VETRUNNER. ISSN Vol. 38 Issue 7 February 2017 Patron: Jack Pennington OAM ( )

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1 VETRUNNER Y f ISSN Vol. 38 Issue 7 February 2017 Patron: Jack Pennington OAM ( ) vetrunner@actvac.com Weston Park 27 November 2016 A Day of Awards, Awards and Awards Reporter: Terry Giesecke 2016's last handicap was held at Weston Park in delightful late Spring conditions. A lot of runners indeed had a spring in their step; this is their story. Thomas Series The Thomas long course (6km) Gold runner was Richard Scutter in a time of 38:37. Richard started from Group 9 and achieved a kilometre rate of 6:26 - pretty good for an over 65. It was Richard s third gold, having been among the medals on four occasions with three gold and a bronze. Silver went to Carol Masters, who started from the very competitive Group 19 and hit the finish line at 32:09, a kilometre rate of 5:32. Carol is a W55 and the Silver is her first medal and hopefully only the beginning. Brian Austin got the Bronze in a time of 44:47. Brian started from Group 3 and is an M75, a true Vet. His kilometre rate was 7:28. It was Brian s sixth medal, giving him three gold and three bronze. He only needs a silver to complete the set. Back markers couldn t catch me! In the Frylink short course (3km) the pace was on right from the start. It was gold, gold, gold for Anitra Kenny who completed the course in 21:19, a 7:06 kilometre pace. Anitra said after the run It was good to finish the year on a high and with some improvement. The day was not too hot and the course is one of the few you don't have to worry about tripping. Three kilometres is great for a front starter as there is not much time for the back markers to catch you. A little bit of training also helps and the two weeks of 6am training runs helped. As this run is the lead up to the festive season my diet was not so great the night before, but obviously not a hindrance. George Kubitzky was one of those back markers who almost did catch Anitra; he got the Silver in a blitzing time of 13:51. George started from Group 28 and maintained a cracking pace of 4:37 per kilometre. He was optimistic 2016 Club Persons of the Year before the start: I had some feeling that I could perform well over the short distance of 3km and, after having shed approx 5 kilos since holidays in mid-october, was able to achieve the result. The course was simple and relatively easy, so it suited me; however I just couldn't get near the gold medal recipient! Bronze went to Cathy Montalto. Cathy started from Group 24 and was not far behind George. I hadn't been doing any special training, just a good run on the day. I wasn't very happy when George went past me though. Cathy s time was 15:03, 5:01 per kilometre. George and Cathy are both in the same age group, 60. All the Frylink medallists are no strangers to the podium. Anitra has won 13 (7G, 5S, 1B), George 15 (8G, 6S, 1B) and Cathy 10 (3G, 7B) - another who needs a silver. Val Chesterton's Friday morning training improves walking technique Lorna Burdon got Gold in the Waddell. Lorna is a W80 and an inspiration to all Vets. She did the 3km course (same as the Frylink) in 25:19, starting from Group 9. Continued page 2 Warren and Des Butler received the Encouragement Award (Run/Walk Handicaps) and the Pat Clohessy Trophy (Throwing Handicaps) went to John Reynolds. See Bryan Thomas full report at page 6.

2 Page 2 February 2017 Vetrunner My fitness training has been the same for years, walking twice weekly to the Southern Cross gym to do weights training and more recently attending Val Chesterton's Friday morning training which has improved my walking technique considerably. Probably the pleasant morning by the lake, the shady trees, and in no small measure my handicap position near the front of the pack were deciding factors. I love the monthly handicaps and hope we can keep them going. Anyhow, Lorna is a living testament that you are never too old to improve and she is the fourth highest on the Vets medal tally with 19 medals (4G, 11S, 4B). The Silver went to Neil Gentle, who started just before Lorna from Group 8. He took 26:17 to power walk the 3km. Gyms and ballrooms are Neil s training grounds: My training is somewhat varied. I try to get to the gym twice a week. On Saturdays we walk around Lake Ginninderra, stopping halfway for a coffee break! My wife and I also learn and practise ballroom dancing which can be aerobic. It was Neil s third gold; he has also won two silver and a bronze. Long standing Vet Keith Johnson received the Bronze for his walk. Keith was actually the fastest of the medallists, completing the course in 23:42 after starting from Group 15. Apart from the medal, Keith also enjoyed the November event: I always enjoy the festivities after the November handicap, where you can catch up with others and enjoy a beer or two. Perhaps he could also talk about his now 10 medals with four gold, four silver and two bronze. Awards fever The ARIA awards are also held in November; they have a lot of categories, but so do the Vets. Here is a list of 2016 annual award recipients and comments from some of the winners. POINTSCORE Thomas Pointscore Angel Marina 1156 Rod Lynch 1149 Kevin O Keeffe 1134 There was some delay on the day in processing the pointscore results for this event. Angel will be presented with his trophy at the January handicap. REG MULLINS TROPHY This award recognises consistent effort and performance in handicap events throughout the year. Thomas Frylink Waddell Hugh Moore Tony Harrison Rosalind Gentle AGE STANDARD Thomas Age Standard Bruce Graham 92.1% Kent Williams 87.3% Rod Lynch 82.1% Frylink Age Standard Carol Baird 83.9% Judy Forbes 79.6% Katie Forestier 77.1% Waddell Age Standard John Suiter 92.0% Dorothy Seedsman 81.9% Monika Short 81.3% Frylink Pointscore Carol Baird 563 Nerelle Harrison-Heard 553 Jon Donovan 553 Waddell Pointscore Monika Short 563 Dave Mackenzie 536 Marian Hill 534 QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN Thomas Kathy Sims Helen Lamour Frylink Carol Baird Katie Forestier Waddell Linda Bone Monika Short KING OF THE MOUNTAIN Thomas Bruce Graham Kent Williams Frylink Frank Kresse Ken White Waddell John Alcock Alan Burdon

3 February 2017 Vetrunner Page 3 Carol Baird Frylink pointscore, age standard and Queen of the Mountain I was happy to get Queen of the Mountain, it certainly is harder every year as one ages to run hills. My Saturday training runs are at the Cotter and there are enough hills there to give me a good base to do reasonably well on the four events for this award. After the first couple of runs in the 2016 year where I was running well, getting good points and age percentage, I decided early in the year that I would try very hard at every handicap particularly to maintain a lead in the point score. I am not a very good runner in winter as my feet get very cold, so to try to maintain some good runs through winter I took two hot water bottles to sit on my feet and hibernated in my car after I had organised the fruit. Obviously this worked for me as each winter run I was starting the event feeling warmer in my feet and was able to maintain some reasonable points. John Alcock King of the Mountain (Waddell) First, on behalf of all the Waddell walkers, I would like to thank Dave Mackenzie for establishing the award for the ACTVAC walkers. It is a very generous gesture from one who has already given a lot of his time and energy over the years. As for my award, I was fortunate to be handicapped I hope you all had a restful holiday season and are looking forward to the second half of the athletic season. Our Come and Try night was a success thanks to Terrill and her Xmas helpers. Kathy Sims and her merry band also kept the festive spirit alive and well at our last Xmas track and field night for The caber toss, left and right handed shot and standing long jump were as usual a great deal of fun runners, jumpers, walkers as well as throwers joined in the fun. The handicap male and female sprints were also a highlight of the night and provided some very close finishes. There are four big masters athletic meetings this year, so pop the following dates in your diaries, make sure you enter and start saving and training. The World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships are being held in Daegu, Korea on March. This year the indoors are just a short flight away - we are lucky to have had the World outdoor and indoor championships so close to us as the opposite is almost always true. Remember though that registrations close really soon on 24 January. World Masters Games will be held in Auckland, NZ with the Athletics being conducted from 22 to 29 April. Again having yet another major event so close is highly unusual - I do believe some of our long jumpers would almost manage the leap across the ditch without getting their feet wet! Registration close on 3 March, however, some sports, including athletics, are close to capacity so enter soon if you are interested. The Great Barrier Reef Masters Games are being held in Cairns on May (athletics May), and while more low key and relaxed than the other competitions, some of our athletes have really enjoyed participating in these Games in the previous years. The closing date for registrations is 30 April. Then we have our Australian Masters Athletics Track and Field Championships in Darwin on 9-12 June. I have seen their Championship shirts, as well as their medals and ribbons, and they are beautiful; in fact they are nearly as beautiful as the ones we had for our own Nationals but such that with a strong effort on my part I got the points. Although I do not train for specific goals I do walk regularly and in particular, twice a week I walk for between 1 1 /2 to 2 hours including some hills. Although I miss my running days, there are other advantages with walking, such as being able to look at my surrounds more, rather than at my feet. Bruce Graham King of the Mountain (Thomas) I used the handicap series as preparation for the recent World Masters Athletics Championships in Perth. During the series races I practised starting fast and finishing fast in all my races. I'm looking forward to my next challenge at the World Masters Games to be held in Auckland, New Zealand in late April Main races will be 5000m, 10000m track, 8km Cross Country and a heat of the 1500m. Frank Kresse King of the Mountain (Frylink) This was my second year in succession at winning this award and I am most appreciative for its ongoing sponsorship, as it encourages participation and rewards effort. I am a strong supporter of the handicap runs as they challenge runners over varying distances and courses and are integral to the Club's aim of fun and fellowship. PRESIDENT S MESSAGE then I am a tad biased. The weather in Darwin at that time is great, with maximum temperatures of degrees, low humidity and cool evenings. Let s all leave our Canberra winter behind to support our National Championships and head to sunny Darwin. Registrations close 1 May. Our member numbers are decreasing and we must turn this around quickly. The committee have tried a number of ideas with limited success, but as I say at each supper, if each member signed up one new member our problem would be solved - it could be a simple solution. We all have work mates, friends, people at the gym, neighbours etc., so let s get busy and get some new members. It is your club so let us see it return back to its prior glory. When I moved from Melbourne in 2000 and joined the ACTVAC, the grandstand at the AIS on a Thursday night appeared almost half full and everyone stayed for supper and announcements. So let s all ask around and even pester your mates if that s what it takes! I have been getting feedback that you are all enjoying the non-athletics stories that our members have been writing about themselves. This is great, but I need more of you to be involved in putting together some words. Some of you may feel that you not a good enough writer don t let that worry you we can arrange some minor editing for publication of your story. We all have great stories to tell so lets hear them - I d like at least one story for every edition of Vetrunner. I am looking for a person with videoing and editing skills to produce a brief promo video of our athletic activities on a Thursday track & field and handicaps to be submitted with a grant application (as well as to be hosted on our website). Please contact me if you are interested or know of someone who may be interested. Jan Banens

