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Shoalhaven Bushwalkers Inc.

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Rogaining - The Navigation Shield

Click here to see a listing of all Navigation Shield Rogaine teams and their results, or click the links below to see details of Nav Shields held in that year.

Commonly known in the Club as 'The Rogaine', the Navigation Shield is an opportunity for the bests search and rescue teams in the country to compete in unfamiliar, and usually rough terrain, in all weather conditions and with no support groups. The event also allows others to develop and test their navigation skills in a safe, friendly and cross-service environment. It is organised by the Wilderness Search and Rescue Committee of the Confederation of Bushwalkers and is held annually. Participants are from Emergency Services (members of the Police, Ambulance, Defence Forces, Bushfire Brigades, State Emergency Services, Volunteer Rescue Association, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and bushwalking clubs) and offers valuable practical experience to all participants.

The location of the event varies each year, but is always held in rugged bushland areas of around 100 square kilometres within a few hours drive of Sydney and usually in the Winter.

On the night before the event teams are given a map, the coordinates of checkpoints (usually 30-35), and the points value of each checkpoint. Individual teams must then plan a route which will net them as many points as possible within the time limit - either one day (about eleven hours) or two days (thirty hours). The event starts at 8.45 am Saturday with day teams finishing at 7.30p.m. (about two hours after dark) and the two-day event finishing about 2pm Sunday.

June 1989 saw the inaugural Wilderness Search and Rescue Rogaine with twelve teams competing at Nerriga, off the Braidwood Road. The Shoalhaven Bushwalkers have entered teams every year except 1993 and 2000, a great record.

From Dawn Evans - "Twelve teams competed at Nerriga, representing Bushwalking Clubs, Police, Search and Rescue and Cave Rescue. Bushwalking teams came from Sydney, Queanbeyan and Nowra. Stephen and Gareth Evans represented the Shoalhaven Bushwalkers with a point score of 31, coming a creditable fifth place, highest score being 49 points and the lowest 6 points. Gareth was then 17 years old and the distance covered was 52kms in 17 hours of walking."

Stuart Leslie wrote about their story - "The weekend competition began 5km south of Nerriga in the western Budawang section of Morton National Park. We began at 9am Saturday after a briefing by the organisers. With full packs, we headed east, crossing several flooded creeks before detouring to Round Mountain, and later circumnavigated Quilty's Mountain. Just before lunch on Saturday, we passed the infamous group who lost themselves on Quilty's Mountain for several hours. Thankfully, they made it back to base.

"We were early to bed that night at Styles Creek, and then off again for an early start at 4.30am. A hard slog westward, and round the northern point of Foster Mountain was followed by some hard bushwalking to Flat Top Mountain before reaching the Alum Track and then back to base. We hope to be entering this competition again next year, and put out the challenge to some of the more experienced Shoalhaven Bushwalkers to compete against us younger ones."

Click here for details of the 1989 Nav Shield.

In 1990 the 2nd Wilderness Rescue Navigation Rogaine was held at Yalwal, the base camp being set up near the cemetery. Shoalhaven Bushwalkers were placed third in the competition and the winners were a combined team from the University of NSW and Sutherland Bushwalkers. Fifteen teams of between 3-6 members entered the Rogaine which was designed to test the navigation skills, heavy terrain mobility and endurance of people involved in bush searches, and covered an area of approximately 35 square kilometres which was centred on both sided of Danjera Dam. Shoalhaven Bushwalkers were represented by Alwyn Martin, Ross Engell, Gareth Evans and Stuart Leslie.

Click here for details of the 1990 Nav Shield.

Newspaper article

1991 saw the Wilderness Rogaine again in the Shoalhaven area, this time at Bugong, off the Tallowa Dam Road. The area in which the checkpoints were located was rugged escarpment, and undulating plateau covering both sides of the Shoalhaven River, from its junction with the Kangaroo River at Tallowa Dam, eastwards to Bugong Creek, and the northern boundary being the Kangaroo River, an area of approximately 80 square kilometres. Two teams entered from Shoalhaven Bushwalkers, one team comprised the Evans family, Stephen, Peter, and Gareth with brother-in-law Ian Hewitt. The second team was made up of Stuart Leslie, Alwyn Martin, Jeff Ewers, Jerry Mutch and Leonie Mutch. The two teams were awarded 3rd and 4th place.

Click here for details of the 1991 Nav Shield.

The Hill Top Rogaine in 1992 saw a new entry from Shoalhaven Bushwalkers, this time a women's team entering the one day competition, gaining valuable experience. The team members were Yvonne White, Bronwyn Clegg, Dawn Evans, and Leila Kates. The overnight team comprised Alwyn Martin, Peter Evans, Stuart Leslie and Leonie Mutch. It has been interesting watching the development of the annual Rogaine, with more and more competitors entering each year, and the overall area increasing as well.

walkers

Yvonne White continues - "1992 Hilltop, this was the first entry from the Club of a women's team. We certainly gained experience of what it was all about. Arriving Saturday morning was a big mistake, giving us little time to mark our maps. Being cold and drizzly did not help and it lasted all the weekend. Ugh! The men's one day team, (mainly our husbands), did very well and came in second place overall (3rd place according to the BWRS website).

"Our team learnt a lot and gave us the incentive to try again. On future Rogaines we arrived on Friday afternoon and left Sunday morning. Teams of equal fitness gives everyone a chance to enjoy themselves and practice their navigation.

"It was after Hilltop that we realised that the opportunity to give our members invaluable experience in navigation would give the Club more depth in leaders for the future. The lessons learnt over following Rogaines, and also Club run rogaines, introduced many members to the joy and frustration of navigation and leadership. The Club's strength is assured if we continue to encourage and challenge new and old leaders in this way.

