Member profile: Kim Carroll
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
.JPG) When did you start orienteering?
2006 when I moved to WA. I grew up in Ballarat but amazingly, despite having a teacher who was into orienteering, I never really knew about it until I moved to Perth. I started rogaining first, when I was at Uni.
Who/what inspired you to start?
Gary. It was a big part of his life in WA so I just joined in.
What do you do when not orienteering ?
Look after our young son Sean. Sew, try and grow vegies, travel.
What is ONE thing you like about orienteering ?
The chance to make friends of all ages, and then see interstate friends at national events.
A piece of advice for newcomers to the sport?
Don't run faster than you can navigate.
Highlight/lowlight of your O career?
Winning Australian titles for my age class. Lowlight - running off the map entirely!
Favourite/most unusual/most scenic place you have orienteered?
Peterdine - a lovely WA map - open rocky area, always sunny and warm.
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Easter 3 Day Orienteering Carnival
Sunday, 7 April 2013
45 Australopers members headed off to the mining and granite terrain near Bendigo for the Easter carnival. It was great to be able to gather beneath the Australopers Banner, to encourage, congratulate and commiserate with each other. Notable performances by Australopers were : 1st Family relay - Bert Elson, Grace and Matt Crane; 2nd M16A - Oisin Stronach; 3rd M60A - Bert Elson; 3rd M21AS - Matt Cohen; 2nd W21E - Grace Crane; 2nd W40A - Cathy McComb; 1st W50A - Christine Marshall; 2nd W10N - Zali McComb; 2nd M10N - Jett McComb; 1st W Junior B - Inala Day.
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Member profile: Jeff Dunn
Monday, 25 February 2013
.JPG)  When did you start orienteering?
Started using Sally's bush O events as ride destinations in 2008, and doing Corporate Challenge. Really only took the bait in 2010. Try to kid myself that I haven't properly started even now, but I guess the newby status wore out long ago.
What do you do when not orienteering?
Yes, I ride bikes, but I actually average only a couple of hours per week of fun riding. I sit at desks - from breakfast to bedtime really - as an ocean data analyst and doing stuff for bike organisations. I drink coffee and have the odd nap. And my favourite bit: I work on bikes in the shed. Kid myself that I'll go back to playing Ultimate Frisbee one day, but the odds are lengthening.
What is ONE thing you like about orienteering ?
Here's the thing: just when you realise that you are utterly horribly lost, instead of it being terrifying and miserable, the bush suddenly becomes its usual self: still, peaceful, quiet apart from a few bird calls. The spooky quiet means you could be way off the map - which only makes it more exciting!
Do you have a goal for your O this year?
No. I should think of something - ideas welcome! In the next few years I want to have a good go at MTBO Aus Champs. Really hoping I have some time for regular exercise leading up to M60...
A piece of advice for newcomers to the sport?
Don't follow me!
Highlight/lowlight of your O career?
Rowdy Flats MTBO 2011. Wandered over a huge portion of the map before finding the first control (back near the start), then ambitiously pushed in front of Darryl Smith and instantly crashed head-first down a deep gully. Can't think of any lowlights. Well actually, the absence of an ongoing Tas MTBO career is pretty sad.
Favourite/most unusual/most scenic place you have orienteered?
Love MTBO in the forests at Evandale. And a very grudging respect for the nightmare terrain of Rowdy Flats, and a thrill of awe of anyone who can actually navigate there.
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President's Report 2012
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Bert delivering the President's Report poolside at Julian and Mary Roscoe's lovely home. .JPG)
If I thought 2011 went by in a rush 2012 seemed to go even faster. I guess that’s one of the consequences of getting older.
Nonetheless I have to say that 2012 was an outstanding year for Australopers thanks to the Executive, Committee members and all those members who volunteered to put on great events throughout the year.
GENERAL: Australopers continues to be the largest Orienteering club in Tasmania and remains one of the dominant clubs in Australia. At the end of 2012 we had 145 members on the books, compared to 100 for EVOC and 42 for WROC.