4 Page 4 February 2017 Vetrunner CLUB Sponsors: KINGSTON PHYSIOTHERAPY & SPORTS INJURY CENTRE UNIT 1, 4 KENNEDY ST KING- STON, ACT Ph: E: info@kingstonphysio.com.au PHYSIOTHERAPISTS Craig Wisdom (Principal) Andrew Bonatakis Katie Bowyer Adam Townsend P OD IATRIST Ricky Lee Biomechanical & Fo ot -care P odiatry; Orthot ics M ASSA GE THERAP IST H ilary Bridgen Sp orts, Relaxation & Remedial Massage W: 15% discount for ACTVAC members 4% of payments donated to ACTVAC All therapists are highly experienced and skilled in rehabilitation of muscle & tendon strains, back & neck problems, lower limb injuries, and especially post-surgical shoulder, knee & hip programs. *Hydrotherapy and digital gait analysis now also available.* Sponsorship Members are entitled to discounts on prices for goods purchased from The Runners Shop and for services from Kingston Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centre. Please inform The Runners Shop that you are a club member when you make a purchase, and inform the Kingston Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centre that you are a club member when you book a session. As part of their sponsorship arrangements with the Club, The Runners Shop and Kingston Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centre each remit to the Club a payment equivalent to a percentage of their sales to members. Nick Walshe, of The Runners Shop, and Craig Wisdom, of the Kingston Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centre, are club members. Club Supporters The Club is grateful for the generous support of the following local businesses: Go Troppo Fyshwick Markets for a discount on fruit for our regular athletic events; Southside Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic for donating a prize at our monthly throwing handicaps and for providing a $5.00 discount per consultation to our members; Garry Maher of Manuka Drafting Service for donating prizes for the King and Queen of the Mountain in both the Thomas and Frylink Series; Belconnen Soccer Club for their support of the 200th Throwing Handicap and providing a venue for the AGM and committee meetings.

5 Weston Park Handicap and Awards Photos by John Kennedy February 2017 Vetrunner Page 5 Favouritism! Determination Workin up a party appetite Thomas Queen and King of the Mountain Waddell Queen and King of the Mountain ACT VETERANS ATHLETIC CLUB Fitness Through Fellowship The Vetrunner is the official Newsletter of ACTVAC Inc, ISSN Postal Address: GPO Box 2356, Canberra, ACT Internet at: actvac.com.au Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of ACTVAC Patron: Jack Pennington OAM ( ) President: Jan Banens president@actvac.com Vice President: Jayne Hardy Secretary: Shane Hutchison secretary@actvac.com shane.100@optusnet.com.au Treasurer: Nigel Coldrick treasurer@actvac.com nigel.coldrick@grapevine.net.au Registrar: Raylea Rudov registrar@actvac.com Public Officer: Jan Banens Main Committee: committee@actvac.com Angela Braniff Terrill Strahan Steve Jordan Lorna England Bruce Wight Sub-Committee Contacts: Annual Awards: Bryan Thomas (h) brytrish@grapevine.com.au Half Marathon: Shane Hutchison shane.100@optusnet.com.au Competition (T&F): Roger Pilkington rpilk@hotmail.com Social Events: Sherryl Greathead (w), Rosemary Parker Robyn Saunders Marketing and Membership: Narelle and Nick Blackaby nnblackaby@bigpond.com Run/Walk Handicaps: Rod Lynch rodlynch@iinet.net.au Handicap Rosters: John Alcock actvachandicap@gmail.com Throwing Handicaps: Jayne Hardy jayne.hardy@anu.edu.au Other Contacts: Member Protection Information Officer Sue Bourke Richard Scutter Catering/Lost Property: Mike Roche (AIS track) Jill Pearson (Monthly Run/Walk Handicaps) Equipment Officer and Throws Pentathlon: Jayne Hardy Relays and Cross Country: Jim White (h) Statistician and Club Records: Phil White philipjulianwhite@gmail.com Uniforms: Jayne Hardy jayne.hardy@anu.edu.au Vetrunner Editor: Mick Saunders vetrunner@actvac.com Webmaster: Geoff Moore webmaster@actvac.com

6 Page 6 February 2017 Vetrunner Club Persons Of The Year 2016 By Bryan Thomas ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD Des and Warren Butler Des and Warren Butler become the fourth family combination to be the recipients of this award in its 37 history. Des and Warren are always among the first to arrive at each month s run/walk handicap with some of the essential paperwork and equipment. Prior to the start, Warren explains the course to participants and identifies any hazards they may experience. When everyone has returned from their run or walk, he becomes the MC and organizes the presentations. Meanwhile, Des is kept busy processing the results. This often means she has to start in Group 1 so as to return in time to help feed the handwritten results into the computer. After everything has been completed, Des and Warren help pack up and begin preparing for the next handicap. Des and Warren being presented with their award While out on a Sunday morning jog in Stromlo Forest in early 1989, Des met up with Trish Thomas, who encouraged her to join our weekly pack runs rather than run alone. On the other hand, although Warren was once a competitive tennis player, an avid touring cyclist and bushwalker, he was at the time undergoing a mid-40s crisis (his words) in which he found merely running around the block or along the beach difficult. Fortunately on one such run, Warren met Greg O Neill who, like Trish, was also an enthusiastic member of the Vets, encouraged him to join our club and spoke positively about the monthly running handicaps. Des and Warren were impressed and made their debut on the long since abandoned Copland College course in March Because they moved to Sydney in 1993 and didn t return to Canberra until 2001, it took both a long time to accumulate fifty handicaps - which they did in Although Warren earned his 50 runs T-shirt four months ahead of Des, it took him more than half a year longer than her to reach 100; Des completed her one hundredth handicap in October 2014, while Warren achieved the milestone in June Des has now completed 120 handicaps for two gold medals and Warren has won three gold medals from his 110. Warren s one and only marathon was the 1990 Honolulu Marathon as an M50. In 2011 both made their debut in our annual Half Marathon in which Des surprised herself by winning the W70 age category. Des and Warren are intrepid overseas travellers where they enjoy extended walk or cycle journeys to fascinating and unusual destinations. Both are also regular members of the Tuesday Group in which Warren likes nothing better than walking alongside friends and debating politics. PAT CLOHESSY TROPHY John Reynolds John Reynolds began his veterans/masters athletics career with the Victorian Veterans Athletics Club in At the time he was a 35 year-old good all-round athlete but he gradually realized he performed best in the throwing events, especially the heavy weight throw. This ought not be a surprise, as John has also long been a keen and successful competitive weight lifter. On moving to Canberra in July 2012, John immediately became a regular participant in our unique monthly throwing handicap competition. He has completed 41 handicaps so he should earn his 50 T-shirt next year. To date John has won one monthly trophy, been runner-up twice and third three times. In 2014 he was the winner of the Connell Series annual point score. John is also a regular participant in both the optional normal heavy weight throw and the super heavy weight tosses (the 56lb and 100lb) that are held after the handicap competition. He is also a regular at the monthly throws pentathlons. At all these events he is a willing helper. John being presented with his trophy Two years ago John took over from Bryan Thomas as the scribe for the throwing handicaps for Vetrunner. During his long career John has successfully competed at many national and regional championships. His first experience of international competition was at the 1987 VII World Veterans Championships in Melbourne. Since then he has participated in another ten World Championships - in Eugene, Miyazaki, Buffalo, Durban, Gateshead, Brisbane, San Sebastian, Riccione, Lahti and most recently in Perth. Congratulations Des & Warren and John - popular recipients of the Encouragement Award and Clohessy Trophy as Club persons of the year for the monthly run/ walk and throwing handicap programs.

