Taupō / Pinelands marked a fantastic milestone in mid-September with a special 50th Anniversary celebration dinner for Taupō Orienteering. The evening featured a wonderful display of memorabilia. Jim Lewis unearthed very original relics – bucket controls that were 50 years old! Photos from the past were provided by various people including Simon Webbison, Mike Grayburn, and Jim Lewis, with memories of the days when Putaruru High was a dominant force in secondary schools orienteering. Terry Brighouse, Graham Teahan and Rolf Boswell shared their stories of club years. Paul made a last-minute decision to drive down with a large set of historic maps he has created over the years. The Brighouse family shared stories of their family competitive spirit, and a PowerPoint presentation took attendees through five decades of orienteering history in the area. 

A beautifully decorated anniversary cake was cut by Elaine Brighouse and Thomas Farrer. Guests also participated in Jim’s impromptu trivial pursuit quiz, and ran on Anne Mortimer’s short course around the venue. The course featured modern orienteering dibblers, flip maps and sprint control sites. This was a novel experience for former orienteers, adding a fun twist to the celebration.
It was heartwarming to reconnect with many past members, including Robyn Davies (Pinelands) and Rolf Boswell to celebrate the club’s rich history with familiar faces from across the country. Many thanks to Taupō for excellent hosting and organisation.

Attendees:
Rolf and Linda Boswell, Craig, Elaine and Terry Brighouse, Dave and Judy Browning, Laurie Burdett, Janet Curtis, Robyn Davies, Craig and Thomas Farrar, Brendan and Amanda Haigh,  Lyndon and Christine Haugh, Paul Ireland, Jim Lewis, Bryan Lewis, Morna McFarland, Alison Menson, Di and Roel Michels, Chris Morris, Anne Mortimer, Jocelyn Reeve, Caroline Salisbury, Ian Simpson, Graham and Jenny Teahan, Phil White. 

A number of people have asked for Jim’s speech from the event, this can be downloaded here.