Title: Mark Shircore and Mar Knox (
Ghana)
Status: Active
URL:
http://knoxshircore.wordpress.com/
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Doing the most good…. - 19/Dec/2019 02:00 - 1590 days ago
As we start to move to the end of 2019, the end of a decade, I wanted to share a link with you. It is an interview by one of ...
Resolving–how goes the fitness goals? What motivates you? - 19/Feb/2019 01:59 - 1893 days ago
How many of you set New Year’s Resolutions this year? How many of you are still on track with those goals after 7 weeks...
Just MOVE it–in 2019 - 04/Jan/2019 07:33 - 1939 days ago
With the arrival of the New Year, the resolutions are being made, and perhaps…. quickly disappearing as reality sets in! ...
Earth Day–an alternative to the plastic bag that lines your rubbish bin - 22/Apr/2018 08:36 - 2196 days ago
Happy Earth Day everyone! Over the past number of years (a decade perhaps?) we have been steadily reducing our plastic consump...
Long Distance Thru Hiking–my top 3 gear picks - 10/Apr/2018 14:38 - 2208 days ago
One of the great long distance hiking trails in Australia is fortuitously located right here in Western Australia. The wonderf...
Five Tips for a Simple Thrift-mas - 05/Dec/2017 10:01 - 2334 days ago
How did the silly season arrive with such rapidity this year? Egads, I was in the CBD earlier this week, and ALREADY there were ...
Hiking tips for South Korea - 31/Jul/2017 10:35 - 2461 days ago
Some of the most enjoyable time we spent, during our month in South Korea was in some of the absolutely beautiful National Parks...
Plastic Free July–some trials during Week 1 (and a win!) - 06/Jul/2017 13:04 - 2486 days ago
We decided to sign up for Plastic Free July. We already “do” a lot of the things to minimise our waste, particularly...
Travel Tips for South Korea - 03/Jul/2017 13:07 - 2489 days ago
Many of the Travel Tips for Japan apply also to Korea. Some exceptions are: • Buses rather than trains are generally the easie...
Travel Tips for Japan - 21/Jun/2017 13:19 - 2501 days ago
Konnichiwa! We loved the month we recently spent in Japan. It is a fascinating culture, with some customs that are very diff...
Prepackaged Japan - 03/May/2017 12:18 - 2550 days ago
Sometimes we buy our dinner meal at a supermarket, as a way of keeping costs down, getting fresh fruit and veg, and trying local...
A note on Japanese Food Culture - 23/Apr/2017 12:26 - 2560 days ago
We are currently enjoying a month in Japan, taking in the amazing shrines, soaking in onsens, admiring Mount Fuji, and chasing t...
Off on a 1000 km hiking adventure - 19/Sep/2016 07:57 - 2776 days ago
I am passionate about two things: high altitude trekking, and long distance backpacking. In the latter, there is something ...
Getting into Ethical Altruism - 20/Jun/2016 08:00 - 2867 days ago
With the EOFY rapidly approaching (that’s “End of Financial Year”, for those not into silly acronyms!), it is ...
The worshipping of chocolate rabbits–happy Easter! - 24/Mar/2016 09:43 - 2955 days ago
Not 100% sure where the chocolate easter bunny and the eggs came from – suspect it may have been from the original Pagan f...
Just in time for the next arrival–Barbie finally getting real about body image - 12/Feb/2016 08:59 - 2996 days ago
Mark’s son will shortly be entering fatherhood for the first time! Very exciting times, and we wish them all the very b...
Post Veganary: Where to from here? - 29/Jan/2016 09:07 - 3010 days ago
On Sunday we will have (successfully!) concluded our month of Vegan living. So where to from here? Well, that is a bit of a tr...
Veganary Update: Week 3 - 22/Jan/2016 07:59 - 3017 days ago
We are trucking along quite nicely. Interestingly, we don’t really feel “deprived” (like we thought we might, ...
Veganary Week 2–finding an all vegan shop - 15/Jan/2016 01:32 - 3024 days ago
Well, we have finished about half of our Veganary month. In my last post, I mentioned a real score, which was finding an ALL VEG...
