The Australian Orienteer – June 2017

JUN E 2 0 17

Gold Rush at WMOC Sprint O or Short O? RRP $8.50 inc GST

2017

Round 1

2

3

Event

Date

Location

1. Middle Distance

11 March

Pittwater, Hobart, TAS

2. Long Distance

12 March

Pittwater, Hobart, TAS

3. Sprint

25 March

Canberra, ACT

4. Middle Distance

26 March

Canberra, ACT

5. Sprint

14-17 April

Oceania Championships Auckland, NZ

6. Long Distance 7. Middle Distance 4

8. Middle Distance

10-12 June

Australian 3-Days Wagga Wagga, NSW

9. Long Distance 10. Sprint 5

6

11. Ultra-Long Distance

26 August

Canberra, ACT

12. Sprint

27 August

Canberra, ACT

13. Sprint – WRE

23 September –

Australian Championships

1 October

Bathurst/Hill End, NSW

14. Relay 15. Middle Distance – WRE 16. Long Distance – WRE

WRE = World Ranking Event

All race details can be found at www.orienteering.asn.au

ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA

The President’s Page Blair Trewin

W

e have seen a successful start to the Australian orienteering season. Of those parts of it I’m personally familiar with, perhaps the highlight has been the weekend in Canberra which contained two National League rounds and the ACT Middle Distance and Sprint Championships. More than 350 people attended each of these events; no-one was quite sure how long it has been since we last saw such a good turnout at an event in the ACT outside a national carnival, but the lowest estimate was at least 30 years. In addition to indicating the strength of the National League as a competition, it also shows continuing growth in local participation – especially for events held close to where orienteers live – and that Sprint and Middle Distance events are now attracting as much interest as the traditional Long Distance format. The Tasmanian events in March at Pittwater were also very successful.

By the time you read this, we will have seen World Orienteering Day, an excellent opportunity to expose our sport to a new audience. As mentioned in my last column, last year we were somewhat constrained in taking full advantage of it because the timing wasn’t favourable for many schools, but this year was better on that front and it is pleasing to see activities taking place in many parts of the country. There’s even an event taking place on a very far-flung piece of Australian territory, Casey Station in Antarctica (there isn’t a lot of daylight at Casey in late May so this one could be particularly interesting). The next challenge will be to build on new interest generated; most States have event programs through the winter months well-suited to doing that.

For many of you, the high point of the competition season so far will have come overseas, at the Oceania Championships and World Masters Orienteering Championships in New Zealand, including an extraordinary day at the WMOC Sprint where we won twelve gold medals (Ugly Gully’s three gold, on their own, outperformed any other country). Whilst we fell just short – again – of becoming the first visiting country since 1994 to bring back an Australia-New Zealand Challenge trophy, there were many excellent results (including a drawn Schools Test match, which showed the promise of several of our younger orienteers), and a lot of you – both younger and older – got your first exposure to orienteering in terrain very different to most of what we deal with in Australia. The continued growth of the Oceania Championships shows the strengthening relationship between Orienteering in Australia and New Zealand, and we can now look forward to our next turn to host, centred on Wagga Wagga in September/October 2019.

The events in New Zealand were the largest, numbers-wise, ever held in our region, and had an excellent atmosphere (notwithstanding the sometimes less-than-excellent weather), even if the numbers (and the weather) created some significant logistical challenges, especially for parking. One area of organisation which I’m sure was appreciated by many was the abundant number of portaloos.

The next three months is the season where our international teams have their major competitions overseas, with the World

Championships in Estonia, the Junior World Championships in Finland, and the World MTBO Championships in Lithuania. At the time of writing, only the MTBO team has been named. A lot of hard work, both from the Team members themselves and from the coaches, is going into getting the best out of the talent we are sending away, and I am sure many of you will be spending quite a few winter evenings online following our performances on the other side of the world.

We farewelled two members of the Orienteering Australia Board at our AGM in Canberra in March. Lance Read has worked very hard to get stronger high performance structures in place during his time in office, whilst Robert Spry has made many contributions, especially in unglamorous-but-important areas such as risk and compliance. I thank both of them for their service and offer my best wishes for their future involvement in the sport. (At the time of writing, we are still looking for replacements). I also thank three departing State Presidents, Felicity Crosato, Bruce Arthur and Jan Fletcher, for their work in building the sport in their respective States.

Finally, I would like to note Orienteering Australia’s sorrow at the recent passing of John Brammall. John’s contribution to the sport was immense, not only in his term as President of Orienteering Australia, but perhaps more so through decades of contribution in Tasmania. Tasmania’s well-deserved reputation for punching well above its weight in the organisation of major events owes a great deal to him, with the 1992 Veteran World Cup (the predecessor to WMOC) only the most visible example. I certainly found John a pleasure to work with, both in Orienteering Australia capacities and in his role as an IOF Event Adviser, and know that he will be greatly missed by the Orienteering community.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 3

Winning PartnershiP

The Australian Sports Commission proudly supports Orienteering Australia The Australian Sports Commission is the Australian Government agency that develops, supports and invests in sport at all levels in Australia.

Orienteering Australia has worked closely with the Australian Sports Commission to develop orienteering from community participation to high-level performance.

AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION 4 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Orienteering Australia is one of many national sporting organisations that has formed a winning partnership with the Australian Sports Commission to develop its sport in Australia.

www.ausport.gov.au

w w w. o r i e n t e e r i n g . a s n . a u Orienteering Australia PO Box 284 Mitchell ACT 2911 President Blair Trewin Director High Performance

Director Finance Bruce Bowen Director Technical Jenny Casanova Director Special Projects

Director Media & Communications Craig Feuerherdt Director International (IOF Council) Mike Dowling Executive Officer John Harding National MTBO Coordinator Kay Haarsma OA Head Coach Jim Russell Badge Applications John Oliver High Performance Administrator Ian Prosser Manager Coach Development Barbara Hill National Sporting Schools Coordinator Jim Mackay Coach & Controller Accreditation Jim Mackay

orienteering@netspeed.com.au oa_president@netspeed.com.au

w: 02 6162 1200

orienteering@netspeed.com.au h: 02 6288 8501 orienteering@netspeed.com.au m: 0427 605 167

craigfeuerherdt@gmail.com 0438 050 074 oa_international@netspeed.com.au orienteering@netspeed.com.au 02 6162 1200 m: 0490 048 031 kayhaarsma@hotmail.com 08 8337 0522 headcoach@orienteering.asn.au 0411 125 178 68 Amaroo Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650 ian.prosser11@gmail.com 0439 668 151 barbara@boldhorizons.com.au 0418 270 476 sportingschools@orienteering.asn.au 0407 467 345 sportingschools@orienteering.asn.au 0407 467 345

STATE ASSOCIATIONS Orienteering Queensland: PO Box 114 Spring Hill QLD 4004. Secretary: David Firman secretary@oq.asn.au Orienteering NSW: PO Box 3379 North Strathfield NSW 2137. Admin Officer: John Murray, Ph. (02) 8736 1252 admin@onsw.asn.au Orienteering ACT: PO Box 402 Jamison Centre ACT 2614. Secretary: Phil Walker, Ph. (02) 6162 3422 office@act.orienteering.asn.au Orienteering Victoria: PO Box 1010 Templestowe VIC 3106. Secretary: Carl Dalheim, voa@netspace.net.au Orienteering SA: State Association House 105 King William St Kent Town SA 5067. Sec: Erica Diment (08) 8379 2914 secretary@sa.orienteering.asn.au Orienteering Western Australia: PO Box 234 Subiaco WA 6094. Secretary: Daisy McCauley oawa.secretary@gmail.com Orienteering Tasmania: PO Box 339 Sandy Bay TAS 7005. Secretary: Peter Cusick secretary@tasorienteering.asn.au Top End Orienteers (Northern Territory): PO Box 39152 Winnellie NT 0821. Secretary: Susanne Casanova topendorienteersNT@gmail.com

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE

July 14. Time-sensitive: July 21

ISSN 0818-6510 Issue 2/17 (no. 186) JUNE 2017

The national magazine of Orienteering Australia Inc. ABN 77 406 995 497 Published four times a year: First day of March, June, September, December. Print Post Approved PP 236080/00011 Editor: Michael Hubbert, P.O. Box 165, Warrandyte, Victoria 3113 mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au Phone (03) 9844 4878 Magazine Design & Assembly: Peter Cusworth, Ph. 0409 797 023 pcusworth53@gmail.com Magazine Treasurer: Bruce Bowen Printer: Ferntree Print, 1154 Burwood Hwy Upper Ferntree Gully.

Contribution deadline: July 14; Time-sensitive – July 21.

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Regular Contributors: Competition – Blair Trewin; MTBO – Kay Haarsma; Official News – John Harding.

Contributions welcome, either directly or via State editorial contacts.

Prior consultation is suggested before preparing major contributions.

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State Editorial Contacts QLD: Liz Bourne – batmaps.liz@gmail.com NSW: Ian Jessup – marketing@onsw.asn.au ACT: John Scown – scown@light.net.au SA: Erica Diment – diment@adam.com.au – tel (ah) 8379 2914 VIC, WA and TAS – vacant Subscriptions: State Association members via State Associations. Contact relevant Association Secretary for details. Other subscribers: Write to The Australian Orienteer, PO‑Box 165, Warrandyte, Vic. 3113. Within Australia: $40 pa. Overseas: Asia/Pacific (inc. NZ) $A49, Rest of World $A58 pa.

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CONTENTS T H E P R E S I D E N T ’ S P A G E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 VA L E J O H N B R A M M A L L.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 0 1 7 O C E A N I A C H A M P I O N S H I P S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2017 WORLD MASTERS – NZ.................... 14 S I A I R + AT 2 0 1 7 A U S C H A M P I O N S H I P S . . . . . . 2 0 SPRINT O OR SHORT COURSE?.................. 22 N O L U P D A T E .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 S C O U T S A D V E N T U R E R A C I N G .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 VICTORIAN MTBO CHAMPIONSHIPS............ 34 LiDAR MAPPING Part 2........................... 36 I A N J O H N S O N – A L I V I N G L E G E N D .. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 9 K E V I N M A L O N E Y – O - S H O P M A N A G E R.. . . . . . . . 4 0 O - S P Y.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 L E T T E R S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6 TOP EVENTS......................................... 47

Cover photo: Jenny Bourne (W60) and Geoff Lawford (M60) each won Gold in the Sprint at WMOC. Photo: John Harding.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 5

Vale John Brammall 8.6.1942 - 28.3.2017 President of Orienteering Australia (2000-2004)

J

ohn was a major player in our sport both in Tasmania, and at the national level, for thirty years. He took a leading role in the organisation of many national events. However, he will be best remembered for his role as Executive Officer of the Organising Committee of the Orienteering Veteran World Cup (precursor to the World Masters Orienteering Championships) that was held in Tasmania in 1992. In this position, and together with John Brock, the Event Director, John was jointly responsible for the outstanding success of the most significant international Orienteering event held in Tasmania and, therefore, was instrumental in cementing Tasmania’s excellent world-wide reputation for national and international event organisation.

Part of his work for this Championships carnival involved making important contacts within the St Helens and East Coast communities, raising the level of knowledge of the sport and gaining the support of businesses and community organisations, thus paving the way for access to land while developing a positive and supportive attitude of the community to our sport.

At the local level, John was a tireless worker, promoting the position of Orienteering as a significant sport in the local community and always looking for opportunities to spread “the word” about the benefits of Orienteering. His role in setting up the very successful and long-running Launceston Schools competition is an excellent example. John was always looking to further the relationships between the north and south of the State and to ensure a “fair go” for EVOC (his club).

John also served in the administration of our sport at both the State and the national level. As well as his administrative role in EVOC, John served as President of Orienteering Tasmania for two years, and also served a most successful four year term as President of Orienteering Australia.

We all know John’s ability to tackle the details of event organisation and course controlling, and we have all appreciated and benefited from his detailed analysis of our local and OST events and courses. However, as well as his meticulous attention to detail he also had the ability to see the big picture and was always looking for ways to promote and improve our sport.

John will be remembered not only for his contribution to the sport but also for his generous nature, his measured advice, his loyalty and his firm friendship to us all. He will be sorely missed.

John Brammall in 2015.

Warwick Moore, Orienteering Tasmania President 1990-1992, 2013-2015.

