eNewsletter 205 - Saturday 21st June, 2025
G'day fellow rogainers In this newsletter
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Paddy Pallin summary & results
Photo by Nicole Mealing
"How is this even possible?" Exclaimed an incredulous course setter, Rick C., just as the winning team punched in. Congratulations to Ryan & David Stocks. They smashed the entire course (2870pts) in a mere 4 hours & 44 minutes. What an incredible result! A total of 518 participants in 199 teams took part in the 2025 Paddy Pallin rogaine, held entirely in the native bushland of the Belanglo State Forest. It was an exceptionally good turnout, even for the Paddy Pallin, which tends to be our most popular event of the year. The course was characterised by open native bushland that allowed unencumbered navigation through the classic sandstone country characteristic of the Sydney region. True to the spirit of rogaining, the map had plenty of great route options, allowing hiking loops of each team's design. Scenic control locations were a bonus. The setters, Rick Cavicchioli and Tassia Kolesnikow, must have spent months to find the most suitable off-track control locations. Hamish Mackie's resulting map was also to its usual very high standard, complete with 5 metre contours, and highly detailed, intuitive, renditions of the cliff-lines (especially around the "canyon"). The weather was very kind to us too, with the event commencing on a cool crisp morning followed by a fine day. The rain held off to the very end, waiting patiently until the last team returned before opening up and confining the entire attendance to the tent during the post-event food and presentations. Results The winning teams by category are as follows:
*These teams cleared the course The full results with more detailed statistics, and many quality on-course and team photos by our event photographers Bruce Sutton and Michael Watts, are available on the website. A big thanks to our volunteers Listed below are those who helped make this year's Paddy Pallin such a great success:
Many thanks to Jack and Rick for putting on what was an exceptionally popular event. A special mention of thanks must also go to Robin and Helen who (bravely) took on the formidable logistical challenge of successfully feeding around 540 people in over a little more than an hour, while we were trapped inside the HH tent by the rain. This rogaine would not have been the same without considerable material and personnel support from our friends and sponsors at PADDY PALLIN.
Post-event survey If you went in the event on Sunday, we’d love to hear your thoughts in this short anonymous survey. Let us know how we went this time and what we can do to make it even better next time. |
Next: the 3/5-hour Nightgaine at Springwood, Sat 26th July
Entries open Join us for the "Spring in the Woods" night rogaine, to be held in a section of Springwood most would never go to, on the north side of the Great Western Highway. 🐾,Bandit🐾, our mascot course setter and expert rogainer***, has sniffed out a course with lots of variety, including bush tracks, and creeks & gullies, and featuring nocturnal wildlife such as bandicoots, glow worms, and eels. Rogaining is for all ages, navigational abilities, and fitness levels, from families walking with small children through to bushwalkers and champion runners. Our sport encourages the development of strategy and navigational skills, fitness, and the ability to work in a team.
Key info at a glance: Safety: A condition of gaining approval from Blue Mountains City Council to conduct this event is that when you are on the road after dark you must utilise your head lamp and either wear a top with reflective material back and front or a high vis vest. This is good advice because some of the roads you may travel on for short distances are narrow and poorly lit. There'll be overlapping 3 and 5-hour events:
Timings of map availability, novice briefing, course briefing, catering and prize givings will be confirmed closer to the event date. To get the most up to date info, including the Final Instructions when they become available, check the Nightgaine event page on the website. A team finder service and info for novices can also be found on the website.
