The day draws closer

October 15, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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cadent_1_small.jpgTime has gone so quickly and I’m now only a couple of days away from riding from Perth to Albany to raise money for Cancer Council WA. If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet you can head to my secure donations page right now or click the SPONSOR ME button in my sidebar.

If you’re in the Perth area and would like to farewell the group of seven cyclist who are taking part you can join us at Sonshine FM in Como from 8:30 this Saturday morning. It’d be great to have a bunch of people showing their support so please be part of the farewell if you can.

If this is the first you’ve heard of the ride you can fill in all the gaps by reading my previous post, Breaking the silence on cancer.



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Perth Royal Show 2009

September 23, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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It all starts again this Saturday.

The Perth Royal Show begins at the Claremont Showgrounds from this Saturday the 26th of September until Saturday the 3rd of October.

The Perth Royal Show is Perth’s biggest community event attracting 400 000 visitors from the city and the country every year. It has a history spanning over 170 years and serves to showcase WA agriculture, small business and entertainment.

An interesting element of this year’s show is that it’ll be smoke free. Smokers will have one area within the showgrounds where they can light up while the rest of the event will be free of second hand cigarette smoke. I think it’s a great move forward.

98.5 Sonshine FM will broadcast live from the show each day.

I’m really looking forward to presenting my morning programme from the show each day of next week as well as hosting this Saturday morning.

I’ll have a range of interesting guests and will probably get involved in some weird situations. I may even end up broadcasting from the bumper cars, from the top of the ferris wheel or some other sideshow ride.

If you’re thinking of heading to the show this year, make sure you drop in to our broadcast centre and say hello. We’ve changed locations from previous years. We’ll be overlooking the main arena on the opposite side to the grandstand.

Broadcasting from the show instead of our Como studios will almost double the distance I’ll have to cycle which will be great training for our cancer ride coming up next month.



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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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Slava's Snowshow in Perth

September 4, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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slava.jpgI’m not a big fan of clowns. To be honest I don’t see the attraction …. yet there’s something about Slava’s Snowshow that may just change my mind.

I took James to the opening night of Slava’s Snowshow at the Regal Theatre last night. They say that Snowshow is to clowning what Cirque du Soleil is to Circus.

On the Snowshow website is a warning.

Weather warning! The forecast is for smoke and fog effects, occasional loud music, brief showers, high winds and plenty of snow. Skies will be clear at first with clowns increasing, becoming more mischievous later in the show. Conditions are not recommended for children under 8. Please note that children under the age of 2 are not permitted in the theatre.

It’s no joke. The show at times is incredibly subtle and at other times is extremely intense. If you’re going to the show, and I recommend that you do, be prepared for a show like no other.

Slava’s Snowshow is unlike anything you have seen on stage before, combining hilarity and poignancy with stunning spectacle and breathtaking images. The ensemble cast of clowns creates a world of wonder in which a bed becomes a boat, a web of cotton envelops the audience and one tiny piece of paper begins an exhilarating snowstorm which engulfs the entire theatre.

I’m feeling a little torn at the moment. I so much want to tell you about the magic of the show. I want to describe the excitement of the various elements which make up the show but I don’t want to spoil the surprises for anyone who may go to the show.

You may have been to shows before that let a few audience members interact with the cast. This show isn’t like that. When you go to Slava’s Snowshow everyone will have opportunity to be part of the show in one way or another.

I don’t think James will stop talking about the show for a long time. It was a lot of excitement for a ten year old. Once we got home he started telling Pauline about what we’d experienced. He still had plenty to tell this morning as he remembered more and more spectacular moments.

Slava’s Snowshow is on in Perth until the 20th of September. If it ever comes to a theatre near you … don’t miss it.



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I'm No Hero

August 21, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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cadent_1_small.jpgI’m certainly not a hero but I have just signed on to Everyday Hero, a website that will collect donations for the bike ride for cancer I’m undertaking in October. You can be a real hero by sponsoring me. Just click this link and make your donation to Cancer Council Western Australia.

Just to fill you in if you haven’t read about the ride before, back in February I told you about a sad goodbye. My wife’s sister had just passed away at the age of 41 from cancer.

In the weeks leading up to her death I was throwing an idea around for a bike ride from Perth to Albany. The ride would take my morning radio programme on the road to broadcast from a different town each day. I wanted to give people who had been touched by cancer a chance to tell their story. Whether they’d lost a loved one or survived cancer, I wanted people to have the opportunity to break the silence and let people know that they’ve been through some deep waters. I wanted others who have been touched by cancer to know they’re not alone.

Plans for that ride are now well underway.

As well as giving people opportunity to tell their story we’ll be raising funds for Cancer Council Western Australia.

I have a number of cyclists ready to take part and I’m looking for a few more. Each morning I’ll broadcast my 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

Where to from here?

The task now is to finalise the team of cyclists. I’m hoping that we’ll have around ten to twelve riders. We’ll be followed by support vehicles which will carry all our gear.

If you know anyone in any of the towns along the way who you think would be a good contact, please let me know.

I also need 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.

If you’d like to donate towards a wonderful cause, just click this link. By supporting this venture you’ll be the real hero.



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