Grafton’s first Street-O event was held late last month in conjunction with the local Jacaranda Festival - and it was a huge success.
More than 100 people from across the Clarence Valley, ranging from families with young children to experienced veterans like Ian and Merran Warlters of the Southern Highlands club, took part.
Locals were excited to be able to participate in a family-friendly sport that was affordable, challenging, social, and got them out and about in this beautiful part of the world. The feedback was unanimous – they loved it, and will definitely be back for more!
Event organisers Julie Irvine (who has been heavily involved in orienteering for 30 years now), Gavin Rayward (a former Street-O Newcastle participant, occasional rogainer and avid adventure racer) and Naomi Rayward (Gavin’s wife who orienteered once... a long time ago!), were blown away by the turnout. A promotional poster generated interest and regular updates on their own Facebook page keep the locals informed.
There was a constant stream of people rolling up for the whole 45-minutes start window, most of whom had never done any orienteering before. It was very encouraging to see such a strong community interest in Street-O, and it certainly looks set to gr
ow over the rest of the Summer Series.
The six-event Grafton Summer Series will help gauge the level of interest in the area. The remaining events will be held on the second Friday of each month during daylight saving. If things go well, the plan is to branch into a park series and then eventually into the bush. For this first series, events will run off the one map, and start at the same spot each time. Hopefully, as interest grows, maps will be produced for surrounding suburbs. If you are keen to assist with map production, please email
The event organisers would like to send out a huge thanks to everyone who helped get the first event off the ground: Maurice Anker from Northern Tablelands produced the map, Steve Todkill from Newcastle helped place the controls, and Henning Hanson from the newly formed Northern Rivers club was also a great support.
Healthy Clarence Communities, a local council initiative, has paid the park use fees for the entire series, South Grafton Presbyterian Church printed the maps, and The Athletes Foot Grafton has donated a pair of shoes to the value of $150 for a prize – the local community support has been fantastic.
Watch this space ... orienteering looks set to take off in the Clarence Valley!
Thanks to Gavin Rayward for this report.
