Report by the course setters ...
(as published in the July 1991 Newsletter, Number 29)
I had intended holding this year's Paddy Pallin Rogaine on the
South Coast and visited two potential sites late last year. Both
would have offered a real challenge and had some spectacular
features but were a bit too rough to set safe and enjoyable novice
controls; and neither 'captured' me the way the Boyd Lookout area
had last year. In January I moved to Glenbrook and being a map
addict purchased a Penrith sheet the day I moved. I noticed that
Euroka Clearing was on the map. I remembered the name from an
article on the Paddy Pallin event; it had been used for the first
four events from 1964 to 1967. A quick visit to the area proved what
those who competed can confirm; it's a. beautiful area which allowed
a wonderful introduction to rogaining for novices and a challenge
for the old hands ... and the bush was probably more. open than on
the South Coast!
From the beginning I was worried about the impact of a big rogaine
on the area, particularly the beautiful but fragile Euroka Clearing.
It may have been my expression of this concern that won the support
of the National Parks and Wildlife Service who from the outset were
very supportive. I came across the helipad while setting #41
(correctly) and noted it for future reference as a possible assembly
area. (We agreed to a limit of 300 entrants and so I was worried
when I rang to say that it'd be closer to 350 but they were
understanding. In the end we had 378 with another 50 odd missing
out. After years of trying to build up numbers I found turning
people down a real problem. If you read this please forgive us and
do come back!)
Everything went well up to the "wet long weekend we had to have". I
had planned to put out ten more controls on the Monday, including
#41, but I arrived at the causeway at 9am to see the height at 1.8
metres. I came back at 3.30pm to see it almost touching 4.0 metres.
Contingency plans were in preparation but by Thursday it was clear
that we could get across the causeway. However, 200 cars on Euroka
was out of the question. "How about the helipad?" I asked. "Great
idea" replied Margo Sharp, and we had an event. As it turned out
Euroka dried out enough to let campers enjoy its beauty (and
leechesl) and the helipad made the perfect assembly area.
Getting the markers out became a problem having lost the Monday so a
desperation call went out to Tony Maloney and Cameron Osborne of Big
Foot Orienteers. Along with Julian, Gary and Jo-Anne we got them all
out on Saturday except for #26 and #42 which couldn't be found and
#41! By the time I heard that. #41 was wrong it was too late -its
subtle positioning had fooled even the best of navigators. How 84
teams
found the marker to punch reflects very poorly on our navigation!!!
With such a beautiful area and a huge attendance all that was needed
for a great event was fine weather. I had ordered "just a dry day,
please" and so the magnificent weather came as a real surprise after
the previous weekend and last year's event.
Then for six hours I wondered where you'd all gone. A rough check of
the cards showed me that you went everywhere. The control card below
shows how many teams visited each control. It was also pleasing to
note that you visited an average of just under ten controls. Just
about all of you spent time in one of the delightful creeks while
less than a third found your way to one of the spectacular lookouts;
they're worth a visit sometime.
Being so close to home and with a good track network I had been able
to set a big course with controls weighted so that there would be (I
hoped) no obvious "best" route. The results seem to indicate that
this was the case. The first two teams (680 points) both went on
different east and south loops while the third team (670 points)
went north and west, and of the top nine teams four went either way
and one did a middle loop. I had predicted a winning score of 750 to
800 points but it seems that that the leeches slowed the top teams
down! The winning route is shown on the accompanying map. The second
team's route was
41-22-33-25-27-44-26-12-64-89-43-35-45-36-46-67-37-57-55-21-HH. Ian
McKenzie noted that they lost time along the indistinct track along
Campfire Creek, which really was very slow, and by going into and
out of #57 from the road rather than via #44. By contrast the third
team arrived back with 14 minutes spare having decided not to visit
#22 and #28 which were just off their route:
41-53-52-61-60-21-54-55-56-73-67-37-44-12-26-11. Tile only con-trol,
apart from #41, which caused some controversy was #61 and I have an
offer from Trevor Gollan to help collect it so that's its correct
position can be confirmed or an apology forthcoming.
And that was the 28th Paddy Pallin. As in previous years, your
comments made the efforts in organising well worth it. My greatest
satisfaction from the event came from seeing twenty Scout teams. I
feel sure that Paddy would've been pleased!, See you all next year.
Warwick and Julian
For general information about this event, contact ...
Graeme Cooper
phone: 02 6772 3584
email:
webmaster@nswrogaining.org
For documents relating to this and other event see the "Event Archives"
Like all NSWRA rogaines, anyone could enter. You had to make up a team of between 2 and 5 people. If you were under 14 years of age on the day of the event you had to have an adult in your team.