Valerie Brammall at 2017 WMOC. 6 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

OCEANIA 2017

Cyclone mayhem at Oceania 2017

Aussie class winners were: SPRINT W14A – Mikaela Gray W35A – Melissa Gangemi W45A – Jennifer Enderby W50A – Nicola Dalheim W55A – Gayle Quantock W65A – Jacquie Rand W75A – Ann Ingwersen W85A – Sue Healy M18A – Aston Key M40A – Bruce Arthur M55A – Warren Key M60A – Jeff Dunn M65A – Gordon Wilson M85A – Hermann Wehner

Photos – Thomas Stolberger

LONG DISTANCE W10A – Rebecca Craig W21A – Grace Crane W21E – Jo Allison W55A – Anthea Feaver W60A – Sue Key W65A – Lynn Dabbs W75A – Ann Ingwersen W80A – Maureen Ogilvie M14A – Alvin Craig M18A – Aston Key M40A – Bruce Arthur M55A – Warren Key M75A – Alex Tarr M85A – Hermann Wehner

Cyclone Debbie off the Queensland coast.

MIDDLE DISTANCE W21A – Anna Dowling W55A – Jenny Bourne W65A – Carol Brownlie W75A – Ann Ingwersen M14A – Alvin Craig M18A – Aston Key M75A – Alex Tarr M85A – Hermann Wehner

C

ompetitors were initially warned of landslides on approach roads and potentially sodden parking paddocks, as well as some unmapped landslides on the Middle Distance map. They were also warned of potassium cyanide bait that had been recently laid on the farm to be used for the Middle Distance event.

But orienteers are a hardy lot, resisting all the weather gods could throw at them. After the downpours they were greeted by sun and fine weather, and more than a little mud. And following many months of searching for them even The Wilderpeople emerged from their hiding place to field a team in the MW12 relays, finishing a very creditable 7th. With around 1200 entrants in each of the main events this was the largest Oceania carnival ever.

The Australia – New Zealand Challenge is based on the number of class wins by each nation. Class wins are determined by adding the times of each nation’s top two team members in each nominated class. The Individual Challenge Cup was a close-run contest with NZ winning 37 to AUS 35. The Relay Challenge (Brown Memorial Trophy) was won convincingly by NZ with 15 to AUS 8.

Standout Australian performances were from Ann Ingwersen, Aston Key and Hermann Wehner who won all three events in their respective age classes.

Val Hodsdon - W65.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7

OCEANIA 2017

Matthew Patten (M21E) & Ella Cuthbert (W16).

Natasha Key - W21E.

Oceania Championships Report

By Blair Trewin

T

he 2017 Oceania Championships were held at Easter for the first time, in conjunction with the World Masters Orienteering Championships happening a week later. This combination meant that the Australian contingent was the largest and strongest we have ever sent to New Zealand (in the largest-yet Oceania Championships), but it was still not quite enough to bring either the individual or relay Challenge trophies back from New Zealand.

Australia came desperately close in the individual Challenge to becoming the first visiting country to win since 1994. The final result across the three individual distances was 37 to 35, with it all coming down to two classes in the Middle Distance on the Monday decided by less than a minute; New Zealand took W21 by six seconds, and M55 by 41sec. The Relay was not quite as close, with the home country taking it out 15 to 8 and no particularly close races (at least between Australia and New Zealand).

out by Gene Beveridge and Nick Hann (who missed the Long Distance because of official roles there). Matt Ogden, the only local to take two medals, would nonetheless have been frustrated with his two silvers, letting a three-minute lead slip over the later stages of the Long Distance, and falling 2secs short in the Middle Distance. Apart from Uppill, the best of the Australians was Matt Crane, claiming a fifth and a sixth in his first races for his adopted country, with top-6 results also for Brodie Nankervis in the Sprint and Leon Keely in the Middle Distance. Unlike the women’s, nonOceania runners had little influence on the men’s events with none in the top six in any race.

Aston Key and Ann Ingwersen sweep the board Two Australians managed a clean sweep of Oceania titles in contested classes, Aston Key in M18 and Ann Ingwersen in W75.

Key was especially impressive, dominating both the Sprint and Long Distance events, with margins of 1:38 in the former and 12 minutes in the latter. Only in the Middle Distance was he

Allison the only Australian elite winner Of the six Oceania titles on offer in the elite classes, only one went to an Australian. Jo Allison recovered from a significant mid-course error in the tough sand-dune terrain to come out on top in a fluctuating race in which the top four were separated by just over a minute, just ahead of the German Susen Lösch (also a regular presence at the top end of early-season Australian National League races), local Imogene Scott, and Krystal Neumann. The win gives Allison a personal place in the WOC Long Distance Final if she chooses to take it up.

Desperately close to joining Allison as an Oceania gold medallist was Natasha Key, who was five seconds away from taking out the Middle Distance (doubly frustrating given the aforementioned Team result). Renee Beveridge just held on and will take the regional WOC place. Non-Oceania runners had a significant presence both here and in the Sprint, with Charlotte Watson the fastest in both, leading Liis Johanson (an Australian resident but not yet a citizen) in the latter. Imogene Scott took out the Oceania Sprint gold, with Key and Belinda Lawford sharing the silver 16secs in arrears.

Simon Uppill was a model of consistency but had to settle for a trio of bronze medals, with New Zealanders filling the first two places on each occasion. Those gold and silver medals were shared by five different runners. Uppill was closest in the Sprint, just 11secs behind winner Ross Morrison, whilst the Long and Middle Distances (and their associated WOC places) were taken 8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Zoe Melhuish - W16.

Bruce Arthur - M40.

M40 podium – Bruce Arthur.

MW45 podium – Wendy Read & Jennifer Enderby.

MW65 podium – Gordon Wilson, Jacquie Rand, Valerie Barker, Paul Hoopman.

Oceania Sprint CARRINGTON 1:4000, 2.5m contours M21E map (course 1) JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 9

OCEANIA 2017

Middle Distance terrain.

Middle Distance W20A map (C7) The Rockery 1:10,000, 5m

10 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

seriously challenged, but a fast finish saw him emerge 10secs clear of local Daniel Monckton. Ingwersen’s biggest win came in the Middle Distance, where she was 10mins ahead of the field.

(Hermann Wehner also completed all three M85 events as the only competitor).

The Australians had good days at the Sprint, held at a campus in west Auckland, and in the Long Distance, taking 14 titles on Friday and 13 on the Saturday, but found the going harder in the Middle Distance – perhaps the most alien terrain for the visitors, with limestone formations in steep, slippery farmland – with only seven emerging on top. There were Australian winners in all three individual races in W55 and W65, but in each of those classes, the three gold medals were split between three different people. In W55, Gayle Quantock led off in the Sprint, followed

by Anthea Feaver in the Long Distance and Jenny Bourne in the Middle Distance; whilst in W65 the winners were Jacquie Rand, Lynn Dabbs and Carol Brownlie respectively. (Of these six, only Bourne and Dabbs were outright winners, in classes which faced strong non-Oceania competition from early arrivals for the World Masters).

Four Australians were able to win twice. Bruce Arthur (M40) and Warren Key (M55) both took out the Sprint and Long Distance events – with both having seven-minute wins in the latter – before coming up short in the Middle Distance, whilst Alvin Craig (M14) and Alex Tarr (M75) both did the forest double, also including large wins in the Long Distance. For the three Victorians, these titles were the latest of many; for Craig, they were the most significant successes yet of a blossoming career (and were coupled with a spectacular Relay run, in which he almost pulled off an improbable win on the last leg from 10 minutes down).

Elite women, junior men do well in Relays The Australian elite women’s team added to their good individual results by claiming Relay gold. Natasha Key gave the team a good start by opening up a four-minute lead over New Zealand on the opening leg (although the second Australian team were within a minute at that point), and Belinda Lawford and Jo Allison carried that through to the end, extending the lead to six minutes by the finish line.

The men made a promising start, with Simon Uppill coming in just behind Gene Beveridge on the first leg, but Matt Ogden opened up a five-minute break on Ian Lawford on the second leg

and that was effectively that. In the end it was a 1-2 for the home country, with Chris Forne in a second New Zealand team edging out Matt Crane on the last leg.

There were several good results amongst the junior men, the pick of them being in M18, where two Australian teams fought out a sprint finish, with Aston Key just prevailing over Angus Haines. The M16 team also had a good win, with Dante Afnan and Noah Poland edging in front of their opposition after the first two legs before Tristan Miller blew the margin out to eight minutes on the last leg. Also winning with a strong last leg were the W20 team of Zoe Dowling, Winnie Oakhill and Asha Steer, in something of an upset; they trailed slightly over the first two legs, before Steer took 10 minutes out of Alice Tilley on the last.

M55 was the pick of the remaining classes as a contest. Warren Key gave Australia a useful lead on the first leg, but Ted van Geldermalsen (running for New Zealand on this occasion) hauled in a six-minute gap on Jim Russell to put his team 90secs in front at the two-thirds mark. Geoff Lawford was then able to do the necessary on the last leg to bring his country to the lead and stay there.

Grace Crane - W21E.

Sarah Lim - W18.

Long Distance W21E map (C3) Rototoa 1:15,000, 5m

Peter Yeates (M70), Julie Flynn (W55).

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 11

OCEANIA 2017

Other Oceania gold medals to Australian teams came in M45 and W65. Two composite teams led the way for the first two legs in M45, but Scott Simson and Steve Craig kept the Australian team close enough for Eric Morris to take the lead when those teams dropped away on the final leg. In W65 (as in M18), Australian teams took Oceania gold and silver, with a Canadian team the outright winners, and as in M18, the order of the two teams came down to the finish chute. The eventual goldmedal team, Barbara Tassall, Carol Brownlie and Lynn Dabbs, were eleventh after one leg and still fifth after two, but Dabbs caught a seven-minute gap on Val Hodsdon and won by the narrowest possible margin.

Many of the Australian contingent did themselves proud in foreign terrain, and a number of the juniors showed considerable promise on their first exposure to New Zealand (something which was to be reinforced later in the week with a drawn Schools match in Rotorua). It was not quite enough to bring any major trophies back across the Tasman – perhaps 2021 will be the year.

Brodie Nankervis - M21E.

Caroline Pigerre - W18.

Jarrah Day - M20.

Warwick Davis (M60) squeezes through.

Mason Arthur - M16.

12 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

M55 Relay podium.

W20 Relay podium.

Rotorua Mixed Sprint Relay map – Girls 3 1:4000, 2.5m contours M16 Relay podium.

Relay - Dante Afnan.

The AUS-NZ Schools Test Match

T

his exciting challenge took place at the Middle Earth events in Rotorua on 19-20 April. On 20th April, the Test match event was a Mixed Sprint Relay. Teams of 2 boys and 2 girls ran in the order girl-boy-boy-girl. Both AUS and NZ had 2 Senior teams and 2 Junior teams. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, the Mixed Relay results were voided leaving the results of the Rotorua “Whakarewarewa” event to decide the Test Match.

The Test Match resulted in a draw – AUS 2 : NZ 2.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 13

2017 WMOC

World Masters Orienteering Championships

Gold rush in the Sprint A golden day for Australians at the Sprint Final with no less than 12 gold medals (of 23 available) and a further two Silver and three Bronze medals, including the trifecta in W45 with Natasha Key, Catherine McComb & Jenny Enderby taking the first three places.

MW45 Sprint podium.

And another three Gold medallists in the Long Distance Final – Jo Allison, Natasha Key and Warren Key each did the double, taking Gold in both Sprint and Long Distance events.

AUSSIE GOLD: SPRINT W35 Anna Sheldon W40 Jo Allison W45 Natasha Key W50 Su Yan Tay W60 Jenny Bourne W85 Sue Healy M35 Matt Crane M45 Grant Bluett M55 Warren Key M60 Geoff Lawford M70 Greg Chatfield M90 H ermann Wehner

WMOC Sprint Final – W45 University of Auckland 1:4000, 2m contours

LONG DISTANCE W40 Jo Allison W45 Natasha Key M55 Warren Key

M70-Greg Chatfield.

14 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

MW35 Sprint podium.

A golden week for Australia at the World Masters Orienteering Championships Blair Trewin reports:

T

he day of the World Masters Sprint Final, at the University of Auckland, is one which will not soon be forgotten by those Australians who were there. After a successful day on the complex courses of the qualifying – more complex, as it turned out, than the Final – the more optimistic Australians hoped that the next day might bring three or four gold medals. That number was already on the board after the first few Finals, and it continued to mount as the day continued – to five, to seven, to ten, and finally stopping at twelve, more than half the total on offer. No other country won more than two – a tally surpassed by Queensland’s Ugly Gully club on their own.

The gold medals were most heavily concentrated in the younger age groups, with five of a possible six from M/W45 and below – age groups where most of the Australians are still racing Sprint seriously and regularly at National League level, something which doesn’t have an equivalent in many other countries - but the full age range played its part in a remarkable day on which almost every opportunity was converted. Twelve of Australia’s seventeen medals were gold, and only two of the other five were in classes not won by Australians.

Perhaps the high point of the day was the clean sweep in W45.

Natasha Key has multiple WMOC titles to her name, as well as a top-20 result at last year’s World Championships, and her win

W45 Long-Natasha Key wins.

