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01:00We're fundraising for the Friends of the Mareeba Hospital Foundation.
01:03Ruth Swim and Shelter.
01:04Ronald McDonald House Charity.
01:05Black Cockatoo Foundation.
01:07North Queensland Animal Rescue.
01:08And yeah, we just want to get to the pub, really.
01:11Woo!
01:12This is a race where the stakes are high.
01:15Age means nothing.
01:16This is an adventure.
01:18And if we can do it, well, why not?
01:20And everyone's a winner.
01:22Is that a few tears I see there?
01:23I love them so much and I'm so thankful.
01:33This amazing community event is inspired by history.
01:38In the late 1800s, prospectors came to dig for precious minerals and metals.
01:45Tents and towns sprung up.
01:48When one area was mined out, people moved to the next.
01:53And their mode of transport?
01:56The humble wheelbarrow.
01:58This 140-kilometre race follows the same stretch of road the miners once trod.
02:06Today, it's known as the Wheelbarrow Way.
02:11It starts in Mareeba, through Dimbula, to Almaden and finishes in the historic town of Chiligo.
02:18I'm Joe O'Brien, and I grew up here in far north Queensland.
02:34I reckon people from these parts are resourceful, and they'll do whatever they set their minds to.
02:42Keep going!
02:43I'm here to try to keep up with some of the teams racing, but to be honest, I don't think that's going to happen.
02:52I want to know what it is about this event that inspires and energises people.
02:57And when they dig deep, what do they find out about their community and the role they have to play in making it the best it can possibly be?
03:09Well, hello. It's day one of the great wheelbarrow race.
03:13We have 34 teams, two solos, four geos, and six trios.
03:19How good is that?
03:23My journey starts in Mareeba, where people from all across the region are getting ready for this year's great race.
03:32They've got their wheelbarrows, and they're ready to roll.
03:35So the buzz here is really cool.
03:41It's kind of like a mix between Comic-Con, Mardi Gras, and a Rugby League Grand Final.
03:47You should have worked in three three.
03:52Can do.
03:53Lindy Bowensire works for the Mareeba Shire Council and is one of the key organisers of this event.
04:01Hi, Joe. It's really looking well. We have about 400 people here at the moment.
04:05Yeah, the buzz is really magic, huh?
04:06The buzz, yes.
04:07And just seeing everyone when they get here with their costumes on, they're all talking about the teams they are fundraising for, it's lovely.
04:15The race has been running since 2004, and has raised more than $2.5 million for charity.
04:26And fundraising is just part of it.
04:30People come here to prove they can make it to the finish line.
04:35The oldest team running the race by a country mile is Dad's Army.
04:41This is the 10th year they're competing.
04:46The team's average age is 74.
04:51And they've been getting ready for this day all year.
04:56We'll do our five-minute warm-up first, and then we'll do our 20-second interval running.
05:00Okay? Did you get that, Laurie?
05:02Keep pedalling, don't stop.
05:05It's saying pedal faster.
05:06We call on Madam Lash.
05:09Dad's Army train at this gym in Mareeba three times a week.
05:15They've all served in Australia's armed forces.
05:18Between them, they've given 71 years of service across six countries.
05:25Gary Morgan was a private in Vietnam in 1970.
05:30But in Mareeba, he's the team captain.
05:32We're just a team of personnel who love to achieve their own personal gains in fitness levels.
05:39And to enter into something like this, you get the camaraderie.
05:43Yeah.
05:43We have fun.
05:44Yeah, bring it on.
05:46It comes down to perseverance, determination and deliverance.
05:50We just keep at it.
05:51Never say die.
05:54And there's a lot of kilometres to run over the coming days.
05:57Do you reckon you'll make it?
05:58Reckon we'll make it?
05:59Absolutely.
05:59Hey, we're going to make it?
06:01Yeah!
06:04Definitely.
06:06Before the race begins, Gary and the team prepare the bus and load the trailer with all the essentials.
06:13Hey, Jemmy.
06:16Jemmy, you got your hearing aid then?
06:18Yeah.
06:18I've got enough room for another carton of beer.
06:20You got a cold one there?
06:21Yeah, you know we've always got beer in the fridge, mate.
06:23Got a carton ready to go cold.
