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eNews

A quick wrap on what's been happening and what's up next for Rogaining in NSW. Sorry that it's been so long between Newsletters - there's been a fair bit happening in the past few months and more in the pipeline.

Our next event - Lake Macquarie Rogaine

The annual Lake Macquarie Rogaine will be held on 24th August 2024 in the Olney State Forest and the Watagans National Park. Bert van Netten and his enthusiastic team are setting a challenging course (is there any other type up there) that will let you get up close and personal Watagans environment - there's a promise of beautiful rocky gullies, open spurs and a minimal amount of lawyer vine!! The updated map by Hamish Mackie will give you all you need for a special rogaining experience.

Entries are Now Open

Festival of Rogaining - 21 & 22 September

Come enjoy a weekend in beautiful Capertee National Park exploring the second widest canyon in the world at the NSW Festival of Rogaining on 21-22 September 2024. It'll be a great opportunity to test your off-track navigation skills while enjoying the open bush. We're offering a 15-in-24 hr Roving and a 24-hour rogaine. There are even two cottages available to book close to the Hash House that you can return to during the event - but get in quick to secure these beds!

Read more here

2024 Australasian Rogaining Championships

Western Australia, 7/8 September 2024

It's less than four weeks until entries close in this year's Australasian Rogaining Championships!

ARA President Paul Guard reports that some states are extremely poorly represented at the moment! Tassie and Queensland are up there but NSW and the rest are dragging the chain. Remember last year that NSW and ACT shared the Interstate Trophy – are we going to let this honour drift away?

Entries are Now Open

Intervarsity Championships

This Australasian Championships in WA is also the Intervarsity Championships, supported by the Nigel Aylott Memorial Sports Foundation. A travel subsidy is available for one team of tertiary education students from each state.

Applications close first week of August, so get in quick. The eligibility criteria is here. Contact simin@rogainevic.org.au to apply.

The prefect prep for the Festival of Rogaining

If you're looking for a bit of mind and body prep before the NSW Championships, two weeks before - in the same neck of the woods - Orienteering NSW are running the NSW Middle and Long Distance Champs. These are the premier state level events on the Orienteering calendar and will be on the exceptional 2009 World Masters Champs area of Clandulla, near Kandos/Rylstone. Clandulla is a combination of sandstone rock and spur gully terrain, some steep sections but also large areas that are vague and undulating.

Entries are open in Eventor here and will close in less than 2 weeks' time on Sunday 18 August. Preliminary Event Information is available here.

20th World Rogaining Championships Awarded to Australia

Australia has been awarded the 2027 World Rogaining Championships with a unanimous vote at the International Rogaining Federation (IRF). Congratulations to the bid team (including our own Julian Ledger), and especially SA Rogaining Association President Craig Colwell who put an enormous effort in to get it over the edge.

The event is planned for the Flinders Ranges in the same area as the 1997 Australian Champs (remember that? - it's the only other rogaine that has been held in this area). It’s being held in September 2027 and this far out, the weather looks great!

Recent Events Wrap

Navigation Workshop

100 navigators, young and old braved the cold mid-winder event to attend a Navigation Workshop he day before the annual Paddy Pallin Rogaine at the Rydal Showground and surrounding countryside.

Aside from a great showground venue and superb rogaining countryside, the event offered attendees direct access to 16 of the most experienced rogainers in NSW as coaches, both at the workshop and the real event next day. The opportunity to take a coach out on the course on an event (non-competitively) was invaluable and is something that we will try to incorporate into future events. Aside from the practical skills and information passed on by the coaches, the training day helped make social connections that don't happen so easily at regular events - and this is a key factor in new rogainers coming back for more.

Salome Hussein writes to all those that gave up their time to help as coaches, mentors and volunteers:
"Chris and I would just like to thank and commend you for all your efforts towards making last weekend happen. I saw lots of smiles, discussions, and enthusiasm. So many people took me aside at breaks and meals to express how grateful and impressed they were with the weekend. I've already got a couple follow-ups asking how to get more involved and what to do next. Give yourselves a big hand, for sure."
.. and thank you Chris Stevenson and Salome Hussein and all the coaches and volunteers that made this a success.

61st Paddy Pallin Rogaine - Rydal June 2024

Whilst the Navigation Workshop endured the cold and wet for its outside sessions, the following day turned out to be a cracking winters day, perfect for playing in the spectacular rogaining country around Rydal.

Vivien de Remy de Courcelles and family Emmanuelle and Justine, set a perfectly balanced course on another crisp and accurate Hamish Mackie map. With 2180 points on offer, Xanda Kolesnikow and Andrew (Brooner) Brown managed to snag 2160 of them, coming in 59 seconds over time for the win - 110 points clear of their nearest rivals Dave Baldwin and Julie Quin from the ACT.

Check out Greigor Scott's blog post "A leisurely stroll with Bert" here:

Navshield

Julian Ledger Reports:

The 2024 Navshield was held north of Stroud and lived up to its reputation as Australia's toughest rogaine. More than 500 participants battled steep terrain, thick bush and some challenging control placement. There was a one day, 9-hour event and a two day, 27-hour event.

The Navshield (full name the Australian Emergency Services Wilderness Navigation Shield) is a training exercise now organised by the SES Bush Search and Rescue.

This year was memorable for the extreme winds. Finishers could be excused for not finding the finish as the Base had been rearranged by the storm. The administration tent had been picked up by a gust and destroyed on landing. Many other tents came to grief.

Thanks, this year went to well know faces around rogaining circles. Stu Warren, Salome Hussein and Glenn Horrocks as organisers put in a huge effort. Well done guys!

Eastwood and Westward Nightgaine

Steve Ryan knows how to set memorable rogaines (remember the leeches?) and this one, despite the lack of these wriggly friends, had all the ingredients necessary for a great night out in the suburbs.

Steve comments
"The idea for setting a course around Eastwood came from participating in several enjoyable orienteering events in the area, including Moonlight events at Epping and Denistone. The most recent Rogaine in this area was back in 2004 Metrogaine which started to the north in Carlingford."

Aside from the 3 and 5 hour team events, Solo competitors could enter the 3 hour. It was good to see a few returns of new rogainers who participated in the Navigation Workshop and also a few of the coaches/mentors from the workshop taking out new recruits to the sport.

If you want in inside view of how to plan and execute a perfect run, check out coach Chris Stevenson's blog entry here: - you might learn a thing or two about strategy.

You'll also be able to re-live the event on Maprun in the near future.

Annual Members Survey

We haven't had one for a few years, so the ‘annual' title is a look to the future. You're probably getting a bit annoyed by endless requests for your opinion or satisfaction with something that really only benefits companies wanting to sell you more stuff. This is different – letting us know what's good, bad and needed in the management and delivery of rogaining events will help shape the future of the sport in NSW and beyond.

Keep an eye out for an email about the on-line Q&A in the next few weeks – it will be time worth spending and we promise not to ask you to rate your satisfaction with the whole survey experience!

2024 Calendar

We're getting to the sharp end of the Rogaining year with just 4 NSW events remaining. Lock these into your calendar so that you don't miss out on any of the 60 hours of on-course action.

We need a Newsletter Editor

Do you reckon that you could write one of these newsletters or bulletins every month or so? We need someone with good writing skills and above average enthusiasm to compile our newsletters. It's a great way to get to know everything that's happening in Rogaining in NSW and contribute to the sport that you love.

Drop an email to president@nswrogaining.org if you'd like to give it a go.

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