Week 1 of being Vegan–the good, the bad, the ugly - 08/Jan/2016 03:22 - 3031 days ago
Well, week one is now behind us. No major dramas, but thought I would quickly summarise some of what we experienced: The good:...
Going vegan for January = Veganary! - 01/Jan/2016 10:52 - 3038 days ago
Greetings everyone and welcome to 2016! As we welcome in the New Year, Mar(k) have decided to embrace Veganary for the next mo...
The season of giving–and some thoughts about the NFP sector and“being more like business” - 21/Dec/2015 06:44 - 3049 days ago
It is that time of year when people often are looking for gifts for that “hard to buy for” person in their life. W...
How being“scared of the Boogey Man”influences government policy. NOT a good thing. - 15/Aug/2015 09:38 - 3177 days ago
Remember how when we were young, the lights were out at bedtime, and there was always that fear of “what lurks under the b...
Celebrating Leadership in Social Accountability - 04/Aug/2015 03:03 - 3188 days ago
When we were volunteers in Ghana, we had the great pleasure and privilege to work with some amazing people. One of those peopl...
Journeying across America–on bicycle - 14/Jul/2015 07:41 - 3209 days ago
Many of our readers know that Mark is a keen cyclist. In the cold, dark, rain and snow. Hang on – there’s never...
Aboriginal Artists from the East Kimberley - 02/Jul/2015 10:04 - 3221 days ago
A lot of my friends and readers were so interested in the work that I was involved with up in the East Kimberley. However, ou...
Why difficult listening is music to my ears–and why the Australia Council must continue - 24/May/2015 13:39 - 3260 days ago
The past ten days have been a pleasurable, and sometimes challenging aural journey. I was the lucky recipient of a double pass...
Waste not, want not! Why I decided to dumpster dive - 11/May/2015 14:09 - 3273 days ago
This past weekend, Mark and I were helping to clean up after another successful Perth Relay for Life event (a fundraising event ...
Barbie and Body Image - 23/Jan/2015 11:58 - 3381 days ago
As Mark now has a granddaughter, we are starting to think about the kind of toys that we might consider buying for the little on...
The Spirit of Generosity–alive and well! - 02/Jan/2015 04:23 - 3402 days ago
Hello everyone! I am just so thrilled to share a good news story with you all, to kick off 2015. I am entering into my secon...
The Spirit of Generosity–alive and well! - 02/Jan/2015 04:23 - 3402 days ago
Hello everyone! I am just so thrilled to share a good news story with you all, to kick off 2015. I am entering into my secon...
A Simpler Life–and what that means for this blog! - 29/Dec/2014 06:26 - 3406 days ago
As we are rapidly approaching the end of another year, I thought I would send us off into the New Year with some thoughts around...
A Simpler Life–and what that means for this blog! - 29/Dec/2014 06:26 - 3406 days ago
As we are rapidly approaching the end of another year, I thought I would send us off into the New Year with some thoughts around...
All I want for Christmas is…. Less Stuff - 18/Dec/2014 04:05 - 3417 days ago
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and people all around seem to be getting increasingly frazzled. Parties to go to, grocer...
All I want for Christmas is…. Less Stuff - 18/Dec/2014 04:05 - 3417 days ago
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and people all around seem to be getting increasingly frazzled. Parties to go to, grocer...
Be an activist by being active! - 23/Oct/2014 06:10 - 3473 days ago
I just recently completed a 100 km walk in 36 hours, 44 minutes (ignore the clock behind us – it was a staggered start, an...
Be an activist by being active! - 23/Oct/2014 06:10 - 3473 days ago
I just recently completed a 100 km walk in 36 hours, 44 minutes (ignore the clock behind us – it was a staggered start, an...
Toilet Talk–why we think WASH issues are the key - 16/Sep/2014 06:19 - 3510 days ago
In the development work that we have done, we have come across a lot of different issues that have an impact on people’s l...
Toilet Talk–why we think WASH issues are the key - 16/Sep/2014 06:19 - 3510 days ago
In the development work that we have done, we have come across a lot of different issues that have an impact on people’s l...
