ONSW's initial foray into wheelchair orienteering was a great success and had participants demanding more. One of the keen rookies was the local area manager of Wheelchair Sports NSW. His first reaction: "We have to do this again, and soon!"
The brainchild of Coffs Harbour-based Northern Tablelands member Bruce Meder, 'Orienteering Without Limits' drew around 30 people to the local uni on Saturday for a taste of O.
Under sunny skies much the envy of Sydneysiders of late, participants had the choice of 3 line courses, all wheelchair-accessible and suitable for beginners. Course lengths were 300m, 800m and 1200m.
Some of the participants were in electric wheelchairs and some were self-propelled. Route choice wasn't the only problem to be solved - how to hold/carry the map posed an extra challenge. Also present were several families with young children - people we hope return for our proposed promotional events there in October.
Pictured above is Raymond Munro and, left, Luke Fieldhouse (who prompted Bruce to think about 'Wheel O') punches a control.
A huge thank you to Bruce and fellow NTN members for helping pioneer our sport to new audiences.
Bruce's passion for this project gained media coverage as well as a radio interview on 2HC.
A raft of local organisations, such as disability service provider Lifestyle Solutions, CHEC, Coffs Harbour City Council and Wheelchair Sports NSW banded together to get the event up and running.
