Bob Gilbert Reports ...
The 14th Annual Lake Macquarie Rogaine got under way at midday with 58 teams in the 12 hour event and 60 teams in the 6 hour event. The strong winds which came up during the morning necessitated a modified start and a relocation of the hash house and finish tent. However the conditions improved later in the day with the evening being a lovely moonlit and calm night.
Congratulations to Andrew and Nicole Haigh who were the overall winners in this years Lake Macquarie Rogaine. Although the team of Joel Donney, Greig Scott and Jenny Scott also scored 1430 points they checked in at the finish 7 minutes later than Andrew and Nicole and had to settle for second place. John Jacoby and Chris Bryan with a score of 1400 were third overall.
In the 6 hour event Robert Vincent teamed with newcomer Geoff Todkill to take out this event with 1080 points. The supervet pair of David Dash and Peter Tamsett were second with 860 points while Geoff Harper and Caireen Urquhart were third with 850 points.
Many teams seemed to have some difficulty with control 54, however following the comments on the control description may have assisted those teams with their navigation.
One of the highlights for most competitors was the Tea & Damper stop. Once again this welcome oasis in the bush was provided by the 1st Cardiff scout group and their many goodies were very much appreciated by those who stopped (and probably stayed longer than planned).
Course Setters Comments
We arrived at the Tea & Damper an hour and a half after the start and were amazed by the setup. The 1st Cardiff Scouts certainly know how to run a top Tea and Damper stop with a pitched roof canopy over tables with all kinds of cakes, treats and drinks. Having been there only a few hours before to put out checkpoint #44 with Bob Montgomery the change was amazing. We sampled some of the rocky road and other treats before the competitors consumed it all.
Competitors were already coming through the checkpoint with most having smiles on their faces which was good considering the climb from the hash house.
We collaborated with Bert to set and vet the course. Bert set the western and southern parts of the course while we set the eastern and north eastern section. The course was set to provide a good introduction to novice competitors while providing a physical and navigational challenge for the top competitors. Some of the checkpoints were on unusual features: a gully cutting across a spur at #63, the unusual rocky spur at #90, the hanging gully at #91 and the knoll on a spur at #54. Checkpoint #54 seemed to cause competitors the most problems. Successful approaches to the control were to contour around from Wakefield Forest Road or to use definite attack points from Aubs Road. One of the top 12 hour mens teams commented on arriving back at the hash house that using definite attack point made the navigation simpler. Just heading for a gully or spur was not usually successful.
Thanks to Bob Montgomery who drove around to put out the last controls and check controls on Saturday morning and to those who collected controls after the event.
Robyn and Peter Charlton
Winners Score Card
12 Hour
Andrew & Nicole Haigh - 10, 11, 13, 22, 23, 24, 27, 32, 33, 34, 35, Bonus, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 61, 62, 64, 70, 71, 72, 73, 80, 90, 91
6 Hour
Robert Vincent & Geoff Todkill - 10, 11, 13, 20, 23, 24, 27, 30, 33, 34, 35, Bonus, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 52, 54, 55, 60, 62, 63, 64, 70, 72,
90
Most visited controls
# 10 - 103
# 27 - 99
# 63 - 97
# 44- - 94
Least visited controls
# 31 - 3
# 30 - 7
# 51 - 8
# 34 - 15
Acknowledgements
The mapping and course setting was done by Peter Charlton and his daughter Robyn with some help from Bert Van Netten
Thanks must also go to Di Van Netten and her band of helpers from the Junior Orienteering Squad who once again did a magnificent job in ensuring the hash house was able to satisfy the appetites of the tired and the weary at the end of another challenging and successful rogaine.
A very much appreciated service was provided by the Cardiff scout group who provided that much talked about Tea & Damper stop at control #44.
Although not as visible were the Wangi scouts who organised the car parking and the Cooronbong SES who assisted with power generation and being on hand for any emergency situation that may have arisen.
We were indebted to Alan McCathy who generously allowed us to use his property for our start/finish area.
Finally to Lake Macquarie City Council who support the rogaine by financing the map and medallions for placegetters.
Lake Macquarie Rogaine Wins Award
The 13th Annual Lake Macquarie Rogaine held last year was awarded a plaque for being a finalist in Hunter Region Sports Awards for the "Successful Promotion of a Sporting Event 2004". These awards are presented by the Australian Society of Sports Administrators and it was pleasing to see that they recognised the sport of rogaining. This was quite an achievement as other nominees were the Pura Cup cricket match NSW v Tasmania held in Newcastle and the Hunter Jaegers home matches in the National Netball League.
The success of the Lake Macquarie Rogaine, now in its 14th year, is due to the commitment and dedication to the event by Bert and Di Van Netten. They have been involved in the organisation of all 14 events and have allowed thousands to have enjoyed the sport of rogaining as part of the Lake Macquarie Games
How Your Entry Fee was Distributed
| NSW Rogaining Ass |
$10 |
| State Forests |
$1.90 |
| T & D |
$1.60 |
| Food |
$6.00 |
| Caterers ( Junior Orienteering Squad) |
$7.00 |
| Wangi Scouts (car parking) |
$0.60 |
| Administration |
$5.00 |
| Cooronbong SES |
$2.00 |
| Rescue Helicopter - donation |
$1.40 |
| Duke of Edinburgh - donation |
$1.00 |
| Miscellaneous * |
$1.50 |
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$38.00 |
* Most of this is absorbed in the form of a subsidy for the reduced entry fee for concession and family entries
Because Lake Macquarie City Council assist in financing printing of maps and providing medallions we are able to assist local
organizations who assist us (providing volunteers) in running the event
Thank you for once again supporting the Lake Macquarie Rogaine and we hope to see you again in 2006
Bob Gilbert - Administrator
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