Orienteering SA is proud to announce the 2026 South Australian Schools Orienteering Team, which will be travelling to Canberra later in the year to compete at the Australian Schools Orienteering Championships (ASOC).
"Each one of these orienteers put in a huge and consistent effort to earn their place in the team," Junior Arrows Team Manager Kate Marschall said. "They are competitive but also work together to encourage each other, and we look forward working with them in the lead up to ASOC."
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Austin Clem
Marcus Cazzolato
Angus Fairgrieve
Ryan McDonnell
Thomas Hobbs
Senior Girls
Lucinda Fogarty
Adeline Richmond
Junior Boys
Cade Richmond
Euan Farquharson
Lewis Faulkner
Lucian Suchecki
Francis Hicks
Jack Hocking
Junior Girls
Ngaire Cassey
Scarlett Ashforth
Lenya Bertram
Eleanor Hobbs
Kira Farquharson
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Thorndon Park Reserve was the venue for the 2026 Schools Champs.
Overcast and drizzly weather could not dampen the enthusiasm of the 254 entries.
11 courses were provided to accommodate the 24 age classes provided. Courses 1-5 had a map flip. Two courses are shown below
21 schools competed on the day, with Heathfield High coming out on top again, winning the Brian Wale Shield for Secondary Schools.
Coromandel Valley had a great tussle with Linden Park and Stirling East, with Coromandel Valley eventually winning the John Williams Shield, their 2nd in a row.
The students were housed under cover in the large pavilion, where they watched the presentations for placegetters for each age class.
Other highlights of the day were the O-Maze, and the Junior Arrows catering.
The event was run by a wonderful team of volunteers from all the SA metro clubs. In particular organisers and course planners Clive and Marion Arthur and controllewr Aylwin Lim.
Also many thanks to Campbelltown Council for their support of the event.
All tthe results and point scores for the 2 shields are on Eventor here.
Photos from the event are here
Kay Haarsma – Inducted into the OA Hall of Fame – General Division
Known today as a pioneer of mountain bike orienteering (MTBO), Kay Haarsma has made exceptional contributions to orienteering for over four decades. Her leadership spans establishing schools competition frameworks; junior and elite athlete development; national and international coaching; governance; and a long list of events and coaching innovations.
For the full nomination see this document
Adrian Uppill – Rob Plowright Award for Services to Mapping
Adrian Uppill has been a major contributor in the area of orienteering mapping, including the production of maps in SA for local and championship events, map production for National events held in SA, the development of the use of LIDAR and digital field mapping, along with contributions at both the National (chair the Mapping Committee) and International level (member of the IOF Map Commission for 5 years). Adrian has had a major focus on map printing quality, and for national carnivals Adrian has supervised course map printing to ensure maps were printed to standards and to the best quality.
For the full nomination see this document
The SA Schools Orienteering Championships took place this week at Belair National Park, after two false starts due to severe weather warnings. The over 200 enthusiastic students representing 26 schools did not seem concerned by the slight drizzle that gave way to clear skies during the presentation ceremony. When waiting for their races to start, they practised their navigation skills in the new Orienteering SA maze, with boundless energy.
Special mention to one of the Heathfield High students who by labouring on for over 90 minutes and being one of the last competitors to finish, successfully completed the course and thereby secured the trophy for Heathfield High for another year, proving that perseverance pays off!
Our individual results with 74 prize-winners on the podium, can be seen online: https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/ResultList?eventId=22978&groupBy=EventClass
The Williams (Primary School) trophy was won by Coromandel Valley PS 45 points, second Crafers PS 25, third - Woodside PS 20.
The Wale (Secondary School) Trophy was won by Heathfield HS 20, St Johns Grammar SC and Urrbrae AHS both 18 in second place.
Our special guest, local Belair National Parks and Wildlife ranger Joseph Gallasch, presented the awards for all the winning students. Our SA State Team Junior Development officer Kate Marschall presented our current 2025 State team. She also handed congratulatory packages to all the winners.
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