Latest ONSW News

Uringa Orienteers will donate 50% of the net surplus from their Summer Series event on 28th November at Major's Bay, Concord to the Zonta Birthing Kit Project. The project aims to aid a safe birth in lesser developed countries by providing cheap, effective materials needed during delivery. Each kit costs about $3 and contains simple items such plastic ground sheets and clean gauze swabs. Kits are put together by volunteers at assembly events hosted by Zonta.

The first event of the Wagga Summer Series was held yesterday on the foreshore of Lake Albert, and included Rawlings Park and adjacent streets.  With two score courses on offer each time, this 9 event series takes place on Thursday evenings throughout the summer until March.

On the 45 minute course Alex Davey worked in a clockwise direction around the map and amassed a very good 160 points. Bob Moore and John Oliver tied for second place with 145 points each.

However all were eclipsed by Jonathon Holland’s excellent total of 125 points scored on the 30 minute course despite having 20 points deducted for exceeding the time limit by just over 3 minutes. Briohny Seaman finished second and Debbie Davey wheeling grandson Ryder around in the pusher came third.

Next event will be Thursday 29 November commencing at 6pm from the corner of Kaloona Dr and Yanco Cres Hilltop.

Not since the late 80’s has there been an orienteering event on the North Coast, but last weekend saw Orienteering NSW stage three promotion events in the Lismore area. As a result of ONSW continuing to receive a steady stream of enquiries from the region about the sport, and having received funding from the Australian Sports Commission, ONSW were able to provide locals with an up-to-date experience and show them what orienteering is like 25 years on from the last event held in the area.

With so much having changed since the last time events were held in the region would the competitors like the latest version of the sport? It didn’t take long to find out – at the first race on Friday afternoon, a Space Race for kids starting from Heritage Park, the Smith boys were that taken with orienteering that they went out a second time with the sole intention of getting all 20 controls within the 45 minute time limit – which they did! The Space Race was designed with 8 to 12 year olds in mind, and the Heritage Park and Riverbank area was the perfect place to conduct the first event.
Saturday’s event, a 45 minute score course with 30 controls, started at Kadina Park in Goonellabah. Some of the controls for this event were placed in the nearby Birdwing Butterfly Gully, a picturesque  area which it appears some locals were not aware of until taking part in the orienteering event, despite living close by. The second event saw a number of Friday’s competitors coming back for another chance to exercise their legs and their brain at the same time, and all appeared pleased with their efforts when they returned to the finish. Sunday’s  third event took place in nearby Alstonville, where competitors were able to enjoy both the course and the remnants of the previous night’s storm.

Next weekend sees ONSW stage another three promotion events, this time in the Ballina and Lennox Head areas. Friday afternoon’s event will start from Pop Dension Park, off Compton Drive in Ballina, Saturday’s event starts opposite Lennox Head SLSC, and Sunday’s Space Race will be held at Lake Ainsworth Sport & Rec.
For more information see https://www.onsw.asn.au/site_j40/462-onsw-expands-to-lismore-and-ballina

Central Coast Summer Series starts this weekend with the first event at beautiful Terrigal Beach on Sunday 18th November-  9:00am-11:00am.

How can you miss a day at Terrigal Beach?  A perfect mix of orienteering, swim, coffee, lunch, and social chat! This is a 45 minute score event. You will be using a 1:5000 scale map so you can expect high scoring for this first of the series of ten events over the summer all held on Sunday morning. Central Coast Orienteers offer $100 prize money for the series winners in female and male classes- putting money back into the sport.

Organiser Nick Dent is looking forward to seeing you all there - he promises that the water will be warm, weather great and coffee just as you request. Start, finish and parking at The Haven. See website for location www.ccorienteering.org