Course overview For novices and young families, there'll be a fun section along safe, easy to follow bush tracks that will still challenge you to pay attention! If you’re new to rogaining or looking for help with planning, suggested routes will be available to guide you. The main course features a super-loop trail along two creeks with the possibility of seeing glow worms, as well as other tracks and trails in bush areas and gullies behind local parks and reserves. Also, we have the rare privilege of accessing the extensive bushland grounds of St Columba’s Catholic College, a Seminary from 1909 until 1977, and a High School since 1979. These grounds are usually not open to the public, so we are extremely grateful to be granted access for holding this event. Whatever route you choose, with the bush tracks never being too far from civilization, this is an ideal location to try a nightgaine for the first time, or test your skills on some of the more challenging sections. Catering After the event, there'll be a sausage sizzle/BBQ, fruit, and snacks at the Hash House thanks to the volunteers from St Columba's Catholic College. Event related queries can be directed to: admin@nswroganing.org
Why “A Spring in the Woods”? The earliest inhabitants of the Springwood district were the Darug people who populated the area for many thousands of years before European settlement. Beginning in 1789, several explorers passed through the area and a road was built under the direction of William Cox. In May, 1815, Governor and Mrs Macquarie set out with a large party on a twenty-one-day trip over the Western Road. One of the places chosen to make a camp is now called Springwood. Macquarie wrote in his diary: “We then halted at three o’clock in a very pretty wooded plain near a spring of very good fresh water, and pitched our tent near the side of the road. This stage is 12 miles from Emu Ford and our first on the Mountains. This place being very pretty I have named it Spring Wood”.
***Please note: Bandit knows his boundaries - he is always on a leash, does not venture into National Parks and respects wildlife in public bushland. Whilst his navigation skills are exceptional, he’s unfortunately not permitted to enter events or hang around with his pals at the Hash House … snags everywhere, but not a morsel to snaffle. |
Presenting Bert, our new web resource for novices
Pictured above is the website's new host-bot behind a series of updated pages devoted to novices, although existing rogainers will also find these pages useful too if they'd like a refresher on the basics as well. A brain child of Chris Stevenson, Bert's gentle AI-like charm will delight as he patiently guides you through the basics of our sport. See if he has the answers to your questions! |
Uni team travel grants for the Intervarsity Championships
This year, the 2025 Australian Intervarsity Rogaining Championships will be held over 13-14th September in conjunction with the NSW Rogaining Championships at Mt Werong. Travel grants to assist the travel costs of a university team from NSW are available from the Nigel Aylott Memorial Sports Foundation (NAMSF). To be eligible for the grant, a team of up to 5 must all be enrolled at the same university. Interested NSW applicants should email the NSWRA at info@nswroganing.org as soon as possible. Selection will be based on rogaining experience and standing, with preference given to undergraduate full-time students. For more detail, visit the intervarsity home page on the Australian Rogaining Association website. Who was Nigel Aylott? Nigel got into rogaining through the Monash University Bushwalking Club, and won the World Rogaining Championships in 1998 and the Australian Rogaining Championships in 2000 and 2001. He was tragically killed in the 2004 Primal Quest race in Washington State after being hit by a large boulder dislodged at the top of a gully. The NAMSF was set up by his family to support the sports Nigel loved and gave so much to. |
Volunteer opportunities -- Caterers & trailer towers
A call for caterers - 3 events left to fill Ever wanted to set the menu at a rogaine? We're still looking for teams of volunteers who would like lead the catering for our three final events this year in September, October, and November. The level of commitment can range from leading the menu selection and procurement to just helping on the day. Give it a go. It's a lot of fun, you won't be on your own (it's a highly social role!), and there'll be plenty of recipes and mentoring available. Trailer towers We are always on the hunt for people willing to tow our 2 trailers to events. The trailers are only small, are pre-loaded, and are easily managed. So, if you have a vehicle with a tow bar, towing a trailer once a year is one of the ways that you could really help. Event publicity helpers We’re also on the lookout for volunteers to act as 'publicity helpers' for specific events. You’ll help grow our sport and can still enter 'your' event because you won't have seen the map or the course! Read this blog to get a sense of how this can be done. You'll get heaps of support from our marketing team. 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! Supporting our events earns you points toward free entry in a future rogaine. Earn 100 points and receive a free entry voucher. There is a volunteer rewards points table where you can monitor your progress toward a voucher. For more info see the Volunteer Rewards Policy.) |
2025 NSW 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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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 |