Here is my two bob's worth

I agree with fee standardisation. All clubs have similar fees but not the same. Just adds unnecessary confusion to new members. Membership fees will be small in relation to total club revenue (compared with event fees which are variable) so may as well be same as between all clubs.

I really liked the brochure that was sent out to all covering upcoming summer events. Very impressive, very clear. Presume its available on-line also (haven't looked).

Related to this I have find that the navigation on the website in relation to events is very unclear. This is a very important and changing element of the website so must be clearer. Events should relate to all events and be accessible from anywhere on the site - at least in more places than at present.

I think the Association registration card is a good idea if linked to all future events. ie event organisers should be able to use a single on-line tool to manage all entries to events which has existing (static) member information included. Participants then enter online as a rule (snail mail by exception) and can update static information and enter details for particular events and pay for entry. (Actually Sarah does our entries so this may already be the case!)

On marketing, the best marketing we can do is to support the summer/metropolitan events. These events attract participants and are a measure of success in their own right. The conversion to bush orienteering is a smaller step than recruiting from scratch. So care needs to taken in pricing for these events that does not turn away potential members. Dave McK and I talked about this at the curry night. We know the marginal cost is low and that there is a core of support for these events. So I suggest pricing for students/families/groups be low (it can add up for a family). For rental sportident sticks consider as an investment with a multi year payoff. Offer discounts to those who have their own rather than penalty fee for those that don't. Free sportident for those that join a club? (Price the sportident into the club membership?)

Message from President - Upcoming Forum

Hi everyone

OANSW is holding a forum for club presidents to discuss various topics of interest to the Association. I will I be attending this forum, representing Uringa, which will take place towards the end October. Any proposed changes are then being taken to the November OANSW Board meeting for discussion and consideration.

Below are the topics that the OANSW board have under consideration for discussion:

1) NSW Annual Calendar

- Structure of events

- Process for establishing the calendar

- Timing for commencement and finalisation of the calendar(s)

(2) An Event Series Coordinator and reciprocal person from each club Proposal

(3) Club Membership Map Proposal

(4) Standardisation of Membership Fees

(5) Association Equipment / Club Equipment – what is needed or wanted?

(6) SportIdent

- Unit Numbering/Rationalisation

- Software for the future

- Options

(7) Association Manual Update

- What requests do clubs have

(8) Marketing Review

- 2011 Changes – Good, Bad? Improvements?

- Ongoing Publicity – where, when?

(9) ONSW Administration

- 2011 arrangements – Good, Bad, Problems, improvements?

(10)Event Results Publication

- Who, where, when, format,

- Conflicting formats, conflicting requirements (ASC, DSR, OA.......)

(11)Schools Development

- The future? Is there one? Club ideas and feedback desired

(12)Clubs Wants/Desires/Needs

(13) Easter 2014, Aus Champs 2017

(14)Any Other Business

I understand that a couple of the points are not very clear and will require clarification at the actual forum, but perhaps you have an opinion on a particular point/topic. If you would like to comment on any of the above topics or if you would like to raise a concern, have a query or any other type of input, can you please let me know by 20 October. Thanks for your contribution.

Cheers Linda

Ymmm Curry!

Dave attacking the chocolate fudge desert with Sophie waiting patiently for the first slice!

Happy Birthday Mary Jane

Linda, Maggie and Sarah

Ian and Lorna at the feast

22 Uringans made light work of a delicious array of scrumptious curry dishes at the ShepherdPallas Curry night.

Joining us for the evening was Lorna Hollenstein who jetted in from Zurich just for the dinner. Well actually Lorna is Linda's mum and she is a frequent Uringa member both here and in Switzerland where many have enjoyed the Hollenstein hospitality. Also joining in was June, Gayle's mum, who likewise has tagged on to a variety of Uringa functions over the years.

The food was as usual outstanding and the variety wide. For desserts the pavlova was absolutely melt in the mouth so to the chocolate fudge.

The highlight of the evening was indeed the opportunity to surprise Mary Jane with a birthday cake. Although we were 1 day early it was great fun to light up some candles , deliver a most tuneful rendition of Happy Birthday and delight in the cutting and subsequent eating of the birthday cake.

A good night was had by all.

