Orienteering NSW

Coming Events

map	Sat 2 Nov 9:30 am SOS 3 - Middle Cove Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, 5A Glenroy Ave, Middle Cove

map	Sat 2 Nov 10:00 am Illawarra Map Running Series - Spring #3 Croome Sporting Complex John O Dwyer Oval within Croome Sporting Complex - use the northern entrance from Croome Road - most direct access to Oval.

map	Sun 3 Nov 4:00 pm River and Bay Series #2 - Randwick Over the Rainbow, Randwick

map	Wed 6 Nov 4:30 pm 2024/25 Sydney Summer Series #5 - Lindfield Primula Oval, Lindfield.

map	Wed 6 Nov 5:00 pm Newcastle Summer Street Series #4 - Blackalls Park Blackalls Park

map	Thu 7 Nov 5:00 pm Summer series #1 72 Ross Street

map	Fri 8 Nov 5:30 pm Goldseekers Park #2 - Gosling Creek Gosling Creek

map	Sat 9 Nov 9:30 am SOS 4

map	Sat 9 Nov 10:00 am Illawarra Map Running Series - Spring #4 Unanderra Lindsay Maynes Park, cnr Princes Highway & Factory Rd, Unanderra

map	Sun 10 Nov 9:00 am Central Coast Summer Series 1 - Shelly Beach Naomi Honey Reserve, Shelly Beach Rd, Shelly Beach

Meet your Board member.

This is the sixth in a weekly series where we introduce you to the people entrusted to run our sport in NSW.

Governance Director Robert Spry (Southern Highlands). Joined the Board 2008.

In many sports, the only way you’d get to compete in 18 countries is by being an elite.

Orienteering – and long-standing Board member Robert Spry in particular – is a great example of the opposite. Robert has never had designs on being in the top echelon of our sport, despite being continuously involved since his first event at Manly Dam in 1973.

His competitive highlights are being North American Champion in M35B in 1980, and nine first placings (including Easter and the Oceania Long) in M55AS in 2011.

Yet he has been able to experience wildly different terrains – from the heath of Scotland to the slopes of the Matterhorn in Switzerland – because that is what orienteering offers everyone.

Robert has travelled extensively through Asia for work as a civil engineer specialising in all aspects of water. He researched and co-authored the Malaysian Stormwater Design Manual. His work on flood studies included early applications of GIS, digital mapping and LIDAR which has now totally transformed the production of orienteering maps.

He is a Level 2 Controller and has set or organised many events from club level to international. He was organiser for the Oceania Sprint at Wagga Wagga in 2019, which he reckons was the first orienteering event in Australia with more than 1,000 entries.

Robert has also been on the Board of Orienteering Australia and represented OA 3 times at IOF Congresses.

In ONSW he has been Secretary, Treasurer and recently revised the constitution.

Being on the Board was a natural progression from being involved at a club level, and he felt that his skills could be effective. Plus, it was something to do after he retired.

Robert has been on the Board of the Youth Hostels Association (YHA) for a number of years, and his experience in management and governance partly derives from that involvement.

It’s been a long journey since his time in the Scouts led him to Manly Dam. He liked the short course so much that he immediately did the medium course that same day. He signed up on the spot with Bennelong Orienteers, as they were then known, and the rest as they say is history.

Here's just a small taste of the awesome rock pagodas you'll encounter at the NSW Championships near Lithgow on November 20-21.

The champs are pre-entry only, and entries close via Eventor on Sunday (Nov 7).

Among the 250 entries so far we have a junior world champion entered, and everyone from kids to elites to octogenarians from six states.

It's also our last State League weekend for 2021, so it's your final chance to earn Orienteer of the Year points.

The River and Bay Series starts a shorter five-week season on Sunday, at Sir Joseph Banks Park in Botany.

This springtime series showcases the wonderful parks, reserves and bushland of Botany Bay and the Cooks River Valley.

There are 3 lines courses and a score course to choose from. You may start any time between 4pm-5pm. All events will suit newcomers as well as experienced orienteers.

Assembly for week one is near the oval, accessed via Tupia or Fremlin Streets. The course highlight is the animal sculptures dotted around the park (see pic left for an example).

See the series website for more details.

Our Central Coast club also kicks off its summer series on Sunday morning at lovely beachside Avoca.

Assembly is at Heazlett Park, ideally located for a swim afterwards. Starts are from 9.30-11am. It's a Sydney Summer Series-style 45-minute score course, plus a free short MINI course aimed at younger children.

Covid protocols apply at both events. See the series web page for more details.

And in Armidale, Northern Tablelands will be using the free MapRun app for their twilight series which gets underway on Wednesday (Nov 3) at the Arboretum picnic area.

Starts are from 5-6pm, with a 45-minute limit on course.

Season tickets are now on sale for the popular Sydney Summer Series.

You'll need to be a member to access the full season ticket (20 weeks), which offers a saving of 30%. It costs $168 for seniors and $112 for juniors. It's available until December 28 via Eventor.

This means that after 14 events you get the rest for free.

Season 31 starts at Castlecrag on Wed Nov 17.

The first two events (Nov 17 and 24) will be restricted to juniors under the age of 16 and fully vaccinated people aged 16+. You must show your vaccination certificate at the registration table.

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