Click here for details of the 1992 Nav Shield.

"1994 and this year's Rogaine was held at Kanangra with bitterly cold, gale force winds. However with better preparation all teams did well and enjoyed themselves despite the cold.

Click here for details of the 1994 Nav Shield.

1995 - Colo Heights, NW of Sydney in the Parr State Recreation Area and three teams again competed. The camp site was magnificent, an ex garbage dump plus three caravans, one campervan and numerous tents. Shoalhaven Bushwalkers were gaining a reputation for comfort as well as excellent cuisine. The weather was damp overnight but cleared for a nice day. What could go wrong?

"Heading for our first marker about twenty minutes from the start we came upon our third team. Daphne had slipped and fallen over a three metre ledge. Bruised and shocked but nothing broken, her team walked her back to HQ to be checked out (Daphne sat out the rest of the event at the HQ). A SES team who had heard of the fall came back to help, then moved on before we arrived. We continued on, having a very successful day, several times meeting the SES team who had checked on Daphne. The last marker was found at 5:30pm and it was getting dark, time to find the road back to HQ. Should arrive about 7:15pm. However, dropping into a valley before a climb up through cliffs we lost the road! It had disappeared into a grassy clearing, with a ground mist filling in and our small torches not helping matters.

"Time was ticking away and so were all our points! Then out of the mist came our friendly SES team with good torches and happy for us to join them on the way up through the cliffs to camp. We were old enough to be their mothers, it was nice to have strong hands to help us up the cliffs. Thanks go to the boys from Mudgee who helped two Shoalhaven teams in one day. We were two hours late and lost all our points, but it was one of the best Rogaines for navigation, bushwalking and good food!

Click here for details of the 1995 Nav Shield.

"1996 - Woodford in the Lower Blue Mountains and our three entries in the one day event had a successful competition despite the men's team (The Macho Mavericks) repeating the girls' effort of last year when they came in two hours late. But it was the ladies team (The Sexy Sisters) who really made their mark in their unforgettable colourful shorts and gaining a creditable 8th place. Congratulations to Stephen Evans on receiving his 5 year award for attendance at the Rogaine."

Sandra Kelley also reported on the 1996 event. "Three teams (twelve people) from our Club entered the Rogaine this year, which was held in the Woodford area of the Blue Mountains. The Rogaine is an annual navigational exercise, involving teams from the Police, SES, Bushfire Brigades, Army and bushwalking groups. Over 400 people from as far as South Australia and Queensland took part in the event. The course covers 100 square kilometres with up to 30 checkpoints. Each checkpoint is allocated a number of points depending on navigational difficulty. In cool, blustery conditions our Ladies Team (The Sexy Shorts Sisters) gained a very creditable 8th place, while the Men's Team (The Macho Mavericks) did extremely well, but a wayward track and a time penalty robbed them of their points. (John Prior explains - "We were late back because we were held back at a checkpoint because a member of the army team had fallen off a cliff late in the afternoon. They were trying to get a helicopter in to get him out but if it got dark we were going to have to stretcher him out - just what you want to do after a day flat out rogaining!. The helicopter arrived but we really didn't leave the checkpoint until dark, and subsequently we were late in. It is probably my best rogaine, but we might have done even better if we had not been held back, but they did refund the points we lost for getting in late.)

The third team (New Kids on the Block) were very pleased with their effort and gained navigational skills. The weekend was a great experience with good food and tremendous company."

Click here for details of the 1996 Nav Shield.

July 1997 - Dharug on the Central Coast near Wiseman's Ferry, and the weather was inclement. Both teams in the one day event did well. The Men's group of Jim, Geoff and the two Rays came equal fifth with 660 points and the Ladies' team equal eighth with 590 points. Silver cups were presented to all five Club members who had competed in Rogaines for five years. Congratulations to Bronwyn, Leila, Yvonne, Ray and Jim.

Click here for details of the 1997 Nav Shield.

July 1998 - Sassafras, 50kms SW of Nowra. No Cleggs this year as they had started on their Round Australia trip. Our two teams started off through thick fog in heavy early morning frost (no wonder we do not walk in this area very often). Congratulations to two more members, Ray Kates and Denise Davies on receiving their silver cups. Stephen and Gareth Evans were on the Headquarters staff for this Rogaine, helping with the planning of the event and manning checkpoints.

Click here for details of the 1998 Nav Shield.

1999 - Wingello State Forest, in the Southern Highlands. Lovely area for walking, typical highland terrain overlooking Bundanoon Creek, Tallowa Gully and Shoalhaven Gorge. In the one day event, the Ladies team of Yvonne White, Karen Davis and Denise Davies came in 16th and the men came 41st. Gareth Evans again assisted in the staffing.

Click here for details of the 1999 Nav Shield.

2001 - Abercrombie National Park, near Oberon. The Club entered only one team, mostly new competitors, Sue Bosdyk, Karen Davis, Brett Davis, Alwyn Martin and Robert Hitchcock. Though the weather was bitterly cold with snow in the area everyone enjoyed themselves, won their class in the one day event and came third overall. Well done!

Click here for details of the 2001 Nav Shield.

The Club has been called out by Wilderness Search and Rescue to assist in many local rescues between 1988 and 2000, and club members have benefited from the experience and leadership skills learnt at these Rogaines. They also have lots of fun and comradeship.

Click here to see a listing of all Navigation Shield Rogaine teams and their results, or click the links below to see details of Nav Shields held in that year.

1989  1990  1991  1992  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999
2001  2002  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2013  2014 


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