Annual Uringa Winter Social, aka the Curry Night

A flock of Uringans braved Sydney's sudden return to winter to travel to Ron and Gayle's home at Gray's Point for the club's annual curry dinner. Social butterflies all, we ate, drank and laughed ...nobody got wet feet, and Lisa wasn't cold.

Ron and Jitka

Club President Linda

Each main course was named,
and the name immediately forgotten.
Was that the vegetarian dahl or the lamb?

Jarrad 

Lorna (from Switzerland, visiting her
daughter Linda) and Rick 

Desserts were wonderful
 though some skill involved.

Celebrating Mary Jane's birthday

A club night usually includes prizes, and Gayle stepped up with a bag of curry ingredients for awards.

Gayle, the prize giver

Jitka, for filling out the visa
for the Shire, even  though
she lives in the Shire.

Brian and Mary Jane,
for their RSVP from Montenegro

Sarah, for...

Uringa Training at Lake Parramatta

A lovely day at Lake Parramatta courtesy of Bennelong Northside and Marina Ishakova (her first time organising and planning in Australia) - and what a good job she did too. She was hamstrung with the control sites she could use with various restrictions in the area, but she made the best of what was left and it was nice to have controls so fairly placed - or maybe I was just orienteering well and looking at my control descriptions properly! After the event we had some Uringa training - some basic compass work with a bearing walk to experience the difference between basic baseplate and thumb compass. Ron and Adam Garner took advantage of the session to brush up their skills, and Mary Jane and Brian Clelland also had a go, just back from 9 weeks up over and looking really well. Duncan Currie of Garingal (and a regular at Uringa training sessions) also came for a look fresh from his win at the Junior League. This is a boy worth watching in the future - showing just enough obsession with maps to think that there might be another Julian Dent in the pipeline!

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS - LITHGOW

Super Coach - Sophie on the job!

Roy is now a veteran of the string course- Thanks Sophie

Well yes Lithgow lived up to its reputation for being a cold place. 6 degrees with a wind chill factor lowering it alarmingly.
The weekend started at Gardners Gap for the NSW Middle Distance Championships and for many it was a case of yes now I remember. The rock on the edge of the ridges surrounding the valley is huge . The Pagoda like formations tower over the valley and are linked by bare rock and crisscrossed with steep ravines. Straight line orienteering would make the "Man from Snowy River" become a cur!
There were some who mastered it and some who survived and some who were given a fair hiding. The vegetation on the slopes was good but on the ridge top there was a vast area of scrubby spindly growth that scratched and grabbed and tripped and made life tough!
Uringa once again did well with Jane, Sophie, Georgia, Ian Mc and Linda coming in #1. Gayle and Maureen scored seconds and Rick, Lisa and Jared 3rds.
Results
W10A Sophie Jones 1st
W14A Georgia Jones 1st
W21AS Jane McKenna 1st
W35AS Gayle Shepherd 2nd
W40A Linda Sesta 1st
W40A Maggie Jones 4th
W50A Lisa Lampe 3rd
W50A Sarah Garnett 6th
W50A Margaret Wilmott 7th
W65A Angela Murray 7th
W70A Maureen Ogilvie 2nd
M10A Jared McKenna 3rd
M35AS Dave McKenna 4th
M45A Ian Jones 4th
M45AS Ron Pallas 8th
M50A Nick Wilmott 7th
M55A Rick Steele 3rd
M60A Ian McKenzie 1st
M65A Dave Lotty 4th
M65A Dick Ogilvie 6th

I was amongst those who were chewed up and spat out as a fall saw my compass as well as my pride broken. The second half of my course was a case of wrong way Ron as i consistently made odd calls as to which way north was. Lynn Dabbs suggested I copy her trick of pinning a spare compass to her bra strap- so when is Bras and Things having their next sale?
Sunday was marginally warmer as we lined up for the NSW Long Champs at Rydal. The bush was much kinder well almost as there was a lot of dead fall timber on the ground and so going straight involved a lot of climbing up and over logs and tripping over branches. There was a large amount of climb on all courses and it was a case of if you weren't going down you were going up!
Again some great results for Uringa Whilst Maureen was our only winner there were a number of 2nds - Ian, Sophie and Georgia Jones as well as Ian McK and Linda clocked up 2nds. Mum Maggie scored a 3rd along with Angela.
Results
W10A Sophie Jones 2nd
W14A Georgia Jones 2nd
W21AS Maggie jones 3rd
W21AS Jane McKenna 4th
W35AS Gayle Shepherd mp
W40A Linda Sesta 2nd
W50A Sarah garnett 5th
W50A Lisa Lampe 7th
W50A Margaret Wilmott 9th
W50A Jan Sargood mp
W65A Angela Murray 3rd
W70A Maureen Ogilvie 1st
M/WOpen Antonia Coyle 4th
M10A Jared McKenna mp
M35AS Dave McKenna 4th
M45A Ian Jones 2nd
M45AS Ron Pallas 6th
M45AS Keith Richardson 7th
M50A Nick Wilmott 5th
M55A Ross Coyle 9th
M55A Rick Steele 10th
M60A Ian McKenzie 2nd (5 seconds behind)
M65A Dave Lotty 5th
M65A Dick Ogilvie 6th