Goolarri Media Enterprises - 06/Jul/2014 14:23 - 3582 days ago
Every now and again, Mar(k) are very happy to give a plug to an outstanding (and worthy!) not-for-profit organisation that is do...
Goolarri Media Enterprises - 06/Jul/2014 14:23 - 3582 days ago
Every now and again, Mar(k) are very happy to give a plug to an outstanding (and worthy!) not-for-profit organisation that is do...
Celebrating some inspiring Indigenous Australians - 08/May/2014 04:29 - 3641 days ago
So much of the time, it seems that mainstream media is filled with bad news stories. And sometimes those news stories help to ...
Celebrating some inspiring Indigenous Australians - 08/May/2014 04:29 - 3641 days ago
So much of the time, it seems that mainstream media is filled with bad news stories. And sometimes those news stories help to ...
The Tour du Mont Blanc–by foot or by bike! - 15/Apr/2014 10:12 - 3664 days ago
Greetings readers! We received this fabulous 17 minute video yesterday from our friends Sander and Jan, a pair of Belgian me...
The Tour du Mont Blanc–by foot or by bike! - 15/Apr/2014 10:12 - 3664 days ago
Greetings readers! We received this fabulous 17 minute video yesterday from our friends Sander and Jan, a pair of Belgian me...
WA Senate (Re) Election–and why I am glad we live in a democracy - 02/Apr/2014 10:19 - 3677 days ago
This coming Saturday, Western Australians will once again be heading to the polls to elect six senators to represent us in the U...
WA Senate (Re) Election–and why I am glad we live in a democracy - 02/Apr/2014 10:19 - 3677 days ago
This coming Saturday, Western Australians will once again be heading to the polls to elect six senators to represent us in the U...
What is a Good Life? - 06/Feb/2014 01:41 - 3732 days ago
Mar(k) are recently back from a six week trip that saw us immersed in life in Myanmar (Burma) and southern India. Undoubtedly ...
What is a Good Life? - 06/Feb/2014 01:41 - 3732 days ago
Mar(k) are recently back from a six week trip that saw us immersed in life in Myanmar (Burma) and southern India. Undoubtedly ...
Black, White and Shades of Grey - 25/Dec/2013 12:10 - 3775 days ago
During the festive season, there are countless posts about giving, generosity, the “Top 10 _____” (insert whatever i...
When did“Charity”get such a bad name? - 04/Nov/2013 09:57 - 3826 days ago
One of the things that we often talk about – and shake our heads about – is the discussion of how much foreign aid s...
Sharing Ideas @ TEDxPerth - 28/Oct/2013 04:39 - 3833 days ago
Hopefully some of our readers already know all about the wonderful TED initiative. These Ideas Worth Spreading have been goi...
100 km in 48 hours? Oh yes, indeed! - 25/Jun/2013 09:43 - 3958 days ago
Back in 2008 The Shox met Eddy and Jillian whilst doing a hike in Bhutan called the Snowman Trek. At the time, Eddy and Jillia...
Water–worth fighting for! - 11/Jun/2013 10:10 - 3972 days ago
I have often commented to various friends that I reckon the next world war will be fought – not over oil or oppression, bu...
Factivism: Eradicating Extreme Poverty–can it be done? - 25/Mar/2013 13:39 - 4050 days ago
The Shox have just watched a very empowering video which you can also watch by clicking here. This is a TED talk which talks...
Great work being done in the Upper East Region–RISE Ghana - 18/Feb/2013 10:57 - 4085 days ago
For many people who have been to Ghana, they may think of the Upper East Region as the home of the amazing Fra Fra music! Th...
Helping others help themselves–Show us the money! - 15/Jan/2013 06:30 - 4119 days ago
Happy New Year everyone! I am fascinated by the amount of articles I have read over the past few weeks about resolutions, th...
Looks like it will be a close race in the Ghana 2012 elections - 09/Dec/2012 13:25 - 4156 days ago
One of the things that we learned from our time in Ghana was that the people of Ghana are fiercely political. We mean REALLY...
Can’t get no satisfaction? Try Volunteering! - 05/Dec/2012 08:20 - 4160 days ago
Today is International Volunteering Day, and so we thought it was appropriate to provide a bit of an update on some of the volun...
