Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with from Walking off the War Within Mark Spain and Danny Evenleigh

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Katie Woolf spoke with from Walking off the War Within Mark Spain and Danny Evenleigh · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce main dowin
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  Speaker 1: homes own Stuart Highway, Beromar.
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  Speaker 2: There are some wonderful events that come up most years,
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  Speaker 2: and one of those that unfortunately wasn't able to happen
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  Speaker 2: last year was Walking Off the War Within. But I'm
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  Speaker 2: very pleased to say that it is back and it's
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  Speaker 2: going to be an absolutely fantastic event this year. And
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  Speaker 2: joining us in the studio to tell us a little
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  Speaker 2: bit more is Danny Evely, good morning to you.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning Katie, and we've also got Mark Spain how
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  Speaker 1: are you, Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Now, before I get into it, I just want to
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  Speaker 2: say on the weekend I was out for a run.
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  Speaker 2: I was running along East Point and I saw these
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  Speaker 2: two blokes walking towards me with what appeared to be
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  Speaker 2: these massive backpacks. And as I got closer Spainy, I
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  Speaker 2: realized it was you and Rob Cross.
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  Speaker 3: Ah, that's right, Katie. We've been doing a couple of
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  Speaker 3: days a week training for this event. As you said,
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  Speaker 3: we couldn't do it last year, which both Rob and
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  Speaker 3: I did did do that, but yeah, no, we're looking
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  Speaker 3: forward to a big community event this time.
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  Speaker 2: Don't he tell us a little bit more about what
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  Speaker 2: walking off the War Within is for those out there
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  Speaker 2: listening who maybe haven't been involved and not heard about it.
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  Speaker 1: Sure, so walking off the War Within actually came about
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  Speaker 1: in twenty fourteen from an old friend of mine and
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  Speaker 1: a colleague of spain Is Nathan Shanahan, who was in
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  Speaker 1: the Defense Forces and then was a firing Nathan was
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  Speaker 1: the face of Soldier on in twenty fourteen, walking four
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  Speaker 1: hundred kilometers between mill Dura and Adelaide, arriving in Adelaide
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  Speaker 1: on Anzac morning. Unfortunately, Nathan did lose his battle a
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  Speaker 1: couple of years later in twenty sixteen, and Spainy, along
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  Speaker 1: with the family of Shenna's who we like to call him,
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  Speaker 1: sort of thought well, let's not let what he started
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  Speaker 1: be a once off, and so in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: and in Mildura, where Shanner's family is, we had a
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  Speaker 1: couple of events and it was amazing the amount of
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  Speaker 1: people that came out and the recognition of what walking
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  Speaker 1: off the Wall within means to people, and the connection
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  Speaker 1: that people can have with that term just in itself,
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  Speaker 1: and the understanding that mental illness has such a big
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  Speaker 1: impact on the community as a whole. So after the
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  Speaker 1: i'll use the term success of twenty and seventeen our
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  Speaker 1: first events, we came back together and said all right,
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  Speaker 1: it's not a once off, let's keep going and let's
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  Speaker 1: make this an annual event.
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  Speaker 4: And we now refer to it as a movement.
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  Speaker 1: So each event that we hold around Australia is not
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  Speaker 1: on the same day. We hold it on different days
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  Speaker 1: because it is not a singular daily event that mental
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  Speaker 1: illness can impact on people.
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  Speaker 4: It is an ongoing thing.
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  Speaker 1: So having that impact of movement and ensuring that we're
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  Speaker 1: encouraging people to get out there, get together and share
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  Speaker 1: the burden.
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  Speaker 4: March is one so our events.
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  Speaker 1: The ultimate challenge and as you saw Spiny and Rob
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  Speaker 1: training on the way, you can the ultimate challenge is
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  Speaker 1: a twenty kilometer walk with a twenty kilogram pack on
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  Speaker 1: your back. But we understand that not everybody is going
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  Speaker 1: to want to take on a challenge like that, so
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  Speaker 1: we want the whole of community to be involved, which
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  Speaker 1: means come down, do a five kilometer walk, a ten
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  Speaker 1: point fifteen with or without a pack, or just simply
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  Speaker 1: come down and be part of the day, which is
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  Speaker 1: really around that sharing information, encouraging people to speak up,
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  Speaker 1: and reminding people that you're not alone.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's such an important thing to do, and
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  Speaker 2: it is so important, I think to really have that
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  Speaker 2: conversation about mental health as well and make it as
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  Speaker 2: open as possible so that people feel much more okay
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  Speaker 2: about speaking about it, particularly mean Spainy and I know
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  Speaker 2: it's not just two men, but really, you guys, it's
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  Speaker 2: a bit tougher to get blokes talking about these things sometimes.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, Katie, and I couldn't actually say it any better
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  Speaker 3: than what Young Danny has said, but absolutely it is.
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  Speaker 5: And that's why it's a passion of mine. They have frontline.
