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eNewsletter 200 - Tuesday April 1st, 2025
G'day fellow rogainers Welcome to eNewsletter number 200
You are about to read eNewsletter number 200. This is the most recent in a chain of 328 newsletters dating back more than 41 years to November 1983. Things were pretty sketchy back then. That was the year rogaining began in NSW, along with the incorporation of the NSWRA in July 1983 on the back of a $50 grant from the Australian Rogaining Association. Systematic records were in their infancy. Newsletters were written on a typewriter augmented with plenty of sticky tape. Imagine a smoky room of volunteers folding and address labelling newsletters by hand, whilst being fed pizza. The first formal newsletter, published in March 1984 (pictured above), featured news of the first Australian Rogaining Championships to be organised in NSW (August 1984), an article on team choice in rogaining, changes in recommended snake bite treatment, and an announcement for an upcoming 12-hour event at Newcastle for which the entry fee was $10. In those days, two of the venerables of rogaining, the great Bert van Netten & Ian Dempsey, were vice-president and secretary/treasurer respectively. In an extraordinary twist, they were seen, still together, as team 57 in last Sunday's metrogaine! What better proof is there that rogaining fosters long term friendships? Thanks to the 21 known previous editors since 1983, a rich history has been recorded and this can be read in the archive of past newsletters stored on the website. ALERT: Edition #126, dated March 2008, is missing. If there are any rogainer-hoarders out there (ha!) who might have a copy, we would love to get our hands on a scanned Acrobat of it. That would complete the set. Email: newsletter@nswrogaining.org. |
Important rule changes
This breaking announcement has just come in from the International Rogaining Federation. |
Results & summary: the 2025 Jordan Springs Metrogaine
Is that an emu or a garden ornament? 317 rogainers in 127 teams participated in last Sunday's metrogaine at Jordan Springs. The couse was set in a unique area for a metrogaine -- with lots of wildlife complete with a vast bush section containing emus, whose appearance on the course didn't disappoint. The event was coordinated and set by our own recent Australasian champion rogainer Ivan Koudashev whose team came second at the recent ARC, pipped for first place by a couple of Kiwis! Hamish Mackie's map was to its usual very high standard, complete with 5 metre contours that proved very useful for the subtle topography in the large Wianamatta Regional Park section, in which the mapping accuracy of even the faintest of the tracks was extraordinary. The food is also a very important part of rogaining (for some, almost as important as the map!) and, for this event, the catering was provided by 1st Blaxland Rover Unit. All reports are the event was a great success. It has certainly attracted glowing comments on Facebook, and the unexpected historic railway station was a hit too.
Photos by Svetlana Koudashev. Results
Full results can be found on the event page at the website.
Photos by Svetlana Koudashev. A big thanks to all our volunteers Listed below are those who helped make this years metrogaine such a success:
Special thanks to Ivan for putting on a really good event in what was a new location for rogaining.
Photos by Bruce Sutton. There are many more here. |
Next event: the Coffs Harbour Autumngaine
Entries Are OpenCalling all adventure seekers. The great north coast BANANAGAINE is on over the ANZAC Day long weekend, so it's time to slip into action! The setters, Keelan Birch and Mark Hurry, insist this will be a very a-peeling experience. So, if you're bananas about the challenge, get your 'bunch' together!** Key event information:
Located at Bucca in the Coffs Harbour hinterland, the area is reached equally easily by freeway from both Sydney and Brisbane. So this event is being billed as the 'State of Origin' of rogaines. Who will win? Camping will be available on a large oval only 5 minutes walk from the start, on both the Friday and Saturday nights, and it is only 30mins to hotels in Coffs Harbour. Keelan and Mark are keen to point out that a rogaine has never been held here before so it should be a brand new adventure. A team finder service plus info for novices is available on the entries page. Highlights include lovely rainforest lined creek lines, waterfalls, old mining relics, and lookouts. The forest contains a mix of dry blackbutt, tallowood, flooded gum, and brush box. We are advised that the rainforest creek lines are really beautiful and generally the best to travel on. Almost all of the controls have been set off-track and around 50 have already been taped and vetted. There will be an All-Night Cafe set up at a lookout, approximately halfway through the course. To get the most up to date info, visit the Autumngaine page on the website. Event related queries can be directed to: admin@nswroganing.org