7 February 2017 Vetrunner Page 7 ACTVAC Social Function For February Date: Tuesday 7 February 2017 Venue: The Uni Pub Location: 17 London Circuit Canberra City Time: 7pm Food: A wide variety, incl vegetarian & GF $12 Steak Night on Tuesdays Drinks: Drinks available for purchase at the bar. This is our first social dinner for 2017 and we are hoping for a big crowd to celebrate the New Year with fellow members of the Club. For a fun night out please contact one of the following members of the Social Team by 12 noon on Monday 6 February so that we can finalise the numbers. We look forward to seeing you there. By Bryan Thomas Run/Walk Handicap - Milestone Shirts KEN GORDON: 100 Ken s debut handicap was on a course within Duffy Forest in June All of his runs have been in the Frylink Series in which he has enjoyed considerable success. To date he has won seven medals consisting of two gold, two silver and three bronze and in 2015 he was the winner of the annual point score for the series. It was certainly a rare event, if not unique, that in the final handicap of 2009 the gold and silver medals in the Frylink Series were won by a husband and wife combination. This unusual quinella came about when Ken finished just ahead of wife Deb. When other participants learned of Ken s impressive athletics background, they were not surprised by the speed at which he could overtake them. Ken was an elite level 400m hurdler representing Australia at the 1985 Pacific Conference Track and Field Championships in Los Angeles, the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh (in which he made the finals) and the 1987 IAAF World Championships in Rome. Ken also found the time and energy, and of course the talent, to play Oztag for Australia and earlier this year he became one of a small group of members who have walked the historic Kokoda Track. For some years Ken and Deb were grateful for the free child minding service the Club used to provide because it allowed both to participate but, when we could no longer cover its costs, they encouraged friends to babysit their two children. DAVID BAUSSMANN: 50 David came to running with thevets relatively late, although his wife Ruth had been very involved for many years. However, he was in good physical shape because of having played squash for more than thirty years and participating in triathlons and duathlons. His first monthly handicap was on Farrer Ridge in May 2005 so now, eleven years later, David chalks up number fifty. To date all have been in the long course and he has won one bronze medal. Rosemary: Robyn: Sherrryl: (h) parkerrandr@comcen.com.au (h) robynsaunders@iinet.net.au (w) sherryl.greathead@agriculture.gov.au January Picnic Reminder The Social Team takes this opportunity to invite members to an informal picnic after the Run/Walk Handicap on 29 January BYO food and drink for a picnic near the lake. The exact venue will be announced on the day. David has enjoyed considerable success in triathlons and duathlons at Australian and World Championships and is the current national M65 duathlon champion. He has also run several half marathons and is especially pleased with his performance in the 2013 Canberra Half in which he was first male over 60 in a time just under 100 minutes. ROBERT KENNELLY: 50 Robert ran his first handicap at Lake Tuggeranong in October 1990, so it has taken him more than a quarter of a century to reach his fiftieth. He has had a mix of all three events and to date has won a pair of bronze medals. Rob is also a regular participant in our monthly throwing handicaps. But because the event clashes with the Saturday afternoon gallops, he sometimes misses his call to throw because he has a trannie at his ear catching up on the success, or otherwise, of his punting. Although Robert made his debut in July 1990, it took him more than eighteen years to earn his 50 T-shirt in November He is also a regular at track and field, where he now participates in the throws and racewalks but, in the distant past, he also did the sprints, pentathlon and even the steeple. It was on a bitterly cold, dark and damp evening in Hobart 2000 when I agreed to take photographs of Rob scrambling over the water jump on each lap of the steeplechase. It was his determination to complete the race within the empty stadium that inspired me to take up the event. Rob attends most Australian Championships and has been an enthusiastic participant, spectator and cheerleader at three international championships - the 2001 Brisbane World Veterans Championships, the 2002 World Masters Games in Melbourne and the recent WMA Championships in Perth. His professional quality race calls, especially of our special annual handicap track races such as the Higgins and Gift, have been an enjoyable feature for many years. Robert has also been the voice at the ACT Vets Half Marathon for many years and he had also formerly manned a drink station; he and his daughter Lauren have served as an official at this event on 24 occasions. In November 2012 Robert encouraged Lauren, although too young even to be a member of the Vets, to take on the role of Vetrunner editor.

8 Page 8 February 2017 Vetrunner Higgins Memorial 800m Handicap By Bryan Thomas What a December it has been once again for John Lamb! Last year John created club history by winning both of our feature December track events - the Higgins and Gift. To do the double again seemed improbable. But 66 year - old John thought differently. As John s primary club is NSW Masters Athletics, he is unable to claim ACT Records or win our major trophies but, since the beginning of the Higgins and the Gift in 1991 and 1992 respectively, it has been customary to welcome anybody of masters age to participate in these two special annual handicaps. Seventeen runners of all ages and abilities participated in the 26th Chris Higgins Memorial 800m Handicap on 8 December Although this was the smallest field in the long continuous history of the event, it was still a very special race that was again a successful and spectacular event. Thanks to all who participated in this year s Higgins - most knowing from the outset they wouldn t feature in the major places - for entering in the true spirit of veterans/ masters athletics. Place-getters As an M65 John Lamb, a talented middle distance runner, benefitted from an advantageous start so it was no surprise he caught many of the leaders early and was able to open up an impressive gap on other pre-race favourites. This was John s fifth win, having previously been victorious in 2007 as an M55, in 2009 as an M60 and as an M65 in both 2014 and John is a prominent personality in the history of this special annual race for, apart from his five victories, the most by any athlete, he is the second person after John Morton to have won three in a row. He maintains his status as the oldest runner ever to win the Higgins. M45 Steve Rohan-Jones was runner-up in his debut Higgins. His excellent run was not really a surprise as Steve has been performing well in the middle distance events throughout the season. World class M50 middle and long distance runner Bruce Graham was a close third. After finishing third in 2008 and being runner-up the following year, he won in 2013, was second again in both 2014 and 2015 and this year third so Bruce has never finished less than third in all his six outings. Others at the front M50 Colin Farlow, who returned to the track two seasons ago following an extended retirement, stormed home to breast the line fourth. In his nine runs in the Higgins Colin has the impressive record of finishing in the first five on every occasion. Like Steve Rohan-Jones, M55 Bob Wright participated in his first Higgins and was pleased to finish fifth. Sixth - and first woman across the line - was champion middle distance runner Kathy Sims. W65 Kathy has an excellent history in this event, having been runner-up in 2012, fifth in 2011 and sixth last season and again this year. Kathy, who has participated fourteen times, is one of only ten women who have placed in the top six in the race s 26 year history. Elaine Cooper won in 1994 as a W35 as well as being runner-up in2000, third in 1996 and fourth in the inaugural event in Rosemary Longstaff is the only other woman to have won, doing so in Other women to have been placed in the top six are Margaret Taylor third and Fran Track and Field Harris fourth in 1994, Jill Brown sixth in 1998, Annie Van Herck fourth in 1999, Maureen Rossiter sixth in 2002 and Cory Collins third in 2011 and fourth in This special race is always held on the first Thursday evening in December. The 27th Chris Higgins Memorial 800m Handicap will be Thursday 7 December President s 100m Handicap By Bryan Thomas The place-getters in the 2016 President s 100m Handicap, or Gift, in which all runners are given a handicap start depending on their age, created more history and interesting trivia relating to this annual sprint spectacular. For instance W55 Sue Bourke won her eighth consecutive women s final, finishing ahead of the same two women she beat in 2015; however the order of the placegetters was different because this time W60 Marlene Reid was runner-up and W80 Cory Collins was third, whereas last year Cory was second and Marlene third. Finalists In the men s final M50 Michael Roden won for the seventh occasion. Last year s winner, M65 John Lamb, was runner-up, finishing only centimeters ahead of fast finishing M30 Adam Farlow who, as the youngest in the field, was the back marker starting from scratch. John has enjoyed a podium finish in the last three annual events as well as being runner-up in both 2008 and 2010 and third in As John is the only person to have won both a Higgins and a Gift in the same year, which he did in 2015, he was hoping he might do it again this year. He got so close!! Others contesting the men s final were well known thrower M60 Duncan Macnicol and a quartet of M55s consisting of former winner Leo Kennedy, Angel Marina, Darryl Massey and Nick Mehaus. In the women s final W55 Sue Bourke stormed home in front of W60 Marlene Reid and W80 Cory Collins. The other finalists were the out-marker W85 Gwen Gleeson, W40 Raelene Campbell (the youngest) and W60 Maureen Rossiter, who is a four times winner. Cory became the oldest person to be placed in a final of the Gift, while Gwen is the most senior person to qualify. This was Sue s eighth consecutive victory; she has been first across the line every year since 2009 as well as finishing second on four other occasions and third three times. Only Margaret Taylor has won this special handicap race as many times, but her victories were not in consecutive years. The Gift has always attracted enthusiastic interest from spectators and again many came down from the stands and stood along the side of the track to cheer. Some were even offering odds on who they thought would be the winners. This special 100m handicap for men and women is usually the feature event at our last track night prior to Christmas, so the 24th annual Gift should be on 21 December Plan now to be part of either, or better still both, as a great way to celebrate the end of year. Track and Field Results No feedback has been received on the proposal in the last Vetrunner to stop publishing results, so they are absent from this edition. They are at: index.php?module=results&action=results.