06:26With plenty of refreshments on hand, Dad's army clearly aren't just racing to stay fit.
06:32They're also raising money for the Mareeba Hospital.
06:36And they're expecting the race to be even harder than previous years,
06:40because unfortunately, Jemmy's back is giving him grief.
06:44This for me is the hardest time because I've done six races
06:47and I could cry because I can't do the race.
06:51You know, it hurts.
06:53But I'm still involved and I support them where I can.
06:56You don't want the heavy one.
06:58I mean, old age, it's a bitch.
07:01It's the hardest thing.
07:02Gary's normally got a sign on the back of his truck there.
07:05And what's it say, Gary?
07:07Growing old is not for sissies.
07:09There you go.
07:10Army, front up.
07:13Here's your weapon.
07:14It's time for Gary to distribute Dad's army's weapons of choice and water pistols.
07:20We have a policy on board the old bus that any of the young teams,
07:24or any team for that matter,
07:26have got to hide past us old fellas.
07:29Now you get a bit of a drenching.
07:30You're not going to hold back?
07:32Oh, no, no.
07:32It's the start of the race, and Dad's army is about to set off.
07:43You can't go too hard, huh?
07:45No, no, no.
07:45Frank Thielen, otherwise known as The Fossil,
07:49at the sprightly age of 86, is leading the charge.
07:58Dad's army get a head start on some of the younger teams,
08:01like this trio of mates, Flynn, Kobe, and Dan.
08:06Boys, what's with these outfits?
08:08A bit of pre-show entertainment.
08:09Yeah, yeah, yeah, we stripped down a little.
08:11More aerodynamics.
08:12Notice what one of just the three of you,
08:14this is for all our sponsors.
08:16Can you hold it up?
08:17Yeah.
08:19Kobe, Kobe.
08:22Missy's donors are racing to promote blood and plasma donation
08:26and to honour a beloved friend, Missy Clarkson.
08:31I'm the national.
08:32Ange is their team manager and Missy's mum.
08:36And the photos of Missy...
08:37That's Missy and Kobe when they were little.
08:41That's when they were, like, 15 months old.
08:43Wow, that's so beautiful.
08:44That's how long they've known each other.
08:46How he's running for her.
08:47Oh, yes.
08:48There's nothing Kobe wouldn't do for Missy.
08:50And, um, yeah, the friendship and the love of that friendship
08:54is just so strong.
08:55It's beautiful.
08:58Yeah, we were very close.
09:00She's just kind, caring, heaps of energy.
09:03She just, yeah, just that person that always is caring.
09:08Missy was diagnosed with leukaemia
09:11when she was just nine years old,
09:13and Kobe was by her side.
09:16Hi, guys, I'm Missy.
09:18I've got an awesome support team called Missy's Donors.
09:24Missy's Donors is a group of my friends and family
09:26that help support kids like me.
09:30Missy's illness meant she had to have a bone marrow transplant.
09:34She nearly died twice during that transplant.
09:40That's when I really saw how profound blood products were.
09:46And if it wasn't for those life-saving blood products,
09:49I just don't know what we would have done.
09:51And though her health was fragile,
09:57she helped start Missy's Donors,
09:59a campaign to get more people donating blood.
10:03How amazing is it that you can save three lives with one donation?
10:07Donations are so important, especially for people like me.
10:11A big thank you to everybody who donates
10:13and everybody who makes this happen.
10:15I'm Missy.
10:16Thanks for joining me.
10:17Bye.
10:19Missy was passionate about helping others,
10:22and her community rallied around her.
10:25Missy's year with all those kids was just phenomenal
10:29about how giving they were,
10:31how caring they were to each other.
10:32And Kobe especially, but Kobe and Flynn
10:35were incredible friends all the way through.
10:38She loved her friends, she loved school,
10:41she loved her teachers.
10:42She just wanted normality.
10:45But in 2020, Missy fell gravely ill.
10:49The cancer was back.
10:52We didn't tell a soul that Missy was terminal,
10:54actually, except for Kim, Kobe's mum.
10:56We rang Kim and told her,
10:59because it would affect Kobe so profoundly,
11:01because they were such good friends.
11:03The very last thing to her was,
11:06I said, I love you.
11:07She went, I love you too,
11:08because she was sort of very tired.