Sprint traffic.

was no surprise (although her margin of nearly three minutes was). More unexpected was that Australia also filled the silver and bronze medal positions, as Cathy McComb and Jennifer Enderby prevailed in a close contest for the minor placings.

W35 saw an Australian double, through Anna Sheldon and Shannon Jones. The first half was close but Sheldon ran Jones down in the second half of the course, falling just short of catching the one-minute start gap. New Australian, Matt Crane, emerged with his nose in front at the finish of the day’s closest race in M35, hitting the front with five controls to go after trailing by up to 16secs mid-race, and emerging four seconds ahead of Denmark’s Rune Olsen, also well-known to Australians after spending a period living in Melbourne in the late 2000s, whilst Grant Bluett took the M45 honours after another close race, finishing 10secs clear of Bulgaria’s Ivaylo Ivanov after leading narrowly for most of the way. Jo Allison, who showed her good form with the Oceania Long Distance title, demonstrated it over a shorter distance in taking W40 by 29 seconds. M40 was the only one of the ‘young’ classes where Australia was not on top, Dave Shepherd making a costly mistake after leading through halfway, but even there, we did not leave empty-handed, with Bruce Arthur taking bronze. (The other ‘minor’ Australian medal came in W75, where Dale Ann Gordon also won bronze).

Geoff Lawford and Jenny Bourne have both tasted World Masters triumph before against the Europeans on their own soil, so there was a hint of expectation about their victories, if perhaps not about the margins – both M60 and W60 were close for the first half, but the pair both ran excellent times in the last part of the course, probably the most technical, to blow the distances to their nearest rivals out to close to a minute. Su Yan Tay is another to have had previous tastes of triumph at this level. She left it late in W50 this time around, not taking the lead until the last couple of minutes of the race, but was clean through the final few controls as Yvette Baker and Marquita Gelderman wobbled and missed out on the hosts’ best chance of gold on the day.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 15

2017 WMOC

M90 - Hermann Wehner(Qual 2).

WMOC Sprint Qual – M60 University of Auckland 1:4000, 2m contours

M55 Sprint podium-Warren Key. 16 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

For the oldest competitors, just being there is a triumph. The oldest age groups at the World Masters, which this year were M90 and W85, had two competitors apiece, and in each of those age groups, one was an Australian.

Both of them emerged on top on the Sprint day.

Australians will need no introduction to Hermann Wehner’s capabilities – even as he approaches his 93rd birthday, he is still able to manage a respectable jog in the Finish chute. Sue Healy is also a stalwart of the Victorian scene. We thought we might not see much more of her after she broke her leg during the 2014 Australian Championships carnival, but within 12 months she was back in action, and on this day she came out on top after her opponent lost time in the closing controls.

Perhaps the most surprising gold medal of all came in M70.

Before the championship week started, most would have expected that if there were to be an Australian medal, it would most likely come from Ross Barr, winner of last year’s nationals by more than three minutes. Despite injury in the lead-up, he reinforced that by winning his qualifying race, but on Finals day lost time early and late and was never in the picture. Greg Chatfield qualified 13th in his heat, and when he came in, two-thirds of the way through the start order, with the fastest time of the day so far, it was assumed by all that this was merely a staging post. There were still 25 higher-ranked qualifiers out there with the potential to overtake his time, but one by one, they all fell by the wayside (and when someone, Great Britain’s Peter Gorvett, finally did come in with a faster time, he turned out to have mispunched), and

Long Distance Final – W40 Hedley Dunes 1:10,000, 2.5m contours

when the action was over the Queenslander had emerged as a most unexpected world champion.

For the Long Distance the action moved to the sand dunes of Woodhill, famous orienteering territory to New Zealanders and the scene of several AustraliaNew Zealand competitions over the years (and the Oceania Championships in 2005). Living up to the performances of the Sprint was always going to be a near-impossibility and it didn’t happen, but three of the Australian Sprint gold medallists were still able to back up to take the Long Distance too. Warren Key cut it very fine in M55, building up a two-minute margin, losing it in a low-visibility area late in the course, but finishing just fast enough to emerge six seconds ahead of Sweden’s Christer Skoog. Natasha Key also withstood some nervous moments late to finish two minutes

W35 - Shannon Jones at Q2 Start.

clear of the W45 field, whilst Jo Allison had caught her nearest W40 rival, Estonia’s Merike Vanjuk, by halfway and was rarely troubled thereafter.

Two of the other Australian Sprint gold medallists, Anna Sheldon and Hermann Wehner, had to settle for bronze and silver respectively on the Long Distance day. Once again Australia filled two steps on the W35 podium, but this time they were the two lower steps, with Shannon Jones and Sheldon finishing behind Finland’s Paivi Autio. The Australian monopoly on W45 medals was broken, but only just – this time another Finn, Sanna Nymalm (who had mispunched in the Sprint) got silver, but Jennifer Enderby got her second bronze of the week (and made it six medals out of six for the campaign as a whole). Four Australians finished in the top-10 in this age group, with Clare Hawthorne and Cathy McComb also picking JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 17

2017 WMOC

up single-digit placings. The remaining Australian Long Distance medal went to Dave Shepherd, who partially made up for his Sprint disappointment with a bronze in M40, on a day when no-one was able to get close to former Finnish WOC representative Petteri Muukkonen.

Sweden won the largest share of Long Distance medals, with seventeen in total, eight of them gold. The Long Distance also saw the first gold medal for the locals when Carey Nazzer took out W55. New Zealand also won numerous silver and bronze medals in both Sprint and Long Distances. Bill Edwards and Marquita Gelderman both stood on the podium twice, Karl Dravitzki and Greg Flynn took silver and bronze in the M35 Long Distance (in which both Matt Crane and Rune Olsen crashed out of contention early in the course), and there were also medals for Ross Brighouse, Carsten Joergensen and Alistair CoryWright. (Meanwhile, Rob Garden was using Woodhill Forest for other purposes, taking silver in mountain biking).

The events were an outstanding success for New Zealand orienteering. With over 1700 competitors, they were the largest events ever to take place in Oceania, and by some margin the largest World Masters Championships outside Europe. The terrain, both urban and forest, was excellent, and the races came off without any obvious blemishes, even with the sometimes daunting logistics of such large numbers.

M65 - Mike Calder punches.

M45 - Jon McComb.

M90 Hermann Wehner-Gold.

Jenny Enderby W45 Sprint bronze.

M60 Long-Geoff Hudson.

18 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

M65 Long-Peter Shepherd.

The giant moa gives Jim Russell a peck on the head.

Long Distance Qual – M55 Temu Road 1:10,000, 2.5m contours

W75 - Ann Ingwersen.

W50 - Wendy Read.

Long Qual terrain JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 19

2017 AUS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Touchless punching available at Australian Orienteering Carnival Barbara Junghans Australian Carnival Director

SIAC contactless Finish.

Y

ou are all familiar with the current style of SPORTident ‘stick’ carried on your finger. There have been a number of iterations of this ‘classic’ style, from SI-card 5 (having sufficient memory to record 30 punches and with a punching time of 0.33 secs) up to SI-Card 11 (recording 128 punches and with a punching time of 0.06 secs). But, technology moves on. That bumbling around, trying to get your rectangular SI-stick neatly into a round hole in the control unit until the familiar beep sounds can be a thing of the past.

The latest is the SPORTident Active Card or SIAC. Despite the stick having the same appearance, recording capacity and download time as the SI-card 11, there is one distinct difference: Data transfer takes place without even touching the control station. This is the reason that the SIAC is also called “AIR+”.

SPORTident AIR+ was used at the Easter 2016 Sprint event - the first time in a major event in Australia. Comments about the use of this system were very favourable amongst the Elite competitors (many of which had also used the system at Sprint Canberra earlier in the year).

Yes, you can save a second or two or even three at every control! The SIAC has a small battery inside to give the competitor both visual and acoustic feedback that your attendance at the control has been electronically noted. The International Orienteering Federation has approved Air+ for Foot-O and MTBO – for instance it was used at the 2015 World Championships. The era of contactless control punching, or SI Air+, has arrived! And if you do not have your own, over 400 SIACs will be available for a small hire fee at the AUS Carnival as part of entry using Eventor.

20 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

At Easter this year, the famous English Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering was conducted using ‘mixed punching’. This festival attracts about 4,000 orienteers of all abilities. Mixed punching will also be used at all events in this year’s Australian Orienteering Championships and the Bathurst 3-Day Carnival. So what is mixed punching?

Thankfully, those BSF7/8 control stations sitting atop the control stand remain the same and can process either classic or active battery powered Air+ cards during an event – hence the term ‘mixed punching’. The classic punching process involves (i) the competitor placing their SI stick into the hole in the control unit, (ii) the unit reading the competitor’s stick, and finally (iii) the unit writing that control’s code number and time of day onto the competitor’s stick. With SIAC, the same BSF7/8 control station can be put into beacon mode and transmit its own unique identification code plus the time of day to the SIAC card which is actually a radio receiver. This takes place spontaneously for any SIAC that comes within 50cm of the control unit – it’s often termed “proximity punching”. Most, if not all, control stations in current use in Australia were made SI Air-capable some time ago during regular firmware upgrades. However, the SIAC stick will not download competitor data onto the control station unless the organisers have configured the control station to collect it.

What does the competitor have to do when using a SIAC? If you purchase your own SIAC, it can be personalised and some personal data stored. Unlike the classic stick, at every event a SIAC battery check is your first task, and is best done at the event centre rather than at the Start. Then you know the status of your stick and whether you will need to do the day’s course in Air+ mode or in the default classic punch-in-the-hole mode. Second, your SIAC will have to be turned on - once you are at the Start and ‘Cleared’, the Air+ mode will automatically turn itself ‘on’ as part of the CHECK process. At the same time, your SIAC number is captured by the Check unit itself so organisers know you are about to go out on your course. Lastly, at the end of the event, the Air+ mode

SIAC Contactless Timing.

will automatically switch itself ‘off’ at the FINISH punch ….

WARNING do not go close to the Finish control unless you intend to finish as the organisers can set the range of the Air+ beacon as wide as 3m.

These Check/Finish on/off features have been designed to minimise drain on the SIAC‘s battery. Naturally, you must still go the Download station in the Finish Tent. Interestingly, during Foot-O many competitors customarily carry their SIAC on the middle or index finger with the stick on the palm side, so that the SIAC swishes directly above the control station when they simply reach their hand outwards palm side down.

Back to the question whether mixed punching is fair. Many sports are conducted with different competitors having an advantage because they invested more in the accoutrements of their sport. The organising committee for the Australian Orienteering Carnival to be held in Hill End and Bathurst this September has decided that with the announcement of mixed punching in the Invitation/Bulletin #1, plus the availability of hire SIACs when entering through Eventor, every competitor has had 6 months notice. Along with the promotions via other media, we believe there is sufficient time for any competitor to avail themselves of a SIAC one way or another if they want one. There will be at least 400 SIACs for hire.

So, do you want to give SIAC a go? Feeling progressive? To help competitors get their head around the system, the Australian Orienteering Carnival organisers will have a ‘SIAC demonstration micro-course’ with battery-check, Clear/Check controls, a couple of on-the-course controls plus a Finish control available at the Carnival early on each day. That way you can do a dummy run and be confident the system will work for you during the real events. Details of the SIAC demonstration micro-course will be in the Program early September. In addition, you can look at these two short YouTube videos: (i) “SIAC how to use” https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=IXcNO-C94pg. (ii) “Make orienteering faster“ https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=tzXaAVGXHIc ”SPORTident“ https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=tzXaAVGXHIc ”Active Card” https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=tzXaAVGXHIc Any inquiries, please email Barbara Junghans on info.auschamps2017@onsw.asn.au

Your immediate thoughts?

• How close to the control unit does the competitor have to be?

For example, can you register your attendance at a control placed at the base of a rock face when you are standing on the top of the rock face, or, when standing on the wrong side of an uncrossable fence? No. The organisers can control the active range of every individual control unit.

• What if the battery inside the SIAC dies? The stick instantly reverts to classic mode. You will know because the tip of your Air+ stick no longer flashes nor sounds a beep. The estimated battery life is about 4 years if it is used at about 40 events per year, and the battery can be replaced by a qualified service agent.

• Can anything interfere with the data transfer mid-air?

Perhaps. GPS-capable devices including GPS watches have an antenna and on some devices this can significantly reduce the sensitivity of the SIAC and interfere with its operation. Hence, wear or place your GPS device on the opposite side to the hand carrying the SIAC. In MTBO it is also important you do not place the SIAC near leads going from a battery to an LED lamp as the leads might be poorly protected and can then act as an antenna and interfere with the SIAC’s operation.

