Photography at local events

The Board agreed on a simple approach for participants who do not want their photo from local events published.

Bright pink silicone wristbands will soon be available for people who have opted out of photography. Participants will be responsible for wearing the wristband at events so photographers can easily identify them.

Guidance will be added to the OACT website soon.

ACT League and Junior League

The Board discussed ways to bring more energy and competition back into the ACT League and Junior League next winter. Ideas include stronger promotion, prizes and approaching potential sponsors. If you know a local business that might be interested in supporting local orienteering, get in touch! Reach out to any Board member or send an email to office@act.orienteering.asn.au

2027 event planning

The Event Planning Committee has allocated clubs and locations for the Summer Series and the 2027 winter series, including ACT League and Metro events.

The Canberra Cockatoos will also run a third event at Capital O on the Monday.

ACT Government funding

OACT has been advised that it no longer meets the criteria for ACT Government State Sporting Organisation categorisation. This means OACT will no longer be eligible for some SSO funding programs for the next three years. However, OACT remains eligible for the Club Enhancement Program.

The Board thanked Phil for the work involved in preparing the SSO application.

Club Enhancement Program grant

The Board discussed possible projects for the 2027 Club Enhancement Program grant.

Ideas include:

• mapping tablets
• newer SI sticks for hire, potentially including SI Air
• mapping work, including a possible extension to the Bogong Creek map.

Quotes are being gathered to support the application.

Discover O and Learn to O

Discover O was a strong success, with 105 entries and 101 participants attending.

The Board thanked David and all volunteers who helped with the event.

Learn to O has also attracted 43 participants, the largest cohort yet. More than 10 people appear to have come through Discover O.

Street-O

Planning for the summer Street-O series is progressing well. The series will focus on Wednesday events but still be available on MapRun for much of the week.

Mapping

Several maps still need to be created or finalised for the Short Series.

Longer-term mapping opportunities are also being considered for Capital O 2028 and Easter 2029, including possible areas around Braidwood and a new map at Bombay East.

Coach-in-Residence

Frank Townley’s arrival continues to be delayed by visa issues. OACT is still hopeful he will arrive in time to take up the Coach-in-Residence role.

Mesh-O

The Board reviewed lessons from using Mesh-O during Oceania.

All units have now had firmware updates to support remote wake-up. Work will now begin on documenting how Mesh-O should be used at ACT League and major events.

OACT Shirts

The new OACT shirts appear to have been well received. Another bulk order is likely to be offered in the new year, ahead of the winter season.

Oceania 2026

The Board formally thanked everyone who contributed to Oceania 2026, with particular recognition of Carnival Directors Nat Smith, Cath Chalmers and Allison Jones for their work over more than 18 months.

The Board also thanked the ACT ASOC officials, selection committee and those who completed the required safeguarding work.

A volunteer appreciation gathering will be held after the Sunday event on 1 November for those who contributed their time before and during Oceania.

Older SI Cards

SportIdent Series 5 and 6 cards are no longer supported by newer SI equipment.

The Board discussed a staged approach to addressing this end-of-life for our local events that includes:

• applying for grant funding for newer SI sticks
• replenishing OACT’s hire stock
• giving members a full season’s notice before SI 5 and 6 cards are no longer supported at OACT events.

Newcomer follow-up

OACT will improve follow-up with people who enter on the day using the QR code form.

The form will be changed so participants can choose to receive the weekly bulletin, helping new participants stay connected with upcoming events.

Next meeting: Monday 23 November 2026.

The post Board Shorts – October 2026 appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

We will miss that incredible vibe your participation created!

Thank you very much for being a big part of the Champs!!

Results:

Timothy Farrant and Marquita Gelderman (North West) won M21 and W21 in both the Middle and the Long. Ricky Thackray (Bibbulmun Orienteers) and Maya Bennette (Yarra Valley Orienteering Club) took the Sprint. Presley Scouller-Evans (Newcastle) won M20 in all three races. In M80 and W80, Leigh Privett and Ann Ingwersen rode all three races too.

