What do you like most about orienteering?
It's a mini life journey. You choose your path and balance the risk with the rewards. Multi task. Deal with disaster when it occurs. Sharing and learning from the experience of others between events. And you have a new life at every event!
What achievements in orienteering are you proudest of?
Not much in orienteering results. I was state age sprint champion one year but that was somewhat of a Bradbury. As a personal challenge, learning to use Adobe inDesign for the purpose of setting up OKnow, which by style and content appeared to represent a much more substantial organisation than was the case. Quite unsustainable in the long term though. By contrast encouraging use of Livelox in the early stages has produced more enduring benefits. I enjoyed giving a hand at the World Orienteering Championships in Latvia in 2018.
Are there any particularly disastrous events you can remember?
After starting at a Knocklofty event, then having to explain why I didn't possess a valid entry ticket while in the grounds of the Female Factory. For this effort I was awarded Champion Noodler of the year, which eased some of the pain. I was a bit disappointed that this award has been discontinued, apparently because of misplaced concerns that recipients may regard it as a form of humiliation.
Any advice for beginners?
Try to team up with one or more experienced orienteers of the same age.
What positions have you held and what tasks have you completed in your association with orienteering?
Being somewhat of a tinkerer, I tried over a period of time to develop procedures for use and maintenance of orienteering equipment and infrastructure that would reduce the immense workload of event organisers. And dealing with computers. It has been very enjoyable liaising with event organisers and engaging on a process of continuous improvement. Kate Lucas and Rohan Wolfe have very capably taken over this role. But I have some exciting unfinished business assisting with integration of new lightweight equipment from a state grant that will be arriving soon.