• Is mixed punching fair? Well, those of us with the old cute red SI-stick have been losing over ¼ sec at each control already. Why don’t we upgrade? We could just run/walk a tad faster? Lashing out and spending a lot of money on O-shoes with spikes gains heaps more time going down the forest floors strewn with leaflitter than any SI-stick purchase would have. Thus, purchasing a SIAC is not an imperative unless physically you have no capacity to run faster anywhere around your course. In that case, the second or two made up at every control when using a SIAC will make a significant difference and give the owner a competitive advantage. Not having to fumble around at the control unit, particularly if it is crowded, might be a blessing in itself? It’s your call.

Brisbane

Brisbane

Hill End

Sofala

Orange Melbourne

Blayney Canberra Melbourne

Bathurst event centre

Lithgow

Sydney

Lyndhurst

www.onsw.asn.au/ozchamps2017 The Aus O Carnival including the Bathurst 3 day has something for everyone, even those who are not a champion like me. There’s also so many other things to do, such as goldmining history, arts trails, car museums, adventure playgrounds, food, wine..

Sat 23 Sept Sun 24 Sept Tue 26 Sept Wed 27 Sept Thu 28 Sept Sat 30 Sept Sun 1 Oct

I should probably book accommodation soon, because the car races fill the town early. Or maybe I’ll save money and get cheap lodging at the private Tent Town. There’s even a tent and bedding if I forget to bring my own!

Australian Sprint Champs Australian Middle Distance Champs Australian Schools Champs & Bathurst 1 Australian Schools Sprints & Bathurst 2 Australian Schools Relays & Bathurst 3 Australian Long Distance Champs Australian Relay Champs JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 21

VENICE COURSEOSETTING

Sprint O is the newest format of Orienteering; short and fast – like T20 cricket.

T

hese areas/maps are most commonly found in campus style venues: universities, larger colleges, hospitals, complex older urban street settings, or in densely detailed gardens and parks – the latter two particularly apparent in some of the old and historic town centres and formal gardens in Europe. Certain bush maps may qualify.

Sometimes we rock up to a ‘Sprint’ event but find it’s really a Short Course

Sprint O or Short Course ?

They’re very different kinds of Orienteering Ross Barr (Garingal, NSW)

With another full season of Summer Series, Park & Street, Score, Sprint, Scatter and Short Course orienteering now well behind us, it might be timely to look at these growing and popular Series – and in particular, to look at the growth of ‘Sprint’ series to see what we are really getting.

22 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Sprint involves constant route choice decision-making in areas of low visibility, complexity, high detail levels and full deployment of the unique Sprint mapping symbols (Out-OfBounds olive, uncrossable walls, fences and gardens, etc).

But sometimes when we rock up to a ‘Sprint’ event, we find we are really only getting a ‘Short Course’ event. By this I mean a course best characterised by a lack of route choice on many legs, with running speed being the key attribute needed for success.

Many of Sprint O’s other features (short legs, changes of direction, etc) may be evident in Short Course, but without route choice options - it really isn’t Sprint Orienteering.

The great thing about Short Course O, however, is that it is an ideal introduction to line courses for those people I call ‘rustedon’ summer series folk – people accustomed to score or scatter courses. And it’s a lead-in to bush line courses for the regulars.

Newcastle do this nicely in February-March each year with their ‘Park Tour’.

There are some critical differences It is important for setters, controllers and participants to understand the critical differences between Sprint O and what I call Short Course O.

As background, I subscribe to the David May (UK) school of Sprint O thinking – see the link at the end of this article for a detailed explanation. In brief, each leg of a Sprint course is awarded a score: 0 means the leg has no route choice; 3 means it has multiple routes and complexity. Have a look at some Sprint events you did recently and apply the same scoring to them.

What’s the average score per leg? Hmmmm.

There have been many recent events where the area is perfect for Short Course setting, and plenty of areas that beg for campusstyle Sprint O. The difference is mainly that between an open park or urban reserve setting, and a densely ‘built’ environment – and the ability to create route choice legs. To better illustrate my point, perhaps a couple of good examples: ‘Sydney Park’ in St Peters (a Uringa club map) is an excellent area for Short Course setting - lots of lawns, pathways, ponds, play areas, ovals and light timber bush areas that are great for fast running and looping, but which, at best, are only able to offer the most rudimentary route choice (David May’s ‘Quality 1’ – left or right options, both easy to identify). Winners there tend to be the fastest runners.

Sydney, Macquarie and NSW Universities, by contrast, offer dense and complex built environments, with all the elements (stairs, level changes, canopies, OOB walls, fences and garden beds, etc) present for exciting Sprint Orienteering. Winners here, although also needing speed, can often be from a wider range of abilities, with the need for detailed and accurate map reading (and making instant route choices) paramount.

I’m sure all Australian cities and large towns will have similar terrain diversity. Our large university and technical college campus maps, and many of our larger schools, provide a wide range of challenging Sprint material, with many of our local parks and reserves providing the Short Course stuff. The key difference, and what makes a ‘Sprint’ area, is always the ability of the map to offer course planners the ability to set route choice puzzles, the ‘Quality 1’s’, the 2’s and (if you’re lucky) the ‘Quality 3’ legs.

Although I see the difference in terrain offering two different forms of Orienteering, many courses over recent ‘Sprint’ seasons

seem to confuse the two. Short O course thinking and planning, regularly appearing on Sprint calendars, where following ‘line astern’ from one control to the next is not a mental puzzle – just a physical one. The most regrettable outcome perhaps, is the use (misuse?) of a campus environment with courses that have little route choice. Such an opportunity lost, and often after getting permission to use the area has been difficult.

So, in summary, nothing wrong with Short Courses, but please don’t call them Sprint O. The key Sprint elements of built environment, low visibility, route choice and quick thinking must continue to define what is one of the quickest growing and most popular forms of our sport.

With Short O, we seem to have given birth to a new (and enjoyable/wonderful) cousin, and, as a side issue, this could well be something to strongly, and separately, promote. There could be excellent traction with this style of Short Course thinking in: • a lunchtime city ‘Corporate Cup’ style series; • parks where Orienteering is offered as an introductory activity; • practising ‘red-line’ running.

Food for thought !!

For David May’s article on Sprint course setting, see: https:// docs.google.com/file/d/0B7Xz1JfXw5gyR0VicVJYRk1meEE/ edit and For an IOF presentation on Sprint course setting, see: https:// docs.google.com/file/d/0B7Xz1JfXw5gyX3hmTlJXZjlaTmc/edit (EDITOR’S NOTE: Ross is the only dual winner of the CSOTY (Course Setter of the Year) award for NSW State League events. The 2015 award was for his NOL Sprint courses at UNSW. Ross will be setting the course at the 2017 Australian Sprint Championships at CSU Bathurst on September 23.)

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 23

COURSE SETTING

Most legs are Short Course style

24 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Mostly Sprint O legs

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 25

Emergency: 0418 270 476

COURSE SETTING

orienteering map of

Course closure: 12pm

TheLong Hills Grammar School Line scale 1:2500

100m

0 magnetic north

9

contour interval 2 metres

WWW.BOLDHORIZONS.COM.AU

14

1

SOS6 T1 2017 THGS Long Line-1

3.2 km

8 58 9 59

For more information on orienteering see www.onsw.asn.au

10 60

8

15

1 51

11 71

2 52

12 61

3 53

13 62

4 54

14 72

5 55

15 63 0m

6 56 7 57

1

7

13

5

2

Some Sprint O legs but mostly Short Course style

6 3 4

contours building canopy sealed area sealed path small path track high fence fence manmade object cliff rockface boulder boulder cluster boulder field bare rock 26 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

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10 This map was produced with funding assistance from the Australian Department of Health and Ageing.

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Ken

thu

rst R

oad

Fieldwork and cartography by Dave Lotty from Grammar School plans June/August 2008 extensively revised from Nearmap information in December 2014

steps footbridge garden open area semi open area rough open area forest dense forest

NOL

Canberra Cockatoos lead the way again Blair Trewin

T

he Canberra Cockatoos are once again leading the way in the Senior team competitions in the National Orienteering League. Their depth came to the fore in the three rounds contested at the Oceania Championships in New Zealand, where some other teams were depleted either because their members did not travel across the Tasman, or were running in Australian teams in older age groups.

The Cockatoos men have a perfect score after seven rounds.

Their nearest rivals are the Southern Arrows, boosted by Simon Uppill winning six of the seven rounds, but it is hard to see a gap of 18 points being closed. The women’s competition is a bit closer, with the Cockatoos 12 points ahead of the Victorian Nuggets, and with the Cockatoos’ two British imports, Charlotte Watson and Katie Reynolds, now gone from the scene for the year, the title race is still alive. The Queensland Cyclones are not completely out of range either.

Uppill is dominating the individual competition, with Matt Crane a distant second.

The women’s competition looks more interesting.

Whilst Watson, who has won five of the seven races, is well out in front at present, she is unlikely to add to her score. The chasing pack, with Natasha Key and Krystal Neumann at its head, has six within 31 points. One noteworthy Simon Uppill result was Jo Allison’s win at the Oceania Long Distance Championships, which took her to 42 career National League wins, equalling the record shared by Hanny Allston and Julian Dent.

Aston Key is well on top in the Junior men’s competition with five wins, including a clean sweep at Oceania, but maiden victories during the season to Joseph Dickinson and Toby Wilson have introduced some new talent to the ranks. The NSW Stingers, Tassie Foresters and Canberra Cockatoos are fighting out a close battle in the team competition.

The Foresters and the Queensland Cyclones are fighting a two-way contest in the Junior women’s event, whilst Tara Melhuish’s sweep at Oceania has given her the lead, overtaking Zoe Dowling, who won three of the first four rounds.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 27

DEVELOPMENT

Scouts Adventure Racing Geoff Hudson

The Suburban Adventure Series that we run in Melbourne is now, arguably, the biggest park-street series in Melbourne – and perhaps in all of Australia. This article provides a brief overview of what we set out to achieve, how it has evolved over the years and why we think it’s been so successful. We’re hoping that by sharing this information that others may see similar opportunities and give some of these ideas a try.

Background

I

n 5-6 years of scouting, my sons made many friends and took part in a wide range of activities but I was surprised at how little they learned in the area of navigation. Most kids that leave scouting know the main points on a compass, may be able to walk a bearing, can identify basic map symbols and have a very basic understanding of contours (i.e. they know that close contours mean steep terrain and they can find the top of a hill – but little else). When we told scout leaders about the training provided to Orienteering juniors – and described the confident and capable youngsters that graduate from this program, they were very keen to see if such ideas could be adopted within scouting. They agreed that we could provide a scout-sponsored park-street series to see how it might work.

Thus, the Suburban Adventure Series started 7 years ago with an initial turnout of just 15 people – all of whom were regular orienteers. It took almost two months of advertising before the first scouts turned up – but the activity was an immediate hit with them and their leaders. Right from the beginning, we determined what worked and what did not after every event; being a small group, technically astute and privately operated, we were able to innovate quickly.

Our recently completed summer series averaged just under 170 people per event in a total of 24 events – with total participation of 4040. Of particular interest is that a substantial number of 28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

the scouts that take part come back in the following weeks with Mum, Dad, brothers and sisters. At this time, we have about 130 regulars – many of whom are parents that saw what their son or daughter was doing and decided that their whole family should take part from then on.

But what about the impact on volunteers?

I recently travelled interstate and visited a mid-week event that was being run nearby. Introducing myself to those present I mentioned the Suburban Adventure Series that we run for the scouts in Melbourne. I was a little surprised by the response – “Don’t even think about trying that stuff here – we’re already flat out just running the current stuff – we don’t need extra work”.

It’s true – our sport is run by a relatively small number of enthusiastic individuals – the ever-reliable regulars that turn up to set courses, put out controls and run events. As we were even smaller, we set out from day one to provide an entertaining (and educational) program requiring as little organisational effort as possible. Here’s how …….

registers, who downloads and the result displays tell us who is still out. This allows our volunteers to focus on newcomers – to meet and greet, to help them register and to brief them on the activity and basic navigation skills.

Use of Technology Hardware Anyone that’s done it is intensely aware of the manpower required to check and score traditional punch cards. Six years ago, before our 2nd season started, we invested about $1500 to purchase a set of electronic timing units produced by the Russian company SFR. Priced at about one third of the cost of SI units, the key advantage of this system is that the tags used are industry standard – and being mass produced, they were low cost. We initially purchased 10 tags from SFR to see how they worked, but since then we’ve made our own. Our initial attempts were truly awful, but they worked; and they only cost us 28 cents each. Since then, we’ve made around 1200 tags - 700-800 for regulars and 400 for newcomers/scouts that come along. Our current tags still cost less than $1 each.

Volunteers help scouts register.

Helping scouts CLEAR tags.

Russian SFR control system

Software We initially used free software provided by SFR; it seemed to work OK, but it was terribly hard to use. So we wrote our own event management software – a self-service event management system that allows regulars to check-in, self-start, download and then head for home if they so choose. Over the years, we’ve added audible responses (i.e. the system talks to you if you make a mistake), splits tickets, the ability to broadcast results to nearby displays and automatic publication of online results and splits.

