Orienteering continues to develop on the east coast with an event this month at Swansea. With a new map at St Marys District High and the Australian Championships 2012 Bicheno map, Swansea Primary School has its new map following a project undertaken by John and Valerie Brammall. Mapped by Mike Morfew and funded by the School and its School Association, with an additional funding grant from Orienteering Tasmania, an introductory session was held at the school for 28 students from Grades 4-6.
John and Valerie initially brought orienteering to Bicheno Primary School when their grandchildren Ethan and Liana Stubbs were at the school. The equipment was donated by parents Alison and Simon and John and Valerie held introductory sessions over a number of years. A pleasing development this year is that their teacher, Matt Woolley, has now independently run four sessions, extending the reach into the lower grades.
The intention of the initiative in Swansea was twofold; to provide for interschool orienteering contact between the two schools with the intention of also including visits to St Helens and St Marys and also to provide an opportunity for the students and community to become more familiar with the sport in the lead-up to next year‘s Oceania events in the region in January. The session at the school has been reported in the parent newsletter and the local community news.
As part of their roles for Oceania 2015 of promotion and sponsorship Valerie and John also touted advertising for the event program from every conceivable Swansea business with a positive response from the community. Orienteering Tasmania continues to demonstrate its commitment to promote the sport and support the communities in which it operates which has been responsible for its successful carnivals in the past.