IAN BAKER

Ian Baker joins The 2000 Club

Former long time Editor of The Australian Orienteer, Ian Baker (BK-V), will soon join “The 2000 Club”, as Australia’s member number three. We had some questions for Ian about his time as an orienteer.

When you get to M70, you start looking at ways to earn merit points against the Day of Judgement. Last year I walked the Pilgrim’s Way in the mountains near Salzburg, Austria. Here I am in a holy cave, where Saint Wolfgang meditated.

AO: How can you substantiate your claim to have run customers. My son Ben had the lollies stall. After a few years 2000 orienteering events? we got tired and, while the business gave us some pocket IB: My very first outing was at Gembrook, east of Melbourne, in winter 1970, something like event four or five in Australia. I got lost through following the red needle on the compass. A money, it was not going to lead to a takeover of Myers, so we sold it on (the trailer used by current owner Kevin Maloney is basically the original one). farmer gave me a lift back in his ute as it was getting dark. AO: Later, you had another period as magazine editor. I filed all my maps in ring binders with the dates, and IB: I’d been a senior manager at National Mutual and, like numbered them consecutively. Now I keep a spreadsheet in many others, found myself offered early retirement without the computer. the option following the takeover by AXA. Orienteering The first one thousand events took up to 1990 to do. The most in any one year was 72 starts in 1998. Of course now you can build up your account much faster since with Park & Street Orienteering there can be several events a week. Australia gave me some project work and then I found myself again editor of the national magazine for seven years from 1997. A difference was that this time round there was a fee paid, though not at commercial rates: I was more of a ‘paid volunteer’. My policy was “Be a good read/be on-time/be Organising an event is a credit to the account as are the few financial.” rogaines I’ve done. Ski-O counts too: I was the organiser of the first ever Ski-O Championships at Lake Mountain near Melbourne in August 1995. We managed to pull in some advertising. Silva was always a supporter through Tom Andrews; he was the person who actually made Orienteering a regular sport in Australia. EIG-AO: You’ve been involved in the management of the Ansvar (now Ansvar Insurance) came in too as part of a sport. sponsorship package. This underwrote the introduction of IB: In the early days in Victoria, I got dobbed in as newsletter colour into the magazine. Later, Warren and Tash Key came in editor since my office had a photocopier; they were not with the Melbourne Bicycle Centre. universal as today. The state newsletter grew and grew In 2004 I was beginning to feel some burn-out - in total I until in 1979 it became a proper magazine, The Australian was editor for 13 years - so I was glad to be able to hand Orienteer, and soon was built into the membership of over the quill to Mike Hubbert. I still help by reading and orienteers throughout Australia. I was editor on a completely translating overseas magazines and looking after some of our voluntary basis for six years until after the 1985 World advertisers. Championships near Bendigo. AO: After 37 years in orienteering and a long business career with major companies, what is your one single In 1972 the first clubs wish for Orienteering?were launched and I found myself president of Bayside Orienteers. Later I had a second run in office. IB: A combination of two factors. First, a much greater emphasis on marketing promotion both within the sport, and also outward to pull in new members and sponsors. Not many orienteers have the needed specialist skills and In 1974 I’d been in experience: we need to update our structures and drive some England where The things from the centre: orienteering organisation is based on Sweat Shop, run by the national state/commonwealth model of over one hundred Chris Brasher, sold gear years ago. Times have changed and we need to catch up.at events. With the rapid growth in the sport in Australia this seemed a certain way to get very rich very quickly. So Louie the Fly (John Lewis) and I bought a trailer and launched OGear. We towed it to events and staffed it in turns; at big events like Last November I took a guided bike tour Easter we conscripted my from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai in northern wife Shirley and Audrey Lewis to help with all the Thailand – 250 km over six days. Age? Defy it: do it now! Ian has 1992 events on record: it is likely the 2000th event will be during the JWOC/OzChamps Carnival in Dubbo in early July. The other two members of “The 2000 Club” are Dave Lotty (NSW), who has completed 2120 courses and Mike Hubbert (Victoria) who has tottered around 2365 courses.