9 By Bryan Thomas Forty ACTVAC members were amongst more than 4,100 competitors from 93 countries who enjoyed the 2016 WMA Championships in Perth. The total number of competitors was relatively modest due to the last championships being in Lyon only last year and Perth was selected to commence the new two yearly cycle of world championships to be conducted in even numbered years. The 23rd WMA Championships will be in the Spanish city of Malaga in September This was the third occasion the world s largest track and field championships have been conducted in Australia after being in Melbourne in 1987 and Brisbane in In 1987 more than a hundred Canberrans participated, most for their first taste of international competition, and in 2001 we had 73 representatives. Several of our Perth contingent can proudly boast of having participated in all three home championships. The Perth LOC should be congratulated for organising a high quality, efficiently conducted and friendly ten days of athletics. Some memorable highlights were: the large number of friendly officials and volunteers; 2016 WMA Championships, Perth free public transport for competitors and their guests; excellent venues that included two stadiums for track and field and attractive road and cross-country courses set within the Perry Lakes Reserve; enjoyable medal presentation ceremonies that incorporated the national flags of place-getters displayed on a large screen above the podium and the playing of the winner s national anthem. After receiving their gold medal the winners were presented with a cuddly Quokka doll. This cute little stuffed toy may well have been the most treasured memento of these championships. There were hundreds of exciting competitions featuring many outstanding athletes, some of whom were former champion open-age competitors and even Olympians and of course there were many others just trying to do their best. The grandstand at the main stadium was often packed, especially during the running of the 100m, 1500m and relays. Who will forget the standing ovation 97 year-old John Gilmour, legendary personality in both Western Australia and indeed in international masters athletics and inductee in the AMA Hall of Fame, received as he jogged down the final straight in each of his 800 and 1500m races? John said these two efforts were his competition swansong. Stan Perkins, WMA President and long-time member of the Queensland Masters Athletics, said in his speech at the closing ceremony that he first experienced a world veterans championships in Melbourne in 1987, has attended every championship held since and believed Perth 2016 may have been the best. Our ACT team consisted of sprinters, middle and long distance runners, racewalkers, jumpers and throwers. The only events we were not represented in were the pole vault Vetrunner Online February 2017 Vetrunner Page 9 and the decathlon. Our most senior competitors were Rad Leovic and Gwen Gleeson - 89 and 87 respectively - while our youngest was 37 year-old sprinter Mark Rossiter. Our busiest athlete was W75 Fran Harris who participated in ten individual events and a relay, while most of our throwers were involved in all six throwing competitions. Three former members - Colin Heywood (NT), Steven Jones (Qld) and John Lamb (NSW), enjoyed successful championships. Colin won gold medals in both the M60 10km and 20km road walks and a silver in the 5000m walk on the track, Steven qualified for the semi-finals in the M50 sprints, while John won several gold medals in the M65 sprints, hurdles and relays. Amongst the many Canberra participants there were some personal triumphs, many new club and Australian Records, numerous PBs and even a few disappointments. However, it is certain everyone returned with fond memories of both the competition and social activities. Eight individual gold medals were won by ACT members club president Janice Banens had won the W75 hammer and heavy weight throws in the first two days of competition, Cory Collins won the W80 400m in a new Australian Record time, Bruce Graham brilliantly sprinted ahead of the pack to win the M50 cross-country, Fran Harris won the W75 heptathlon, 80m and 200m hurdles and Margaret Taylor the W65 triple jump. ACT won 14 individual silver medals Janice Banens W75 throws pentathlon, Cory Collins W80 100m and 200m, Sharon Gibbins W55 hammer, Bruce Graham M50 half marathon, Jayne Hardy W50 javelin, Fran Harris W75 steeple, Helen Larmour W55 10,000m, Marlene Reid W60 high jump, Ann Staunton-Jugovic W m and 10km race-walks, Margaret Taylor W65 high and long jumps and Anne Young the W80 cross-country. Our bronze medallists were Sue Bourke W55 400m, Gwen Gleeson W85 cross-country, Bruce Graham M m and 10,000m, Jayne Hardy W50 hammer and throws pentathlon and Marlene Reid W60 long jump. Relay team gold medals were awarded to Cory Collins in the W75 4x400m, Sue Bourke in the W55 4x100 and 4x400m, Fran Harris W75 4x100m, Jo Klempke W75 4x100 and 4x400m, Marlene Reid W60 4x100m and Jack Thackray M85 4x100m, while Ken Telfer was a member of the Australian M45 4x100m relay team that won bronze. Some of our members were fortunate to finish amongst the top three Australians in the out of stadia events and so returned with a team gold medal and a cuddly little toy quokka. Team medals were won by Gwen Gleeson in the W80 cross-country, Bruce Graham M50 cross-country and half marathon, Jeff Grey M50 marathon, Helen Larmour W55 cross-country, Ann Staunton-Jugovic W50 10km road walk, Bryan Thomas M75 10km and 20km road walks, Robin Whyte M70 10km road walk and Anne Young in the W80 cross-country. Vetrunner is no longer being printed in large numbers. There is a limited print run each month, with copies assigned for record purposes and posted to other veterans/masters clubs and to those members who have not registered an address with the Club. Vetrunner can be viewed on the ACTVAC website at:

10 Page 10 February 2017 Vetrunner More Than A Walk In The Park By Colin Simpson Four Vets - Nev Madden, Carol Baird, Tony Fenotti and Colin Simpson - started walking the Hume and Hovell track on 31 October 2016 at Wee Jasper, reaching Albury on 17 November 2016; Tony decided to finish the walk at Tumut. We didn t just materialise at Wee Jasper. Nev and Carol undertook the planning, the research and the logistics: contacting National Parks and others for the latest information; putting in food and water drops; having car transport at the end. Thanks Nev and Carol. Getting to the start was solved by Mick and Robyn Saunders and Peter Kallio, who very kindly drove us to Wee Jasper. A special thank you to them, without whose support the walk wouldn t have happened. On the first day, Mt Wee Jasper at 1120 metres in height foretold of what lay ahead - many hills, steep slopes with views; the creeks to wade through and blackberries came later. Peter Kallio joined us at Bossawa (or Barrois) campsite and again later. Peter walked with us or came out to meet us and at Thomas Boyd campsite had ice-creams for all, unexpected and refreshing, after what had been a challenging day with fallen trees. Around The Vets were a white vertical sheet roaring down, totally impressive. We carried water and camped on a 4WD track so that we had room to get our tents up and fortunately weren t disturbed. We saw signs of mining activity from the nineteenth century, including a tunnel blasted through rock to drain a swamp to access alluvial gold. Henry Angel Flat track head gave us our second food drop and heavy packs again. We were quite inspired with several views of the Main Range 40 or so kilometres to the south-east, their snowy tops white in the sunlight. Mannus Lake has a new camping area for caravans etc but we pushed on to our campsite with the water-drop Nev and Carol had put in a couple of weeks before. We linked arms to get through a rushing Copabella Creek and finally got to Lankeys Creek where we had one or two falls of our own along its slippery banks. In crossing Lankeys Creek, a member of the party left her umbrella (it had been drizzling) on the wrong side of the creek after wading through carrying her boots. Our leader went back through the creek, retrieved the umbrella and placed it beside her but, as she was focused on putting on her boots, she seemed to remain quite oblivious to what had played out. Tony, Colin, Peter, Nev and Carol Buddong Falls Colin, Carol, Nev From Log Bridge campsite to Bossawa we walked along a ravine with Millers Creek down below on our left. Crossing the Tumut/Brindabella road we walked on boardwalks through extensive swamps but still got wet feet. As with the rest of the walk, all was green and in fact about a week later, walking from Horse Creek camp, we had wet grass head high and so any idea of keeping dry, even if rain coats had been used, was not realistic. Thomas Boyd, with Peter s ice creams and our own food drops, was welcome even after just three days walking. The Goobarragandra is a delightful river and, as with all the rivers and creeks we came to, it was flowing swiftly. Two swing-bridges criss-cross it and a third concrete bridge back over it had us on our way with dry feet. The large Blowering Dam wall seemed to recede as we approached and it was 5pm before we could drop packs by the dam foreshore. Most days saw us walking before 7am and one day 6.30am saw us on our way; starting early gives more flexibility to the second half of the day. For two days we walked beside the Blowering Dam and enjoyed two verdant campsites by the water; we were able to wash ourselves and our clothes. Next we camped in a grassy glade with a creek at Ben Smith campsite but, evenhandedly, the following day the bushwalking gods gave us a 500 metre climb. Buddong Creek was in spate, and the falls We got rain the next day but reached shelter by lunch, with the rain continuing into the night. The dog-trapper came by in his 4WD and told us he was being kept busy. We didn t see or hear any dogs, but over the walk we did encounter deer, a snake, kangaroos, wombats and many brumbies. We arrived at the Great Aussie Holiday Park on the Hume Dam for the night and sensed the finish. But not quite. Rain over the recent months had closed a road with its bridge and so we had no option but to walk around the closure for an hour and a half along the Hume Highway. Definitely the low point of the walk. The last night at Table Top reserve right on the water made up for that, and the last day, which was long, included coffee and snacks at Thurgoona and a panoramic view over Albury/Wodonga from Eastern Hill Reserve. From that vantage point, the vast plain, green and with its river and ox-bow lakes etc, made it obvious why the area has become a large urban hub. We could make out Nail Can Hill, a runners favourite. We dropped our packs at the marked Hovell Tree right on the Murray River in the early afternoon, and declared the task completed. Continued next page

11 February 2017 Vetrunner Page 11 We walked the 360 kilometres in 18 days and came to the view that it is not an easy walk. Of course some are more demanding, for example the Australian Alps Walking Track up from Walhalla in Victoria to Canberra, but for a close-by and relatively compact walk it requires respect. We didn t encounter any other walkers, although log -books we read showed there is a steady movement of walkers along the track. The track is quite well marked and, particularly in the southern end, kept clear of fallen trees etc, but blackberries in places are encroaching. All in all, we were quite satisfied with what we had achieved. Rest time Finish: Hume & Hovell Tree The Adventurous Four By Jan Banens The Banens, Jayne Hardy and Barb Burton travelled to Perth and hired two motor homes when we arrived. I feel this may have been where our adventure began. We parked side by side in the Karrinyup Waters Resort and Lesley Dawson (from SA) joined us in the spot behind, so we had circled the wagons so to speak. Sharon and John Reynolds opted for the more deluxe accommodation and were a few doors down in a cabin. Being side by side with near identical motor homes, Bob and I after many phone calls returned our sub-standard motor home the following day and were able to replace it with one that wasn t destined for an evening bonfire. TV reception in our motor homes was excellent if we were speeding along the freeways, otherwise we could get one scratchy channel. Both parties had brought their own GPS but neither seemed to give identical directions and we often saw each other passing on the opposite road. Perhaps one was programmed for the shortest route while the other was programmed for the scenic route. John and Sharon had many dinners with us and the GPS was always of great amusement. One night we headed off in convoy to find a certain pub for dinner - the travel time was 35 minutes out and 5 minutes back! The difference was that John was leading us on the return trip. I heard that Geoff Sims left Orlando in the USA and arrived in Perth for the World Championships just in time to sign on at the call room for his run with 10 minutes to spare. What a novel way to beat jet lag. A certain ACT member, Robert K, was heard on the phone all over the second stadium organising for a load of laundry to be done in Sydney. This member also misplaced his credit card and cash but it all ended happily. One evening after a hectic day at the throwing circle I decided to do an aqua routine in the Resort spa pool. All went well until I emerged and found both sides of my ageing bathers split almost to my armpits. Fortunately no small children were harmed during the exposure. Barbara survived the smoky demise of her hair dryer without even getting slightly curly hair, but now has a shiny new dryer to take on future adventures. After the Championships we parted company with the Reynolds and Lesley and headed south to Albany along the inland route. The drive took us through North Bannister, Boddington, Crossman, Williams and Mount Barker, where we dined in the Woolshed. Fully replenished, we drove on past fields of wheat, barley, sheep and thousands of round bales of hay. We did manage to miss the bandicoots who were supposed to use the highway to cross to greener pastures. Blue gum plantations were very evident and we also passed the odd sandalwood factory. Arriving at the outskirts of Albany the temperature dropped from Perth s 37 degrees to 15 degrees and rain. Albany had our company for two nights at the Middleton Beach Caravan Park. Here we visited the Anzac WW1 museum (did you know Albany was the departure point for the Australian fleet heading to WW1?) and in between this visit we took Jayne and Barb s errant motor home to an electrician to see if he could make sense of their lack of TV reception. He couldn t make it work and gave them some rabbit ears that also didn t really work. We returned and finished our tour of the Anzac precinct, and then went on to visit the old Frenchman s Bay Whaling Station (Discovery Bay) where we lunched in the company of a family of King Skinks. From there it was the Natural Bridge and The Gap with its see-through glass floor. We also got up close and personal with a wind farm - they are enormous and not at all noisy. After the Denmark Chocolate Factory, the famous Green Pool and Elephant Rocks were next on our to-do list and what a lovely area it was - the pool really was green and the elephant-shaped rocks amazing. We saw the inside workings of a beehive and I then had to watch as my three friends devoured large multi-flavoured ice creams in front of me. Bees at one end and ice cream at the other - the misery of a diabetic! Toffee and cider was the next road side stop where the ice cream eaters then stocked up on toffee - are they friend or foe? Finally our day ended with a drive through the Valley of the Giants and the Tall Tree Canopy Walk (40m high). Barb took on the role of Canopy Police as a sign limited the distance between those on the walk and how many were allowed on each view point. Needless to say her plaintive, then strident, orders were ignored by those who could speak English and those who couldn t. One tree we saw on a ground-level walk afterwards was over 600 years old. We even met up with Noreen and Roger Parrish who were on a bus tour. Next stop was the famous Gloucester Fire Tree, used as a lookout to check for bush fires in the past but now it is mainly used for the foolhardy to climb. It is a 65 metre high Karri tree and you climb up on round metal spikes that are stuck into the tree; the only thing between you and sudden death is a strand of wire running up the outside edge of the spikes. Barb wore sandals, so she had the excuse of safety, but even so managed six rungs and later discovered a large blister on her hand which became known as the grip of death blister. Bob made it up a few more steps and Jayne more still, but the non-toffee and ice cream eater was the outright winner with 40 steps. Continued next page