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  Speaker 3: Services, we deal with a lot of those issues, and
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  Speaker 3: we just want to be there to just let it
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  Speaker 3: out there. It's all okay to have a conversation.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it is. It's got to be. And I
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  Speaker 2: think we've got to talk about mental health in the
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  Speaker 2: same way that we talk about any other kind of
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  Speaker 2: health issue. Now, when is it happening this year so
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  Speaker 2: that people can maybe start doing a bit of training
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  Speaker 2: if they need to.
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  Speaker 1: Saturday, the first of May, Katie, so East Point Reserve,
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  Speaker 1: and we do have two different time slots, so people
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  Speaker 1: that are wanting to do the full twenty kilometers or
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  Speaker 1: fifteen kilometer walk, we're asking them to start at seven am,
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  Speaker 1: so be down there ready and to get started at
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  Speaker 1: seven And for all other participants wanting to either just
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  Speaker 1: come down or walk with the five and ten kilometer walks,
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  Speaker 1: that's an eight am start.
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  Speaker 4: Okay.
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  Speaker 2: Now, is there a fee or is it just a donation?
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely free. People are more than welcome to make a donation. However,
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  Speaker 1: this is not a fundraising event per se. It is
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  Speaker 1: an awareness raising event.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's I reckon, that's even better. I love
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  Speaker 2: the fact that you're trying to make it as open
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  Speaker 2: to as many people as possible and start that conversation,
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  Speaker 2: get people talking and really just be there with each
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  Speaker 2: other and be there for each other, because sometimes you know,
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  Speaker 2: that is all you need, is that opportunity and an
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  Speaker 2: opportunity for somebody to sort of listen.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean the Katie.
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  Speaker 1: The other thing that we're really trying to do with
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  Speaker 1: this event is encourage the whole family to get out
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  Speaker 1: and about because I think that's one of the important
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  Speaker 1: messages is that mental illness doesn't impact just an individual,
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  Speaker 1: it has a whole you know wide berth, that it
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  Speaker 1: hits and that it touches. So it's really important that
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  Speaker 1: we are remembering that as a community. And so the
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  Speaker 1: day is it's not a morbid event. It's about really
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  Speaker 1: trying to encourage people to just get out and seek information,
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  Speaker 1: seek support. We'll have a number of services there available
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  Speaker 1: for people on the day as well, but we'll also
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  Speaker 1: have a heap of activities for kids, so that it
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  Speaker 1: really is that whole of community event.
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  Speaker 4: Now where can.
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  Speaker 2: People go if they're after a little bit more information?
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  Speaker 4: All right, So we have a number of avenues for that.
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  Speaker 1: There is our web page walkoffww dot com. On Facebook
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  Speaker 1: if you search Walking off the Wall within annual event
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  Speaker 1: and you'll find the Darwin event links there. And then
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  Speaker 1: there's for purchasing or read string I should say for
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  Speaker 1: tickets is on event Bryant. And so you can either
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  Speaker 1: follow the links on the web page or Facebook or
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  Speaker 1: if you go direct to event bright and just type
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  Speaker 1: in walking off the Wall within in the search bar
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  Speaker 1: and it'll come straight up.
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  Speaker 2: Now, before I let you both leave, Mark Spain, I
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  Speaker 2: do want to ask you just very quickly. We know
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  Speaker 2: that the fire season is fast approaching. Bit of advice
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  Speaker 2: for people just to make sure they're prepared.
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  Speaker 5: Absolutely, Thanks Katie. Yeah, we have. Look, we've had an
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  Speaker 5: extended wet season.
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  Speaker 3: We're still getting rain in the top end, so it's
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  Speaker 3: just all those rule landowners if they can just commence
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  Speaker 3: preparing their properties, like their firebreaks, appropriate fireblakes, and also
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  Speaker 3: just review their bushfire escape plans or bushfire plans. You
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  Speaker 3: can find those on the Bushfire MTE site and the
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  Speaker 3: not the Churtury Police Fight EMERGRIC site.
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  Speaker 2: Are people pretty organized at this point or is it
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  Speaker 2: a bit early to tell.
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  Speaker 5: People should really be considering it.
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  Speaker 3: However, given the rain, it's obviously made their blocks bit
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  Speaker 3: of wet and difficult to slash at this time of year.
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  Speaker 3: So but we are encouraging as soon as they can
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  Speaker 3: get out there, get it done and look after each other,
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  Speaker 3: particularly out in those blocks.
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  Speaker 2: Good stuff. Thank you both so very much for joining
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  Speaker 2: us this morning. Of course, Mark Spain who is the
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  Speaker 2: chief fire officer, and Danny everly lovely to speak to
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  Speaker 2: you both, and if there is anybody out there listening
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  Speaker 2: after more information, it is all thews dot walkoff ww
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  Speaker 2: dot com. Thank you both for your time today.
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  Speaker 5: Thanks Cody, Thanks Katy