11:11She said, I love you too, mummy,
11:12and then two days later passed away.
11:13So her last thought, Missy's last thought,
11:17was that there was a tomorrow for her.
11:20And I think that's the greatest gift
11:21is parents we could give her.
11:23And carrying that burden,
11:25you know, that was heavy,
11:27but that's something we had to do
11:28because she didn't need that.
11:30Missy was only 13 when she died.
11:36Since then, her family and friends
11:39have carried on the work of Missy's donors.
11:42It's nice to continue her legacy
11:44and just, yeah, really just show what she was about
11:48and what Missy donors are doing.
11:50OK, boys, run like the wind.
11:51Get out there.
11:51Thanks, Joe.
11:52Thanks, Joe.
11:52Missy's donors want to be the fastest team of three
12:01that's ever run the race.
12:04Good boy!
12:06And in those red budgie smugglers,
12:08I reckon they've got to be contenders
12:10for best dressed or undressed.
12:19Yes!
12:20Good job, Kobe.
12:21Got this boss to jog around the block, mate.
12:24So some people would see you doing stuff like this
12:27and thinking you're crazy.
12:29What are you thinking?
12:31Why do you do it?
12:32Oh, just the pain.
12:34The pain is the best feeling,
12:36best release, I reckon.
12:37Yeah.
12:37And for Missy as well?
12:39Yeah, always for Missy.
12:40Yeah.
12:40Her photos in the bullbarrow,
12:42always looking at her every run.
12:43Yeah.
12:44Just thinking, like,
12:45pain she went through,
12:46it's nothing close to what we're doing right now.
12:49Don't get them both, Kobe.
12:51I got both, Kobe.
12:53No.
12:56Don't go too crazy, Kobe.
12:58Cheers.
13:00The boys are going flat out.
13:03I can see that running this race
13:04requires strength and stamina,
13:07and you might need to be just a little bit nuts.
13:12Each team has a bus,
13:13a driver,
13:14and a wheelbarrow.
13:16Team members take turns pushing the wheelbarrow,
13:19a bit like a relay.
13:21Every 45 seconds,
13:22someone's jumping into the bus,
13:24catching their breath,
13:25then going again.
13:27They've got three days of this
13:29and it does not look easy.
13:32All right, Adam.
13:33Nearly there, mate.
13:34Let's go.
13:35We live for this shit.
13:36Come on.
13:39The race takes teams
13:40through the tiny town of Machilba,
13:43where some local students
13:45have gathered to cheer their hearts out.
13:47Let me see a wheelbarrow.
13:48Let me see a wheelbarrow.
13:53Let me see a wheelbarrow.
13:55Let me see a wheelbarrow.
13:58Let me see a wheelbarrow.
13:59I said, oop, oop, oop, oop, oop, oop, oop, oop, oop.
14:03Back in line.
14:11After running 42 k's,
14:14Dad's army arrived in Dimbula.
14:16The team number 40 in Dad's army.
14:22I'm just blown away
14:23that you guys with an average age of 74
14:25can do this like 40 k today,
14:2860 k tomorrow,
14:2940 k the next day.
14:30Well, look, what the secret is,
14:31if you think you're old,
14:32you will be.
14:33I think I'm 37,
14:35so a 37-year-old can do that.
14:37And I don't see it as being a big deal.
14:39Well, Ron, you look 25 to me.
14:41I think you're bullshitting a bit me.
14:43And Missy's donors have made it in good time,
14:48but they've pushed themselves to the limit.
14:51Cramp it.
14:52Oh, he's cramping.
14:56Oh, he was horrible.
14:57He made it.
14:58We've got an ice bath waiting for you at home.
15:01What?
15:01Oh, he's good.
15:05He's good.
15:06He's fine.
15:18The next morning,
15:20I'm taking a break from the race
15:22and heading to a local farm
15:23in Dimbula.
15:24It's owned by Lindy,
15:43who I met back in Mareeba,
15:45where she works organising the race.
15:48She and her family live here.
15:50Do you want a grapefruit?
15:52No, I want a grapefruit.
15:54OK.
15:55They were farmers in South Africa
15:58before migrating in 2019.
16:01Back then, we didn't have kids
16:02and we felt we wanted to have a better future for our kids
16:06and raise them in a safer, more equal environment.
