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PROFILE – Joyce Rowlands
Joyce Rowlands
(W75)
Nillumbik Emus, VIC
Rowlands Family from AO, June/July 1978
JOYCE IN 1978
(excerpt – The Australian Orienteer, June/July 1978)
Mid 1977 saw the Rowlands family at their first event, having been talked into it by their neighbours, the McLennans (RH). Father Glyn is putting up a battle not to be coerced – but the rest of the family are truly committed. Joyce (45) Primary Teacher, Heathmont East. “This beats housework any day, it’s great being out in the bush and my life has taken on a new look for me. I only wish I’d been doing it years ago. The families and friends met are a side benefit to the joy and satisfaction of seeing gradual improvement in O-skills. The essence of enjoyment is the family are able to do the same things together at their own level.” Aims to keep going for years, improve skills and encourage other children and families to try the sport. David (19) Science, Monash Uni. He enjoys the personal challenge in Orienteering and competing against fellow M19’s (will he ever beat Phillip Norwood?), is fascinated by maps and is into map-making with the club. Enjoys bushwalking and Rogaining. 3rd M17 VIC Championships 1977. 1st M19, Easter 1978. Helen (17) HSC, Yarra Valley School. Orienteers when studies permit. A perseverer who hates to quit; what an achievement to enjoy the wet Budkavle in NSW this year! Enjoys athletics, knitting and football. Wish for the future - “that there be more girls of my age group to help me become confident in my navigation.” Anne (12) Form 1, Tintern. “The fun of the sport and my legs keep me going. I ran in the Ballarat 5-Days and found that 5 consecutive days of Orienteering helped me a lot.” (1st on Day 4.) Interests: ice and roller skating, horseriding and Girl Guides. Ann is ambitious, she has started at a good age and we hope there are plenty of other girls to help her reach her goal. The family says “Sundays don’t come around fast enough.”
JOYCE IN 1987
(excerpt – “Second Start” by Hazel Edwards, Penguin Books (1987))
JOYCE ROWLANDS: age 52
Present occupation: orienteer and teacher Previous occupation: primary school teacher Strengthening your body through regular and pleasurable exercise can also lead to a change in self-confidence. Married with two daughters and a son, at forty-three, Joyce began to orienteer, running novice courses with her son’s encouragement. By forty-five, she improved so rapidly that she represented Australia against New Zealand. Known as “cunning running”, Orienteering is a sport where runners must punch a number of marked controls, using a map and compass to navigate their way to the finish in the shortest time possible. Now fifty-two, Joyce regards her participation in the five-day Swedish 0-Ringen competition (an international Orienteering event) as one of her greatest personal achievements. “I wish every day could be Sunday. Orienteering in the bush gives me such a thrill. Black Swan Reservoir was the first course I tried. Never had any bush experiences as a child, so I had no feel for distance. Becoming self-reliant in the bush and being able to understand the maps boosted my self-confidence. I hadn’t driven long distances much before. Interstate championships were interesting to us and I was the only driver, so I had to plan long trips, camp, learn to tow a trailer and learn how to keep awake on the way home.” On the occasions when Joyce’s husband accompanied them, she won two Australian Championships. He drove the car. “Driving tires me and it was possible to relax beforehand. Then I could concentrate better during the event. There are sets of challenges in Orienteering which are exciting. You don’t have to win every time. Each step is an achievement.” As a primary teacher, Joyce encouraged her students to enter the first Schoolgirl/Schoolboy Championships. Heathmont East Primary produced a team of ten children which won the championship, with Joyce collecting the teachers’ award. “All my life, I’ve been a person with a lot of natural energy, but Orienteering is a radical change of sport because it has extended my skills.” A trim, small-boned, fifty-two year old, Joyce admits that she doesn’t train mid-week as do many keen orienteers. School preparation, housework and listening to the family absorb her time. “Get to bed between midnight and 1 am, up at 7 am, but I’d like a bit more sleep.” Joyce wishes she had been less independent and encouraged the family to share more in the domestics. “I would prefer to be teaching part-time. Children are more vocal now. I have a grade four. At times, it’s very tiring. Part of the-older-womangrowing-up, perhaps having some change of life problems, and the difficulty of getting it all together.” Joyce doesn’t like succumbing to weaknesses, so the physical demands of running W50 (Women’s Over Fifty) courses of between 4 and 7 kilometres in varied terrain, is a considerable achievement. Completing the five days in the Swedish O-Ringen competition in Scandinavia was a satisfaction.
JOYCE IN 2007
Now 75, Joyce says:
“ I love the freedom of being alone in the bush with the security of a good map – it’s a powerful feeling. Wonderful friendships made over many years – especially interstate. It’s great belonging to a close club where everyone is a vital core member. Orienteering became a way of life. A great sport. When old workmates meet me again they always ask “Do you still orienteer?” As a teacher at Heathmont East primary School I took 11 children to the first Schools Championship event, and we came 1st. We won the second year too but unfortunately there was no trophy awarded until the third year so we never had one to gloat over and proudly display at school. Nikki Taws, an ACT elite, was one of those students.
Joyce running down the finish chute at Easter 2005 in Jindabyne.
