Latest ONSW News
Our clubs in Armidale and Orange start their 2021 programs this week with the scatter course format in the early evenings.
On a scatter course, you have to find a set number of controls in any order. Eg there might be 30 controls on the map; Course A has to visit any 25, Course B any 20, Course C any 15 etc.
Northern Tablelands events in February are on Thursdays using the MapRun app. Start window is 5.30-6.30pm.
Goldseekers events in February are on Fridays. Start window is 6-6.45pm.
Newcomers are welcome at all our club events.
As individuals and as a partnership, Janet Morris and Barry Hanlon have for decades stimulated and supported the growth of orienteering in western Sydney in particular, and in NSW more generally.
As such they are very worthy winners of the ONSW Encouragement Award for 2020.
Barry is an expert at building maps and is working with Hamish Mackie as ONSW’s Mapping Technical Director. His expertise is evident in the excellent "How to create high quality orienteering base maps", available freely on the WHO website. It has been recommended highly by interstate experts in mapping.
Janet is the organiser for the annual Western Sydney Orienteering Series (WSOS) and was integral to establishing the series which was developed to attract newcomers and provide WHO members with the opportunity to set courses and organise / control minor events.
She also provides mapping support to The Hills Saturday Orienteering Series, a link that is helpful to WHO’s development and has proven to be an excellent bridge into more regular orienteering for people who often then join WHO or other orienteering clubs.
Both Janet and Barry enjoy mapping fieldwork. Between them since 2016 Janet and Barry have completed 21 school maps, while Barry developed 23 base maps in 2019-2020. These provide the field worker with an excellent basis for the next stage of mapping.
Janet and Barry contribute to every WHO event, helping in any capacity that they can, including setting courses, controlling or organising. They are always there early for setting up and wrapping up events. Together they scour the countryside far and wide for suitable bush maps for State League and visit all over greater Sydney seeking interesting urban maps, too.
Congratulations Janet and Barry!
IKO are offering a chance to win free club membership when their annual summer foray into Wollongong kicks off this weekend.
Each of the three events in Summergong 2021 will offer three line courses and a scatter course (get them all in any order).
As a special offer, newcomers who compete in any 2 of the 3 events (dates are Jan 31, Feb 14 and Feb 28) go into the draw for free club membership with Illawarra Kareelah Orienteers for 2021.
First up is this Sunday morning at Reddall Reserve on Lake Illawarra. The start window is 9-10am.
See the flyer for full details.
Garingal life member and Sydney Summer Series founder/organiser Ross Barr is the ONSW Volunteer of the Year for 2020.
This is a fitting award as Ross celebrates the 30th year of the SSS, arguably the greatest local innovation in orienteering.
He has led the series since its conception as visionary, chief organiser and mentor (to course setters, organisers, competitors), not to mention feature reporter (in the weekly SSS blog where his exceptional prose and knowledge of the fine arts shine through).
Ross has also been a mapper and course setter for Garingal for many years, including for national events. He also writes periodically for The Australian Orienteer magazine on various topics.
This award makes it a neat handful of major ONSW awards: he received the President’s Award in 1996 and the Encouragement Award in 2006, and was twice named Course Setter of the Year (2015 and 2011). At a national level he was awarded the David Hogg Medal for Services to Orienteering in 2013.
He has also been recognised outside of orienteering, being named the Sport NSW Community Sport Administrator in 2016. He is a volunteer extraordinaire.
