The annual Orienteering Australia Conference was held over the weekend of 10-11 December at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Picture: Bruce Arthur, photographer Jim Russell.

Highlights included:

·         A WOC project committee, chaired by Christine Brown, was formed to undertake an evaluation to bid for a future World Orienteering Championships. This followed a detailed presentation by Mikko Salonen, Chairman of the Finland Orienteering Federation team which successfully bid to conduct the 2013 World Orienteering Championships.

·         Orienteering Tasmania will be bidding to conduct a World Cup round in Tasmania in January 2015 in conjunction with the Oceania Championships. In January 2013 a World Cup round will be staged in New Zealand in conjunction with the Oceania Championships.

·         The Conference accepted the recommendation of the Website and Digital Communications Review by Nicole Davis that there be an overhaul undertaken of the OA website, subject to a Director of Communications and a project manager being appointed.

·         A comprehensive program of camps and other High Performance activities was tabled by Kay Haarsma and Grant Bluett. There is a great deal of enthusiasm for participation in the National O League events in Darwin from 10-12 August 2012 in conjunction with the NT Championships.

·         Andrew Collins from the Australian Sports Commission provided an update on the ASC’s participation funding program and OA requirements in terms of performance and reporting.

·         Ben Rattray presented footage from the filming by the University of Canberra on how to do bush, sprint, street and mountain bike orienteering. More information is at http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Orienteering/Videos

·         Bruce Arthur presented a report on what was involved in providing GPS tracking and the big screen at the Oceania Championships.

·         Barbara Hill and Mike Dowling outlined how OANSW and OTAS introduced highly successful Space Racing programs for primary school children.  In Tasmania a control is called a Space Station, the SI stick a Space Key, and the map a Galaxy.