Fishing for $100 000

September 22, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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fishing.jpgWho said fishing was a waste of time?

Have you seen that Lismore Police have been inundated with claims to a fortune found by four teenagers fishing in a northern New South Wales creek?

Police are looking for the owner of $100,000 in cash found wrapped in brown plastic three weeks ago.

The teenagers found the parcel while fishing, but waited to hand it in to police until they’d discussed their find with their families and sought legal advice. Police say that the boys can make a claim for the money if no one comes forward with a legitimate claim after six weeks.

“We’re still looking for the owner of the money,” Inspector Nicole Bruce said.

“We’ve had no legitimate claims so far, but a lot of illegitimate ones.” Police on Friday concluded a thorough search of the idyllic fishing spot on the banks of Turntable Creek, which was inundated by flood waters in May.

“The cash did appear weathered, and given the floods we’ve had, it could have come from anywhere,” Insp Bruce said. – SBS News

So it seems every man and his dog is trying to hook the money. I’m sure that most of them realise that they won’t net the cash. They’re just fishing.



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Great Moscow Circus

September 22, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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circus_tent_top.jpgThe circus has come to town.

The Great Moscow Circus has taken over Langley Park in Perth until the 11th of October.

Pauline, James and I headed along on Friday night and I must admit that it was rather spectacular.

Renowned Russian performers, together with special International Guest Acts, transport you through two hours of breathtaking entertainment from the World’s most famous Circus

Performers that will astound you with a thrilling combination of acrobatic artistry, sheer brilliance and daring… when suddenly all seriousness disappears as the hilarious clowning has the audience in stitches!

Not only does the Great Moscow Circus feature sensational death defying acts …The Wheel of Death, but wait! The Grand Finale, A Highly Tuned Spectacular of Daredevil Motorbike’s in the Splitting ‘Globe of Death’ never seen before in Australia.

Some of the illusions they performed were absolutely amazing. It’s one thing to see illusionists on television but to have them a couple of metres in front of you is something else. I’m still scratching my head trying to work out how they did what they did.

Then there were the amazing daredevils on motorbikes and a range of other apparatus. It truly is incredible what the human body can achieve with the right training and skill.

If you’re looking for some fun and quite a few gasps, the Great Moscow Circus is certainly worth a visit.



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Mark Seaby endorses Jesus All About Life

September 12, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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I count it a privilege to know AFL player Mark Seaby. He’s not only a great footballer, he’s a thoroughly great guy.

While it doesn’t look like he’ll be playing for my favourite AFL team, West Coast Eagles, next year, he’s playing his part on a winning team by getting involved with the Jesus All About Life campaign.



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Breaking the silence on cancer

September 9, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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daffodil.jpgIf it hasn’t touched your life yet, I can almost guarantee that it will.

We don’t like to talk about cancer so we can start believing that we’re alone in facing its cold hand. The reality is that since I’ve started talking to others about it I’ve only encountered one person who hasn’t been personally affected by cancer.

Back in February my wife’s sister passed away at the age of 41 from cancer. It wasn’t the first time that our family had journeyed with loved ones facing cancer.

I believe that it’s time to give people who have been touched by the many forms of this terrible disease a chance to tell their story. Whether you’ve lost a loved one or survived cancer, I want you to break the silence and let people know that you’ve been through some deep waters. Together we can let others who have been touched by cancer to know they’re not alone.

What’s your story?

Please use the comments section of this post to share your story. Have you been touched by cancer? Are you battling cancer now or beaten it in the past? Does a loved one have cancer? Have you lost a friend? If you’d rather not leave your story in the comments section of this post, you can go to my contact page and send me an email.

Help spread the word.

I’d also ask you to share the link to this post through your blog or whatever other means you have available. To make it easy you can simply click the following links to share on Facebook or Twitter.

Cycling to make a difference.

As well as giving people opportunity to tell their story I’m about to undertake a bike ride of over 500 km to raise funds for Cancer Council Western Australia. Click here if you’d like to donate through a secure website.

I’ll be joined by six other cyclists and each morning for a week I’ll be sharing cancer stories on my 98.5 Sonshine FM radio programme before hopping onto my bike just after midday to cycle to the next town.

Here’s the itinerary:

Saturday 17th October 2009: Perth to York – 97km

Sunday 18th October 2009: Rest Day

Monday 19th October 2009: York to Pingelly – 87 km

Tuesday 20th October 2009: Pingelly to Wagin – 100 km

Wednesday 21st October 2009: Wagin to Katanning – 55 km

Thursday 22nd October 2009: Katanning to Cranbrook – 80 km

Friday 23rd October 2009: Cranbrook to Albany – 91 km

TOTAL: 510 km

If you’d like to donate towards a wonderful cause, just click this link.



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Mark Simpfendorfer 1964 – 2009

September 7, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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Mark.jpgWords really don’t come close to describing how I feel right now. On Friday night this world lost a generous, caring man who I was privileged enough to call friend.

Mark Simpfendorfer left this world for a better place following a massive heart attack. He was a director and producer working in film, television and corporate video. His 3D IMAX movie, Red Crabs: Australia’s Christmas Island, is set for release later this year.

My head is full of thoughts that race through my mind, only stopping for an instant before continuing on their journey. Thoughts jump between what was, what could have been and what the future looks like without Mark. I really haven’t slept well over the past couple of nights as my mind keeps racing and trying to come to terms with what has happened. My heart aches for his family, especially his four children, for other friends and for the friendship I’ve lost.

Mark was there for some of my most memorable life experiences. We travelled half way across Australia together in 2003 as he videoed a team of cyclists I was leading on a marathon fund raising ride from Perth to Hobart. He later created a short documentary on the ride that was shown on Australian Christian Channel.

Earlier in 2003 we had travelled to India together. Mark was there to capture my ride from Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, to Delhi. It was an amazing experience for both of us. Neither of us really knew what to expect when we set off for India but we loved our time there and were more than happy to return two years later with a small team of Aussie cyclists. We were talking about returning next year around the time of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The last time I saw Mark was at our new home just a couple of weeks ago. He dropped in to capture some video for a project he was completing and we shared a Limca, the lemon lime drink that we enjoyed so much in India. Several months ago Pauline had found a shop nearby that imports Limca from India so when I knew that Mark was to visit I made sure there was some ice cold Limca in the fridge.

Mark was also a major part of one of an extremely significant day for Pauline and me. He agreed to video our wedding back in December 1992. The resulting video, as expected, was spectacular.

Even though he’d been through some deep waters in recent years, Mark always stayed upbeat and optimistic. In many ways things were looking up for him and he had such great plans for the future.

Mark’s legacy will live on in his remarkable children.

He taught me a lot about life through what he said and especially the way he lived. I know that I certainly won’t be the only one who will miss Mark. He was a great friend and I look forward to catching up with him when my time comes to leave this life.



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