The current system consists of a set of boxes, each of which has its own power and a single ON/OFF switch. All of these communicate wirelessly so there is no need to run power or communications cables; just put the box on a table and turn it ON. When the event is finished, turn each OFF and close the box.

Once switched ON, the system is entirely self-service - our 120 regulars look after themselves – the system keeps track of who

Volunteers help scouts.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 29

DEVELOPMENT

Blackburn Lake Map reduced to 87%

Automate Administrative Processes Initially, we set up a paper-based system to record information from newcomers; transferring information from poorly written cards into a spreadsheet was a truly mindless task – missing details, incorrect or unreadable email addresses and so on. As I completed one evening’s cards – a particularly poor set – I decided to automate this. As things turned out, producing a web-based form that validated user-inputs and then captured them in an online file took less than two hours. So much better than the paper-based approach!

But wait, there’s more …. anyone that’s been to a ParkRun event cannot help but be impressed by their ability to engage with newcomers – to email them after their first event and congratulate them for taking part and to direct them to online reports and results. With automated capture of email addresses, sending a welcoming message to new attendees is an easy next step.

30 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Simplified Maps Right from the outset, we decided that we would differentiate ourselves from Park & Street orienteering in Melbourne by providing well maintained colour maps that were more detailed than the Park & Street maps commonly used. More comprehensive maps that showed key features and obvious vegetation boundaries allowed us to set much more interesting courses. Finally, we recognised that the complex array of colours, dot fills and parallel lines used in Orienteering were far more complex than we needed – and we simplified vegetation to open ground (white), sandy soil (light yellow) and varying degrees of green to indicate vegetation.

The key point here is that one can provide children with a navigational training experience on a map that is substantially simpler than a typical bush orienteering map. While our first maps were produced one per week, in subsequent years, we’ve had time to revisit these maps and upgrade them for the next series. We now have around 68 colour maps – most at 1:7500, but an increasing number at 1:4000 with appropriately higher detail.

How do we get Scouts Along?

You can’t do this alone - our series works because we teamed up with some incredibly hard-working scout leaders – leaders who could see the potential in our series and were prepared to help. Scouting has its own communications network and we needed to use this to tell scout groups that we were around; with help from these leaders we gained access to those channels.

You have to do this early - Scout leaders plan their program 3-4 months in advance; any fixture you produce has to be circulated to them well before this time.

You have to increase your catchment area - our initial series ran in the local district of Whitehorse. As time progressed, we realised that there was a lot of interest in adjacent areas, but these groups were too far from us to transport their group to our events.

Our current fixture was designed to help these groups – while the majority of our events are in Whitehorse, we run at least one event to the North, East, South and West – both before and after the Xmas break. While we don’t go right to them, these groups recognise that we’re meeting them half-way and make the effort to come along. Several enthusiastic groups now attend an event prior to Xmas and then come back again in the New Year.

Keep charges low - we don’t charge children for taking part.

We charge each adult attending $2 – an amount that covers the cost of their map and (sort of) pays for 9 maps that we give to kids. Anybody that has ever started a business understands the concept of loss-leader pricing and this is an example that has worked spectacularly well. In spite of offering free entry to scouts and children, our series still grosses around $6000 per year –

Concentration at the start.

more than enough to cover running costs and provide a generous dividend to local youth groups.

Make it easy for scout leaders - it’s a night off for the scout leader, many of whom go out for a run too. When that leader plans his program for the next term, he will ensure that at least one of his nights is allocated to our series. Many of our adult regulars are scout leaders or ex-leaders that now come along to enjoy themselves.

Finn’s Reserve Large scale map for Cubs & Joeys

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 31

DEVELOPMENT

Promotion - most of us recognise that promotional activities in Orienteering are inward facing. We advertise via websites, fixtures and email broadcasts to existing orienteers. This series provides us with the opportunity to promote outwards – to people that have never done Orienteering before. As parents arrive to drop their children off at scouts, we give them a leaflet explaining the activity and inviting them to take part. Each Tuesday evening, as we complete the weekly results/report, we send a template email to scout leaders and ask them to forward this to youth members and parents, so they can see how they did in our event.

Where to from here?

Geoff Hudson helps joeys at finish.

Ask Scout Groups to Help - initially, all we asked scout groups to provide was access to a hall and toilets.

When one group provided a BBQ as a fund-raising activity, the atmosphere in the assembly area changed dramatically. In recent years, we’ve asked scout groups to take more responsibility when they run an event – to contact nearby groups and ask them to come along, to provide the hall as before and to run a BBQ at every event. For two years now, scout leaders have met us on the morning of the event and helped put out controls.

Let other scout sections come along - initially, we ran this activity for scout-age kids only – 11-14 year olds.

As compensation, we ran an annual Cub Adventure Day for cubs – a one-day training activity for younger kids.

In the last two years, we’ve recognised that younger kids want to come along – and we’ve prepared more detailed 1:2000 maps of the areas adjacent to the assembly area.

When laminated with an aerial photo on one side and a 1:2000 map on the other, these maps provide an easy introduction to spatial awareness and understanding maps for young children. After the event, we leave the maps and details of how they can be used for games/ training activities with the local cub leaders.

Download table.

32 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Organisational structure - our series runs as well as it does due to the philanthropic nature of many regular orienteers, rogainers and scout leaders. Without being asked, these people have come along and taken on a role willingly – because they recognise the contribution that this series makes to the local community. The series is, however, vulnerable to the loss of key people – and a key activity must be to establish a more permanent structure that reduces these key-person risks to an acceptable level.

Girl Guides with tags.

Impact on coaches - 3-4 of our events this year put our volunteer workforce under an incredible amount of pressure. One event had an estimated attendance of around 500 – about 350 of which were kids that needed to be trained. Faced with such numbers one must engage with local leaders and get them to help out.

Train the Trainers - providing a Level 0 Coaching Course in teaching navigation to young children is an obvious first step. Done properly, the basic navigation skills required for Orienteering will become part of their skills-training program.

Standard programs for scout leaders - leaders plan their evening as a series of activities and games. We plan to provide them with a program that prepares them to take part in our series.

If they run this program 1-2 weeks before coming along to our event, it should reduce the impact on our coaches.

Training video - a lot of what we teach is pretty mechanical – i.e. how to put an eTag on your finger, what to do when you reach a control, checking in at the beginning, checking out at the end.

We plan to commission a professionally produced video that will show kids and leaders what happens at our events. Once again, this should reduce the load on volunteers.

Parking/traffic control - embarrassingly, we caused considerable traffic disruption at one of our events. To avoid a

repeat of this, we’ll have to schedule events in areas with better parking, provide traffic management and parking assistance and perhaps limit the numbers that can take part.

Queues at Controls - our current controls require participants to press a red button – and many little kids struggle to do this quickly. This causes congestion around controls – a frustration for orienteers that get held up for too long. Even though the kids will stand to one side to let a runner through, there are still delays.

The SFR controls we use can provide touch-free support – a la SI-Air and this might help. In addition, we’re building a new range of controls based on iBeacons that might eliminate queuing altogether.

Queues at Registration/Download - currently we have one computer that handles both registration and download. This is no problem for regulars – as the system is entirely self-service (i.e.

NO operator required). This strategy does not work as well for visitors and little kids – the process of removing the eTag from their finger, placing it over the download control, taking their split ticket and dropping the used tag into a bucket is just too hard for first timers. Fortunately, we have two wonderful ladies who come along each week and provide a cheerful greeting to kids as they go through the Finish process.

Conclusion Each Tuesday evening we review the photos taken earlier that night. As we looked at these pictures one evening, I pointed out a scout sprinting into the Finish. As the lad downloaded his tag he gave me a beaming smile and said “That was awesome!”.

More than enough compensation for our efforts ……….

Punching the finish control.

The Australian WOC JWOC and MTBO teams outfitted by Trimtex

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 33

MOUNTAIN BIKE ORIENTEERING

Wheeling through Woowookarung The Victorian MTBO Championships

By Kay Haarsma Photos: Don Cherry

Glen Charlton (NSW) will make his World Championships debut in Lithuania.

T

he Victorian MTBO Championships were also round 1 of the 2017 National MTBO Series and the main selection trial for the WMTBOC & JWMTBOC teams. The Sprint & Middle Distance events were raced in the forests of Ballarat’s “Woowookarung” (formerly Canadian State Forest) and the Long Distance at “Barkstead” on the western edge of Wombat Forest. The day before had seen a good number of riders do some training organized by Kay Haarsma in Ballarat.

There were questions to be answered. Would 19 year-old Lucy Mackie, 5th at JWMTBOC last year, continue her improvement and threaten the supremacy of Carolyn Jackson in elite women?

Would Angus Robinson make a successful return at the top level after a foot injury derailed his 2016 campaign? Would there be some new talent around to cause excitement? The answers were yes to each.

Lucy Mackie took the initiative in the Sprint with a 65-second victory over Carolyn, with Marina Iskhakova a distant 3rd. Lucy looked fit and fast and this was proven as she won 12 of the 18 splits but also had significant time losses on two legs. The tables were reversed in the Middle Distance with Carolyn having a 90-second win over Lucy. A loss of almost three minutes by Lucy on one different route choice proved crucial.

The Long Distance at Barkstead was on quite different terrain with route choices being even more vital. Carolyn Jackson caught Fergus Mackie (NSW) will be lining up for his second Junior World Championships.

34 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

up four minutes on Lucy Mackie early on in the forest but Lucy then put the hammer down to draw away and win by 2mins.

Tellingly, Lucy won 10 of the 14 splits. An improved result by Marina saw her win three splits for her best race of the carnival to be only another 90secs adrift in 3rd.

In the initial race, the fast & furious Sprint, Angus Robinson displayed the confidence of a JWMTBOC world Sprint champion to win by 99 seconds over WA’s Ricky Thackray, taking 8 of the 20 splits. The ‘bolter’ from last year, 16 year-old Fergus Mackie, again was mixing it well with the big boys, winning 7 splits and being just 14secs further adrift in 3rd. However the final two races were dominated and won by Ricky Thackray in probably his best NOL performance to date. Ricky navigated wisely and kept his head under pressure. His fitness was high, as proven by recent high places in MTB XC and marathon events in both WA & Alice Springs. Ricky was 3:40 ahead of Fergus in the Middle Distance.

In the Long Distance at Barkstead, the tracks were sometimes a little difficult due to strewn sticks and a deep covering of leaf litter. Ricky won 8 of the 14 splits despite losing major time on leg #8, and held off Fergus, who won 6 splits, by just over a minute.

Angus Robinson looked to lack endurance fitness in the Long Distance but his emphasis at WMTBOC will be on the shorter events and as the Long Distance is the day before the Sprint he Jack Wigney from Bendigo is an exciting prospect for the future after some outstanding rides in Ballarat.

Australian MTBO team for World Championships in Lithuania Elite: Glen Charlton (NSW); Angus Robinson (VIC); Ricky Thackray (WA).

Junior: Lucy Mackie (NSW); Fergus Mackie (NSW).

Coach: Kay Haarsma. Manager: Hamish Mackie Angus Robinson, JWMTBOC Sprint gold medallist in 2015, will be racing elites for the first time after a foot injury prevented him from taking part in 2016. Glen Charlton is making his WMTBOC debut.

World Cup selection

M

arina Iskhakova (ACT) has been selected to compete in the MTBO World Cup round in Orleans, France, in July.

This will be Marina’s debut in Australian team colours after previously representing Russia at WOC in foot O in 2001. (She did not nominate for WOC due to work commitments).

Australia v New Zealand Challenges 2017 – Australia will host the Challenge in conjunction with the Australian Championships, at Wingello (NSW) in October.

Although the classes to be contested will be nominated by NZ in July, nominations for the Australian Team are being called for now. Nominate on this website – https://goo.gl/forms/tNklDdUF823Uvh1n1 2018 – New Zealand will host a carnival in the South Island near Alexandra, with a rogaine type warm-up on April 25th and challenge events on April 28-29th. Start planning now.

New Aus MTBO jersey available

MOUNTAIN BIK E

may well not contest that. In all three events Glen Charlton (now residing in Melbourne, but a Newcastle club member) finished 4th. Glen is a competitive MTB XC rider, so his fitness is his forte.

His improved orienteering, especially apparent in his closeness to the podium in the Long Distance, gave selectors enough to select him for WMTBOC. It is really exciting to have a new representative making his international debut.

In the Juniors there was reason to smile with some new exciting talent on display. 14 year-old Bendigo foot orienteer, Serryn Eenjes, stepped up to W16 for the two shorter events to take on experienced MTBO competitor Rhiannon Prentice (NSW).