We are very highly represented at local, statewide, national and international events. Some of our achievements in 2012 were as follows:
• Easter 3 Days (Queensland) – 32 members competing
• Australopers second to Ugly Gully (51-49) on club points
• Australian Championships (Tasmania) – Most members competing and helping out
• Grace Crane as the highest ranked Australian elite and won all three events at the Aus Champs as well as Easter as well as the AO Athlete of the year Award.
• Bert Elson awarded Silva award for Services to Orienteering in Australia
• Amy Buckerfield competed in the Junior World Championships in Poland.
• Nicola Marshall was selected in the 2013 National Junior Squad
• Jarrah Day and Oisin Stronach were selected in the 2013 National Junior Development Squad
Australopers’ strength lies not only in the competitive side but in its broad base. We have a good volunteer base and a strong commitment to event organisation. Australopers also continues to place a strong emphasis on family involvement and the social side of orienteering. In general terms Australopers has a great bunch of people as members!
Before going on to list achievements by category I want to give particular recognition to a number of club members:
• Sally Wayte who has worked tirelessly as Secretary throughout the year.
• Renny Duckett for his ongoing contribution as Treasurer despite his inability to compete due to injury.
• Rosie Rutledge for her great contributions to each edition of O Know.
• Martin Bicevskis who as President of OT has been our OT liaison officer as well as putting in untold hours organising Sportident and Autodownload timing systems at Australopers events and who with Elizabeth and Karl has provided timing and results for the Space Racing, Schools and Corporate Challenge series as well as other events during the year.
• Jan Hardy as our chief representative and Chair of the OT selection panel and more recently as Membership Officer and Judy Davis who looked after selection in Jan’s absence and is now also a selector in her own right.
• Mike Calder who has taken over from Tony Mount in organising our event volunteer roster.
• Sue and Tony Mount who are always at events to help out newcomers.
• Ross Kelly for his work on behalf of the club putting our feedback into the development of the annual calendar of events.
• Wendy Andrewartha for letting us continue to use her garage as our equipment store.
• Sally Salier and Jim Laver for maintaining that equipment.
• Wayne Griggs for his coaching efforts.
• The Buckerfield Family who while running a very busy veterinary practice always seem ready to stay behind at events and help pack up and collect controls
• Janet and Renny for their help at events and for providing their house for various Australopers functions.
• Kim and Gary Carroll for their work in maintaining a social program
• Nick Bowden as mapping co-ordinator
• Liz Butler for her work in managing the production and distribution of our club running shirts
• And all those members who helped with event organisation including course planning, control placing, registration, control collection and so on.
FINANCES: The financial report tabled separately will show we are financially sound. Our club reserves increased during the year as a consequence of our running of the southern Corporate Challenge and Schools Series and we have a number of projects in the planning stage to put those resources to use in.
MEMBERSHIP: Membership at the end of 2012 was 145 up from the 127 at the end of the previous year. These figures may be a bit imperfect but the new membership system will in future ensure more accurate statistics.
EVENTS: In 2012 Australopers organised a large number of events, both local and statewide. We have had considerable input to the 2013 calendar. In particular we achieved a significant increase in attendance at the Schools /Corporate Challenge series following a broad based publicity campaign and the incorporation into the series of a Primary School competition, overseen by Mike Calder. The peak number of participants at any one Australopers event was 229 at the week 2 Corporate Challenge /Schools event in October.
COACHING: Coaching events were again held for both experienced and beginner members.
MAPPING: It was a quiet year mapping wise, this also recognising a general shift in responsibility for mapping from clubs to OT. We benefited from utilising several new maps during the year including St Johns Park, Sandown Park, The Regatta Grounds and Cornelian Bay. We are trying to arrange through orienteering Tasmania the mapping of a new area at Avoca for this years Tasmanian Long Distance Championships.
EQUIPMENT: We have designed and hope to order soon bright START and FINISH banners showing the club logo.
CLUB UNIFORM: We continue to be very visible through our club running tops – particularly at national and international events.
CLUB WEBSITE: We continue to maintain a club website though this is an area that may need some additional effort in future to ensure it is always up to date.
SOCIAL: In 2012 we held a number of social functions.
CLUB MEETINGS: Club meetings were held monthly at members’ homes and were well attended. We continue to try to streamline the business component of meetings so that there is ample time for social interaction.