12 Page 12 February 2017 Vetrunner Walpole s Coalmine Beach Caravan Park provided a peaceful resting place for the night. The following morning Bob was surrounded by beautiful green, yellow and black Twenty-Eight Parrots as he was eating his apple including one on his arm and one on his head. These were the same parrots we had spent an hour with the previous day trying to get close enough for a reasonable photograph! Not to be outdone, we moved on to Pemberton to see the Dale Evans Bi-Centennial Fire Tree at 75 metres tall. They threw down the gauntlet to me, but I declined as I was already the champ, albeit a little stiff after getting that title. Jayne won this tree climb handsomely and Bob demonstrated a fear of heights when white-faced and clinging securely to the tree as he climbed up and down. A side trip to Nannup chasing antiques proved to be just that, a side trip as all the antiques shops were gone. Then it was Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the most southwesterly part of mainland Australia, where the Indian Ocean meets the Great Southern Ocean, although the demarcation line was not evident on the day of our visit! There were some differences of opinion about this matter however, as we overheard some overseas visitors stating this was the boundary of the Atlantic and Pacific. Margaret River was ours for one night and Jayne ran the risk of deportation to the colonies when she left the caravan park with the key to the old restored church still in her pocket. Fortunately we found a Post Office agency open on the Saturday morning, so she was able to post the key back. The next stop was another much bigger chocolate factory, a huge barn full of nothing but chocolate and tourists of every description. The ice creamery and toffee shops paled into distant memory as my three friends ran riot with eyes glazed in this chocolate heaven and I even managed to find one tiny row of sugar free blocks of chocolate. More roadside points of interest were a silk farm, a nut and cereal stop and a painted cow parade (no real cows were hurt in this parade). Jayne and Barb quickly learnt not to follow too closely as we often stopped abruptly for a photo opportunity! The famous Mammoth Caves were our next adventure and, when we were buying our seniors discounted tickets, the young woman warned us that there were 1,600 steps upward in the caves and as many or more down, so it was beholden of us to tell her what we had been doing in Perth before we got to Margaret River. Somehow Bob s step counter on his phone showed he had done ten thousand more steps than the rest of us even though he had not even been out of our sight! Having survived the caves, we had to stop at one of the hundreds of wineries, as one does around this area, and our brief stop was at the Mad Fish Winery. From there it was on to Dunsborough and the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse. Everyone in southwest WA had been telling us to stop and look at the whales at Dunsborough, however, not one tiny spouting whale did we see. They had apparently moved to better climes, not realising that the Adventurous Four were on their way. The disappointment was short-lived for, when stopping at Eagle Bay for postcard photo, we saw lots of whales breaching not far off shore and our joy was replete. Then Busselton, where we walked Busselton Pier - all 1.6 kilometres of it each way - and use of the train was never even contemplated; after all, we had just done the Mammoth Caves! Our last overnight was in Bunbury, close to Perth, as Barb and Jayne had to return the motor home and catch an early flight home, so the last few kilometres were on the freeway and not at all interesting. We said farewell to Jayne and Barb at the airport and we left the following day. Southwest Western Australia is a beautiful and diverse area unbelievably green (when will it stop raining, asked the locals) and a fitting finale to a wonderful World Championship in Perth. The Adventurous Four New Roster System - Run/Walk Handicaps By John Alcock In September 2016 ACTVAC members were advised that a new roster system was being planned for the 2017 handicap events. This was necessary due to the increasing difficulty of filling rosters under the previous volunteer system. At the October and November handicaps a roster board displaying roster sheets for all 11 handicaps in 2017 was displayed and members were requested to nominate their choice of duty. Members were also given an option to the Roster Manager their choice of roster duty. Any vacancies remaining by early January 2017 would be filled by the Roster Manager primarily from the list of 2016 handicap participants who had not already volunteered. As at 1 January 2017, 143 of the 170 helpers required were filled by volunteers leaving 27 positions to be determined by the Roster Manager. These vacancies have been filled from those members who participated in the 2016 handicaps and who had not already volunteered. The Roster Manager has also determined a reserve list from the same group. Of the vacancies, two are for Event Managers and four are for Assistant Event Managers. To fill these positions the Roster Manager has selected the more senior members who have volunteered for that month. The Handicap Subcommittee considers that any member who has completed more than 100 events should be capable of managing an event. Where a member is unable to meet his/her designated roster duty, it is the responsibility of that member to find a replacement as early as possible. That can be done by contacting someone from the reserve list or swapping with another member. Contact details can be obtained from the ACTVAC webmaster at the webmaster@actvac.com address. The Roster Manager must be informed of any changes at the actvachandicap@gmail.com address so that the website can be updated. The list of helpers for each of the 11 handicap events in 2017 may be viewed on the ACTVAC website (click on "Events/Calendar" then click on "Run/Walk Handicap Rosters 2017"). The site also provides an alphabetical list of helpers including month of duty and a list of reserves. For members who do not have ready access to the ACTVAC website, the alphabetical list of helpers and reserves is provided on the nest page (Event Managers and Assistant Managers in bold)..

13 February 2017 Vetrunner Page 13 Name Duty Abbott Roger Jan Alcock John Jan Anderson Judith Jul Anderson John Oct Archer Paul Jul Austin Brian Jun Baird Carol Nov Banfield Marilyn Mar Barker Geoff Feb Bastecky Charles Jan Baussmann Ruth Feb Baussmann David Mar Blake Jennie Jan Bland Val Aug Bone Linda May Bowden Ian May Bowen Gary Jul Bowman Jocelyn Oct Bowman Norman Oct Bradford Prue Mar Bradford Steve Mar Bramwell Diann Mar Bramwell Ray Sep Brown Ewan Apr Brown Gabrielle Jul Burdon Alan Jul Burdon Lorna Jul Burns John Jun Busteed Mary Ann May Busteed John May Butterfield Martin Aug Campbell Caroline Nov Carney Doug Apr Chapman Bob Jan Chapman Cilla Jan Chapman Kevin Jul Charlton Mick Oct Chesterton Val Jul Clarke Peter Mar Coldrick Maree Nov Coldrick Nigel Nov Collins Cory Apr Collins Merv Apr Costmeyer Robbie May Counsel Suzanne Apr Crawley Hugh Oct Cullen Peter Mar Deck Wilf Jun Dimitriou John Jul Donovon Jon Aug Duncan Allison Nov Duus Alan Jan Dwyer Mike Apr Edwards Judi Apr Egan Bill Sep England Lorna Oct England Nigel Jun Ey Carol Oct Eynon Ken Nov Fenotti Margaret Oct Fenotti Tony Oct Forbes Bev Sep Name Duty Forbes Judy Sep Forestier Katie Feb Foster Will Nov Freeman Peter Feb Freer Michael Sep Gardner Michael Oct Gentle Neil Sep Gentle Ros Aug Giesecke Terry Oct Gilchrist Jennie Jun Gilchrist Rod Jun Gleeson Gwen Aug Gordon Deb Feb Gordon Ken Feb Graham Bruce Nov Gray Stephen Feb Greathead Sherryl Apr Grey Jeff Oct Harrison Tony Aug Harrison-Heard Nerelle Feb Hawke Shé Aug Hefford Jenny Jul Hill Marion Apr Hillard Michelle Feb Hruza Simon Oct Hunt John Apr Hutchison Shane Jan Jansen Lorraine Jun Johnson Keith May Jones Lucy Aug Kallio Peter Sep Kelly Carol Sep Kennedy John Apr Kennelly Robert Sep Kenny Anitra Jun Kenny Ian Jun Kjar John Feb Krauss Adrian Oct Kresse Frank Aug Kubitzky George May Kulesz Josephine Mar Lang Christopher May Larmour Consie Jul Larmour Helen Nov Levings Terry Jul Littler John Jun Lowry Beryl Sep Lowry Bob Sep Lynch Rod Nov Macgregor Theresa Feb Mackay Sylvia Apr Mackenzie Dave Jul McSpadden Margaret Feb Mallory Joan Jan Mallory Linda Jan Mallory Alan Jan Marina Angel Nov Masters Caroline Nov Millard Jaqueline Mar Millett Bernie Apr Modrak Charlie Jan Montalto Catherine May February Run/Walk Handicap Central Curtin - 26 February 2017 Name Duty Moore Hugh Feb Morrison Nadine Mar Moss Gary May Munro Terry Jun Munro Helen Jun Newton Alan Aug O'Keeffe Kevin Jan Palmer Rae Oct Parker Rosemary Jun Patrick Graeme May Phillips Blair Sep Pilkington Roger Aug Quarmby George Jan Rogers Bernie Sep Saunders Robyn Sep Saunders Mick Sep Scott Alice Aug Scutter Maureen Nov Scutter Richard Nov Seedsman Barry Jun Seedsman Dorothy Jun Serfontein Imogen Mar Short Monika May Shumack Alex Oct Simpson Colin Apr Sims Kathy Aug Small Graeme May Smith Ken Mar Stewart Wanda Jul Suiter John Jan Taylor Margaret Aug Thomas Bryan Apr Thompson Raine Jun Thomson Peter Feb Webster David Oct White Ken Feb White Jim Mar Whyte Robyn Apr Wight Bruce Jul Willams Lyn Jul Williams Lyn May Wilson Alan Sep Wisdom Craig Jul Wurtz Craig Feb Yardley Chris Jun Young Anne Jul RESERVES Calver O'Reilly Alexander Harlow Poole Bakker Macgregor Spooner Bourgaize Modrak Toomey Brown Mogan White Bronwyn Maria Julie Bob Ann John Jamie John Peter Helen Phillip Jill Steve Maria How to get there: Oval behind Curtin Primary School (off Carruthers Street - see map on website). Course Description Thomas Series (long course) = 6.2k; The long course runs clockwise from Curtin Oval down under Carruthers St, then turns slightly to the right (north) at about Bavin St and up over the hill, remaining close to the houses at the western edge of Curtin. Continue down to the path parallel to the Cotter Rd, around the edge of the North Curtin Oval to the east and under McCulloch St. The course turns to the south and follows the cycle path parallel to the storm water drain and back up under Theodore St to the start/finish point. Frylink/Waddell Series (short course) = 3.0k The short course proceeds east around the edge of the Curtin Oval and onto the path leading down to the cycle path parallel to the stormwater drain. The course follows the path under the other end of Carruthers St. Turn at the 1.5km mark and return to the start/finish point.