Rhiannon had a 3min victory in the Sprint but the tables were reversed in the Middle Distance, with Serryn having a 6sec victory after 85 minutes on course. Another very exciting prospect from Bendigo was Jack Wigney in M16. He was riding Course 3 and beat all the combined brains of W40, W50 & M60 on two out of three days with speedy kilometre rates only bettered by the elites.

The veteran classes were hotly contested as per usual with many tight battles. Ballarat’s Tony Keeble achieved two victories in the biggest field (M50) with fellow Victorian Stephen Hanlon taking the honors in the Long Distance. Congratulations to Tamsin Barnes, Heather Leslie, Peta Whitford, Kathy Liley, Jack Wigney, and Graham Cadman who did the trifecta in winning all three races in their respective classes.

Many thanks to the Eureka O club army who flawlessly organized a massive weekend of three fantastic MTBO events.

Course planners were: Toby Cooper (Sprint), Mark Valentine (Middle Distance) and Ken Dowling (Long Distance) while Blake Gordon & Jon Sutcliffe did the vetting & controlling.

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new Aussie MTBO jersey has been produced for riders in the World Masters events, this year’s AUS-NZL Challenge, or for anyone wanting to promote Australian MTBO. If you would like one, please contact Peter Cusworth – pcusworth53@gmail.com or 0409 797 023.

20th Anniversary Victorian MTBO Championships

A

t the presentation ceremony for the Long Distance Championships at Barkstead, Blake Gordon highlighted that these were the 20th Victorian MTBO Championships with the first being run in 1997 at Lal Lal, also organised by Eureka Orienteers. Blake called for those who were at the first Championships to step forward for a photo.

A few more 1997 veterans were riding over the weekend but were not at the presentation and missed the photo. The list should also include: Dale Ann Gordon, Jim Russell, Carolyn Jackson, Tim Hatley, Tim Dent and John Chellew.

Thanks to Kathy for the research.

Marina Iskhakova will ride for Australia in the World Cup races in France in July.

Kay Haarsma, Mark Valentine, Kathy Liley, Blake Gordon and Graeme Cadman remember the first Victorian MTBO Champs, 20 years ago.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 35

MAPPING

Lessons from LiDAR mapping around Bendigo – PART 2 Neil Barr – Bendigo Orienteers

In Part One I described how LiDAR can be used as a mapping tool.

But does it really give us all we need for an accurate map? Now read Part Two:

How good is LiDAR on different terrains?

Overall accuracy: LiDAR can be a revelation. Mappers knew that analog photogrammetry was subject to distortions. Generally, these distortions did not matter if the map was relatively accurate.

They became apparent when you tried to join maps together.

We have discovered the extent of these distortions. One Bendigo map was found to be scaled at 1:16,000 in one axis and 1:14,000 in another. LiDAR does away with these problems. Maps can be joined merely by importing into OCAD, assuming you have used consistent symbol sets. It is rare that two maps have consistent symbol sets. This is a reason to enforce consistency on yourself.

Tracks and buildings: LiDAR will find many tracks, even those that are no longer there. A slope image (darkness varies according to slope of the land) will reveal any benching associated with tracks. Old tracks covered with leaves will appear as in the example below. An intensity image will reveal tracks not covered by vegetation. Further track information will be found in aerial imagery. Buildings will be apparent in a terrain relief image, if they are not obscured by overhead vegetation.

Spur Gully: Most processing tools produce exact contours. These will be very noisy with lots of squiggles. The squiggles may be accurate, but they need to be smoothed. Hand smoothing by eye will do a reasonable job. Karttapullautin will do a much better job for you. It has a very sophisticated set of algorithms, and on normal spur gully will produce excellent results that almost make the mapper superfluous. On the Crusoe map made for Day 3 of the Bendigo Easter carnival, only one minor gully had to be added to the initial base map. But I still had to draw the contours manually due to importing problems with Karttapullautin output data.

There is no doubt that the LiDAR maps have different contours to the old analog photogrammetry maps. If anything, there is less exaggeration. Some orienteers notice this. I have made some comparisons and have also found examples where the LiDAR contours are more pronounced than the old contours.

The old mapping process depended much more on the mappers perception of the lie of the land, and the variability in mapper’s perceptions has been documented elsewhere.

Gold mining: There is a bit of a culture war at the moment in mapping circles, with the traditionalists insisting that all terrain should be mapped at 1:15,000 to avoid under-generalisation. The alternate position is that we should map more complex terrains at 1:10,000 to avoid excessive generalization.

Australian gold mining is one those complex terrains where the current ISOM forces mappers into compromises (eg Rowdy Flat).

A combination of fine tuning to Scandinavian terrain and strict enforcement of the ISOM by Karttapullautin means it produces a very poor base map for mining terrain. If you use Karttapullautin as your base map in mining terrain, you will miss important detail without a thorough ground survey.

My processing preference is to use OL-Laser to produce two base maps. One is a slope image with contours overlaid. The second is a terrain relief map for clearings and copses. I then switch between the two depending on the need. In the field the slope map will save a lot of surveying time because 99% of the mappable gold mining detail will be apparent on the base map. Again, on the Crusoe map I found only two pits that were not apparent from slope image, and both were obscured by vegetation. Only one ended up on the final map. The slope map will also reveal a lot of unmappable detail as well. There may be value in developing a LAStool command pipeline that better handles Australian gold mining terrain. Terje Mathisen’s command files could be a good starting point.

Slope image under map. Note the unmapped tracks apparent in the slope image.

36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Granite: Here we have run into problems with LiDAR data.

For Victorian flood study LiDAR, buildings are not classified as ground. You will not see them when you analyse just the ground data. They will appear in the full data analysis if they are not obscured by trees.

Karttapullautin output and final map of same area. Note Karttapullautin’s excessive generalization of mining detail. Also note some confusion between open forest and thick scrub.

Granite boulders generally get classified as above ground rather than as ground. This means that, much like buildings, they do not appear on contour, ground relief or slope images. Massive boulders will be entirely missing if you only analyse using ground data. If you analyse with the full LiDAR data the boulders will

Slope and contour combination for mining detail.

often be obscured by any overhead vegetation. (Alex Tarr’s first experience with a LiDAR base map was on a granite area. He was unimpressed by the absence of boulders as large as a house from the base map). We need an easy to use process to reclassify LiDAR data so more boulders are identified as ground. I suspect this will require someone with expertise to develop a process in LAStools or SAGA. In the meantime, LiDAR provides no short cut to minimizing the time required to map granite detail. Higher resolution Google images are needed (if available).

Vegetation: LiDAR is foolproof at identifying clearings. It’s far better than aerial photography because of the absence of parallax effects. Each part of the image is essentially a representation of the view from directly above, rather than an oblique image. There are no confusing shadows either. Beyond that, the mapping of orienteering green is problematic.

Buildings are visible in the left hand image created with the full data set (terrain). They are not visible in the ground data analysis to the right.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 37

MAPPING

Granite map, ground slope and terrain hill shade images of the same area. Neither image shows all the rock detail on the map. The rock detail in the terrain shade image is generally obscured by trees.

You might think that a count of the density of returns from between 1 and 2 metres above ground would give a good representation of passability. The problem with this is that the density of returns from below the canopy is also a function of the density of the canopy. The denser the canopy, the less laser beam can reach the lower scrub, and even less will pass the canopy on the return. Simple vegetation processing returns will thus show open land underneath a dense canopy. There are academic papers looking for solutions to this challenge. So far these generally finish with an observation of no significant correlation between LiDAR vegetation predictions and measured runnability. Given the low density of Australian canopies, Australia may be able to gain better value from vegetation density analysis. This is an area in which we could do further work.

Recommendations for research

Sprint maps: Generally the LiDAR we have used does not have sufficient resolution to be used for Sprint mapping without supplementation with high resolution photography. LiDAR’s main contribution is providing the contours. Building edges are very fuzzy, but the absence of parallax effects means these can be used as a guide for correcting the distortions in aerial photography.

• Develop an easy-to-use process to reclassify LiDAR data so more boulders are identified as ground. I suspect this will require quite a bit of experimentation. Perhaps this can be done with a LAStools routine or via SAGA.

I believe the following areas would provide the greatest return for investment in developing tools for the use of LiDAR in Australian mapping: • Develop an Australian guide to access to LiDAR data across the States. A further step would be to lobby for more open access as recommended in recent work by the Productivity Commission; • Develop a means of sharing experiences on digital fieldwork configurations; • Develop a LAStool command pipeline that better handles Australian gold mining terrain. Terje Mathisen’s command files could be a good starting point. If not, then at least his approach should be considered;

• Explore a LAStools pipeline for the classification of Australian scrub.

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UNSUNG CHAMPION

A Living Legend Ian Johnson

Ian first ventured into Orienteering on a novice course at an event in 1971 at St George’s Lake in the Creswick Forest. Ian said he walked or scrambled it, as he went across country where he could, but did not use a compass. He can remember that the controls were buckets hanging by a rope with pens of different colours to mark the spaces on the map. He mapped the forest behind his newly built home in Ballarat and when some local runners were thinking about starting an Orienteering club, he became an original member, taking on the position of Treasurer with a strict spending oversight. Tom Norwood and Ian both agreed low spending was essential to start with, and they gathered the profits carefully. The first event Ian organised was on June 1st 1975 on a map he helped to field work and draw. The longest course was 3.75 km with 13 controls. The cost of entry was only 20 cents, and compass hire the same.

With the experience of these initial ventures into Orienteering behind him, Ian decided to make a better coloured map with more accurate fieldwork, using his usual three point triangulation, which is labour intensive but very accurate. Another map of Canadian Forest followed, it was bigger and more complicated, but still accurate. His map making procedure is, even now, still firmly rooted in basic, original methods with little time for new technology. Ian managed to make some more maps from some free photogrammetry he got from an International Three Day event. Today he still makes his own maps using free hand, pacing and drawings – then passes them on to others to digitally prepare the final map. During his time at Bendigo he has never missed course setting at least one event and, until recently, two events every year and still continues to compete every week.

He is an avid environmentalist and his knowledge of indigenous plants is second to none; he has written numerous volumes on his observations of micro climate and vegetation changes and is also the author of many, many articles on navigational techniques as used in Orienteering; his property at Harcourt is not connected to electricity and he lives a Spartan and totally carbon neutral lifestyle.

Ian Johnson is an amazing person, he is iconic to our sport - a “living legend” of the Bendigo Orienteering Club and an individual the like of whom we will probably never see again.

Peter Creely (Bendigo Orienteers)

I

an Johnson is the oldest member of the Bendigo Orienteering Club. His 88th birthday came up in August 2016 and the club celebrated the occasion at his micro-sprint event at Black Jack Gully near Castlemaine on August 13th. Ian still competes in events although he is now slowing down a bit, but he still enjoys the bush and finding hidden controls. I wonder how many people reading this will still be able to navigate their way around the Bendigo bush when they are 88 years old.

Ian retired from primary teaching in 1986, and came to live near Castlemaine, so it could be said that in 1986 the Ballarat orienteering world lost an asset and Bendigo gained one. At 88 he is still heavily involved in the sport; Orienteering is a sport for all ages but the balance is still very much weighted in favour of the younger and fitter, and to see an 88 year old navigating his way around the rough forest areas week after week is still a bit off putting for many people. He has competed in almost every event organised by the Bendigo club since his arrival here but now, though still active competitively he is easing out of the organisational activities.

Read a letter on page 46 from Ian Johnson on “Courses for Ageing Orienteers”

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UNSUNG CHAMPION

Kevin Maloney A funny thing happened on the way to the Vic O-shop …..

David Goddard writes –

…… well, it would have done if I’d stopped to talk with Kevin. He loves engaging people and has that happy humility and apt repartee that generates laughter from ordinary occurrences. The joy is fleeting, but its memory makes one glad to have been in the moment with him. And his understated manner and honesty generates respect.

Kevin’s background

K

evin Maloney was born in Mont Albert in July 1942. He was the second of five children – three boys, then two girls.

Peter, his brother who also orienteers, is eight years younger.

His mother, Vera, and father, Vin, were married in 1937 at St John’s Roman Catholic Church in East Melbourne, although the ceremony was held in the sacristy because his mother was not Catholic. Vin worked as a toolmaker/engineer during the Second World War but, after the war, he and Vera became small business owners – essentially in groceries.

The experiences of Kevin’s childhood coloured much of his life.

During his school years, the family moved among several areas on the outer fringes of Melbourne where he had the freedom to explore forests and to ride bikes fast on gravel roads. Most of Kevin’s schooling was in Catholic schools where he gained the discipline and adherence to his faith that continues to this day.

He loves the universality of the Roman church – the familiarity of proceedings whether one is in Melbourne, Rome or Castlemaine – and the beauty of some ceremonies, e.g. the Easter vigil.

