Blog by Sam Robinson, National Neighbours Every Day Campaign Manager, Relationships Australia
I’d spotted the local parkrun mob over a few weeks when out walking my dog Holly and was curious to find out more. So, one Saturday morning, I just showed up. I’ll be honest — I didn’t come as a runner. I came as someone who believes deeply in the power of community connection, and I stayed because I found exactly that.
My local parkrun is in Taree, NSW — just me, the river path, and a crowd of strangers who somehow didn’t feel like strangers for long.
A few weeks passed and one day after work when I was out for an afternoon dawdle with Holly, I somehow sprained my ankle. Classic. Suddenly the running was off the table.
But here’s the thing: I kept going anyway.
I’ve since volunteered as a Tail Walker (twice), a parkwalker, and a Barcode Scanner (twice). And honestly? Volunteering hit differently. Standing at the finish line scanning barcodes, cheering on every single person — fast, slow, first-timer, out of town visitor, regular — I felt it. That sense of belonging we talk about at Neighbours Every Day isn’t abstract. It’s a Saturday morning where someone you’ve never met gives you a high five.
Belonging doesn’t happen by chance. It happens when we show up — and parkrun makes showing up incredibly easy.
That’s why I’m so proud that parkrun Australia has been acknowledged as a Very Neighbourly Organisation (VNO) through a new community partnership with Relationships Australia’s social connection campaign, Neighbours Every Day (NED). With up to 100,000 participants connecting at parkrun events across Australia every Saturday morning, this partnership makes complete sense.
NED is about the small, everyday actions that build connection — a smile, a wave, saying good morning. parkrun is built on exactly the same idea. You don’t have to be fast. You don’t even have to run! You just have to show up.
With 24% of Australians reporting loneliness, community spaces like parkrun are more than recreational — they’re essential. Research from UTS and the University of Sydney confirmed what so many of us already feel: parkrun genuinely builds friendships, and those friendships ripple outward.
Ankle and all, I’ll be back this Saturday. Will you?
About the Author
Sam Robinson is the national Neighbours Every Day Campaign Manager for Relationships Australia, based on Biripi Country in regional NSW. With a background in cross-sector partnerships and community development across Australia and South Africa, she’s passionate about bringing people, organisations and resources together to build communities where everyone belongs.
Learn more at neighbourseveryday.org and at parkrunAustralia