Orienteering and the Newcastle club have lost one of the true unsung heroes of our sport with the passing of Russell Rigby.
Russell, 68, did a mountain of work for many years preparing what we call base maps - all the downloading of satellite images, contour data and much more - that allow the mapper to go into the field already well armed.
He passed away early on Saturday morning after a long, courageous and very determined fight against his illness. He was a long-term member who contributed willingly and enthusiastically toward the betterment of the Newcastle club, especially with the technicalities of all things mapping.
On Sunday, a thousand orienteers ran the Australian Long distance champs near Cootamundra on an area that Russell supplied the base map for. Our thoughts were with Russell as we ran amongst the granite and bare rock.
"Our thoughts are with Carolyn and family. Russell will be sorely missed by ONSW and throughout the Australian orienteering community," said ONSW president Greg Barbour.
"He is that classic behind-the-scenes no-fuss contributor. He has tirelessly assisted us preparing maps and data bases for years.
"Just recently he really got behind our Sydney map initiative, where we hope to upgrade the quality of bush maps in the greater Sydney area. Russell would be pleased with the progress we are making, as his passion was always providing technical excellence in this area."
