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APOC 2006

Orienteering in Hong Kong

Start of the APOC Middle event at Mui Wo on Lantau island. We had to climb from sea level to reach the start.

Mike Hubbert punches during the APOC Sprint at Tai Tong Chinese ‘pocket rocket’, Li Ji, won the Women’s Elite Sprint.

Rachael Effeney punches the last control on her way to winning bronze in the W18 Sprint”

Chinese Zhu Ming Yue took silver in all three Women’s elite events Dick Ogilvie won silver and two bronze medals in M60

Small Team shows its Class

Mike Hubbert

Asmall but talented group of Aussie orienteers spent Xmas and the New Year in Hong Kong competing in a carnival of events which made up APOC 2006, the Asia-Pacific Orienteering Championships. Competition locations ranged from Hong Kong island to Lantau island to mainland areas in the New Territories. Terrain was typical of Hong Kong - varying from steep to very steep, much of it being open grassland (except for the Night-O map) with loose gravely slopes and some rock features. Gullies were to be avoided at all costs as Dick Ogilvie found in the Long event. Of course, to get to the open areas we had to climb some 200 vertical metres out of the lowlands up never ending flights of concrete steps. Aussie-Swiss expat, Konrad Wildi, roams the world of orienteering. Last December he appeared in Melbourne and gave the local Park & Street-O hot-shots a big surprise. Next, he surfaced in Hong Kong for APOC winning gold medals in M40 for all three disciplines – Sprint, Middle and Long. Another Aussie, Maureen Ogilvie, was almost as successful winning gold medals for the Middle and Long in W70 class and silver in the Sprint. Maureen makes a habit of this – she took home a bucketful of medals and awards from European events earlier in 2006. Not to be outdone, M60 husband Dick won silver in the Sprint and bronze in the Middle and Long; and Queenslander Rachael Effeney took out bronze in the W18 Sprint. Former Bayside club member Malcolm Dick Ogilvie in the APOC Relay Lyon, now representing Korea, won gold in both Middle and Long in M50 class. APOC events were dominated by competitors from Hong Kong and China with sizeable contingents also from Kazakhstan and Japan. China had their top-string women there – Li Ji, Li Fei and Zhu Ming Yue. But Japan’s Yoko Bamba triumphed over the Chinese in both the Middle and Long women’s Elite events. Two large tour groups from Europe added even more quality orienteers to the numbers. The closing ceremony banquet was quite something else. Most impressive was the way sponsors were recognised with award presentations; and the way that IOF Event Advisor, Shin Murakoshi, led the organising group around all the tables to thank competitors for coming to APOC in Hong Kong.

APOC 2008

A once in a lifetime opportunity!

The Orienteering Service of Australia is for sale.

Tom Andrews who started this company in 1973 is retiring and is willing to hand it over to a keen orienteering individual, or family with spare time, to continue with the profitable marketing of a large range of orienteering related teaching aids, books, manuals, lesson plans, control markers, punches and compasses.

Over the years the Orienteering Service of Australia has supplied over 600 schools and many O-clubs throughout Australia with such equipment.

The potential for increasing the sales is huge, with over 10,000 schools ready to be tapped. Especially now with the increasing emphasis on outdoor exercise for children to combat obesity. And we all know how young students seem to like the challenge of finding orienteering controls. Yet many teachers lack the know-how and are eager to obtain orienteering teaching resources and equipment.

There is no goodwill cost involved in the sale, only payment for the stock of approx 62 different product categories valued at a cost of $33,000 (worth over $105,000 at resale). Included in the sale would be the entire list of past and current school & club customers and handover guidance and instruction by Tom Andrews.

Interested parties would need some storage space like a garage, shed or spare bedroom to operate the business. Certain travelling expenses to orienteering events in the promotion of the business may be claimed as a tax deduction (subject to your own situation and your accountant’s advice).

For further information please contact Tom Andrews on (03) 9489 9766 or email to info@macson.com.au

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