• MIDDLE Champs Results (97 riders)
• SPRINT Champs Results (91 rider)
• LONG Champs Results (89 riders)

Splits:

• MIDDLE Champs Splits
• SPRINT Champs Splits
• LONG Champs Splits

Livelox:

• Upload your route and analyse MIDDLE Livelox routes here
• Upload your route and analyse SPRINT Livelox routes here
• Upload your route and analyse LONG Livelox routes here

Photos:

• MIDDLE Champs Photos by Arpad Kocsik
• SPRINT Champs Photos by Arpad Kocsik
• LONG Champs Photos by Arpad Kocsik
• Presentation Dinner Photos by Arpad Kocsik
• Enjoy exclusive video report from meshO

We thank Orienteering ACT & Orienteering NSW and MTBO Australia for a great support!
Over the coming week more photos from our Photographers will be shared with you soon!
Thank you very much again for coming to the 2026 ACT & NSW MTBO Champs to Mogo!

OACT MTBO TEAM

Marina ISKHAKOVA
2026 ACT & NSW MTBO Champs Director

The post 2026 ACT & NSW MTBO Champs: Results & Recap appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Join our “Learn to Orienteer” programme.
It’s for anyone who wants to learn to orienteer – all ages are welcome.

There will be seven one-hour sessions, held once a week. Lessons are conducted in small groups. We will focus on different skills and give participants plenty of opportunities to have fun exploring techniques to build confidence in using a map to navigate.

• When: Sundays 8:30am-9:30am. Starting on 25 October 2026 for 7 weeks.
• Where: Co-located with Orienteering ACT’s Short Series (November-December), held in urban parks and nature reserves throughout Canberra.
• Cost: Junior (u20) $119*, Adult $189. Includes Orienteering ACT membership for 2027, and a season pass for the November-December Short Series.

*Each participant under the age of 18 must have a parent/guardian present for the session, and we encourage parents/carers’ to participate. The activities will be designed so that parents/guardians can join in as well, learn to orienteer and have fun with us.

Registration is now open here

1. Sunday 25 October, Weston Park, Yarralumla
2. Sunday 1 November, Telopea Park
3. Sunday 8 November, Evatt Wetlands
4. Sunday 15 November, Palmerville
5. Sunday 22 November, Narrabundah Hill North
6. Sunday 29 November, Little Bruce Ridge
7. Sunday 6 December, Majura Pines

For questions, contact learn@act.orienteering.asn.au

The post Learn to Orienteer – Starts 25 October appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

11 ACT MTBOers travelled to Ballarat to compete for the National MTBO Titles: Ann Ingwersen and (support crew Frank Ingwersen), Cathy Hogg, Rohan Hyslop, Andrew Harmer, Kris Kleeman, Ken Young, Ariadna Iskhakova (JWOC2026 representative), Veronika Iskhakova, Marina Iskhakova, and our new ACT resident Maya Bennette (JWMTBOC2024, 2025 and 2026 representative).

The top placegetters were:

Photos by Don Cherry and Tash Thackray and MTBO Australia

ACT MTBOers Thank the VIC MTBO Team for organising a terrific championship!

The post 2026 AUS MTBO Championships in VIC was a top-level Carnival and next weekend is Mogo MTBO!! appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Dear Orienteers, Welcome to the ACT & NSW MTBO Champs 2026, 17-18th October in Mogo!

Entries close 11th OCTOBER 23:59, don’t miss this unique MTBO adventure in Mogo:)!

EoD will be available in OPEN classes only.

Middle Champ: https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23592 

Sprint Champ: https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23593 

Long Champ: https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23594 

BULLETIN 2 is published here

We will have a Come & Try MTBO tent with MTBO Coaches – 

 so all beginners can attempt their first ever MTBO Course!

We will be thrilled to see you in Mogo:)!

