NSW Rogaining Association
"Your Guide to Rogaining in NSW"
Photos taken by course setters and vetters
Setter's report:
The NSW Rogaining Championships for 2009 was in a pristine corner of the Blue Mountains National Park - on and around the Mount Werong area.
It must be said that the weather could have been kinder. It could also be said that if we had held the event on one of the other originally mooted weekends, it would have been an event more interesting proposition. See right for the previous weekend - when the flags were hung...
Despite the weather (which nicely cleared up just as the competitors were driving out on Sunday lunchtime), we were pleasantly suprised that (almost) everyone that came into the hash house on the Sat evening seemed very cheerful. We were even *more* pleasantly surprised that most of them got up in the morning and went out again, rather than staying in their sleeping bags!
We were also very grateful for all of the positive feedback we had about the course - thanks to all of those people who commented - it definitely makes the work seem worth it! It wasn't really any of our doing - you would be hard pressed to set an unpleasant course in that terrain i think, with the lack of under-shrubbery, great creeks (with real water in them! - a novelty for NSW events...), and almost no cliffs.
We took out a few of the more remote controls because of the weather, and it looked like that was a reasonable option in the end - the winning team collected just over half of the points, so there were still plenty of decisions to be made. We were pleased to see that people spread out over the whole course, and that the cluster of 90-pointers in the east lured people over into the most challenging slopes!
Many thanks to all of those people who helped with the event - it is a big effort to put one of these on, and it couldn't have happened without everyone who chipped in in one way or another - THANKS!
Most importantly, you will be glad to know that the motherless joey that was brought in to the admin tent on Saturday morning has found a home with some locals that specialize in raising local wildlife, and its chances of survival are excellent.
If you have any photos of the event or would like to contribute a small report on your experience, please contact Joel Mackay.
-Joel Mackay
Archival event material
Menu (food provided by 1st Waitara Scouts)
Event personnel
Course setters: Joel Mackay, Jacqui Matthews, Dave Gell
Vetters: Mark and Amy von Huben, David Dash
Flag hangers: Gill Fowler, Tom Brennan and Sarah Jones
Flag retrieval: Marty Middlebrook, John and Mardi Barnes, Neil Hawthorne, Mike Hotchkis, Peter Lark
Map construction and softwares support: Graeme Cooper
Catering: 1st Waitara Scouts
Safety response team: Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Service
Administration: Jacqui Matthews, Ann Kwan, Joel Mackay and Kim Fuller
Services coordination: Neil Hawthorne
For information about this event, contact:
Joel Mackay
Phone: 02 9351 3906
Email:
joelpetermackay@gmail.com