16:12Are you going to climb in yourself?
16:15Yes.
16:15OK.
16:17The first morning you wake up,
16:18we had a small ute, a mattress,
16:22two cups that we could have coffee,
16:23wine, beer,
16:25and you just wake up
16:26and that's everything you own.
16:27Yeah.
16:28It's just that.
16:29And it was actually very freeing
16:31to just come with so little
16:33and slowly you start building your life here again.
16:36And you're already, like, pretty involved in the community?
16:48Yes.
16:49I joined the council and they said,
16:51in two months' time, we're doing this race
16:53and you're the main organiser.
16:55But you've never been involved in a wheelbarrow race before?
16:58Never.
16:58In the lead-up to the event,
17:00Lindy works with each team to hone their fundraising efforts.
17:04Some runners are doing it for little children
17:07in their family that are blind.
17:08Others are doing it to remind us to donate blood.
17:11It really is not just running to say you've done it,
17:15but also that we can give back
17:16and that we can support those that are vulnerable
17:18in not just our community, but Australia-wide.
17:21That's a bit of a personal question.
17:29Lindy has signed me up to run with her team,
17:32the council cruisers.
17:34And today's the biggest day.
17:36Today's the longest day, Joe.
17:37It's 66 kilometres, which is a lot.
17:40So it's going to get the best of us.
17:42Woo!
17:43Oh, I love you!
17:44Woo-hoo!
17:45Whether I'm ready or not,
17:53it's time for my wheelbarrow race, Davo.
17:56Good job, Lindy!
17:56Good job, Joe!
17:57Go, let's go!
17:59Right, right, right, right.
18:01Woo!
18:02Feeling the vibe.
18:05There's some vibe.
18:08Good job, Joe!
18:12Good job!
18:13Good job!
18:14Nice, Greg.
18:15How did you go, Joe?
18:17I feel exhausted.
18:20But I'm in it for the day.
18:22I'm loving it.
18:23Yes.
18:23You didn't even do the hill.
18:25What do you mean?
18:25I established the base of the hill.
18:28Thank you very much.
18:28Yes.
18:30Next stop, Almaden.
18:32And the race is heating up.
18:34The council cruisers have nominated me
18:37to overtake Dad's army.
18:39And I am pumped.
18:41Yay, team!
18:43Oh, they're spraying him!
18:44They sprung him.
18:45They sprung him.
18:48Backwards!
18:48Backwards, backwards!
18:53Sorry!
18:56I got taken down.
18:59They seldom need.
19:00They seldom need.
19:00So, I was going for the takeover, and there were some pretty dirty tactics from the other
19:09team, shooting water pistols out, disorienting me, turning backwards for a while, that was
19:15obviously intentional because I wanted to show my skill with a wheelbarrow, and completed
19:20the takeover perfectly.
19:23Maybe it wasn't that one.
19:28The council cruisers are closing in on the finish line for day two.
19:53At its height, Almaden was an important part of the sprawling railway network that moved
19:58ore and coal across the district.
20:01Today, it has a permanent population of just 41, but once a year, it surges back to life,
20:09with the arrival of the Great Wheelbarrow Race.
20:13After the sun goes down, the teams gather to cheer each other on.
20:20I've been doing it for a long time now.
20:21Charity?
20:22Maroeba Hospital Foundation.
20:23And how much are we talking?
20:24Just over five grand.
20:25Come on, let's put our hands together for Dad's Army.
20:31It's the last day of the Great Wheelbarrow Race.
20:42Dad's Army are ready to run the final 33 k's to Chilligo.
20:48Frank the Fossil is raring to go.
21:01And they're defending their position to the bitter end.
21:04Give us a break Dad!
21:05Come on!
21:06You can do better than that!
21:11Keep it up mate!
21:16I'm heading to the finish line at Chilligo to find out more about the mining boom that
21:21drew people to this part of North Queensland all those years ago.
21:27When mining was at its peak in the early 1900s, this smelter was at the centre of the action.
21:37The ore was heated in large furnaces to extract metals.
21:42In its lifetime it treated more than a million tonnes of ore, yielding copper, lead, silver and gold.
21:51It operated until 1943, creating thousands of jobs and bringing prosperity to the region.