ACT MTBO Team

The post Mountain Bike Orienteering Championship Entries Close Sunday appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Discover Orienteering is a come and try event aimed at anyone who wants to give orienteering a go – all ages are welcome. Participants will be given the opportunity to try real orienteering courses in a safe, welcoming environment, surrounded by people with similar experience levels and a team of enthusiastic helpers.

Regular orienteers are encouraged to come along and support their newcomer friends: just register all newcomers in the group to ensure enough maps and helpers are available.

At Discover Orienteering participants will:

• learn 5 helpful hints for map navigation.
• complete your first orienteering course!
• have the opportunity to progress at your own pace.
• meet new people and participate in fun, social activities.
• be guided how to take the next steps in your orienteering journey.

Now is the perfect time to give O a go, before the next Learn to Orienteer programme and upcoming Metro Series community event series.

The post Discover Orienteering – Come & Try It – 11 October appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

There are only 24 days until this thrilling inaugural joint event, hosted by two states and located in the charming tourist town of Mogo on the South Coast, just a quick two-hour scenic drive from Canberra.

The ACT & NSW team of Mapper, Course Setters, Course Controllers, MeshO experts, and Championship Organisers from both states has worked very hard to bring this thrilling event to you! Great courses are ready, trails are freshly maintained, and Mogo is calling!

BULLETIN 2 is now available here.

Entries close 11 October, don’t miss this unique MTBO adventure in Mogo!

• Middle
• Sprint
• Long

Remember to enter the Presentation Dinner, entries close 9 October.
It will take place at relaxed and rustic local Restaurant Smokey Dan’s in Tomakin on 17 October at 6:30pm.

Share the Facebook Event with your friends and bring your adventurous friends and family along!
We will have a Come & Try MTBO tent with MTBO coaches – so all beginners can attempt their first ever MTBO Course!

We will be thrilled to see you in Mogo:)!

The post ACT & NSW MTBO Champs in Mogo, 17-18 October appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

The Oceania Orienteering championships kicks off this weekend. It promises to be a fun and challenging event for all the competitors. We have over 40 Bushflyers entered in the array of events.

A big thanks to all involved in organising the event, with special thanks to those who stepped up to do the overall organisation for this large event, with Natalie Smith (Parawanga) and Allison Jones (Red Roos) taking on the Carnival Directors role, and Cath Chalmers (Red Roos) as the Technical Director. From our Bushflyer community, Valerie Barker is the Information Services lead, and Nina David is responsible for the Logo and bulletin design. And our Bushflyers club is supporting the Oceania Long and Sprint events, with special thanks to Jo Hobson and Chris Anderson for leading the organisation for those two days, and Matt Stocks being the Controller for the Sprint.

We will have time to reflect on the championships at our upcoming Swarm, though I have to flag a change of date for that event. Due to other activities, I have brought it forward a week, to the 18th October. Further details later in the newsletter.

And finally, we have had one new (returning) member since the last newsletter join the Bushflyers, Ken Young. Welcome Ken!

Recent Events

Since the last newsletter, we have run four events, all very fun and well attended.

Campbell Park

Thanks to Matt Stocks for setting this course, and for Ryan and Elise for putting out the controls as Matt jetted back from Europe. The course offered some good open running opportunities, plus a bit of traversing the edge of Mt Ainslie. And as noted above the weather was glorious for early August.

Mt Taylor

Our second Metro event in late August was at Mt Taylor. Mt Taylor has been used a number of times, but course setter David Penton explored a few less used areas, sending the Moderate 1 participants on a circumnavigation of Mt Taylor. I suspect that short cuts across the shoulder of the mountain proved less efficient to the options of running around the base of the mountain, but they were more adventurous.

Foxlow

Thanks to Chris Anderson for setting this course and Ross Stewart for being the controller. Foxlow offers some good runability, but also a lack of distinct features in parts of the course to work off. Chris set a series of courses that provided the crowd with some challenges early in the course, particularly heading over to the eastern side of the map. It also had a run uphill to the last control, meaning that everyone was showing the recent exertion as they came into the arena.

