The Chair's Column

MIKE DOWLING – CHAIR OA BOARD

Our 2023 orienteering season is now in full swing, and our National League will shortly draw to its conclusion with the final round in Victoria, which by the time you read this issue will be done and dusted. By all accounts, the Sydney Sprint Weekend was a superb round of sprint-format-based orienteering and not only for our National League competitors. I am aware that during and after this event, orienteers within our community are asking the question: “When will Australia hold a major world event again such as World Championships?" As it happens the Board is also pondering this question, following on from our experience of bidding for a place of our sport in the 2026 Victoria Commonwealth Games with Orienteering Victoria. One of our strategic tasks in our 2023 Activity Plan is to “develop a plan for the hosting of future IOF major events by 2030”. What do you think? Is it feasible? What about a World Championships? Sprint or Forest? JWOC? MTBWOC? World Masters? Where, if we did?

The Board has put together a small working group to start this process and has been having some early preliminary discussions with the IOF as to what are the key requirements for different events.The Board would love to hear your thoughts. Drop us a line via me at chair@orientereing.asn.au if you wish.

Our recent Easter 3 Days was a great success in the high country of southern NSW hosted by Orienteering ACT.The orienteering and the weather were challenging. As I have written before, such great events only happen because of massive amounts of volunteers’ effort to allow us to enjoy our sport.Thank you so much to all the people who worked so hard to ensure Easter was the success it was. And thank you again to everyone out there across our country who are doing the work to put on events for all of us to have the chance to enjoy our great sport.

On the Board front, we recently held the Annual General Meeting where the Board shared with our member states/territories and meeting observers the work of the Board on behalf of all of you through 2022, our financial position, the budget for 2023 and the activities planned for 2023.Two of your Directors, Craig Steffens, and Richard Mountstephens stepped down, and Andrea Harris of Queensland was elected. We welcome Andrea to the Board. Andrea shares Craig’s passion for MTBO and brings a diverse skill set to the Board. I want to pay a special huge thank you to Craig and Richard.They worked tirelessly on improving the way the Board operates both operationally and strategically. Craig has led many of the key operational matters the Board has engaged in, including but not least, the recruitment of project staff, and leading both the Controller Curriculum and website development projects. Richard has been a fantastic Finance Director with a wonderful handle on ensuring the Board is financially prudent and developing great systems to improve our strategic and operational efficiency in the finance area. It has been a great privilege to have had the opportunity to work with both.

Keep enjoying finding those controls. In my 47th year of orienteering I am still searching for that elusive “perfect” execution. The challenge continues.