14 Page 14 February 2017 Vetrunner Run/Walk Handicap Program Please note the error in the program published in December, which showed an 8:30am start for March. In fact the 8:30am start applies to the summer months of November, January and February. 2. The venue for the May event has been determined; it is West Stromlo. 3. Results and tables are no longer published in Vetrunner. They can be accessed at: 29 January Campbell Park Loop 6km/3km 8:30am start 26 February Central Curtin 6.3km/3km 8:30am start 26 March Stromlo Forest Park 8km/4km 30 April Majura 10km/5km King & Queen of the Mountain (T and F) 21 May West Stromlo 7.5km/4km King & Queen of the Mountain (W) 25 June Mt Ainslie 9.3km/4.5km King & Queen of the Mountain (T, F and W) 30 July Little Black Mountain 9km/4.5km King & Queen of the Mountain (T and F) 27 August Goorooyarroo 10km/5km 24 September O Connor Ridge 8km/4km King & Queen of the Mountain (T, F and W) 29 October Ainslie Woodlands 7km/3.5km King & Queen of the Mountain (W) 26 November Weston Park 6km/3km 8:30am start Throwing Handicap - 26 November 2016 Reporter: John Reynolds An exciting finish in the November throwing handicap, the final event for the year, saw a tie for the Connell trophy for the first time in the 27 year history of the event. Narelle Blackaby and John Reynolds finished equal on points to share the award. Jan Banens took third place, six points behind the winners. It was the third time Narelle has taken out the award and the second victory for John. Since the monthly handicap began in 1990 there have been 266 handicaps held. Following the November event Ray Green has now moved into the lead for the greatest number of handicaps attended. His present tally is 243. It is also interesting to note that since its inception not one of those handicaps has been cancelled. An amazing statistic considering that they have run through some fairly wet, cold and miserable winter days. Twenty-eight throwers contested the final event for the year, with the monthly trophy going to Shé Hawke. She won comfortably by a margin of over a metre from Caroline Campbell with John Reynolds taking third place. It was the second monthly win for Shé in fifteen attempts. Her previous win was in the November competition in Rarely is an Australian record set at the throwing handicaps, but Jan Banens provided the highlight of the day s throwing with a new record in the W70 hammer throw. Her distance of broke both the Australian and ACT records for her age group. The longest hammer throw for the day was recorded by Jayne Hardy with a best effort of She also led the women in the javelin, throwing Ray Green was the best of the men in the hammer, recording a distance of In the javelin Bob Banens led the way with a toss of On a day when there weren t a lot of Oscar contenders, Bryan Thomas took the honours for his effort in the hammer throw. Landing three throws close together shows a level of consistency, however Bryan s throws were outside the sector and deemed to be three consistent fouls. After the completion of the two events, competitors adjourned to the hall for a barbecue and drinks. Brian Kingston once again kindly supplied his mobile barbecue for people to cook their meat. The presentation of several awards, trophies and medals was held with the Clohessy Trophy, the Connell Shield and the age group medals all presented. The Clohessy Trophy, which is awarded for a member who has not only benefited through their participation but also contributed to the success of the throwing handicap program, was taken out by John Reynolds (see separate report at page 6). The Connell Shield as mentioned was won jointly by Narelle Blackaby and John Reynolds. The age group medals, which are awarded for performances during the season, were won by the following participants; Men M60 Duncan Macnicol; M65 Bob Banens; M70 Ray Green: M75 Kevin Blewett; M80 Peter Neill. Women W45 Claire Perry; W50 Jayne Hardy; W55 Alex Lloyd; W65 Wendy O Brien: W70 Jan Banens; W75 Nola De Chazal; W80 Mary Wahren The bottle of wine, once again kindly donated by Southside Physiotherapy, was won by Jayne Hardy. Jayne donated several bottles of home grown olive oil which were distributed to those lucky enough to have their number drawn out. Full results and tables are on he website at: module=results&action=results.thcp will be a busy year for members with major events to be held including the World Indoors in March in Daegu in South Korea, the World Masters Games in April in Auckland, New Zealand and the Australian Masters championship to be held for the first time in Darwin in June. It appears we will have two regular members making the trip to the World Indoors in Daegu. At this stage - just before final entries close - Bob and Jan Banens are the only two members who will be flying the flag for the ACT throwers. The next monthly throwing handicap will be in February. Events to be contested will be the shot and discus, 56lb weight and the standard weight.

15 February 2017 Vetrunner Page 15 Throwing Handicap - 26 November Pointscore winners Winner of the wine November 2016 monthly winners Age group medals - Men Winner of the Oscar Age group medals - Women Throws Pentathlon - 18 December 2016 By Jayne Hardy We had a glorious morning for the 12th Throws Pentathlon for 2016 blue sky and a slight breeze. Thirteen Club members turned up to show how they had survived the first half of the Track and Field season as well as the monthly Throws Pentathlons. It was great to see one of our longest standing members (Ray Green) and one of the oldest members (Rad Leovic) there after approximately six of us had competed at the World Masters Athletic Championships in Perth in November. Ray pulled out some of the best throws in the Hammer, Shot, Discus and Weight for the men, while Steve Jordan had the furthest throw in the Javelin. Jayne Hardy had some good distances in the women s comp in all the throws. I think there were some personal bests for both women and men throughout the morning. The total scores were as follows: Shane Hutchison M points Jayne Hardy W points Steve Jordan M points Alex Lloyd W points Brian Kingston M points Caroline Campbell W points Ray Green M points Jeanette Williamson W points John Reynolds M points Fran Harris W points Robin Whyte M points Mary Wahren W points Rad Leovic M points. Please check the website for the full results.