Getting constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians - 10/Oct/2012 01:34 - 4216 days ago
One of the items on our radar over the last year or so has been the discussion that has started within Australia about acknowled...
The Joys of Travel–Loving the Unexpected, and laughing at it! - 04/Oct/2012 04:19 - 4222 days ago
Hello everyone! We are finally getting our feet back on the ground after an amazing 4 months away! We love to travel, an...
More Travel, More Stories! - 09/Jun/2012 04:36 - 4339 days ago
Hello readers! Thanks so much for keeping up with our posts. Just a quick note to let you know that we are off on an excit...
From Little Things, Big Things Grow - 06/May/2012 13:55 - 4373 days ago
These may be the lines of a popular Paul Kelly song, but they will also serve to outline a few unlikely links in the Shox’s li...
Suggestions anyone??? - 05/Apr/2012 07:52 - 4404 days ago
Hello everyone! Hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter weekend! It has been pretty crazy for the Shox lately…. so w...
what’s in a name? - 19/Mar/2012 12:40 - 4421 days ago
This question was asked in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It has got me thinking about what we call ourselves, and call...
Ghana Oil Production: An Update February 2012 - 23/Feb/2012 08:33 - 4446 days ago
Introduction Our last update was in July 2011, so we thought it time to see how things have progressed with the development of t...
The fridge reincarnation - 27/Jan/2012 04:34 - 4473 days ago
In a post a while ago, we wrote about the fact that many wonderful items are discarded by the roadside. Many items are still...
Returned Volunteers–an inspiring day of ideas! - 18/Jan/2012 08:49 - 4482 days ago
Recently, Mar attended a one day planning workshop for Returned Volunteers through Australian Volunteers International. The day ...
2011 in review - 01/Jan/2012 01:30 - 4499 days ago
Hi Everyone! Just wanted to say THANK YOU for continuing to follow our volunteering adventures on our blog site! We hope y...
Creeping towards Christmas - 05/Dec/2011 07:11 - 4526 days ago
Now that December is here, we have officially entered “the silly season”. The holidays will soon be upon us, and people st...
Loving the beautiful people - 20/Nov/2011 10:20 - 4541 days ago
hi everyone! It has been a while since we’ve had a moment to sit down and actually update our blog! But it seems our r...
John…. a big smile that wins my heart - 08/Oct/2011 07:47 - 4584 days ago
Each week when I am in Perth, I generally catch the bus into the CBD once or twice. Generally, this is to attend to my duties...
Some new beginnings in our volunteering life… - 11/Sep/2011 12:22 - 4611 days ago
It is now getting pretty close to the one year anniversary when we made the difficult decision to leave Ghana; bringing to a c...
Being grateful for the little things… - 02/Sep/2011 07:51 - 4620 days ago
Now that we are back in Australia, after our wonderful year as volunteers with AVI / VSO in Ghana, we thought we’d reflect...
Grocery shopping: spoilt for choice! - 21/Aug/2011 12:58 - 4632 days ago
We are still blown away by the abundance of fresh, affordable and delicious food when we walk into a supermarket. And we are i...
The Thorsborne Trail–a hike of self-sufficiency! - 10/Aug/2011 13:35 - 4643 days ago
Jumping off the ferry at Ramsay Bay was exciting; my best mate Janet and I were off on yet another hiking adventure; the Thorsbo...
Ghana Oil Production–an update! July 2011 - 14/Jul/2011 02:21 - 4670 days ago
Hello faithful blog readers! We’re so happy to report that we have just recently ticked over 10,000 views of our wee blo...
Land rights should be enjoyed by all…. - 30/Jun/2011 10:34 - 4684 days ago
Interesting how sometimes a series of seemingly incidental, random items happen at around the same time. But when you connect ...
Our collective voice CAN make a difference! - 20/Jun/2011 11:02 - 4694 days ago
One of the things that we do now, as part of our “professional volunteer” lives, is to be active in supporting cause...
The importance of saying THANK YOU - 02/Jun/2011 09:21 - 4712 days ago
I was always brought up to be polite. One of the ways that I was taught, was to always acknowledge a kindness or a compliment...
