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The World Health Organization says mental health is:![]()
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“A state of wellbeing in which a person realises their potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community.”![]()
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Being a Good Sports accredited club, it is good to read all the material available to Good Sports sporting clubs. Some of this material is shown below when you click on the photo. Eureka Orienteers can also direct you to more resources if you need a helping hand, or simply just to have a chat. Orienteering, the sport we all love, is a very active mentally intensive sport, so we need to look after our mental health. It is important we all help each other.
Last Sunday, at the Buninyong Hotel, Eureka Orienteers enjoyed a wonderful celebration of 50 years and more in orienteering. Some Orienteers present have even been orienteering for more than 50 years because started before they formed the club in Ballarat 50 years ago! While some present were our newest members who joined this year, with one signing up just two months ago to take part in the VIC Relays.![]()
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Many who returned "home" had travelled long distances from Sydney, NE Vic, Melbourne to name a few. I'm sure this trip would have reminded them of orienteering trips all those years ago. The photos on display and the memorable Eureka Moments that were shared sure reflected how powerful the memories were of this "extended family" and how blessed people were to have been part of this club. The retelling of stories and the subsequent beaming smiles on peoples faces when times long ago were recalled and then confirmed with "Oh yeah, I remember that too!" was total proof of how much happiness Eureka Orienteers and orienteering has given so many people in Ballarat.![]()
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As an outsider back in the early 80s, I just remember seeing so many blue O-suits with white stripes and stars. They were everywhere. It seemed to me that every second person on the "mainland" wore these blue suits with stars. Eureka Orienteers seemed to the largest club in the world!!! Then, at the lunch, seeing a photo of 30 or so Eureka Orienteers all wearing exactly the same suit at an event sometime in the Golden Years was so funny to me because it was exactly what I remember! Everyone wearing a Eureka Orienteers club outfit where ever I looked back then. Now, take note, you didn't just jump online and order a new O-top and tight leggings back then. No siree! Well organised clubs bought huge massive rolls of this plasticy polyester type material in different colours and then made their own O-Suits. If you didn't, there was only a handful of pre-made styles. Green or blue or burgundy perhaps? Can't remember! I remember the default green O-suit though, as it was a common sight too!! 🤣 But true credit goes to those seamstresses (I assume) who put the EU suits all together on another industrial scale. Gosh, Eureka Orienteers were an industry unto themselves, I decided, after hearing all these stories. Industrial levels in the fashion industry, the cake making industry, and also, they had a lolly industry too! There wasn't just a cake stall, but a lolly stall too! Far out! This club probably had their own GDP as well! 😲😆 Can anyone confirm if they ever launched on the ASX??!! 🤔 ![]()
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On Sunday, everyone talked as soon as they arrived. People brought maps, control cards, compasses with stencil circles and triangles, copies of the Australian Orienteer, which seemed to have at least one photo of Dale in it every issue through the 80s, plus medals, plastic map bags of the heavy duty last century kind, programme booklets, results booklets, 'Now thats a badge!" badges and so much more. People never stopped talking all through lunch. Most stopped as memorable moments were shared one by one and then, finally we decided to eat the Eureka Orienteers logo! Well a cake of it anyway! If you ever wondered what the Eureka Orienteers logo would taste and look like, well, it's exactly the same but with a slightly larger dark blue border. Then, just bite into it and taste that deep rich mud cake down below. Beautiful it was! Not sure if there was meant to be some link to the mud when orienteering but it sure didn't taste like orienteering mud. It was delicious!! Aaah, EU, you've done it again!! Eureka Orienteers, famous for their cakes! 😋 ![]()
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What was just an idea about a year ago or so, sort of went no where. The months ticked by and the 50th year was moving along. Maybe there won't be a dinner after all. But there is one mover and shaker in this club, who has been there from the start. He hadn't let it slip. The first thing I hear again is how someone has convinced and subsequently confirmed that some 26 mostly former Eureka Orienteers are coming along to the lunch. Wow! Now, former means only because they have not paid the 2025 subscription. But, besides that, they will always be Life Members because of what they have given the club. The club is made from the people and it was just priceless to be part of more Eureka Orienteers than I have ever seen in one room before. I wasn't a member of EU in the 1980s and 1990s, although I did experience and enjoy Eureka Orienteers hospitality, which included Dale's waffles, way back in 1981, which I have never ever forgotten! Then again on Sunday, I got to experience that Eureka Orienteers massive club feeling again! It was like we had done what Cher was only singing about. EU had actually turned back time! Well, sort of, but it was still amazing! Imagine if we could find that many club members again? Oops, I digress as usual....who was that mover and shaker? It was Blake. I wonder how many hours he talked in contacting everyone?! 