Upcoming Events

As mentioned up front, the Oceania Championships are the focus of the next while. But if mountain biking orienteering is your thing, then the Australian MTBO championships are on in early October in Ballarat, followed by the ACT and NSW MTBO championships down the south coast soon after. And in November, the new ACT Short Series kicks off on Sunday 1 November plus a relaunch of the street-O series.

ASOC

Congratulations to four the Bushflyer juniors who have qualified for a very strong ACT team to participate in the Australian Schools Orienteering championships. They will be competing on Tuesday 29 Sept, Wednesday 30 Sept, and Thursday 1 Oct as part of the Oceania festivities. I’m looking forward to seeing how they (and the team perform) in this event.

Matty Maundrell – Senior Boys
Ben Mansell – Junior Boys
Patrick Maundrell– Junior Boys
Naomi Penton– Junior Girls

2026 National Representative Teams

World Cup 2026 Round 3, 5-9 August, Czechia

Last newsletter I mentioned that Justine Hobson represented Australia in the third World Cup event, but failed to mention that David Stocks was also representing Australia, where he picked up 2nd place in the C finals in the middle distance event.

Spring Bushflyer Swarm – Updated Date – 18 October 2026

Please update your calendar to put Sunday 18th October in your diary for our second local Swarm of 2026. As noted earlier, I’m happy to host the event at my place. 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.

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 but feel free to RSVP to me (cmj109@gmail.com) if you know you can make it.

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!

The post The Buzz – Bushflyers News September 2026 appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Orienteering Australia and Oceania Carnival

• The Board noted updates from the Orienteering Australia Stakeholders process.
• OA Safety Committee matters will be discussed further after Oceania.
• Oceania access and venue matters are progressing well.
• The OACT Board would like to thank everyone who is helping make Oceania happen. A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes and on event days, and we really appreciate the time, effort and care being put in by all our volunteers. We hope everything runs smoothly, the weather is kind, and that everyone involved has a great week and gets the chance to enjoy the carnival as well.

Authorised photographers

• OACT has two trained authorised photographers and is following up with OA about vests and any available media kit.
• The future social media officer will also need authorised photographer training.

Volunteer policy

• The Board noted concerns that the draft OA volunteer policy may be too complex for volunteers.
• OACT will ask for more time to respond after Oceania.

Finance

• The Treasurer’s report was accepted and QuickBooks has been updated for the Oceania account.
• Travel support is now $0.60 per kilometre, or $1.00 per kilometre when towing a pre-approved trailer, from 18 August 2026.

Event planning

• The Event Planning Committee will meet in October to plan for 2027. Discussion to include a proposal to add a Monday event for Capital O, to be organised by ACT Cockatoos.

Participation

• Learn to O is expected to restart in late October.
• Discover O will run again this year, coordinated by David.
• Saturday Metro is stable, but attendance could be stronger.

Series Updates

• Street-O is planned to restart in November with availability of Wednesday mass starts.
• Nina will contact the ONSW President about Ski-O arrangements, as OACT is not expected to host the event going forward.

Mapping

• Summer Series locations need to be finalised by 25 September.
• Five locations are in the pipeline, with a target of seven events and the first event planned for Sunday 1 November.
• Foxlow drone mapping was well received.
• MTBO mapping is progressing for the ACT/NSW Championships.

Coaching and development

• Frank Townley’s arrival has been delayed by visa issues, with the aim still to have him here for Oceania.
• Coaching Coordinator candidates remain in progress.

Mesh-O

• Mesh-O Athlete will not be available for Oceania.
• Documentation and payment arrangements for ACT League and major events will continue after Oceania.
• New remote-start units have been added to OACT stock.

Other notes

• Old OACT shirt stock will move to the office for possible volunteer use at major events.
• Natalie and Andrew will coordinate welcome-person cover while Andrew is away.

Next meeting: Monday 19 October 2026.

The post Board Shorts – September 2026 appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Bulletin 2 is available here.

The post Oceania Start Times and Bulletin 2 Available appeared first on Orienteering ACT.