Lauris Stirling - OV Service Award

WORDS DEBBIE DODD

The absence of events, everything from local to national carnivals, meant that we lacked the activities to decide against our usual Honor Roll categories. The impact of COVID did however provide different opportunities for people to step up and be of service to our Orienteering community.

Lauris is an “unsung hero” of orienteering in Victoria. When the MapRun phone app was first introduced to Park Street orienteering, Lauris quickly and enthusiastically took on the role of administrator for events in the northern, southern and eastern suburbs. She had to learn a number of new skills and technologies, but as ever, adapted easily. During 2020, when many other volunteers were able to step back while there was no orienteering, Lauris was kept extremely busy setting up well over 100 MapLink courses in MapRun, so that Melbourne orienteers would have a variety of courses to use during lockdowns. As the second lockdown went on for several months, Lauris spent a good deal of time converting most of these courses to “Start Anywhere” mode, so that we could continue to orienteer within the 5 km restrictions, and reuse the same maps from different starting points. This was a major contribution to the health, wellbeing and sanity of many orienteers.

Lauris has continued her unstinting and indispensable support of Park Street orienteering during its resumption, by ensuring that courses are loaded into MapRun before each event (usually 3 events each week), liaising with course setters and series coordinators, and going out herself to check control locations if necessary. Nothing is ever too much trouble; it just happens calmly and quietly. Put simply, without Lauris, there would have been no Park Street orienteering either during or after lockdowns.

Lauris has also made many other contributions to orienteering, including representing her club, Nillumbik Emus, on the Park Street Committee and fixtures group; championing the Thursday Summer Series; bringing equipment to many events and organizing Saturday Series catering; setting courses; assisting newcomers and accompanying them on their first courses; and supporting many other NE and OV activities over a long period.

Lauris recently earned “Vintage” status of The Millennium Club, after completing her 2000th event during April 2021, a feat achieved by only 6 other individuals. She also won the Women’s Supervet Power Walking Gold Medal at the 2021 Park Street Championship.