Before starting with groceries, Kevin’s mother, Vera, was a typist with a printing company. Then, despite becoming busy with her grocery businesses, she cared for her children, was brilliant at sewing and had a very ‘young’ voice. She died suddenly in 1984 from a rapid-onset cardiac condition while motoring on holiday in South Australia. Kevin’s father, Vin, died ten years later but not before entering the M80 event at the World Masters Games at St Helens, Tasmania, in 1992. The year before that, at the Victorian Championships, Vin Maloney was named orienteer of the year.

Kevin is a bachelor. In his words, “I’ve never had girlfriends or boyfriends.” He lives alone in his old family home in Mt Waverley.

He is a member of the Mt Waverley history group.

From school to grocery Kevin’s parents’ first business was a general store and post office at Morwell Bridge, where the original alignment of the Princes Highway crossed the Morwell River, 5km north-west of Morwell. Nowadays, the site of Morwell Bridge like neighbouring Yallourn has been swallowed by the brown coal open cut. Kevin remembers the big rubber stamp that put the postmark on the 40 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

letters and the day that gypsies paused at the store – one read his parents’ palms while another bled the till. Kevin was glad that none of his toys went missing.

The next move was to a farm with ducks and chooks and a single Jersey cow at Kinglake West. Vin, his father, drove a bulldozer and carted firewood. Kevin loved being in the forest with Vin although one morning, Vin came out to find his loaded truck down to its axles due to the subterranean energies of land crabs. Kevin started at the local two-roomed primary school. To get there required a small bicycle – a hand-me-down from elder brother Michael. Whilst introducing himself to the bike, Kevin started on a downhill road before finding out about his footbrake. His trajectory was arrested as he ran off the road at a sharp bend and into a single loose strand of barbed wire at chest height.

He quickly discovered a less painful way to stop.

After a year, the family moved to Ferntree Gully where Vin bought a grocery opposite the station. Kevin and Michael sat among the furniture on the back of the truck as they descended the narrow road from Mt Slide junction to Yarra Glen. It had many sharp bends so Vin used the horn – only it stuck on, adding continuous sound to the fresh-air ride, doubtless mimicked by lyrebirds in the fern gullies for days to come.

In the grocery, Vin collected orders from customers then made deliveries in his truck later in the week – the horn had been fixed by then. They sold bulk kerosene and chook food in hundredweight sacks (51 kg) – no manual handling regulations then! Kevin liked to observe the weighing out of groceries on the scales and how merchandise like salt had to be belted and bashed to make it flow. Kevin attended the local Catholic school. He said he was never really good at school but Sister Michael in Grade 3 had one activity that he recalled. Members of her class would find a place around the walls of the classroom and she would go round the children one at a time and ask them to spell a word.

If they got it wrong, she’d ask them to sit down. The winner was the last one standing. Kevin doesn’t remember many successful completions but he enjoyed the activity.

Younger brother Peter was born during those years at William Angliss – the hospital (in Ferntree Gully) not the food school, Kevin hastened to add.

Then, as Kevin started Grade 6, the family moved to Mt Waverley while his parents organised for their Foodland grocery store to be built at Kilsyth. But, in school at St Anthony’s in Oakleigh (now Chadstone) Kevin felt outclassed.

Once the Kilsyth store was constructed, the family moved there and Kevin attended St Edmonds in Croydon, reaching Form 2 (Year 8), then the highest level at the school. He transferred then to St Joseph’s Catholic Technical School at Abbotsford which necessitated a train journey from Croydon to Flinders Street and a second train from Princes Bridge to Collingwood. He started there in 1955, just before the big year for Melbourne in 1956 with the Olympic Games (although he never attended), the start of television and ready availability of the Salk injectable vaccine for poliomyelitis. At school there was woodwork, metal work and other trade and standard subjects. Kevin showed me his school report. It had comments like, “Capable of a higher standard if more energetic”, “Kevin’s work has been marked by interest and sincerity”, “Excellent student of excellent moral character and well-mannered”.

Discipline was firm. Kevin had thick curly hair and one day was chastised by his teacher for having it cut too short. And the school had no heating so, on cold days, the children were warmed up by a brisk run around the quadrangle. The school had no playing fields so, for football and other games, children crossed the Yarra to playing fields at Yarra Bend. Kevin said he was no athlete, and was always one of the last to be picked for team games.

Kevin left school after three years, about the time that his parents sold their Foodland store in Kilsyth. They had built another Foodland store in Mt Waverley, almost opposite the home where he still lives. Kevin’s mother was keen for Kevin to get qualifications and further skills, and, just then, Woolworths were about to open a variety store and supermarket at Mt Waverley. Kevin sat a written test and was employed there. The store manager required his staff to stand in ‘their’ aisles; they got into trouble if they took a lost customer to another aisle. At age 15, he was appointed assistant storeroom manager which, among other jobs involved sweeping. He found that the fans on the coolroom fridges would blow the dust back to where he had just swept. One day he turned off the fridges while he swept but forgot to turn them back on again. He wasn’t fired but the cleanup proved smellier than sweeping.

Next door to Woolworths was a Malvern Star bike shop. He bought one – his first new bike, not a hand-me-down from Michael. He felt like king of the road (and of the log that, in those days, served as a bridge over Scotchman’s Creek near his home).

He stayed at Woolworths for eleven months on a weekly wage of £5/2/6. But his father had fitted out another store in the ‘Four Square’ grocery chain at nearby Jordanville, so Kevin joined him there. After four years, a Mr P C Thomas who owned three Supa Valu supermarkets, offered Kevin a job at his store in Maling Road, Canterbury. Kevin remained there for 35 years until his retirement. He recalls that customers, one time in their teens, became grandparents over that span of time.

His next car was a Volkswagen beetle until it crashed headon on a flooded road. In those years before seatbelts, a doctor had to remove many fragments of windscreen from his face and scalp. He still bears scars. Another VW crashed four days after purchase when he misjudged a bend in the road at a level crossing and scraped along some concrete pipes. Indeed, one way to learn about the innards of cars is to have crashes, and Kevin did – several more of them. Kevin wondered whether the dark red colour of one vehicle was a factor. After the crash, the repairer bolted a new white-coloured cabin on to the existing chassis and Kevin persuaded him to paint the whole vehicle white. Ultimately, Kevin and his car insurer parted company.

In 1966, Kevin and brother Peter gained third place in the Castrol Safety Drive car rally in Victoria – the certificate saying that Kevin showed satisfactory driving ability, road courtesy and consideration for other road users and the public. They travelled to Sydney to compete in the Castrol national rally. Kevin went by air – his first time in an aeroplane. He was sickened by the enclosed space full of cigarette smoke and spent much of the journey vomiting in the toilet from where the cabin crew had to drag him as the plane was about to land. The national rally organisers actually supplied cars to the competitors, and Kevin and Peter were travelling well until they lost many points for speeding across a one-lane bridge. Like much else in our lives, it’s not what you do that counts but what you get caught doing.

The car club assisted Kevin’s driving including some attendance at the police driving school in Brunswick. Each year at Christmas, Kevin entered the courtesy rally run by the Victorian Police Motor Sport Club. In 1974, he won this with his younger sister Joan as navigator.

Kevin regarded Peugeots as the ultimate in car design and, in 1970, he bought a new Peugeot 404. By then, his desires to hoon were waning. Later, he bought a second Peugeot – a 504 T1 – a great cruising car and very comfortable to sleep in (but not behind the wheel).

Orienteering In the 1970s, Kevin saw a large article in the Age Weekender where Steve and Sue Key were shown orienteering at Yarra Bend park. This appealed so he started attending events at Gembrook, Strath Creek, Mt Egerton and other places. He joined St Leo’s Orienteering Club which later amalgamated with Melbourne University Mountaineering Club, then Ex-Melbourne University (EMUs). A further amalgamation, led to Nillumbik Emus.

Kevin and cars While working with his father at Jordanville, Kevin bought his first car – a Fiat Multipla 600 – and joined the Fiat car club where, through more than ten years, he joined others in sprints, hill climbs (near Warrandyte) and other hoon activities (as he described it). In the club, he learnt advanced driving – recovering from skids, that sort of thing. The Fiat was a small beetle-like vehicle with a rear engine and doors that opened so that one stepped out in front of them. One day, as his car traversed a shallow cutting at low speed, a cow jumped on top of it, breaking the windscreen. Kevin was hardly over the moon.

JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 41

UNSUNG CHAMPION

He started with D course and, as a regular winner, thought he was ‘a bit good’ until someone prompted him to move to C course. What he loved most about orienteering was, and still is, being out in the fresh air in the bush, nowadays enhanced by good courses on world-class maps. He regards the late Eric Andrews’ map of The Cascades (in Queensland’s southern granite country) as the most beautiful item of mapping art work ever made in Australia.

In 1978, he took long service leave from his job and joined a ‘Peo Bengtsson’ group tour of Europe led by Tom Andrews.

Its prime purpose was to attend O-ringen in Axvall, Sweden – a military town. They also visited Switzerland and Yugoslavia (including one overnight at the ‘Compass Hotel’). The group travelled by bus playing ABBA music and staying at youth hostels.

At the end of the actual tour, Kevin continued on in Europe with a 21-day Eurail pass travelling on a series of criss-crossing journeys through Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France (because of his love of Peugeots), Switzerland and Italy. He couldn’t speak any European language but got by. On one journey, he intended to go to Nice and boarded a long train on a carriage that said “Nice” on the window. There were no seats in that carriage so he walked through the train till he found one. However, while he was sleeping, the train divided and his section of the train terminated far from Nice – not nice. Still, he loved his destinations in Italy – participating in mass in the church below the station in Rome, and seeing Lake Como and Venice. Observing different makes of stylish, sporty cars added to his pleasure.

An item that survived all this travel was a memento given to all those who entered O-ringen that year. He showed it to me. At a casual glance it looked like a fully-formed mushroom with its cap shrouding others nearly ready to sprout. In fact, it was a model of part of an ancient cemetery – the graves of the ancestors.

Kevin went again on a tour that included O-ringen in Anderstorp, Sweden in 1983. He recalled that at O-ringen the Australians wore T-shirts to advertise Australia as a venue for the World Orienteering Championships in 1985 and the local government even stopped trains on the railway that ran through the forest for the safety of runners. He was impressed by the smooth organisation of bus transport to the forests at O-ringen.

The weather was very hot and their touring vehicle – a Toyota Hi-Ace – had no air-conditioning. They sweltered through Denmark, southern Germany, Liechtenstein, Czechoslovakia (as it was) and Yugoslavia (as it was).

Back in Australia, Kevin recalls a handful of proud wins: Event

Age class

1987

Australian Championships, Canberra

M45B, First

1987

Eureka Tri-O

Paired with Vin, First

1991

Australian three-day

M45B, Second

1994

World Cup Orienteering three-day challenge, Ballarat

First

2001

Victorian Championships, Whroo

M45+AS, Second

2007

Victorian Middle Distance Championships, Deadman’s Flat (Irishtown)

First

Like all orienteers, he remembers significant blunders. One of the worst was at Mt Pearson near the Bay of Fires in Tasmania in 2005 where he was off the map for two hours.

Kevin started Mountain Bike Orienteering in 1998. To his first event at Lal Lal (near Ballarat) he brought a Peugeot fold-up bike. He was told that was unsuitable so after that, for a while, he rode his father’s bike. He has competed in many mountain bike events in Victoria and interstate. He fondly remembers interstate competition in the company of Joyce Rowlands and the late Gordon Clarke.

Kevin is very observant. At Park & Street O, where the rest of us are just watching our maps and where we put our feet, Kathy Liley recalls Kevin coming back and asking had we seen that garden, or some other feature that had taken his eye. And with his shop-keeper’s eye, he would regale comments about the stock or retailing practices of various small grocery stores along the way.

Usually, Kevin comes to Orienteering events alone. He usually attends church nearby on Saturday evenings then camps alone in the bush, on a back road, or at the event site. Sometimes others travel with him. Mary Enter recalled: “One of my favourite memories is of an occasion when Kevin gave me a lift to an event in Canberra. We came home via Cann River and stopped for a break at a spot with a short nature walk. We set off and came to a little bridge with a sign saying that if we were very quiet and very lucky, we might see a bearded dragon. Kevin leaned over the bridge saying “Yo ho ho. Are there any dragons down there?”

Needless to say, we didn’t see any.

“He has given me many lifts to events and he likes to talk.

Other orienteers often give us a toot as they overtake us. Kevin, however, toots at the birds on the road. He is an avid reader of histories and biographies and has lent me many books so that I can share in his enjoyment.”

Kathy recalls that he always has a story about some old railway he has followed or other historical feature he’s seen along the way.

Kevin has been a regular at Victorian MTBO events since the very first event.