2012 AUSTRALOPERS OFFICE BEARERS: My thanks again to 2012 office bearers.
PRESIDENT: Bert Elson
SECRETARY (& PUBLIC OFFICER): Sally Wayte
TREASURER: Renny Duckett
Other Officers
Event Program: Ross Kelly
Event Planning: Mike Calder
MAPPING: Nick Bowden
EQUIPMENT: Jim Laver
COACHING CO-ORDINATOR: Wayne Griggs
NEWCOMERS CO-ORDINATOR: Jan Hardy
JUNIOR REPRESENTATIVE:
SELECTORS: Jan Hardy / Judy Davis
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES: Martin Bicevskis
NEWSLETTER: Rosie Rutledge
SOCIAL: Kim and Gary Carroll
THE YEAR AHEAD
2013 will be a big year with Australopers members organising a large proportion of the year’s events. We are looking forward to two more successful Schools and Corporate Challenge series and will probably play an important role in the new Mid Year Saturday afternoon series to commence in May. We will be holding the Tasmanian Long Distance Championships (hopefully on a new map at Avoca) and are organising the Middle and Relay Championships as well.
I wish everyone in Australopers a great year.
Bert Elson
President
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Member profile: Andrea Schiwy
Saturday, 8 December 2012
 When did you start orienteering? I started orienteering in March 1996. On a freezing wet Sunday up at Risdon Brook. Anthony and I had been to a dinner party the night before where one of the guests was Jo Mitchell; the Southern Development officer (we used to have employees at OT!). Jo talked us into coming to a 'Come And Try It' the next day. We arrived at the event and were warmly welcomed by Sue Mount (I believe she may have had an Australopers membership form in her hand!). Sue showed us the ropes and was very encouraging. Anthony and I had 3 year old Stuart in a backpack (he was a weighty boy) and 7 year old Sonia by our side as we set off on a beginners course. We finished the course, wet and cold, and immediately went out again on a medium. We were hooked.
Who/what inspired you to start? Jo gave us the nudge we needed and I think the support provided by Sue for our first few events kept us there.
What do you do when not orienteering ? There is other stuff you can do?
What is ONE thing you like about orienteering ? One thing I love about orienteering is that 'there is always next time'.
Do you have a goal for your O in 2013? Yes. Lots of them. Beat Sally at Corporate Challenge. Place in the top third overall in W50 at Easter. Make the A final of the World Masters Long Distance and Sprint. Beat Sally again at Corporate Challenge. Have a faster split time than Jemery (just one!). Have a clean run in the Aust Champs relay. Hold onto my dibber. Beat Sally by so much in the Corporate Challenge that there are tears. Have such a good run at a State series event that Chris, Sue and Christine look worried. Learn to keep a cool head when navigationally challenged. Beat Sally.
A piece of advice for newcomers to the sport? Never follow Jemery.
Highlight/lowlight of your O career? Lowlight: Sitting on a rock at Mt Kooyara after 2 1/2 hours out in the heat, salt crusting on my mouth, only 2/3rds of the way around my course, and no water in sight. The tears in my eyes draining the last of the moisture from my body. Highlight: My Aust Champs performance in 2012.
Favourite/most unusual/most scenic place you have orienteered? Sprint event in Portugual running around a castle.
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Member profile: Dion McKenzie
Thursday, 29 November 2012
When did you start orienteering?
About three years ago because I discovered that is more fun than playing hockey!!
Who/what inspired you to start?
Competed in rogaines for a number of years and thought I would give it a go. Sarge was a culprit at dragging me along to the corporate challenges over the years so I thought I had an idea what I was in for.
What do you do when not orienteering ?
Discuss life matters with Sasha (3yo), pretend to finish a house we started to build a number of years ago, mow lawns, read novels, occasional farm work
What is ONE thing you like about orienteering ?
I love getting out and about, and going places that in any other sane moment you perhaps might not.
Do you have a goal for your O this year?
To successfully complete every M21E event at the Aus Champs....I don't think I will win!
A piece of advice for newcomers to the sport?
Ask
Highlight/lowlight of your O career?
Besides, DNF's, 180 and 90 degree errors, going off map, noodling, and not being able to count at scatter events....nothing in particular stands out yet! I am sure the best is yet to come and we won't think about the worst.
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