50th Anniversary of Orienteering in Australia next year
O
rienteering was introduced to the Australian public with an event at Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria, in August 1969. Amongst the competitors at this first event were Ray White, Mike Hubbert and George Claxton – well-known Red Kangaroo Orienteers in later years. Co-organiser was Tom Andrews who persuaded Peter Wills-Cooke to assist in setting this first course. Peter never became an active orienteer, preferring to stay with track & field. It was in May 1976 that two Red Kangaroos hatched the plot to apply to host the 1985 World Orienteering Championships in Australia. The year 1985 was chosen because it was the most distant year for which the IOF had requested applications. With much lobbying of IOF member countries it is now history that Australia was awarded the WOC’85 event at the 1980 IOF Congress, attended by the same two Red Kangaroos as members of the Australian delegation of three. Tom Andrews went on to become Chairman of the IOF Development and Promotion Committee.
Sport Australia Hall of Fame In 1992, Tom Andrews was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame with the following citation: Tom Andrews OAM - Administration - Orienteering “Tom Andrews founded Orienteering in Australia. He organised the first orienteering event in Australia (Victoria) in August 1969, and produced the first Australian coloured Orienteering map in 1973 of Mt. Egerton, Victoria. He co-founded the Victorian Orienteering Association and the Orienteering Federation of Australia (now Orienteering Australia) in April 1970 and was Chairman of the OFA Promotion and Development Committee from 1970 to 1986.
Andrews organised the first international competition for Australian orienteers, the 1971 Australia-New Zealand Challenge, and organised the 1985 World Orienteering Championships in Bendigo. This was the first time that the event had been held outside Europe and Andrews was instrumental in obtaining the Championships for Australia. Andrews was the recipient of the 1986 Silver Orienteering Award for his contribution to the development of Orienteering in Australia, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1981.”
Inspiration: “Cunning running”
First Colour map The first full-colour Orienteering map in Australia was introduced by the Red Kangaroos in March 1973 at an event at Egerton. Now, after many revisions, the map is known as “Blackfellows Flat”. That first coloured map was printed on untearable waterproof paper. The innovation so incensed another club that, at their event two weeks later, they offered a map “specially printed on environmentally friendly dissolving paper”. “Slaty Creek” quickly followed for the 1973 Victorian Championships and that area became the venue for the 1985 Victorian Championships as part of WOCARN. The club introduced computers to the sport at the 1975 Australian Championships conducted at Mt. Tallarook. Wayne Fitzsimmons of Data General provided the hardware. The area is now known as “Mt. Hickey”.
Andrews was Chairman of the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) Promotion and Development Committee from 1980 to 1982.
Sport Australia Hall of Fame plaque in the National Sports Museum at the MCG, honouring Tom Andrews OAM.
Thumbs up for SILVA.
SEPTEMBER 2018 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER 7
