and Finance Officer.

The Finance Officer will take over from our current 'beancounter', Bruce, who has been doing a fantastic job over the past few years. Bruce is stepping back as he and wife Julie embrace life on the road. This voluntary role is pivotal to the ongoing success and viability of For Wild Places, and the newly appointed Finance Officer will work closely with the CEO and Board to ensure FWP maintains good governance and remains financially stable into the future.

Applications for all three roles close on Monday 2nd January 2023, with the positions starting soon after. Keep reading for a short description of each of the roles, and click through to the Position Description PDF for more details and how to apply. We are very excited to expand our small but mighty team, and look forward to hearing from you!

Please feel free to forward this post onto any friends, family, running buddies or environmental champions that you think would be interested 🙂

TRACTION Program Manager

Job Type: Casual or Contract, 8hrs per week

Remuneration: Casual $40 ph + super, Contract $46 ph

Duration: 8 months

Following confirmation of our successful grant applications, an opportunity exists to join the FWP team and to design, plan and execute the events. This will include event and stakeholder management, budgets, timelines and grant acquittals.  The Program Manager will report directly to the CEO and be part of a small team delivering the TRACTION Program.

Read More

Marketing & Social Media Manager

Job Type: Casual or Contract, 4hrs per week

Remuneration: Casual $40 ph + super, Contract $46 ph

Duration: 6 months

The Marketing & Social Media Manager will work alongside the TRACTION Program Manager and CEO to create engaging, exciting and impactful content across various social media platforms, to raise the profile of For Wild Places and TRACTION.  We are looking for someone who is passionate about the power of social media to engage people in positive change, through storytelling and inspiring direct action.

Read More

Finance Officer (Voluntary)

Job Type: Volunteer, approx 8-10 hours per month

Duration: Ideally +12 months

This role is responsible for the financial administration of the organisation and ensuring FWP meets its tax and financial reporting obligations. The Finance Officer plays an important role in supporting the effectiveness of this startup NFP, by ensuring accurate and timely bookkeeping, and providing quality financial information and advice to the CEO and Board. We currently have a Director who oversees cash flow forecasting and strategic budgeting; this role would ideally work collaboratively with these activities. 

Read More

 We are an inclusive team and value diversity in all its forms. Women, LGBTQIA+ folks, anyone who identifies as Indigenous or any other racialised groups, those from ethnically diverse communities and people experiencing barriers or challenges with employment are encouraged to apply. In your preferred role, we hope you will express yourself, inspire others and contribute to the dynamism of For Wild Places and the running community. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.

👩🏼‍💻 💡 🙌🏽 🤗

Wow! I feel like that was a particularly hefty update this week.

And last but certainly not least...

SYDNEYSIDERS - Erchana will be in town on Sunday 18th December and she'd love you to join her for a run! Meet at 7 am at Centennial Homestead Cafe, from where Erchana will be setting off for x2 laps of the white picket fence loop (3.5km) followed by two bigger laps (9km). Erchana will be maintaining a 5.15/5.30 min/km pace and you can jump in/out as you wish! If you are not up for a run (or like Elle, you're resting after Kosci!) feel free to come along and say hi. 👋🏼 For more info, head to Tip to Toe 2022.

And that's it for another week, folks! I will be back again next week with our final newsletter of 2022. In the meantime, sign up for a membership to get your hands on a sweet Fractel lid, or follow us on social media if you're not already. Until next week, soak up the summer trail goodness, pick up some litter, try to avoid the Christmas chaos and give yourself a high five for taking the time, for wild places. 🙌🏽

Hilary & the For Wild Places team

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UPCOMING EVENTS

02/01 Job Applications Close | read more

11/02 Trail First Aid Course, Arthurs Seat | register

25/02 takyana Trail, Waratah, Tasmania | register



We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

This email was written on the lands of the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.