At last week’s (virtual) AGM, Orienteering Australia President Blair Trewin, in addition to the annual Service Award winners, announced the 2020 inductees to OA’s Hall of Fame. At the same time the previous 2019 inductees were also announced.
The Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 2016. The Hall of Fame recognises both those who have been outstanding performers as athletes (including as elite and masters-level performers) in the athlete division, and those who have made other outstanding contributions to the sport in the general division.
2020 Inductees
The nominees for induction for 2020 in the General Division were Kathy Liley (OV) and Ron Pallas (ONSW), while Hanny Allston (OT) was inducted in the Athlete Division.
Kathy Liley
Kathy Liley has contributed to orienteering at State and National level for over 35 years, in both administration and technical aspects of the sport.
She was minute secretary, then secretary of the Victorian Orienteering Association in the late 1980s before taking over as Treasurer (later Director Finance) for Orienteering Australia for 16 years (1990- 2005). After that Kathy continued to make administrative contribution to Orienteering Victoria as Statistician (2011-2018) and as coordinator of Controller education.
At the international level, Kathy represented Australia at IOF meetings three times during the 1990s (Congress in Switzerland, and the Presidents’ Conferences in Germany and Scotland). She was a member of the IOF World Cup Group 1992-96, and a member of the jury at WOC in 1995. She is currently a licensed IOF Event Advisor.
Her administrative skills have also been applied to the technical aspects of our sport within Australia. She was technical coordinator for WOCARN in 1985 and joint technical coordinator for the 1994 World Cup events in Victoria. She continues to set courses and control events up to Level 3 (and IOF WRE events). She is an expert in the technical aspects of orienteering and the associated software.
With a 1997 article in The Australian Orienteer, Kathy was instrumental in getting MTBO started in Victoria and Australia. In 2012 she adapted the IOF Rules for MTBO Competition with the OA Competition Rules for Foot Orienteering, to prepare the first OA Competition Rules for MTBO – and completed an update in 2019.
During 2016 – 2018 she prepared the inaugural curriculum for Level 1 MTBO Controller Accreditation in Australia and is planning the curriculum for Level 2.
She has had extensive involvement at club level since starting orienteering in 1973, as an original member of Super Turtles, as a foundation member of Emu, and Yarra Valley Orienteering Club for the last 30 years. During the 1980s, she was an accredited Level 2 Coach and conducted regular coaching activities for her club members. She has had long stints as newsletter editor for Emu and YVOC, and is currently treasurer for the YVOC of which she is a life member.
She received the Silva Award for Services to Orienteering in Australia in 1999 and a Commonwealth Sports Medal in 2000. She received the Orienteering Victoria Annual Award for Services to Orienteering in 2012 and is a life member of Orienteering Victoria.
Orienteering Australia is pleased to induct Kathy into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame General Division.
Ron Pallas
Ron’s achievement for orienteering in Australia is outstanding both through his direct personal effort and also through the wider outcomes of his initiatives. In particular, JWOC 2007, which put Australia on the international orienteering stage again, and the introduction of SportIdent which transformed orienteering competitions. His contribution to the development of orienteering extends over many years at both national and international levels. Ron involvement in international events include the 2007 JWOC in Dubbo, NSW as the Chair of the organising committee, and the 2009 World Masters Orienteering Championships Sydney & Lithgow, NSW, while domestically Ron has taken on the role of Carnival Director for 5 Australian 3 Days championships in 1991 – Mudgee, 2008 – Dubbo, 2014 – Clandulla, 2017 – Wagga Wagga and the now postponed 2020 event in Orange.
Ron was also responsible for the entries management of the 2017 Australian Championships Carnival, and last year’s Oceania Carnival, and while nominally NSW events, had siginficant roles in these de facto national events which attract competitors from across all eastern states – Xmas 5 Days Event Coordinator (2009-2019) and the 2019 – QBIII event as Event Director.
Ron was ONSW President from 1989 to 1994 and again from 2004 to 2008, and has been previously recognised for his involvement in orienteering by:
2007 David Hogg Medal for Services to Event Management
2007 ONSW President’s Award
2015 Uringa Orienteers Life Membership
2017 Central Coast Orienteers Life Membership
Orienteering Australia is pleased to induct Ron into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame General Division.