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Introducing: Paddy Pallin 6-hour at Belanglo, Sun 15th June
Rick Cavicchioli writes: Go Belangoloopy! The 6hr Paddy Pallin Rogaine is your chance to go loopy! Held entirely in native forest in Belanglo State Forest, you can expect to challenge yourself to big loops and big points with grand canyon views and steep climbs, or pamper yourself and team-mates with little loops enjoying time-honoured wandering through sandstone country with spectacular flora and fauna. Positioned about half-way between Sydney and Canberra a short distance off the Hume Hwy, the event will foster NSW/ACT rogainer-rivalry at its best. At an elevation of around 700m, the cool forest air can be enjoyed from the moment you arrive at the spacious Three Trees Hash House site to the time you depart. If you choose to camp nearby, the Three Trees site has plenty of parking and it is easily accessed. Belanglo provides unique opportunities for picking mushrooms, spending an additional night with the frogs at the nearby Dalys Campground, or sampling fine food and wine from one of the nearby wineries. Finally, we thank our friends and sponsors, Paddy Pallin, for supporting this event. Watch the Paddy Pallin event page on the website for the most up to date info. Event related queries can be directed to: admin@nswroganing.org
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The 2025 NSWRA committee
The 2025 Annual General Meeting was held just after the Kurnell Minigaine on 23rd February 2025. All Committee positions were declared vacant and most 2024 members have continued to the 2025 Committee, with a few notable changes. Michael Watts is leaving us after many years of dedicated service as Safety Officer and ARA Representative, Andrew Duerden is stepping down as Public Officer and Membership Secretary, Tristan White is winding up as Publicity Officer and Katherine Cameron is stepping down as joint Volunteer Coordinator – a role that she shared with Robin Cameron. As for the 2025 Committee, the pictures above tell the story with the notable additions of Arthur Day as Newsletter Editor (you’re reading his fine work right now) and Charles Kuan as Safety Officer - Charles volunteers with SES & RFS and will be doing our First Aid for most events. We thank Charles and Arthur for stepping up to fill these important roles for our Association. There are two other important additions for 2025 – we now have two sub-committees that draw on the experience and new talent in our membership. The Events Group is headed up by Martin Dearnley and aims to ensure that all events are planned well in advance and that the teams organising them have all the resources and information they need to deliver the event confidently. Graham Field, Ted Woodley and Hamish Mackie are members of this group. The Marketing Group is headed by Julian Ledger and aims to coordinate the marketing and communication activities of the association. Chris Stevenson and Arthur Day are also members of this group. 
In late breaking news, we’d also like to welcome Matt Berrington and Siobhan Tobin to the team as our Webmasters and IT Coordinators – they’re in training until Chris Stevenson lets them fly solo, which won’t be long now. For more excitement, you can check out the 2025 AGM Meeting Papers on the NSWRA Website. |
2025 rogaining calendarThe NSW calendar for 2025 is summarised below. Check it out or grab a flyer at the next event. An updated ‘fridge-friendly’ printable calendar (pdf) is also available for download. Put these dates in your diary, but remember to check the website as there may be further changes.
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Volunteer opportunities
A call for volunteers We need a Course Setter for the Spring Rogaine on 18th October and a Coordinator to run the Socialgaine on 2nd November. It is best to fill key roles like these early. Of course, there are also lots of other opportunities to help with delivering our events this year too. Please drop an email to Robin - volunteer@nswrogaining.org or register to help in any event here. (NSWRA celebrates its volunteers. Support our events and earn free entry! Volunteers earn points. 100 points earns entry to a subsequent event. There is a volunteer rewards points table where you can monitor your progress toward a free entry voucher. For more info see the Volunteer Rewards Policy.) |
Do you have any good stories for the newsletter?
We'd love to hear from you. Do you have any: event reports or photos, recent experiences, personal reflections, or any semi-credible accounts of endurance & navigation to share? Drop an email to: newsletter@nswrogaining.org — we’d be thrilled to feature your contribution in a future issue. |
Some useful links |
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About NSWRA: The New South Wales Rogaining Association inc. (NSWRA) is the governing body of the sport of rogaining in the state of New South Wales.
We are incorporated under state law. ABN 15 314 080 648. © 2025 NSW Rogaining Association |