Bob Gilbert reports ...
The Event
The assembly area was in the picturesque “Pines” picnic
area of the Watagan Mountains with conditions being overcast
but fine and about 20oc. However these ideal conditions were
short lived as a thunder storm with drenching rain descended
on the mountain about 3pm and continued until about 5pm. The
other problem facing competitors was the apparent plague
proportion of leaches. Most competitors returned with some
still attached.
6 Hour Course consisted of 53 teams and 130 competitors.
Once again the winners, with 820 points, were Paul Stein,
Matt Cooper and Chris Kennedy with the ever reliable team of
David Dash and John Anderson finishing second with 750
points. David and John also won, yet again, the Veteran and
Superveteran categories. An outstanding result was the
novice team of Stuart Todd and Justin Saunders who scored
690 points to win the novice category, this also placed them
8th overall and 5th in the Men’s category. What will they do
with some experience behind them ? Another exceptional
effort was the family team of Nigel and Angus Thompson who
not only won the family category with 740 points but were
also placed 4th overall and 3rd in the men’s.
12 Hour Course consisted of 40 teams and 97 competitors.
The first three teams scored the maximum 1550 points by
visiting all controls on the course. However the team of
martin Lefmann and Peter Thomas completed the course in 9hrs
5 minutes to just edge out Keith Conley and Nathan Versey
from the ACT in 9hrs 23 minutes. Andrew and Nicole Haigh,
after having to make a 50 minute detour also collected the
maximum in 11 hours 22 minutes. Once again the novice team
of Stuart Kurtz and Brock Smith won the novice category with
1040 points which placed them 18th overall.
The consensus from competitors was that they enjoyed the
courses although most found them challenging. A pleasing
aspect was that all teams were back without penalty for
lateness in the 12 hour and only three teams received
penalties in the 6 hour with the latest team being 9 minutes
late.
Congratulations to all teams and competitors who once
again contributed to another successful Lake Macquarie
Rogaine
Hash House, T&D
Once again the Cardiff Scouts did an outstanding job on
satisfying the culinary delights of the competitors. They
even provided extra shelter when the rain came and a nice
fire to dry out and warm up. They were also able to cater
for the special diets of vegetarian and gluten free
requirements.
The T&D lived up to the expectation of supplying calorie
rich foods and the obligatory shelter from rain and a fire.
An added bonus was a new dry map for those that had
disintegrated.
Volunteers
These events occur because many people volunteer their
time and effort to make them happen
Bert Van Netten has been involved with this event for 17
years, mainly as the course setter, and this year also ran
the T&D stop with Sylvia Burgess
Bob & Pam Montgomery who always willingly give their time
and this year assisted in vetting and assisting at the
administration
Ian Dempsey once again produced the high quality map
Graeme & Vicki Cooper with their IT skills allowed
competitors smooth registration and quick and informative
access to their results
Doug Floyd acts as the Safety Officer and does a lot of
preparatory work before the event ensuring that mishaps are
minimised and any emergencies can be appropriately dealt
with.
Rob Vincent & Carolyn Chalmers as parking officers and Rob
also assisted novices during their briefing session
Neil Chappell always assists with vetting
Community Groups
The following community groups also assist in the event
mainly by providing back up resources if required and on
site personnel for emergency situations
Cooranbong SES
Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Westpac Rescue Helicopter
Cardiff Scouts
How is the Entry Fee Dispersed ?
The following is an approximate break down of how the $57
is allocated:
Hash House and T&D 18
NSWRA Levy 10
Hire NavLight 5
Map 4
Hire toilets etc 4
NPWS & State Forests 6
Donations Community Groups 6
Admin & OLE 4
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Watagn fauna
more Watagan fauna
Lost Property
The following lost property is with me and can be claimed
by contacting me.
A compass
First aid kit
Pair of gaiters
Spray jacket
Drink bottle
Acknowledgements
Lake Macquarie City Council – the event is part of the
Annual Lake Macquarie Games and is supported by Lake
Macquarie City Council through Diane Pascoe (Games
Coordinator)
Forests NSW through Andrew Ford and National Parks &
Wildlife Service through Jeff Johnston who are the
landowners and support this event
Letters (emails)
Hi Bob,
Just wanted to say a big thank-you and provide some positive
feedback
about a fantastic event. It was our teams first rogaine and
everyone was very helpful and extremely friendly. The course
was challenging and rewarding and the timing system and maps
were excellent. Next year we will progress to the 12 hour!.
Ross Cairns (Team: Tony Harrison).
hi bob
just wanted to say thanks to you and everyone involved in
putting together the lake mac rogaine. It was my first taste
of rogaining, and i'm sure i'll be back next year for more.
oh, and the beef and veggie soup was to die for
cheers graham
 The Pines
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