The Southern Highlands played host to an unusual weekend with a State league on Sunday and a SHOO Highlands Forest Series (HFS) on Saturday. The planned State League for Saturday failed to eventuate so SHOO stepped up with their first HFS event of the season.
Anyone who travels the Hume Highway south would know the Sutton Forest Service Centre well just a smidge further south is Penrose State Forest. rest area which was the assembly for the HFS. Penrose SF is an extremely large area and is always the sight of logging and then planting. It is also home to some great rock features as you head down into the creeks.
It was only a small mob from Uringa present on a very comfortable sunny afternoon. The courses were well set by Angus Shedden and patches of bracken fern hid the lay of the land and the odd fallen branch from view.
Dave Lotty was the only Uringan to feature on the podium 3rd in Men Easy. However the fast improving Laurence Bruggerman was 4th in Women Moderate. Also 4th was Maggie McKay in Women Long Hard class. Linda Sesta was a minute of two behind Maggie in 5th. Ant Nolan was 8th on Men Long Hard and so to was Gayle Shepherd in Women Short Hard. On the same course Melanie Christie was 11th. Similarly placed was Jonathan Nolan on Men Long Hard. Jim Mackay was 13th on the Long Hard course.
After an excellent afternoon's orienteering a few gathered at the Goulburn Workers Club for a beverage or two and an excellent dinner.
The morning saw similar weather greet the orienteers as they headed to Snows Hill which is south east from Tarago. The heavy rain that drenched NSW a few weeks back made its presence felt with a car bogged to the axles when it strayed a few centimetres from the straight and narrow. Orienteers are a resourceful lot with a two rope and some "serious grunt" courtesy of a 4WD extricating the car and the orienteers from their predicament.
Snows Hill has very very few tracks and the area we were in had none. This makes setting courses for our Easy very easy hard. However Hamish Mackie, course setter from Big Foot, had provided streamers and signs - "You are going the right way YAY" or "No don't go this way" and pivotal moments on their courses- well done. I wish I had had a few of those.
Linda Sesta, W55A and Ron Pallas M65AS were 1st home and very gruntled in their classes. In 3rd in Women Open B was Laurence Bruggerman. This was a fantastic effort. Laurence commented that she had Jane Boland's advice echoing in her head the whole way around. Jane was heard to say she wished she also had listened to her own advice coming in 6th in Women Open B. Jonathan Nolan was 3rd in M18A. Michael Warlters was 4th home in M55A. Jim Mackay had a great run to finish and excellent 5th in M60A. Ant Nolan had a quotable Barry Crocker (shocker) as he made a dogs breakfast. Dave Lotty was a mp on M65AS.
Check out Grace Crane's run in W21A. It is worth viewing as she navigated around and through the green which was tough going both from a physical and visibility point of view.
The two events on the weekend were part of the selection trials for the NSW Schools Team for the Australian Schools Championship to be held in Armidale this year. Jono and Maggie certainly didn't do their chances for selection any harm.
Spare a thought for Ant and Jane plus Ori who are coaches for the Junior training Camp at Belanglo for the week. Organised by Helen O'Callaghan it looks like everyone has a very full week of training ahead. Check out the timetable:
https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Documents/Event/18325/1/Camp-Timetable-including-Roster
The next month or so is very quiet with Uringa running a Metro League event at Sydney Park, Alexandria on May 5th. This unfortunately clashes with events at Broulee on the South Coast. Later in may there is a weekend or orienteering at Wee Jasper - east of Gundagai and west of Canberra on the 18th and 19th. This is a great area and is well worth the longish drive in although you can camp in a beautiful camp ground.
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| Dinner at Goulburn Workers |
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| Gayle arriving at the control (behind the tree with Stephanie |
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| Jim |
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| Jono |
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| Maggie |
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| Map - Wee Jasper Karst Limestone super fast |
Keep in mind the 2024 Australian Championships being held in the Armidale / Uralla area late September, early October- a total of 7 events over a 9 day period.
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