42 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

The VIC O-Shop In 1987, Kevin heard that Liz Randall wanted to sell the O-Shop. He said to himself “I’m no athlete, I can’t make maps, I can’t set courses, but I can do retail.” So he and his father bought and ran the O-Shop in partnership. They were dubbed The Dynamic Duo. The dynamism was not conspicuous in the sales pitch – there was no spruiking nor display-towers of loss leaders – but it was certainly present in the attention to customers. Kathy recalls, “Kevin remembered my sizes and preferences. When I commented that maybe I am ready for a new pair of shoes, he would immediately say something like, “No, I don’t have your size/style of shoe in stock at present”, or “Yes, I think I’ve got what you need here ...” But then, Kathy was always a welcome customer. Her presence encouraged him in Orienteering almost from when he started.

And one occasional visitor to Orienteering bought an item from Kevin at the O-Shop and was impressed by his attentive, cheerful manner. She lived in Canterbury and, some weeks later, she happened to be in the supermarket where Kevin worked. She saw him and, remembering the good service she’d had at the O-Shop, she bowled up and enthusiastically said “Hello Kevin”.

Now retailers pride themselves on knowing their customers but this was only the second time they’d met. She recalled that he looked mildly embarrassed by what must have appeared to him to be an attractive and rather forward woman ‘coming on’ to him. After brief pleasantries, he quickly found he was required elsewhere.

Kevin always offers service. Christine Sinickas said: “I’ve always considered him to be one of the good guys. More than once if I didn’t have money for a plastic card holder on the way to the start he would give me one anyway. He’s a real service provider without any other motive than to please.” Indeed the O-Shop has never been a cash cow. Its profits have covered the cost of Kevin’s fuel but Vin never received a dividend.

At interstate events, Kevin is less conspicuously entrepreneurial than his NSW or South Australian counterparts. He says that his business has changed markedly over the years. His peak sales were at the World Masters’ Championships in NSW/ACT in 2009 where many competitors wanted Southern Hemisphere compasses. And at the World Junior Championships in Dubbo in 2007, Kevin had in stock many small-sized orienteering shoes – sizes 5, 6 and 7 – which no big-footed Australian wanted. However, like Cinderella’s glass slipper, they fitted the women in the Chinese team and, in offering generous prices, he quickly sold out.

Orienteers are fondly familiar with his van and trailer, and his tent, chairs and strip of brown vinyl on the ground at events.

He used to have a range of clothing, O-shoes, compasses, map bags, card holders, ankle tape and other accessories. This range has substantially narrowed in recent years either as supplies from companies like SILVA have no longer been available to him, or as Orienteering technology like SI sticks and waterproof paper have made some purchases redundant. He now specialises in O-shoes and some compasses.

Kevin is no longer physically able to lift his trailer. At the Bullengarook event in April last year, his fare for sale was displayed on a little table, with back-up supplies in the van.

Kevin’s health Over the past 30 years Kevin has been diagnosed with several forms of cancer at different times and has fought back each time.

He was encouraged in his recovery by his siblings and a handful of friends in Orienteering. Kathy Liley would sometimes call in after an event and bring her map for discussion. Mary Enter visited quite often and was present on one occasion when a nurse performed a painful procedure on Kevin. When he complained, she said to Mary, “How do you put up with him at home.” Mary very promptly retorted, “Oh! We’re not related.” Other visitors included Pam King and John & Jenny Sheehan. Eventually Kevin regained enough strength to reappear in the bush.

And now At present Kevin cannot attend events but his ability to source humour from everyday things remains undiminished. We love that quality and the enduring spirit that brings it out. Thank you, Kevin.

Acknowledgments Thank you to Kevin and to Kathy Liley, Mary Enter, Christine Sinickas, and Ian Cheyne (through Alan Thompson) for what they offered to this story.

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Kevin said that elder brother Michael came to Orienteering long ago – but once was enough. His sister, Joan, once partnered Kevin in a Blodslitet – a tough way to start and, it seems, discouraging. His late sister, Margaret, attended one bike-O event at Kirth Kiln, near Gembrook. Kevin and Margaret brought just one bike to the event. Kevin went out first and gave the bike to Margaret, expecting her to do a course. But she just enjoyed riding around!

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JUNE 2017 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 43

O-SPY

O-SPY Errata

O

n page 39 of the March 2017 magazine we published a photo purporting to show Kevin Paine. It was, in fact, Ray Kelly of QLD. Apologies to both Kevin and Ray for the error.

Thierry Gueorgiou & Simone Niggli holding Str8 compasses.

F

Str8 Compass

rom the Portugal O Meeting. Two legends of Orienteering, Thierry Gueorgiou and Simone Niggli, have Warren Key’s Str8 compasses in their hands. Thierry is left handed and is using a magnifier, Simone is right handed and needs no magnifier.

Greetings from Portugal Warren, Str8 works pretty well in this part of the world! Cheers, Thierry Ray Kelly & Sue Healy

Carmichael Chief at WMOC

N

oticed competing at 2017 WMOC in M65 was the Chief of the Carmichael Clan based in Scotland, Dick Carmichael.

It was something of a homecoming for him as he spent much of his early life living and competing in New Zealand as Dick Burbidge before inheriting the Carmichael title in 1980.

Deadlines

A

uthor Douglas Adams once wrote: “I love deadlines – I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”

Thierry Gueorgiou.

Advertise your event You can have a 6 x 9 cm event ad for just $50 In colour, if we have room, otherwise black & white Send artwork to The Editor: mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au 44 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

Warren Key – Gold medal at WMOC.

Brazilian Doping Case

A

n athlete participating in a Foot Orienteering World Ranking Event in Brasília, Brazil, in September 2016, tested positive for the prohibited substance Prednisolone, which could be used to treat breathing difficulties.

The IOF Council discussed the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) which was reported to the IOF by the National AntiDoping Organisation (NADO) in Brazil. The testing was ordered by the Brazilian Orienteering Federation (CBO).

The athlete had been prescribed a medicine containing the substance a few days prior to the event, but was not aware that the medication contained a prohibited substance. As soon as the athlete was selected for testing, the orienteer declared the use of the medication. When charged with the ADRV, the orienteer accepted a provisional suspension whilst awaiting the decision of the hearing body of the CBO. They determined that the athlete had not committed the ADRV wilfully, and therefore sanctioned the orienteer with a period of ineligibility of six months, starting on 24th November 2016, and the athlete’s results in the event at which the ADRV occurred have been disqualified.

Richmond Harrier’s World Masters titles

O

ne of the founding groups of Orienteering in Australia was the Richmond Harriers in Melbourne. The club is still going strong and current President and long-time member, Kevin Solomon, has won two world titles in Athletics at the recent 2017 World Masters Games held in Auckland. Kevin won both the 800m (2:33:19) and 1500m (5:22.32) events in his age group (70M).

Kevin Solomon

The IOF Council decided not to appeal the decision in this case.

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Letters The Australian Orienteer welcomes letters. Preference

will be given to letters which are concise and which make positive points. The editor reserves the right to edit letters, particularly ones which are longer than 300 words.

Courses for Ageing Orienteers

2017 Queensland Championships 9 and 10 September Stanthorpe The two day Queensland Long Championships will this year be held outside Stanthorpe on Queensland’s Granite Belt region, 220km south west of Brisbane.

The event will use the Amiens and the Cascades maps which cover exotic pine plantation, eucalypt forest and heathlands with areas of scattered to complex granite.

D

avid Hogg has written a long detailed essay seeking to prove that ageing orienteers lose many of their abilities, and that measures should be taken to modify events to accommodate them, even those over 90.

I am about to enter that group, with increasing numbers in the over 80 groups too, who are slowly being accommodated, but not well enough.

The abilities lost are principally physical, with the use of the senses more prone to fatigue. This is how courses can be set for them that are not too arduous or enervating.

The maps used should be 1:10 000 for moderate country courses and 1:5 000 for those in complex areas with some hills that need effort.

The first map is very much suited for thumb navigation, the whole thumb laid on the map covers 500m in the area of focus, the top part 300m for the distance over the next 6 minutes or so, and the tip of the thumb covers the next 100m.

This is holding the map pinched in order not to lose the area of location.

Amiens

The Cascades

Stanthorpe is a 3 hour drive from Brisbane but only 2 hours from the new Brisbane West Wellcamp airport in Toowoomba. There are direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to this airport with other connections planned for the future.

There is a range of accommodation options in and around Stanthorpe.

For further information, go to www.southerndownsandgranitebelt.com.au Start times on the Saturday will be from 12.30pm and from 9am on the Sunday.

Further information and online entries will be available from www.oq.asn.au/2017-qld-champs Inquiries to Liz Bourne on (07) 4683 6374 or batmaps.liz@gmail.com

This is also suited for timing in the mind at the usual 20 min/ km.

All this movement is when gradients do not exceed 10 metres climb in 200m. The steepest gradient should not exceed a climb of 10 metres in 80 metres and then only for under 60 metres.

Winning times are of little concern as are finishing times, including some time to make errors and reorientate, and other things that slow down travel. At 20min/km time spent should not exceed 90 minutes, with an error free finishing time unlikely to be less than an hour.

This gives the course distance of 2 km and up to 3.3 km.

Slopes across erosion gullies and down pits and down the steeper rock faces are places of hazard, the slopes being 10m in 40 metres and more.

In these sites we can topple, slide and trip, although tripping is likelier in bushland with fallen twigs, branches and felling debris as well as dumped litter and fallen fences.

For us it is nearly impossible to recover from a topple on steep slopes due to weaker muscles or to roll over from the back. Techniques can be used to prevent this but few are capable of it in old age.

The Course Standard should be Moderate with fewer than usual track legs and more moderately arduous navigation.

Ian Johnson (Bendigo Orienteers) PS - The reason I taught Orienteering skills at school, without any aids apart from simple maps, was to induce coping with new and unusual events with confidence, and to readily judge and assess. They were all fit by May each year with assorted interesting activities for the first 15mins of each day.

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46 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER JUNE 2017

TOP EVENTS 2018

2017 June 10-12

June 17-18

June 29July 2 June 30July 7 July 5-9

Czech MTBO 5-Days Pilsen, Czech Republic www.mtbo5days.eu

July 9-16

JWOC Tampere, Finland www.jwoc2017.fi FIN5 Tampere, Finland

July 9-16

March 30April 2

AUS 3 Days & QBIII, Wagga Wagga, NSW onsw.asn.au/aust3days2017 Jukola Relay 2017 Joensuu, Finland www.jukola.com/2017 European Youth Championships Banská Bystrica, Slovakia www.eyoc2017.com/ WOC Tartu, Estonia www.woc2017.ee

April 5-7

April 28-29

June 27July 1 June 28July 1 July 6-13

July 8-15

July 21-27

July 22-28

a us tr a l i a n

M T BO c h a m p i o n ships

20 17

W i ng ello, N SW

O-Ringen Arvika, Värmland, Sweden. www.oringen.se July 25-27 The World Games Wroclaw, Poland July 25-30 Kainuu O Week Kuhmo, Finland web.rastiviikko.fi/en/ July 29WMMTBOC Orleans, France Aug 4 www.mtbo17.fr July 30Scottish 6 Days Aug 5 Deeside, Scotland August 19-27 WMTBOC & JWMTBOC Vilnius, Lithuania. www.mtbo.lt Sept 23AUS Championships Carnival Oct 1 Hill End, Bathurst, NSW http://onsw.asn.au/ozchamps2017 October 7-8 AUS MTBO Championships & AUS-NZ Challenge, Wingello, NSW. ausmtbochamps.com Nov 11-12 Orienteering Venice Italy. www.orivenezia.it Dec 27-31 Xmas 5 Days, NSW www.onsw.asn.au

Aug 4-11 Aug 4-12 Aug 17-22

Sept 29 -Oct 7 Dec 27-31

AUS Easter Carnival, Hobart, Tasmania www.eastertasmania2018.net.au Bay of Fires 3 Days, Tasmania www.eastertasmania2018.net.au NZ MTBO Championships & AUS-NZ Challenge Alexandra, Sth Island, NZ WMMTBOC Nagykovacsi, Hungary European Youth Championships Veliko, Bulgaria eyoc2018.eu WMOC Copenhagen, Denmark JWOC Kecskemét, Hungary www.jwoc2018.hu/ O-Ringen Höga Kusten, Sweden. www.oringen.se WOC Riga, Latvia woc2018.lv WMTBOC, JWMTBOC, Austria North American O Championships Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada yukonorienteering.ca/naoc2018 AUS Championships Renmark & Adelaide, South Australia Xmas 5 Days, NSW www.onsw.asn.au

2019 April 19-22 July 1-7 July 6-12 Aug 13-18 Sept 28 - Oct 6

AUS Easter Carnival WMOC Riga, Latvia JWOC Silkeborg, Denmark WOC Sarpsborg, Østfold, Norway Oceania & AUS Championships Wagga Wagga, NSW

July 7-11

Sprint WOC, Denmark (near Velje)

2020

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