The Rowlands had planned their overseas trip around the orienteering dates. “Being one of 25,000 people going into the bush each day was unbelievable. A special run-up for each age group. I didn’t score well, but I finished every day’s course.” Joyce is particularly proud of that. So was her son, David, when she returned home. As a cartographer, some of David’s interest in maps developed from Orienteering. On Sundays, Joyce used to insist that the girls got up and went Orienteering with her. Now aged nineteen and twentyfour, they’ve dropped out of Orienteering, but may return. While in Finland, the Rowlands also went to the first Veterans’ World Cup. “Finland and Sweden were fantastic in summer. I’d love to go back there.” In the next decade, Joyce would like to train for “one of those lovely events”. She admits that, “With some of the international signs, I didn’t know what I was looking for at the control until I found it.” But next time, it would be different. “Isn’t it superb to be as old as fifty or even sixty and go to an international event and meet all these lovely people. Representing Australia at forty-five, against New Zealand, it was great to get my Australian badge and tracksuit and everything. If women my age can keep orienteering, providing we don’t have car accidents along the way, because it’s rather hectic getting to some of these places, we’ll have to open up some older age groups.” Orienteers compete as equals regardless of age. Joyce mentions twelve-year-olds who call her by her first name. “Agewise and sex-wise, Orienteering offers a unique sport. When I first started Orienteering, work paled into insignificance. It was new. Challenging. I can remember wishing every day was Sunday. Enthralled at getting out there. Most of my life centres around Orienteering now.” Joyce belongs to Rockhoppers, a small but gregarious club. A couple of club members are Joyce’s age and they form a team to compete in age relays. “When I’m out, it gives me great pleasure to feel I’m fit and will perhaps live longer. I see other women struggling to even carry the shopping. At least, I can jog.”
I loved it when MTBO started. What a challenge - and here AO: Nillumbik Emus has grown from an was my chance to see more of the map and the forest amalgamation of many clubs over the years. You (because as you get older the foot-O courses shorten). My came from Rockhoppers. What has changed for you first bike was bought from an exchange teacher when she in the bigger club? returned to Germany. I was very proud of my basket on the I have very warm memories of Rockhoppers, my first O bike which held my maps. I felt like Mary Poppins and I could Club. They were so friendly and helpful to a beginner (30 do anything! years ago) and everyone was needed to work when an event I enjoyed the soft fleecy seat cover as well. I’ve toughened up was held. David was taken to events first by Mary & Jim a bit since those days and Gordon has made us both a clever McLennan, our new neighbours. Eventually I agreed to try it revolving map board using Peter Maloney’s carbon fibre off- and got hooked. I then took my three children but could not cuts. It’s just great solving the puzzle of where to go and in persuade my husband at all. which direction – route choice is vital. There’s so much fun to I can remember several Easter 3-Days when Rockhopper be had tearing along covering more of the countryside than boys stood facing each other and threw a raw egg back and one can do on foot and having these wonderful adventures. forth, stepping back each time to increase the distance. It was Gordon and I are the oldest MTBO competitors. I can quite dramatic when the egg finally broke. recommend MTBO to everyone.” Because Rockhoppers lost a few AO: How has Orienteering members it became necessary to changed for you over the years? join with another club and most of us I remember when we ran in any joined Nillumbik Emus. This is also a old comfortable clothes and Elites good friendly club that’s bigger so that came back from overseas with bright means more people to share the jobs. coordinated running suits. There was We have been very successful in many quite a resistance at first before we recent years in winning the most points all accepted the idea of a club outfit. as Club of The Year. The suits were needed in Europe to AO: Event organizers keep protect limbs from scratching and forgetting to include a W75 class, cross-infection as many thousands ran don’t they. the courses. I think our first thought was that bright colours would be seen through the forest and people would be followed. I understand that our sport focuses on the young. However, older folk do need the recognition as the founders and backbone of the sport and that they are Today the maps are better – more still orienteering as well as being role detailed, better coloured and of varying models for young people. So it’s very scales. SportIDENT is exciting to use, frustrating to be offered limited age encouraging more speedy exits at groups in competition entries. So much controls and courses can be set on so that if the oldest age classes are not smaller areas, criss-crossing without offered we think “bugger it”, they don’t worry of people visiting controls out want us and don’t care whether we of order. Each club now has their own come or not. equipment to house and maintain – better than borrowing the old VOA trailer. This makes it easier to conduct multi-day events. My new husband, Gordon Clarke, has spent the last 30 years fighting to get his age group every five years since he was 50, and up to his current one AO: Do you like the Park & Street events and suburban Night events? At present the oldest women’s class in MTBO is W60, but Joyce is still of M85. It is sad and makes us very angry. Even the women have had age class problems too and we even had to I really enjoy the Park & Street-O mid- very competitive and fight and write letters to get a long leg week events – especially the cool, crisp usually on the podium. in our earlier courses to give us some air which somehow empowers one route choice as our courses are shorter to run even better. They are not so far overall. to travel and a high technical ability is not needed to set the AO: Any plans for an O-odyssey overseas in the courses and organize them. It brings many non-orienteers future? There’s plenty of W75s in Europe. into the sport and many enjoy the company and regular exposure, especially in summer at the BBQs afterwards. I’d love to compete overseas again which is the icing on the cake but at 75 years old I would like to see more of Australia AO: Your son, David, has been a very successful while I’m able. I used to play a lot of hockey and tennis and Rogainer. Do you rogaine? have always had a lot of energy. I do still feel young at heart Rogaining is also a lot of fun. Sue Healy (NE) and I used to with the same old urge to win and beat my competitors who go a lot and I remember once that we were quite chuffed that have come and gone over the years. I have a 99 year-old after we returned at midnight and had a short sleep we found mother who is still very well and sometimes the time to train that we had scored more than some of the chaps who had gets taken up with other responsibilities. stayed out all night. I have been lucky to enjoy our lovely bush and this wonderful It’s a great social occasion too as well as enjoying the bush sport which I hope continues to grow and give enjoyment to at a slower pace and having time to enjoy little finds along many more Australians. the way, like birds, rock shapes and unusual plants. Also the camping, the food and the company are great.
