This chapter continues with both the tangible and personal aspects of developing orienteering in WA.
1. Mapping: Role of the Regional Employment Development (RED) Scheme
In 1975 the Australian Labor Government found itself with increasing unemployment queues not seen in Australian history since the 1930s. To alleviate unemployment, the government made money available for work-for-the-dole type activities that were labour intensive – the Regional Employment Development Scheme. Eric and Gary put together a document containing two submissions designed to enable mapping, which were sent in March 1975 to the Department of Labour that administered the RED Scheme. The CRC lent its name and support to the submission and undertook all the administrative work and accounting. The OAWA directed and supervised the field work and the drawing of the seven base maps that were produced.
Submission I involved field-work and map drafting for 10 weeks from Monday 14th April until Friday 20th June 1975 by a surveyor and a field assistant. The work to be done was preparatory work up to the printing stage of three areas: Gleneagle, Lesley and Mundaring (Jacoby Park). Plastic transparencies were to be produced to enable the immediate production of black and white maps; and in the long term chrono overlays were to be produced to enable the production of coloured maps. (1)
The first REDS map produced was used on the 15th of June at Lesley Picnic area for an event set by Gary Aitken. It had three courses including a motala. [A motala is comprised of short legs from a central point like a cloverleaf where orienteers retrieve a new map each time they start a new leg.] The second REDS map was of JFNP and was used for a student training day. The third REDS map was used on the 10th of August at Gleneagle picnic area. All the maps were specifically located near picnic areas to improve the social aspect of orienteering, for instance, to encourage people to have picnics and discuss courses, and to enable people to find orienteering events.
Submission II involved field-work and map drafting for 26 weeks from Monday 23rd June to Friday 19th December. The purpose of the second submission was to develop the fieldwork so that it could be then transformed into coloured maps. In the interim, black and white, and in some cases greyscale maps were used, so that orienteers would have areas that had not been over used previously. The REDS produced fieldwork that inevitably was developed into colour maps in the next few years. Over seven new maps were produced as a result of the RED Scheme. (2)
2. TRIM Courses
Trim courses used permanent markers at control points. They were often attached to trees. With the development of TRIM courses, events set during the normal season would include Trim markers on their courses. This was particularly helpful during the summer season where less time was required to set courses.
Gary Aitken and Eric Issachsen were involved with painting and nailing Trim course controls in areas such as Walyunga and Wellington Mills. At Jorgensen, Dryandra and Kalamunda NP, Don Young and his band of helpers nailed up the controls. In 1995 certain members of the OAWA and at CALM were concerned about the effect of nails on trees and as a result Trim courses were discontinued. There are some Trim courses still nailed on trees somewhere out there.
There have been several different versions of courses with permanent markers since that time, the most recent being Anytime Orienteering courses. These use a different, accepted way of attaching markers to trees.
Once the REDS and Trim course maps were done the cry went out again for members to identify suitable areas for mapping. A discussion about funding, sponsorship and mapping costs first appeared in the Newsletter in December 1976 was the first of many such discussions that were covered in the newsletter for the following thirty years.)
Allocation of resources was one of the major reasons why the formation of clubs was mooted in 1976. The concept of having clubs was that each club would then allocate club members to produce maps. This followed the eastern states model where individual clubs would be responsible for the production of the maps for the events that they organised for the benefit of the association. In 1976 the OAWA did not have clubs and relied on association members to produce maps. In 1978, when clubs were finally established, there were members who were allocated specific roles, such as mapping convenors and for looking after the Trim courses, updating maps and maintaining the controls. Clubs also had a number of members attending the Wembley Technical College mapping courses.
3. Control Manufacturing
Eric Isaachsen and his sister, Sue Isaachsen, began making orange and blue control markers from nylon sailcloth. Eric remembers: “I went down to scrounge sail cloth from Roly Tasker sail makers. The cloth came in bolts of different widths so we had to plan the width we wanted to cut beforehand. When we sewed the cloth onto the wire frame the cloth wouldn’t hold the stitches and they fell apart.” (4) This set was the original set of FA, FB, FC, …. FX, FY, FZ. They made another set out of red and white sailcloth with letters HA, HB, HC ….. HX, HY, HZ.