Great Ghana Scrabble Championship–results are in! - 17/May/2011 08:22 - 4728 days ago
It’s been a long time coming but we can finally announce the result of the “Great Ghana Scrabble Championship”. I regret t...
Great Ghanaian Gab Fest - 12/May/2011 13:26 - 4733 days ago
A HUGE thank you to all our friends and supporters who came out to make our Ghana talk on Inspired Philanthropy such a success!...
Photos, Stories and More! - 05/May/2011 03:17 - 4740 days ago
Perth based folks, you are all more than welcome to come and meet up with Mar(k) and hear some of our stories firsthand! Hav...
No Pain, No Gain…. nothing new there…. - 29/Apr/2011 11:12 - 4746 days ago
OMG. We find it staggering that there is still a debate raging within Australia as to the merits (or not) of putting a price o...
What should we be teaching our children? - 23/Apr/2011 10:46 - 4752 days ago
For many children, even a classroom is a luxury…. Recently we attended a “Ted Talk” in Perth. You may be ...
On the verge of…. gross excess??! - 05/Apr/2011 12:41 - 4770 days ago
When Alice in Wonderland slipped through the rabbit hole, she found herself in a place she could not believe was real. I thi...
Public Toilets: A Wee Comparison - 27/Mar/2011 00:19 - 4779 days ago
In our travels, one of the interesting indicators of a country’s relative wealth seems to be the availability of public to...
No Room for Racism - 19/Mar/2011 10:21 - 4787 days ago
Recently we attended a fabulous World Music Festival in Adelaide called WOMAD. (or more specifically, WOMADELAIDE). We had a...
If that’s so funny, how come I’m not laughing? - 03/Mar/2011 14:17 - 4803 days ago
Recently, we attended a fundraising event for a very worthy cause – the Queensland flood victims, who have been devastated...
It’s all a matter of perspective…. - 24/Feb/2011 08:57 - 4810 days ago
When we lived in Ghana, we regularly (ie: almost daily) had electricity or power cuts. We came to know that “lights out&...
Building Partnerships within the communities - 16/Feb/2011 12:20 - 4818 days ago
We were very thrilled recently to hear that one of the photos we submitted to the AVI Returned Volunteers Photographic Competiti...
Solar Panel People have HOT technology! - 11/Feb/2011 09:31 - 4823 days ago
We recently attended an information evening about installing solar panels on our home. This is something we are interested ...
The pyramids are closed?? - 06/Feb/2011 14:10 - 4828 days ago
We have only just recently (a few weeks ago) returned from a month long holiday in Egypt. It is hard to believe how quickly th...
that’s just rubbish! Here’s a much better thirst quenching option…. - 26/Jan/2011 08:36 - 4839 days ago
One of the things I often ranted and raved about when we lived in Ghana was the pervasive use of plastic bags…. in particu...
More Great Work being done in Ghana - 21/Jan/2011 23:10 - 4844 days ago
Hello everyone! With the new year upon us, we thought we’d kick things off on the blog by directing you to a link that w...
Stay tuned for our new look in 2011! - 17/Dec/2010 07:33 - 4879 days ago
Hello everyone! Just a quick note from us. We are shortly going to be off to Egypt for the holiday period, so we won’t be prov...
A word about Open Space Technology - 13/Dec/2010 07:09 - 4883 days ago
Have you ever heard of Open Space Technology? Well, up until a few months ago, we never had! However, at the VSO volunteers ...
A Feeding Frenzy - 29/Nov/2010 11:07 - 4897 days ago
One of the things we spent a lot of time on in Ghana was cooking. Partly because we both love food, and partly because Ghana w...
Our house…in the middle of our street…. - 21/Nov/2010 21:45 - 4905 days ago
Even though we are no longer in Ghana, we still have some info we’d love to post on our blog site! Thanks for ...
Saying good-bye to RUMNET - 31/Oct/2010 23:36 - 4926 days ago
Our placement in Ghana was at the Rural Media Network, or RUMNET. It was a small local NGO that has a very small staff of only...