Hanny Allston
Hanny made her debut on the Australian team in 2004 at the age of 18. Since then, she has competed for Australia at the highest level on numerous occasions and is our most successful athlete ever at the international Elite level. In 2006 she won gold at the World Championships in the Sprint Distance and anchored the women’s relay team to 4th place. Earlier in the 2006 season she won gold at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in the Long Distance and silver in the Sprint Distance.
Until 2019 Hanny was the only non-European athlete to win an orienteering world championships, and is still the only athlete from any country to win both the Junior & Senior World Orienteering Titles in the same year (2006). She also won gold at in the Middle Distance at the 2009 World Games.
Hanny’s achievements in orienteering at the international level :
WOC 2015 – 5th Sprint & 9th Long Distances (Scotland)
World Games 2009 – 1st Middle Distance; 2nd Sprint Distance; 4th Relay (Taiwan)
WOC 2007 – 6th Long Distance (Ukraine)
WOC 2006 – Gold, Sprint Distance (Denmark)
WOC 2006 – Relay, 4th (Denmark)
JWOC 2006 – 2nd Sprint Distance (Lithuania)
JWOC 2006 – 1st Long Distance (Lithuania)
WOC 2005 – 6th Long Distance (Japan)
JWOC 2005 – 3rd Middle Distance (Switzerland)
JWOC 2005 – 2nd Sprint Demonstration event (Switzerland)
WOC 2004 – 24th long distance (Sweden)
In addition to her performances in the forest, she fulfilled the role of coach and/or manager at JWOC in Australia (Dubbo), Bulgaria, Finland and Norway. She was Tasmanian Athlete of the Year for Orienteering in 2006, Young Australian of the Year, Tasmania (2006), Tasmanian Athlete of the Year for Athletics in 2007, Athletics Tasmania Athlete of the Year (2010), and Orienteering Australia Athlete of the Year (2014 & 2015)
Orienteering Australia is pleased to induct Hanny into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame Athlete Division.
2019 Inductees
The nominees for induction for 2019 in the General Division were Hugh Cameron (OV) and Peta Whitford (OV), and Geoff Lawford (OV) was inducted in the Athlete Division.
Hugh Cameron
Hugh Cameron began orienteering on the Central Coast of New South Wales in 1977, when he was involved in forming Central Coast Orienteers and was president there for seven years. Hugh had an active career in orienteering administration and organisation at the club, state, national and international levels. He was President of ONSW for four years (1980 to 1984), representing NSW on the OA Council, and was OA President from 1984 to 1988, spanning the period of WOC85 in Bendigo.
Hugh has been the Event Director of major events at both state and national levels, including the Australian Championships. He was an accredited Level 2 Controller and has been a member of Organising Committees for both World Cup and World Masters Orienteering Championships. He has held the position of Chair of Orienteering Australia’s International and National Events Committee. He received the OA Silva Award for Services to Orienteering in 1988.
In 1988, the IOF encouraged Australia to nominate a member for the IOF Council. Hugh was nominated and was duly elected. He made a major commitment to the IOF, not only in representing Australia’s interests, but also contributing in many other significant ways to the organisation. In 1992, he was elected a Vice-president of the IOF and in 1994 became Senior Vice-president, holding that position until he retired in 2010. His role in these positions was particularly important in raising the profile and presenting the perspective of Australia and other non-European orienteering nations in what otherwise tends to be a Eurocentric organisation. His role in the IOF went well beyond these interests and, as a senior Council member, he was influential in guiding the directions of the IOF and international orienteering during that period. In 2000 he was awarded the IOF Silver Pin (No 31).
Orienteering Australia is pleased to induct Hugh into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame General Division.
Peta Whitford
Peta Whitford began orienteering in Victoria in 1971 and rapidly developed her skills as a top female competitor. She represented Australia at the World Championships in 1974, 1976 and 1978 and in 1993 travelled with the WOC team as Coach.
