Latest ONSW News
A great long weekend of orienteering in the Hunter Valley for QBIII organised by the Newcastle Orienteering Club.
If you attended over the weekend please take the time to complete the Course Setter Surveys through the links below. These not only contribute to the Course Setter of the Year Award but also offer valuable feedback to setters and organisers to take into account for future events
State League 7 Avondale College
A number of photos were taken over the weekend which can viewed on Facebook:
- Day 2 (ONSW)
- Day 3 (ONSW)
- Day 3 (Bold Horizons)
For those interested you can view all the maps from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3
A contingent of NSW Orienteers recently took advantage of the eased interstate COVID travel restrictions to travel to South Australia for the Australian Rogaining Championships in the fairly flat Mallee country about 3 hours north of Adelaide.
Congratulations to Julian Ledger (BN) and John Anderson (GO), who teamed up to win the Australian Ultra Veteran title for 2021! They posted a score of 1360 points and were also 42nd overall. Julian's race report is available on the NSW Rogaining website
Other ONSW participants and results were :
- Antonyia Bachvarova and Andrew Smith from Garingal with 2830 points finishing in 6th place overall
- Gill Fowler's (BF) team finished 10th with 2580
- Nicole Mealing and Andrew Brown from Big Foot finished in 15th with 2340 points
- Dom Pitot from Bennelong Northside was in a team that finished 34th with 1520 points
- Ian Cameron and Susan Kurrle from Garingal finished in 48th with 1230 points
Perfect Sydney winter weather greeted close to 400 runners and 50 volunteers for the 46th edition of the Great NOSH Footrace.
Orienteering NSW members were in their element for this technical course along the upper reaches of Middle Harbour starting at Lindfield and finishing at Bantry Bay. Bennelong Northside member Ryan Armstrong won the Outright Male title over the 16km. In the Juniors section it was a ONSW clean sweep of the podium with Cooper Horley from Garingal first home ahead of Seth Sweeney from WHO in second and William Nolan from Uringa taking third.
Other notable ONSW placings were : Riley Grainger (GO) 3rd Male 18-29, Gary Farebrother (WHO) 3rd Male 50-59, Bob Morgan (BN) 3rd Male 60-69, Emily Sorenson (BF) 3rd Female 18-29, Zoe Melling (UR) 1st Female 50-59, Paula Shingler (BF) 2nd Female 50-59, Glenn Horrock (GO) 3rd Male 22km over 40
Thank you to the volunteers from Bennelong, Garingal, Uringa, WHO, SHOO and Big Foot for helping make this event happen and thanks to Bold Horizons for organising!
NSW, SHOO and the general Orienteering community have lost a long term contributor and participant in our sport.
Neville started orienteering in 1988 and has orienteered in all states except the Territory. He started as a member of Scrubrunners Club then, on its folding, joined Southern Highlands due to his interest in schools orienteering.
He has been a coach, setter, vetter, mapper, coach driver (for the NSW Schools team) and always been part of club events. Neville was always available at SHOO club events to help newcomers learn the basics of orienteering and was in his element at the Sydney South West schools events where he would revive his former skills as a school principal.
He ran the ONSW email news bulletin for many years before handing over to people with more refined computer skills. Due to his interest in the sport’s development he became an ONSW Board member representing the association at a number of development conferences. He was also part of the organising team for JWOC 2007 in Dubbo.
Neville didn’t often make the podium but his favourite story was when he came third in M65A at 2001 QB111, laughing ‘that makes me the third fastest man in Australia’. And then winning NSW Sprint Champs in 2015 where everyone but him and Frank Assenza fell over.
He just loved being in the bush with a map in his hand. And engaging in philosophical conversations while sitting around an assembly area.
Vale Neville Fathers
1935-2021
Gentleman and scholar.