The Top 10: 10 things we are looking forward to in Australia - 28/Oct/2010 11:07 - 4929 days ago
the final in our Top 10 series…. again, in no particular order: 1. a hot shower 2. family and friends 3. coffee / good bar...
The Top 10: 10 things we WON’T miss in Ghana - 18/Oct/2010 03:59 - 4939 days ago
Our Top 10 series continues: here are some things that we won’t be missing too much! Again, in no particular order: 1....
The Top 10: 10 things we will miss in Ghana - 11/Oct/2010 03:19 - 4946 days ago
We have had to end our volunteer placement after only one year, due to some ongoing health issues. It has been a fantastic exp...
Our Hero–Shirley Somono - 02/Oct/2010 04:46 - 4955 days ago
One of the great things about volunteering with an organisation like VSO is the opportunity to get to know other volunteers. W...
The Sounds of Morning - 29/Sep/2010 01:29 - 4958 days ago
The plaintiff wail of the imam, calling the faithful to prayer will be an enduring sound clip in my memory of morning in Ghana. ...
Northern Learnings - 09/Sep/2010 10:08 - 4978 days ago
The second “Youth in Journalism” workshop that we did was for the Northern Region. This was lucky for us, as we live in the ...
Shake shake shake, shake your bootie…. - 04/Sep/2010 13:29 - 4983 days ago
One of the truly fabulous experiences in Ghana is undoubtedly witnessing a cultural demonstration of dancing and drumming. We ...
Youth in Journalism Workshops - 12/Aug/2010 16:03 - 5006 days ago
One of the main things that has been keeping us busy these past few months has been preparing for a series of workshops entitled...
A note on Compassion… - 03/Aug/2010 12:01 - 5015 days ago
Anytime you see someone less fortunate than yourself, what is your reaction? When you see a beggar, or a homeless person, or a...
Political Rallies - 29/Jul/2010 16:46 - 5020 days ago
We thought it was timely to post a blog on politics. For we Australians will be going to the polls in a few weeks time! Du...
The Rains have Arrived! - 22/Jul/2010 09:30 - 5027 days ago
After a lengthy dry period, the rains have finally come to Tamale! Part of the joy of this is the cooler temperatures we are e...
Dead Aid? - 15/Jul/2010 14:35 - 5034 days ago
There has been quite a bit of press recently criticizing aid giving, with critics using individual examples of failure, to argue...
Rent a Crowd magically appears - 10/Jul/2010 15:44 - 5039 days ago
Sometimes if you miss something by just a few minutes, you’d never knew it had happened. That certainly was the case for...
The Importance of the Chieftancy - 06/Jul/2010 10:14 - 5043 days ago
One of the things that is immediately apparent here is how important the chieftancy structure is to Ghanaian life. The respect...
VSO hosts its own version of the World Cup - 02/Jul/2010 11:32 - 5047 days ago
With World Cup fever alive and well, it seemed only fitting that the VSO volunteers would have a football match! We were lucky...
Saving a Monkey - 29/Jun/2010 09:59 - 5050 days ago
On a recent trip down to Accra with fellow volunteers Anthony and Laura, we made a slight detour to a monkey sanctuary near Cape...
Community Based Tourism–a visit to Kaphonhil - 25/Jun/2010 09:49 - 5054 days ago
Not long ago we ended up visiting a small community in the “peri-urban” area of Tamale. This is one of the compara...
Graphic Signs - 21/Jun/2010 17:05 - 5058 days ago
In a previous post (“A Sign of the Ghanaian Times“), we blogged about signs here that often have a strong religious ...
Great Ghanaian Grooves - 18/Jun/2010 09:43 - 5061 days ago
Recently we headed down to Accra to cheer on the band that fellow volunteer Anthony is involved with; Tanga Culture. It was ...
Watching the World Cup–Ghanaian Style! - 14/Jun/2010 10:57 - 5065 days ago
World Cup fever has hit. Seemingly overnight, televisions have sprung up everywhere. Whilst in the town centre on Saturday t...
The Hairdresser who makes Housecalls… - 11/Jun/2010 15:59 - 5068 days ago
Recently Mar enjoyed an at home beauty salon experience. Amelia, who has her hairdressing shop across the road, was quite happy ...
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