22:01It was a hive of industry, that's for sure.
22:04And Chilligo itself was a town of some say 6,000, others say 10,000.
22:14Today only around 200 people live in Chilligo.
22:18Geologist John Nethery has spent most of his career here looking for mineral deposits.
22:25So this is basically a geologist's heaven around here?
22:28It's one of the most complex patches of ground I've seen anywhere on the planet.
22:35An incredible mix of volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks are found here.
22:43You have such a range of history here.
22:46You have rocks over there 10 kilometres away that are 1.8 billion years old.
22:56John takes me inside these limestone towers, or casts as they're called.
23:02They're slowly being eroded, forming a vast network of caves beneath the surface.
23:09Whoa!
23:10Isn't that magnificent?
23:11It really is.
23:12John not only sees the beauty of these caves, but what they can tell us about our ancient past.
23:26Coral once thrived in shallow seawater right here, creating limestone beds at what used to be the edge of the Australian continent.
23:41I see this as originally being horizontal, and then it was turned on its end, nearly vertical.
23:50And this effectively basically used to be a reef on the edge of Australia?
23:54Exactly.
23:55Being here feels like travelling back in time.
24:03But the present day is drawing me out of these caves, back into town, where a different kind of marvel is unfolding.
24:11Dad's army have made it to Chilligo.
24:21Still feeling fresh?
24:23Bullshit.
24:24I'm nearly buggered.
24:26I'm glad it's over.
24:28Glad we've done it.
24:30Our tenth one.
24:32Sorry.
24:33I've got to go and find a beer.
24:35And the Missy's Donors boys are sprinting to the finish line.
24:39Of course, Missy's mum, Ange, is here to congratulate them.
24:46Mini!
24:47Ninji!
24:48Ha-ha!
24:49You guys are amazing.
24:50Is that a few tears I see there?
24:51I love them so much, and I'm so thankful.
24:52Why do they mean?
24:53I love them so much.
24:54I love them so much, and I'm so thankful.
24:57Why do they mean?
24:58I love them so much.
24:59I love them so much, and I'm so thankful.
25:01Why do they mean so much to you?
25:03Because they love my Missy, and she love them.
25:06And I'm just thankful the universe has them, because they're good humans, and they're going
25:11to go on to achieve great things, and they're just great, great boys.
25:15And it's just a summer to go on to school.
25:16Look at that.
25:17Look at that.
25:18Look at that.
25:19I'll get it, Robbie.
25:20Bye.
25:21My team, the Council Cruisers, come eighth in the Teams category, raising almost $1,000
25:34$2,000 for the Mayor's Christmas Appeal, which will help local families in need.
25:41And the winners are Dad's Army with a time of 15-0801.
25:46Dad's Army take out first prize in the over-55s category,
25:52raising enough to help Mareeba Hospital buy new cots for the maternity ward.
25:57It's going to go so well on your part.
25:59Thank you very much.
26:00I feel kind of proud of myself, and I'm proud of the rest of the team.
26:05Hopefully, some of the younger people will say, well, we can do that too.
26:11All right, next category is trios.
26:13It's a new record by Missy's Donus.
26:19Not only do Missy's Donus win their category, they're the new record holders.
26:24And better than that, they've honoured the memory of their friend and hero,
26:29Missy Clarkson.
26:35I love that if I put a call out tomorrow for volunteers or help,
26:39I'd have 50 people at my front door the next day, without a doubt.
26:43They just loved Missy, they loved us, they loved helping and giving back
26:47and expect nothing in return.
26:50Yeah, that's community.
26:51It's been so cool to come back to this part of Australia,
26:57to reconnect with the genuine down-to-earth people of the far north.
27:03And I'm so touched by the generosity shown here
27:07and everyone's determination to do their best,
27:11not just for themselves, but for each other.
27:14It's a beautiful thing.
27:22Next time, Backroads takes a long walk
27:26on WA's Bibbulmun track.
27:28You might be able to get away with just looking up at the stars.
27:31A lot of people I speak to, it's a life-changing experience.
27:37Yeah, all my toenails fell off.
27:39Oh, no.
27:40But you've just got to keep walking.
27:42It's our song line and our story line.
27:45I found my place.
27:47I got to finally say, actually, Australia's home.
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