She developed a major interest in elite-level coaching, and chaired the OA Coaching Committee for four years, also holding the title of National Coaching Director. She assisted in the conduct of the first OA Level 2 coaching course, held in December 1985, and was involved in developing the Level 2 and 3 coaching accreditation syllabi. She updated the current Level 1 coaching accreditation program.
Combined with elite coaching, Peta saw a need to target women in their orienteering development. As a result she was invited as the Coach-in-Residence in NSW, Qld, Tas, SA and WA to run multi day coaching seminars/ camps to a wide range of orienteers.
In 1994 when she was awarded “The Eunice Gill” coach education award by the Australian Coaching Council in recognition for her outstanding services to coach education in Australia.
At WOC85 she was the Deputy Technical Co-ordinator for ‘out-of-forest’ activities, and assisted in test-running legs for the WOC courses.
Another major activity in Peta’s orienteering life was the conduct of an extensive schools ‘Come and try it’ orienteering program run on a professional basis in her capacity of VOA Development Officer. That program and more recently the Sporting Schools Program continues to introduce hundreds of schoolchildren to orienteering in Victoria.
In 1976 Peta worked with orienteering marketing guru Tom Andrews to hold the first ever Australian Schools Orienteering Championships at Mt Evelyn, Victoria. From this grew the Victorian Primary and Secondary Championships. In 2004, following the start of mountain bike orienteering in Australia, she established the first Schools MTBO championships, starting with 80 riders and reaching 180 riders within a few years.
She was involved in junior development in her capacity of Manager and /or Coach of the Victorian schools team to the Australian Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships over 13 years. During this time, initially aided by Sue Sturges, Peta established the Southern Cross Challenge.in which a New Zealand schools team is invited annually to compete against the Australian Schools Teams. Peta retired after 27 years of dedicated work for Orienteering Victoria in 2018.
Orienteering Australia is pleased to induct Peta into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame General Division.
Geoff Lawford
Geoff started orienteering March 1973 has a long list of achievements, both domestically and internationally. His international successes include: Gold medal; WMOC 2015 Sweden, M60, Sprint, Silver medal; WMOC 2016 Estonia, M60, Sprint and Gold medal; WMOC 2017 New Zealand, M60, Sprint. Some of his other titles include: Gold Medal, Canadian Long Distance, M3S, 1990, Gold Medal, Asia Pacific Long Distance, M35, 1990, Gold Medal, North American Long Distance, M35, 1990, Gold Medal, Oceania Middle Distance, M55, 2011, Gold Medal, Oceania Relay, M55, 2011, Gold Medal, Oceania Middle Distance, M55, 2013, Gold Medal, Oceania Long Distance, M55, 2013 and Gold Medal, Oceania Relay, M55, 2013.
In Australia Geoff since 1990 Geoff has won most of the age class at the Australian 3 Days, or National Sprint, Middle or Long Championship events.
Australian 3 Days titles : M35 – 1990, ’91, ’92, ’93 and ’94. M40 – 1996. M45 – 2001. M50 – 1997, ’98, ’99. M55 – 2010, ’11, ’12, ’13 and ’14.
Australian Sprint title: M55 – 2010, ’11 and ’12.
Australian Middle title: M50 – 2006 and ’07. M55 – 2010, ’11 and ”18.
Australian Long title: M35 – 1991. M40 – 1995, ’97 and ’99. M45 – 2000, ’01 and ’04. M50 – 2005, ’07 and ’09. M55 – 2010, ’11 and ’12.
Some of his other titles include : Gold Medal, Canadian Long Distance, M35, 1990, Gold Medal, Asia Pacific Long Distance, M35, 1990, Gold Medal, North American Long Distance, M35, 1990, Gold Medal, Oceania Middle Distance, M55, 2011, Gold Medal, Oceania Relay, M55, 2011, Gold Medal, Oceania Middle Distance, M55, 2013, Gold Medal, Oceania Long Distance, M55, 2013 and Gold Medal, Oceania Relay, M55, 2013.
Orienteering Australia is pleased to induct Geoff into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame Athlete Division.