Tom Norwood

Condolence Book for Tom Norwood

1. Tom – our Founding Father, our thoughtful and resourceful mentor, our determined and dedicated competitor and administrator, our reliable and conscientious volunteer, our friend. Our soul is a little bruised today, but your spirit will continue to inspire.

2. Tom – we’ll sorely miss your organisational expertise and your dedication to Orienteering. Also, the Cake Stall.

3. Tom – A great journey indeed. From all of the Key family our condolences and thanks for the many fond memories. From your Team leadership at the 81′ World Champs to the lollies at local events for our kids, thanks and we will miss you.

4. Tom, your wit and wisdom will be sadly missed

5. Tom, always such a gentleman, kind, patient, and passionate about this sport that we all love. Your contribution to Victorian orienteering was immense. Our condolences to the family and to Eureka.

6. Sad news, fond memories and what great cakes!!

7. Tom.Your contribution to the establishment of Orienteering in Victoria was invaluable.Your humour and
   expertise will be greatly missed by all!

8. Tom – you had such a wealth of experience to pass on, and offered it in such a gentle way, in quiet, sincere, often humorous conversation – forever without obligation. We have missed your wry smile and pithy comments in recent years, but thank you for how you were – we will remember!

9. Tom was a talented orienteer, organiser and helper who was equally comfortable marshalling cars into car parking at small local events, as he was being Carnival Organiser for the Australian 3-Days with 1000+ entrants, or setting crafty championship-grade courses.

   The list of innovative inventions we now regard as standard that Tom introduced is significant – caravan-pump-tap water dispensers, courses premarked on maps (first done with an early-model Roland pen-plotter well before digital maps were introduced), numerous training aids for newcomers, and the final control trestle-stand we often visit at the top of the finish chute, all flowed from Tom’s efforts and vision in their early days.

   Eureka, and orienteering generally, will miss Tom deeply, and his cheerful gentle manner – cunning running and many “spikes” in heaven’s forests mate, RIP.

10. To all the Norwood family, particularly Lesley, Chris and Glenda, my thoughts are with you at this sad time. The last time I saw Tom was when Chris was studiously “shadowing” Tom around the course at Easter in Bendigo…..I was filled with admiration for Tom’s love for the sport, in spite of his illness. My very best wishes.

11. We share these sad times with Lesley and family and remember a wonderful man. He was the father of orienteering in Ballarat 40 years ago plus he was multi-talented in many fields. You will never be forgotten Tom.

12. Tom – our Eureka “father of Ballarat orienteering”, inventor and organiser, competitor and friend. We will sorely miss your enthusiasm for the bush, your way of always making it happen when on-the-spot innovation was needed, and your patient way with newcomers and school kids who wanted to learn about our sport. Forty years of o-ing in Ballarat owe so much to you. Your “Eureka” shout when crossing the finish line will last in our memories – thanks for your inspirational contribution to orienteering in Australia.

13. Our thoughts are with you.
    Fiona and Don

14. Loved that inventive bent with engineering skills to arrive at practical results. The drink pump is my all time favourite on both counts and it is now a memorial in the bush every weekend. Lesley and family, we feel for you.

15. Tom you will be sadly missed, your many talents gave great joy to the Orienteering community. We have many fond memories and you will always be with us. Love to all the family.

16. Tom, you have always been part of the friendly, welcoming, engaging ambiance that has been such a wonderful part of the sport that we all love. My thoughts are with Lesley, Chris, Glenda and all the extended Norwood family. Deep down I think part of me has always been a Eureka person.

17. Tom – You were everywhere in our orienteering lives, from leading us through the Swiss mountains in 1981 to forming a relay team with our 12 year old Ian, ever-present at EU events in every possible role and always with willingness and humour. We will miss you.

18. To all of the Norwood family, and to Eureka, our thoughts are with you. The memories go back to the 70s, a sad day. The cakes, the lollies, the great humour – we will remember you.

19. Tom – you were a big part of my childhood, part of my extended Eureka family. Thank you for the fond memories… of you and of those times, still strong in my heart. Rest peacefully. My thoughts and love to all the Norwoods.

20. Oh what to write that does justice to describe Tom.

    Those who were lucky enough to “cross paths” with Tom knew he was a true gentleman and role model. Helen and I have enduring memories of Tom’s wry humour (and smile) and his willingness to assist any one in any way no matter who they were.

    We thank Tom and Lesley for allowing us and our children to become extended members of the Norwood family.