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.

From Don Young (OWA)

In the September 2020 Magazine there was an article about Swedish orienteer Per-- Olaf (Peo) Bengtsson – 87 years

young.

In 1975, in the very early days of Orienteering in WA, Peo and fellow Swedish orienteer Roland Offrell were brought to Australia to visit State Associations to assist them with acquiring the skills of mapping, course setting and competing. During their visit to Perth OAWA held an event at the Gleneagle Pine plantation. After the event Leith and Don Young’s younger daughter Erica, then nine years old, asked Peo if she could interview him, for a school project, using a tape recorder. He agreed and the dialogue went something like this: Erica: Mr Bengtsson what type of trees grow in Sweden? Peo : Birch trees. Erica: What do you think of the Swedish Royal family? Peo : Not much. Many years later, in 2002, on his way to Victoria to check out accommodation for the forthcoming World Masters Orienteering Championships, Peo, accompanied by two other Swedish orienteers, stopped over in Perth for a few days. On Peo’s request I took them up into the Darling Range and they had a walk over one of our best maps. On the way back to Perth we stopped in Mundaring and I shouted them a cup of espresso coffee. When we were about to leave Peo said “It is not only your maps which have improved since I was here last”.

Don Young (Bibbulmun - 1st Convenor). Lars at training with Norge Senior squad June 2020.

Since 1975 Erica went on to become the first West Australian to gain a place in the Australian one day orienteering championship – 3rd in age class W18A at the 1984 event at Mt Clear ACT; and with her elder sister Alix (W19), won the 1984 Australian 3 Day Championships in the W17 class at Easter in Tasmania.. After graduating from UWA with BSc Honours in Plant Biochemistry in 1988 she was invited to join a research team at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. Significantly that university was the alma mater of Carl Linnaeus. She was there for three years, competing occasionally in Orienteering events for local club IF Thor and on occasions meeting up with Mr Bengtsson. Alix, who lives in Norway, also meets up occasionally with Peo at big Orienteering events in Scandinavia. At 88yo I do not compete any more but follow with great interest – and pride – the orienteering performances of my Norwegian grandchildren Lars (20) and Pia (17), which have been limited to Norway this last year. Pia (17) won the 2020 Norwegian D17-18 Sprint, Middle Distance and Long Distance championships and was second in the Ultra Long Distance event. She was first in the Norwegian Cup series. Lars (19) won the Norwegian H19-20 Sprint championship and was third in the Norwegian Cup series.

Don 88 years Young

From Marina Iskhakova (ACT)

Thank you for the excellent Australian Orienteer issues in 2020 in spite many events were cancelled. It kept us alive:) ! Cheers,

Marina Iskhakova (Red Roos, ACT)

WMMTBOC - Marina Iskhakova.