Jeff and Dorothy Whittam began manufacturing controls after they joined the association in 1975. They made an orange and white set that was still being used thirty years later. Later in the 1980s Whittam made two white and red with blue stripe sets. These were especially used for badge events, the three colours were supposed to enable colour blind people to see the colours. Whittam recollected he purchased the wire from Cyclone in Selby Street, Herdsman. (5) Bryan Hardy recalled “I started off with 50metre rolls of wire which I had to cut into 1metre lengths then they were made into rings with a 50mm overlap. The overlap was then soldered both sides and delivered to Jeff. Jeff would sew the material on Dorothy’s machine and then attach the rings and then the strings”. (6) The process had occupational health and safety issues. Hardy continues “Only the rings springing apart and spraying me with hot solder.” (6) The control letters were drawn on the cloth with permanent marker. (5)
Equipment officer Willy Kullmann reported in 1982 that there were 8 red white and blue stripe sets, 4 others and two sets of mini controls. To keep track of the control sets, sheets of the control letters were developed for accounting. One of the first of these was collated by John Bowler in May 1982. 
Mini controls
Mini controls were much smaller than the original sailcloth controls – about 15cm square as opposed to the original 30cm square. Two sets were manufactured, a red and white set and a blue and orange set. These were used at a Badge event at Reabold Hill. After the running of the event a protest was delivered to the controller by a competitor alleging that the event would have to be cancelled because the controls were not the standard size. After this reaction mini controls were mainly used for novelty events.
4. Helpful People
In November 1974, Eric Isaachsen and Gary Aitken walked into the premises of Aerial Mapping (WA) Pty Ltd, a commercial aerial photography and photogrammetry company, seeking a quote for photogrammetry and aerial photographs. The director of AAM Peter Byrne and his second-in-command Dennis Rose, asked them “What can we do for you?” As Eric and Gary have written in 1976, the company provided a totally professional service providing the OAWA with seven base maps with new photogrammetry at no cost (apart from materials) to the association. The monetary saving was enormous and assisted in developing orienteering in WA at the very beginning. Gary wrote in 1976: “Peter Byrne was the patron saint of community services”. (2)
The CRC was always in the background providing support for the embryonic OAWA. During the times that submissions were the only major source of sponsorship, the CRC assisted in the drafting and documentation of the submissions. There were many individuals at the time that assisted, but to the OAWA, Maureen Strauss provided timely advice and made suggestions to improve the focus of the submissions. As Gary said later, she knew where money was and knew ways of getting it for our purposes. When it came to administering the REDS money CRC Research Officer James Sharpe ensured that the project using the REDS grants was a success. Mr Sharpe also assisted with support during a meeting with the Department of Tourism and Recreation on the 24th of July 1975 for the funding of colour maps, Australian Schools Championships, horseback orienteering and the purchase of a caravan and trailer. (2), (3), (4)
The CRC also produced the first colour map in WA. It was a 1:5000 map of the area surrounding the Point Peron Community Recreation Camp. The fieldwork was completed by Brian Dunkin in May 1975 and was printed in four colours, yellow, black blue and brown. The map was never used by the OAWA for any of its events. Someone had spent quite some time developing activities for the Point Peron Campsite. Some of these attempted to introduce a form of “orienteering” using bearings and traverses along which students could identify geological and biological features as they progressed.
References
(1) Isaachsen, Eric and Aitken, Gary. “OAWA /CRC REDS Funded Project.” Unpublished document that contained a report of two submissions for funding fieldwork and map drafting. Date unknown most likely early 1975.
(2) Isaachsen, Eric and Aitken, Gary. “President’s and Secretary’s Report”, unpublished report to members of the OAWA, March 1976.
(3) Telephone interview with Gary Aitken, August 2006.
(4) Interview with Eric Isaachsen, August 2006.
(5) Interview with Jeff Whittam, August 2006.
(6) Interview with Bryan Hardy, August 2006.
Photos: (top) Two different versions of early TRIM (Permanent) markers. (bottom) Controls from two batches of mini controls with a modern control to show the size difference. Click on pictures to enlarge.