😀📞 Over 50 years Blake, amongst others, has done huge things for Eureka Orienteers, for Ballarat, for Victorian Orienteering, for Australian and International Orienteering in both Foot-O and MTBO. But would he ever seek recognition or payment? Nope. Same at the lunch. Yet another superb Eureka Orienteers event that Blake and Dale created. Sometimes I feel Blake takes control of the microphone in order to prevent anyone else from bringing the attention back to him. In this case, that would be an injustice. Thank you enormously Blake and Dale, for organising this incredible get together!👏 I am definitely voting for this as the Eureka Orienteers Event of the Year! Well, I would if there was such a category! Thankyou as always! 😊 ![]()
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Thankyou also to all Eureka Orienteers and special guests who attended because you showed me what it was like being part of the Eureka Orienteers when they were huge! Not because of what you won or anything like that, which you did also, but because of all the happiness and joy you shared when talking about this club. You all gave me another Eureka Memorable Moment to share at future reunions by letting me see how much joy this club has given you all. No doubt this will inspire me to make sure the club lives on and continues to share this crazy, exasperating, odd, challenging and yet extremely rewarding and addictive sport called orienteering that we seem to enjoy (at times!! 🤣😆). Yet, it seems the actual orienteering was only a part of the magnificent memories at the Eureka Orienteers. This club was so much more than just the sport!![]()
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Congratulations on 50 amazing years! 🥂🍾 Here's to another 50 years!! 😲🫣 Oh gosh, that seems way to much pressure to repeat what you have all done. How about here is to another 1 year!! Let's just take it one year at time!!!!! 🤣😆 ![]()
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What a truly fabulous day last Sunday was! 😊 Cant wait for the 51st Anniversary Dinner! 😋
What a magical day orienteering at Mt Lofty, near Metcalfe. It was a day filled full of joy, enthusiasm, energy and fun. Thanks heaps to Yaqoob, Alyssa and Luke for bringing so much energy, smiles and happiness on their first ever Victorian Orienteering relays event after only a handful of events this year. Luke only joined up on Friday!!! 😲 👏 It was simply inspiring to see how much your were all smiling and how much fun you had completing your relay courses! 👏 👍 😁 Well done!!!![]()
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Thanks to all the Eureka Orienteers team who brought home the following results.![]()
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C2 Division![]()
1st - Aislinn, Celsey and Richard![]()
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C3 Division ![]()
2nd - Roch, Yaqoob and Rod![]()
8th - Gary, Alyssa and Luke![]()
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C4 Division![]()
Almost 3rd (Well, after two legs!!! 🫣)![]()
Judy, Dale and Blake were well on the way to reaching the final podium in 3rd!! So close yet so far!! 🤔 Oh well, it was still a great effort! Remember ALWAYS check the control number!!! 👍![]()
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Eureka Orienteers just want to say thanks so much to Jim Russell and the Victorian Vikings! What a top notch this event was. Even with odd people causing so much trouble with team changes for which they apologise profusely, you still put on a magnificent event in every single department. All the Eureka Orienteers who attended had a great time and it was plenty clear that all Orienteers from all clubs had a really great day! Thankyou so very much! 🙏
Orienteering would simply not exist without volunteers. Think before criticising any volunteers for some perceived minor aspect of an orienteering event. Take a break, cool down, then think about how much volunteers do. Then go thank them for giving up their time to put on orienteering events for you. If volunteers weren't there, then neither would you, because there wouldn't be any events. This National Volunteer Week 2025 say thankyou to your local Orienteering event volunteers! I guarantee they will really appreciate your thanks and recognition! Happy National Volunteer Week 2025 everybody! 👏 🥳 👍
Orienteering Victoria
Eureka Orienteers is proudly affiliated with Orienteering Victoria.
Eastwood Leisure Complex
Eureka Orienteers thanks the Eastwood Leisure Complex for their support with the club's equipment store, and the use of their facilities for meetings and social events.
Goodsports
Eureka Orienteers has reached Level 3 accreditation as part of the Good Sports program. Good Sports works with clubs to help them provide safe and healthy environments for families to play sport.