Vale Chris Crane
- Last Updated: Monday, 21 November 2016 19:41
With great sadness we advise that WHO member Chris Crane passed away in the SAN Hospital on Thursday 17th November after a long, hard-fought battle with bone cancer.
Chris was the Secretary for Western and Hills Orienteers from 1989. His 27 consecutive years of club service is unequalled in the orienteering community.
Chris was the consummate organiser and revelled in the complexities of major orienteering events. His unflappable nature made him an invaluable member of the WHO event organising team where he often steadied the ship when unforeseen circumstances occurred.
For many years, Chris has been a rock on which the WHO Club has depended. His impeccable record keeping has created an extremely reliable resource and his organising experience has guided the club through its growth.
We will miss him greatly. Our condolences go to Chris's wife, Trisha and son and daughter, Ashley and Adele. Chris' funeral is at 1.30pm on Thu Nov 24 at St Chad's Anglican Church, Putney (corner of Morrison & Delange Rds). No flowers please - consider sending a donation to the Salvation Army.
Jenny Hawkins pipped for Silva medal
- Last Updated: Friday, 18 November 2016 08:25
Northern Tablelands' Jenny Hawkins has narrowly missed out on winning Orienteering Australia's prestigous Silva Medal.
The Medal is based on placings in the Australian 3-Days (each day considered as a separate event) and the Australian Championships (Sprint, Middle and Long). Points are awarded: 4 for first; 3 for second; 2 for third.
Jenny, who competes in W70, tied with Victoria's Jenny Bourne (W60) on the maximum 24 points. A countback system based on winning margins was used to separate the pair. In effect, Jenny Bourne performed relatively further ahead of the field in her class than 'our' Jenny.
Nevertheless this is a terrific achievement and we congratulate Jenny on her 2016 results.
Stephen Craig (Newcastle, M45) was the next best NSW orienteer with 20 points. If Stephen had run at the Australian Sprint champs on the Gold Coast he may well have ended up with the medal as he streeted his age class.
For the full story on OA's website, click here.
New Level 1 coaches minted
- Last Updated: Wednesday, 16 November 2016 13:19
Often we hear of students looking for coaches or tutors - after our Level 1 coaching course last weekend we now have coaches seeking students to 'practise' their newfound knowledge on.
Rebecca George (Big Foot), Rod Parkin (Bennelong Northside), Rob Bennett (Newcastle), Duncan Currie, Toby Wilson, Peter Annetts (Garingal) and Gary Farebrother (Western & Hills) attended the course at Sydney Olympic Park run by Barbara Hill.
These newly minted mentors are now available for orienteers of all abilities to consult: whether it's improving your score at a summer series event, handling the transition to bush or brushing up on your fine compass navigation.
Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you wish to get in touch with one of the coaches. ONSW thanks Barbara and all the course participants on this important step in growing our pool of accredited coaches.
9 NSW orienteers top non-elite rankings in 2016
- Last Updated: Monday, 14 November 2016 15:57
Nine NSW orienteers have finished the year ranked No.1 in their age groups in Australia, and a further 24 achieved a top 3 status.
Mikayla Enderby (W12, Newcastle), Jenny Enderby (W45, NC), Jenny Hawkins (W70, Northern Tablelands), Christa Schafer (W75, Garingal), Maureen Ogilvie (W80, Uringa), Stephen Craig (M45, NC), Tony Woolford (M50, Bush n Beach), Gordon Wilson (M65, Bennelong Northside, pictured) and Ross Barr (M70, GO) each finished on top of their classes nationally.
The standings are based on results from the annual Easter carnival in the ACT in March and the Australian championships in Queensland in September-October.
Twelve orienteers were ranked second, and another 12 ranked third. These are excellent results given neither major carnival was conducted in NSW. It's great to note that 10 clubs had at least one orienteer ranked in the top 3.
A summary of NSW athletes and clubs to achieve a top 3 ranking is here. For a full list of OA non-elite rankings from 2016, click here.
Congratulations to all who travelled far and wide to compete. In 2017 the Easter carnival will be held over the June long weekend in Wagga and the Australian championships are in Bathurst/Hill End. With both major carnivals in NSW we look forward to a bumper crop of top-3 rankings.