A largish group of Uringans braved to cold to maintain the Uringa tradition of forming a coffee and cake circle and staying until the bitter end. Bitter was the right word but the coffee was steaming and the cake yummy and the camaraderie super warm. I can report that no picnic tables were harmed by the Richardson/Sargood Prado this time. I think when they saw the industrial strength bull bar on the front they hid!
And so it was once again back down the mountain. Winners are grinners and the Jones's Hyundai was certainly the place to be with a total of 6 podiums between them for a great weekend's orienteering.
Must compliment Maggie and the Juniors for fine food at the catering tent. For once beans meant - inner warmth not ....
See you at the next event - Oceania I believe..

State League 10 & 11

For the Southern Highlands is was positively balmy on the weekend of State league 10 & 11. State League 11 was also the NSW Schools Champs which had great importance for Lawrence and Georgia Jones who were hoping for strong results and a place in the NSW Schools team for the upcoming Australian Schools Champs.

State League 10 was held in the well known Belanglo State Forest. The courses were well set, taking in the best of the eucalypt with the odd bit of pine tossed in for good luck. Uringa had 17 orienteers in the fields and with 4 firsts, 6 seconds and 3 3rd places we certainly featured in the results.

Results:
W10A Sophie Jones 2nd
W14A Georgia Jones 1st
M10A Jared McKenna 2nd
M16A Lawrence Jones 2nd
W21AS Maggie Jones 1st
W21AS Jane McKenna 2nd
W35AS Gayle Shepherd 4th
W40A Linda Sesta 1st
W65A Angela Murray 1st
W70A Maureen Ogilvie 2nd
M35AS Dave McKenna 2nd
M40A Anthony Nolan 3rd
M45A Ian Jones 2nd
M45AS Ron Pallas 9th
M60A Ian McKenzie 5th
M65A Dave Lotty 3rd
M65A Dick Ogilvie 4th

An equally large crowd of Uringans plus a few hangers-on gathered at the Mittagong RSL for dinner. The food was fine service a little slow but who cares when your with friends.

Sunday saw a move a little further south to Penrose State Forest. Again there was plenty in the courses to test you and almost all red courses had a nice long leg of around a km to get the brain active. Again Uringans performed well with 7 first placing and 4 second places. It was a good weekend for Sophie, Maggie and Georgia Jones with 1st placings on both days. For Georgia, Sophie and Jared McKenna they won their class in the NSW Schools Champs. Linda Sesta also completed a fine double header with first placings in W40A
The highlight was no doubt the naming of Lawrence and Georgia in the NSW Schools Champs team for the Aust School Champs.

Results:
W9A Sophie Jones 1st
W13A Georgia Jones 1st
M10A Jared McKenna 1st
M15A Lawrence Jones 2nd
W21AS Maggie Jones 1st
W21AS Jane McKenna 2nd
W35AS Gayle Shepherd 5th
W40A Linda sesta 1st
W65A Angela Murray 2nd
W70A Maureen Ogilvie 1st
M35As Dave McKenna 1st
M40A Anthony Nolan 4th
M45A Ian Jones 2nd
M45As Ron Pallas 9th
M60A Ian McKenzie 4th
M65A Dave Lotty 4th
M65A Dick Ogilvie 5th

Well now it is on the the State Champs in sunny and warm Lithgow.

Australian School Championships

Congratulations to Lawrence and Georgia Jones on their selection for the NSW Schools Team to represent NSW at the upcoming Australian School Championships which are being held in the Tumburumba area in October. Good luck and all the best !!