16 Page 16 February 2017 Vetrunner By Bryan Thomas 30 YEARS AGO (January 1987) During the month ACT Records were set by Quentin Anthony for the M50 110m hurdles 19.6, Joy Bannister W60 200m 33.8 and long jump 3.79m, Trish Connell (Thomas) W40 discus and javelin 23.60m, Ewen Drummond M60 shot 9.83m, Bill Knox M45 high jump 1.60m, George Mencik M50 hammer and an Australian Record in the shot put 13.99m, Irene Mitchell W45 hammer 34.02m for a new Australian Record, Maureen O Shea W50 800m , Keith Perroux M m and W50 Anne Young ran 1500m in for her tenth record of the season to date. The year s first monthly handicap, held on a 7km East Basin course, attracted 104 runners. Ken Daniels was first across the line, closely followed by John Jamieson and Colin Bridge. Frank Green and Jo Cullen were the fastest. 20 YEARS AGO (January 1997) Robin Whyte became the 29th Australian Centurion by race walking 100 miles in less than 24 hours. He completed 402 laps of the Collingwood Athletics Track in Victoria for km in 20hrs 37m 12s to be the fifth fastest on record at the time. Every Saturday morning a large group of Vets (twenty to thirty) were running the infamous Cotter 15, 18 or 21 (miles) preparing for the Canberra Marathon. Track and field records set during the month were by Kevin Chamberlain M50 800m and 1500m (these were two of our longest standing records, previously held by Jack Pennington), Neils Jaffa M30 110m hurdles 18.5, Bernie Millett M m 10.15, Keith Perroux M m and John Stenhouse M m walk Molonglo Reach at East Basin was the venue for the monthly handicap. The 6km long course had 120 runners and was won by Mick Corlis from Ian Bowden and Roger Abbott. The 3km short course had 56 participants. Anitra Kenny won from Carmen Carlon and Nola de Chazal. Greg Lewis, John Richardson and Alice Scott earned their 50 runs T-shirts. 10 YEARS AGO (January 2007) Ten members participated in the 10th Coastal Classic 12 Hour Ultra Marathon at Gosford. The event was conducted on a grass track and commenced at 7.30pm on Saturday evening - so it was an overnight event. Our results were walkers: Pat Fisher 81.8km (3rd), Lachlan Wilkinson 74.4km, Mark Worrell 73.2km, Val Chesterton 72.5km (2nd woman), Robin Whyte 67.6km, Doug Fitzgerald 59.7km and Val Moran 41.5km and runners: Chris Gamble 88km and Geoff Barker 56.5km. Val Chesterton s outstanding efforts in the Coastal Classic were recognised by winning the masters category of the Clubs ACT Sportstar of the Year Award for January. The first monthly run/walk handicap of the year was at Campbell Park. Terry Giesecke and Jill Brown crossed the line together at the finish of the long course, but Terry was given the nod by the judges. Steve Bradford was third. Ken White won the short course from Kerry Boden and Julie Triggs. The Waddell walk handicap was won by Greg O Neill ahead of Jean Harding and Trish Thomas. Ray Blackmore and Peter McDonald were presented with their 50 handicaps T-shirt. The Way We Were 30 YEARS AGO (February 1987) We had a record 370 members. This was the fourth edition of the commercially printed Vetrunner. $7 of each $10 subscription went into the production of our popular club magazine. Gwen Vines was enjoying considerable success in race walking after only recently taking up this difficult discipline because injury prevented her from running. The following records were set during the month Quentin Anthony M55 400m 59.1 and triple jump 9.67m, Joy Bannister W60 400m 76.6, Jen Bourne W m , Bob Chapman M50 10,000W 53.14, Trish Connell W40 javelin 24.94m, Brian Paxman M m and Anne Young W m A record field of 114 runners ran the new 9.8km monthly running handicap course in Curtin designed by Lloyd Field. It started and finished at Dunrossil Drive. Lucille Warth was the winner just in front of Zena Allen and Joan Mallory. Peter Skinner and Jo Cullen were the fastest. 20 YEARS AGO (February 1997) Our Communication and Marketing Sub-committee led by Neil Boden conducted its fourth shopping centre promotion, this time at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. Kevin Chamberlain was enjoying an amazing season and further improved his M50 800m and mile records by running and respectively. John Hunt set an Australian Record for the M55 high jump 1.60m while Fran Harris set three new W55 records, in the 80m hurdles 20.6, long jump 3.68m and 800m Others to set records during February were Quentin Anthony M65 high jump and 100m hurdles, Merv Collins M70 mile, Margaret Dando W65 throws pentathlon, Neils Jaffa M30 110m hurdles and triple jump, Mick Konemann M30 high jump, Rosemary Longstaff W45 mile, Bernie Millett M m, Delia Quigley W35 throws pentathlon, Raylea Rudov W50 throws pentathlon, Grahame Taylor M50 100m hurdles, Gwen Vines W W and Mary Wahren W60 throws pentathlon. Deek Recreational Park was the venue for our monthly running handicap. The 8.5km course had 122 starters and was won by Peter Kallio from Dale Chatwin and Bernie Millett. Mick Sainsbury was first home of the 63 who ran the short course. Terri Henderson was second and Karen Daniels third. Norma Lindemann earned her 50 runs T- shirt. This was the one hundredth time Colin Bridge had been our handicapper. The throwing handicap, consisting of shot put and discus was won by Jean Heath ahead of Ray Green and Tanya Colyer. 10 YEARS AGO (February 2007) Jack Perry died. Jack was an enthusiastic member for over two decades, but he waited until he was 55 before joining as he doubted his ability to participate safely and successfully. He was a regular participant in the monthly running handicaps since 1995, having completed 88, but had been involved in track and field much longer. A highlight was participating in the sprints at the 1987 World Championships in Melbourne. In 2005 he was encouraged to return to athletics following a long illness and soon regained his enthusiasm for long jumping and sprinting, especially being part of our successful M75 relay teams. His summer climaxed when many of his family, including grandchildren, came to our presentation evening to see him receive the Heart Foundation Trophy.

17 February 2017 Vetrunner Page 17 Ten seeded teams of six participated in the 23rd annual Vets Sprint Marathon Relay. The winning team was captained by Neil Boden and consisted of Leah Afiabo, Nick Blackaby, Alex Kearns, Eric Lindemann and Jim White. Jim White was again the organiser of a very successful and fun event. This month s run/walk handicap was conducted in beautiful weather at Curtin. Debbie Cowell won the long course from Pamela Weiss and Anne Young. The short course was won by Colleen North from Phil Toomey and Frank Nugent. Joy Hillhorst won the gold medal in the Waddell walk ahead of John Suiter and Barry Seedsman. The post event presentation was a bonanza because eight members earned special milestone T-shirts: Terri Jones and Charmagne Knobel received the 50 ; Nick Blackaby, Jill Brown, Cory Collins and Mick Corlis their 100 and Geoff Moore his 150. But the big one was presented to Suzanne Counsel, who became the tenth member and first woman to complete 200 monthly run/walk handicaps M60 Ray Green, champion thrower and coach who knows a thing about peaking for major championships, won this month s throwing handicap involving shot and discus. Raylea Rudov was second and Bryan Thomas third. W75 Joan Mallory returned to the throwing handicaps after a seven year break. W80 Joy Bannister obviously enjoyed her first efforts last November after being out of athletics for almost 13 years and of course she set ACT Records for both shot and discus. By Philip White Records recognition If you think your performance(s) out at the Track and Field may qualify for a record, then you will need to be familiar with the procedures for recognition of a record which now appear on our website under RECORDS' T&F records not covered in previous articles In my last article (December Vetrunner) I covered all the individual Club and Australian records set at the WMA Championships in Perth, but there were also many of our members who teamed up with other Australian master athletes in Australian record breaking relay teams: Sue Bourke W55 4 x 100m 56.82s (Previously 57.64) 4 x 400m 4:37.85 (Previously 4:39.31) Marlene Reid W60 4 x 100m (Previously 58.92) Jo Klemke & Fran Harris W75 4 x 100m (Previously 82.33) Jo Kemke & Cory Collins W75 4 x 400m 7:11.20 (Previously 8:16.40) Jack Thackray M85 4 x 100m (Previously 99.73) Mark Rossiter M35 4 x 400m 3:31.29 (Previously 3:32.05) Anyway, with the excitement of the 2016 WMA Championships in Perth behind us, it was back to Woden on 10 October to continue with our regular T&F season after a break of three weeks. Even though many of our Perth competitors were missing, there were still two records: W50 Ann Staunton-Jugovic was able to improve on her own Club record in the 10,000m Race Walk with a time of 59:16.17s. W80 Consie Larmour ran a hand-timed in the 60m dash. Ordinarily, hand times get rounded up to the nearest tenth of a second and then have 0.24s added to equate them with electronic timing. However, that was predicated on the old pistol and cap start which produced a plume of smoke to alert the clockers to start their watches before the sound of the gun going off could be perceived. As a result any handtimed events with the electronic starting pistol cannot be accepted either as a Club or Australian record. Moreover, there was no wind reading for Consie s run. Just the same, Consie still holds the Australian record time for the 60m of set in For The Record Only one record run at the AIS on 17 November with W80 Anne Young setting a Club and Australian record in the One Hour Run. Anne covered a distance of 7,202 metres (just over 18 laps) to extend the previous record of 6,448m. Jan Banens made her third instalment on the W75 Hammer Club and Australian record since recently moving into a new age-group. This time it was at Masson Street during the Monthly Throws Handicap on 26 November where Jan threw the hammer metres (her previous record being set at the World Champs in Perth). Back to Woden on 24 November and again only one record, but four certificates for each member of the W65 4 x 200m Relay: Jeanette Rayner (W70), Margaret Taylor, Jill Brown and Maureen Rossiter. The new record time was 2:40.76 which was more than a 3 second improvement on the previous record of 2:44.0 set by three of the members of this team. Jill Brown has a long history of eyeing off relay records and typically pulls together these record-breaking teams and travels up from the South Coast with inevitable success. The Woden meet on 1 December saw two more ACTVAC records. Jan Banens improved on her own W75 Discus record of 16.92m set only a few weeks earlier at the WMA Championships in Perth with a new record throw of 18.32m. And W75 Fran Harris scored a Club record 2,652 points in the Pentathlon, adding almost 400 points to the previous record. Both Jan and Fran continue to keep me very busy this season as they collectively re-write many of the W75 records, including their own. No records to report from the Woden meet held on 8 December. It has been a while since that has happened but strong winds did prevail which made it very hard for those going around the track and ruled out any records for the sprinters as the wind mostly exceeded the allowable +2m/s. Again no records coming out of a poorly attended AIS meet on 15 December. Cold and showers earlier in the day discouraged many from attending and made it hard for competitors to excel. I was only recently notified of an inaugural Club record set by M35 Matt Griggs in the 50km Road Walk. Matt travelled down to Melbourne to compete back on 12 November 2016 in the Australian 50km Road Walking Championships to set a really respectable time of 4:36:14. philipjulianwhite@gmail.com Records and Statistician officer

