Hi Bushie’s
I hope you have had, or are having, a relaxing summer break.
There are plenty of opportunities to get out in the next few months. We are midway through the Twilight series and summer sprint series, and you can sign up for a Jan-Mar Street O pass or just find the individual events that suit you. There are some major events coming up further afield, with the Oceania Sprint Champs over the Australia Day weekend on the Central Coast and the Australian Champs over Easter down in Tasmania. And over the Canberra day weekend, there is a new Orienteering ACT event, Capital O, that includes sprint races and the ACT middle distant championships.
Since September we have had some new members join us. Many joined late in the year and will hopefully be out and about throughout 2026. We ended 2026 with 165 members! We hope our new members are enjoying the challenges of navigating around the town (street-O), buildings (sprint), and bush (mid, long) in Canberra and beyond. And if you see them out there please make them welcome.
Cheryl Clifford, Aaron Flugge, Benjamin Flugge, Charlotte Flugge, Rachel James, Steph Jones, Lauren Next, Joanna Vanzella, Suzie Gaynor, Jesse Grant, Imogen Hubber, Keliah Parcell, Namoi Tal, Ross Davies, Matilda Alexander, Alec Brosnan, Gilbert Earsman, Millie Eaton, Sigrid Edvardsson, Jamie Edye, Mala Edye, Zoe Fitzgerald, Hannah Hughes, Sam Huxham, Celia Jardine, Asher Kendrigan, R Marshall, T Marshall, Kynan McFarlane, Emily McMillan, Jack McMillan, Julian Merzian, Ella Pearce, Sophie Poyner, Scarlett Spouse, Albi Taylor, Aadi Umrao, Alma Wood, Benjamin Yung.
Bushflyer Swarm – Save the date – Saturday 14 February
Please mark Saturday 14 February in your diary for our first local Swarm of 2026. I’ll host the event at my place in Weetangera (25 McLachlan Cres). It will be from 5pm, with people bringing a plate to share (salad or dessert). I’ll provide some meat and bread and drinks to keep the group happy. And we have a pool that will come into its own if the weather is hot.
For those not familiar with the Swarm concept, they are social events for the Bushflyer club. They can either be held locally, at a residence of one of our members or after an event, or at an interstate event that has a few Bushflyers attending, often in a pub. They are another opportunity to get to know a few of your fellow members. We try to have two local events, with this one in October and one at the beginning of the year.
I’ll send out another notice about this event closer to the date but feel free to RSVP to me (cmj109@gmail.com) if you know you can make it.
This Swarm is the opportunity to do the Bushflyer annual awards. Please let me know of any nominations for any of the following:
- the Blue Bottle Award (Services to Bushflyers)
- the Fly Swat Award (for the silliest mistake, biggest blunder, heroism under fire, most humorous moment etc.).
We will also have the Orienteering Australia merit badges (awarded for participation in National and State level events), and the Ian Booth Award for most improved Master’s level competitor.
Bushflyers Organised Events
Thanks to all the Bushflyers who have been involved in organising and running the events this year. Nothing happens without the effort of our members, be it planning and setting the courses, or helping out with the logistics.
Since the last newsletter we’ve hosted five events. There are some pictures of Bushies competing, setting, and organising below, with a couple of the maps.
| ACT League #10 | Glendale | 21-Sep-25 |
| Twilight Series #1 | John Knight Park | 22-Oct-25 |
| Twilight Series #2 | Oakey Hill | 29-Oct-25 |
| Twilight Series #6 | Campbell Park | 26-Nov-25 |
| Twilight Series #7 | Isaacs Ridge | 3-Dec-25 |
I would also like to acknowledge that the photos from local events are taken from the ACT Orienteering facebook page, and are the excellent work of John Harding, a Parawanga member and organiser of the Street-O series. If you are on facebook, it is well worth following the ACT Orienteering page for photos and other updates.
As usual, we have a number of events coming up that the Bushflyers are down to organise (though many are some way off). I’m sure that there are opportunities to help out if you have the time. Look out for an email from Jo asking for volunteers to help out, and thanks in advance for your continuing efforts to make this sport work.
| Twilight Series #13 | Commonwealth Park | 18-Mar-26 |
| Metro Series #5 | The Pinnacle | 13-Jun-26 |
| Metro Series #6 | Stringybark Hill | 20-Jun-26 |
| Metro Series #8 | Isaacs Ridge | 25-Jul-26 |
| Metro Series #10 | Campbell Park | 8-Aug-26 |
| ACT League #9 | Foxlow | 23-Aug-26 |
| Metro Series #13 | Mt Taylor | 29-Aug-26 |
2026 Membership Renewal
Thank you for your continued support of our club. We do hope that you’ll continue to be a part of the Bushies family in 2026. It is now time to renew your membership for this year, if you haven’t done so already. The easiest way to do this is via Eventor. If you need assistance, please contact the OACT office office@act.orienteering.asn.au
Bushflyer Clothing
I now house the range of Bushflyers’ clothing (O-tops and jackets mostly) for sale. As noted in previous newsletters, the range of sizes is becoming a little limited, but we will still be able to meet the needs of some of our members. Please check with me if you would like wear our Club colours, especially if you are competing in major interstate events.
Keep safe; keep well; and keep moving!
Craig Johnson (Club Convenor)
cmj109@gmail.com
0408 492 808
For Bushflyers Orienteering – where no-one gets left on the bench!