18 Page 18 February 2017 Vetrunner Fitness Through Fellowship (A History of the ACTVAC) By Bryan Thomas This is the 19th instalment of the History. The earlier chapters have already been published in Vetrunner. Because Chapter 8 is relatively lengthy it has been broken into three parts and the first part was published in the November issue. This month the story continues with the second section. 8: CONFLICT RESOLVED Bitter debate over best use of information technology led to record attendances at meetings Container For Masson Street Throwing Field The new year saw the delivery of a steel container to the Masson Street Throwing Area. The area had long been used by throwers, especially veteran athletes, for both competition and training but, as it is designated as a low maintenance area by the authorities, it had only minimal facilities. Our throwers had long yearned for a means of storing implements and equipment on site rather than asking volunteers to collect and transport a heavy load to and from our competitions. Delivering the equipment essential to conduct two or three throwing events was an onerous task, for not only did it require a vehicle suited to carry so much bulky and heavy gear, but it was also physically demanding on the person or persons doing the loading and unloading. Members John Parker and Jayne Hardy converted the interior of the container into an excellent storage facility for our throwing equipment and even made room for a desk. A large steel container located on the edge of an extensive open area and close to both a cycle path and an informal walking track was an obvious target for graffiti artists. However, painting over the worst of the graffiti from time to time appears to have lessened its attractiveness to vandals. (For more about the Masson Street Field refer to Chapter 6). AGM, when he agreed to serve another year as one of the six ordinary committee members. Rosemary Parker became our thirteenth, and third woman, life member. Rosemary had been a member for more than quarter of a century and, before being elected vice president at this year s AGM, she had already served seven years on committee, including two as secretary and another as vice president, and since1996 she and husband Robert had maintained our stock of uniforms. Rosemary had always been an enthusiastic participant in most Club activities and during the earlier years she helped organise several successful dinner-dances and other social functions as well as our annual fun run. Her contributions were recognised when she was presented with two of our prestigious clubperson awards - the Encouragement Award in 1983 and the Johnson Trophy in After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, Rosemary underwent a series of traumatic medical procedures. With determination and gradually taking on various forms of strenuous physical activity that included long walks, gentle jogging, hiking and dragon boat racing, she made a successful comeback to athletics. Two years after the cancer scare she was presented with another of our major annual awards - the 2004 Heart Foundation Trophy. When Rosemary commenced competing in vets track and field in 1983 she favoured the sprints and jumps, but was gradually drawn towards distance running in which she enjoyed considerable success. Her one and only marathon was the 1984 Adelaide Festival City Marathon when she ran 3:18.25 as a W35. In March 2013 Rosemary became the second woman to complete 250 monthly run/walk handicaps and, as Robert was approaching his three hundredth, they were the first husband and wife to achieve this milestone. Rosemary has also enjoyed considerable success across all three series within the monthly run/walk handicap program and is currently leading our all-time list of medallists, having won a total of 26 medals. A New President and Life Membership for Rosemary Parker The 2007 AGM, in contrast with the huge attendance two years earlier, attracted only 35 members. Christopher Lang was elected to the first of his three terms as president after having served an apprenticeship as vice president in 2005 and 2006 as well as being a member of the LOC for the 2006 AMA Championships. Christopher became our eighth president, succeeding Geoff Sims who had led the club since Rod Lynch was re-elected secretary and Audrey Gormley was the new treasurer. A highlight of the meeting was granting life membership to Rosemary Parker just minutes after being elected vice president. Prior to becoming a member in 1998 Christopher Lang had been involved in a variety of individual and team sports and was once even an enthusiastic sprinter. However, after joining, Christopher developed a greater interest in running longer distances, including half marathons and even the occasional off-road ultra-distance event. He was a regular participant in our monthly running handicaps (earning his 150 monthly handicap runs T-shirt in April 2016) and was also an occasional participant at track and field. Perhaps his favourite and most memorable running experience was finishing the gruelling Six Foot Track mountain marathon, run along narrow and hilly bush tracks from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains. Christopher continued as president until standing down at the 2010 A Milestone, a Record, Riccione and a New Era For Stromlo George Hanzar was all smiles after the May 2007 monthly running handicap when he was the first to don the commemorative black polo shirt, with its distinctive ACTVAC 250 club logo designed by committee member John Lamb, for having completed 250 handicaps. In 1987 George was the seventh member to achieve fifty handicaps, but since then he has been the first to reach all the other significant milestones handicaps in 1992, 150 in 1997, 200 in 2002 and now 250. George seems to arrange all his special achievements to fall as near as possible to his birthday (May 25) for all but his one hundredth occurred in the month of May. The most outstanding performance in the 26th ACT Veterans Half Marathon conducted in August 2007 was by W35 Angela Bateup, who ran to break the longest standing women s record for the event. The previous W35 and race record of set by Annette McNeill in 1987 had survived 20 years. Annette was a talented long distance runner with a marathon PB of 2:48.01 in the 1984 Australian Championships Marathon, Sydney and was the W35 gold medallist in the 10,000m at the 1987 World Veterans Championships in Melbourne. Shed was the fastest woman in each of the three Vets Halves she ran (in 1986, 1987 and 1988).

19 Eleven members participated in the XVII WMA Championships held in Riccione, a major European resort area on the NW coast of Italy, in September Bob and Janice Banens, Conrad Burge, Kevin Chamberlain, Cory Collins, Ray Green, Sharon Gibbins, Fran Harris, Garry Maher, Matthew Muell and Ken Telfer were part of an Aussie contingent of 182. M80 Rad Leovic had also entered but on arrival at Riccione he learned of his wife s serious illness and immediately returned home. A pair of W65 athletes, Janice and Fran, were our most successful competitors; Janice winning a silver medal in the hammer and a bronze in the heavy weight throw while Fran also won a silver and a bronze - for the 300m hurdles and 2000m steeplechase respectively. Almost five years after the horrendous January 2003 wildfires that resulted in the devastation of Stromlo Forest, many members were pleased to attend the official opening of the new Stromlo Forest Recreation Park on a hot Sunday morning 18 November Following the devastating firestorm the ACT Government Bushfire Recovery Taskforce was established to recommend how this area might be redeveloped and one of its suggestions was to establish a world-class sports venue available to both recreational and professional users. The ACT Government had done an outstanding job creating a magnificent facility incorporating a cycling track and mountain bike trails alongside an excellent 2.5km cross-country circuit to be known as the Robert de Castella Track. The opening day featured a variety of events including a 5km (two laps) community fun run in which many members enjoyed their first run on the new grass circuit. Some were so enamoured with the course they discarded their runners and ran bare footed. Impressive Performances of a Different Kind The inaugural Australasian Masters Games, as distinct from the Australian Masters Games, was held in Adelaide in October Nine ACTVAC members participated in the athletics component and all returned with at least one medal. It was no surprise Grant Edwards was one of the outstanding performers in Adelaide, convincingly winning the M45 shot, discus, hammer, heavy weight and throws pentathlon. Earlier in the year Grant had impressed onlookers by easily breaking Australian Records for both the 56lb and 100lb ultra heavy weight with tosses of and 4.93m respectively. He was equally as successful at the 2007 World Law Enforcement Games and the AMA Winter Throwing Championships where he also easily won all the throwing events in his age group as well as being awarded the Outstanding Male Competitor trophy at the latter competition. Grant was once recognized as one of the world s strongest men. He had a background in a variety of sports including a five year stint at the University of Hawaii as a gridiron footballer. In the1990s he was encouraged to participate in Highland Games strong man contests and performed spectacular exhibitions of strength for charity, such as pulling semi-trailers, jumbo jets, Manly ferries and even steam trains. For 42 days from 7 October year-old Val Moran, a member for only two years, completed a 1000 Mile Walk for SIDS and Kids around Lennox Gardens on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. In so doing she raised more than $80,000 for her favourite charity and, perhaps more importantly, increased public awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Val s incentive to attempt such a challenge was that she had lost a child to SIDS in 1966 when there was little understanding of the problem or support for heartbroken families. Another motivating factor February 2017 Vetrunner Page 19 was that in 1864 a female ancestor had walked 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours: to prove she could and make a stand for women. Val s remarkable achievement was not without a great deal of drama and difficulties. Just weeks before the start her husband was killed in a gliding accident but, with encouragement from family and friends and believing he would have wanted her to continue, she commenced her long and tiring walk. Val began a daily ritual of commencing at 6am and completing seventeen or eighteen 2.5km laps. For almost two weeks all went to plan but then walking became so painful she was forced to seek medical advice. A double stress hip fracture was diagnosed and it was apparent Val had walked many of the first 280 miles (450km) in considerable pain. But Val was determined to complete her project even if it meant in a wheelchair and being pushed. On Saturday morning November 17 she crossed the finish line on two feet assisted by her three adult children and accompanied by friends and supporters. On a warm January 2008 evening Jackie Fairweather ran round and round the AIS track for more than forty laps to set a new W40 World Record of 16,056m for the one hour run. Her performance earned her the ACT Masters Sportsperson of the Month and commenced a remarkable year for the former World triathlon champion and inaugural AIS triathlon coach. Three months later she was again in record breaking form, winning the Canberra Marathon in 2:46.01 before continuing to an easy victory in the 50km and for the second occasion was Masters Sportsperson of the Month. In August Jackie won our half marathon in a record time, smashing the W40 record by more than six minutes when she ran the 21.1km in Her time was not only a new age group record but also the quickest and the best WMA age graded performance (86.07%) by a woman in the 27 year history of the event. In September she was runnerup in the annual 10km Canberra Times Fun Run and shortly after was third in the Sydney Marathon and fifth in the Australian Half Marathon Championships in Melbourne. After such a hectic and successful year Jackie was pronounced the 2008 ACT Masters Sportsperson of the Year. Many people within the Australian sporting community were shocked and saddened to learn of Jackie s death in November 2014, just a week short of her 47th birthday. M80 Rad Leovic and M40 Ken Telfer were our first members to attend a WMA Indoor Championships when they competed in Clermont, France on March Rad participated in eight events, winning a gold medal for the triple jump, four silver medals (indoor pentathlon, 400, 800 and 1500m) and a bronze in the long jump as well as finishing fourth in both the hurdles and long jump. Ken ran well in the 60, 200 and 400m. Because of Rad s outstanding performances he was the ACT Masters Sportsperson of the Month for March and at year s end was one of three finalists for Masters Sportsperson of the Year. In April 2008 M55 Trevor Jacobs was again the best veteran finisher in the ACT Mountain Running Championships before heading off to participate in another World Long Distance Mountain Championships, this time in England. For more than two decades Trevor had enjoyed considerable success in international and national ultramarathon competitions and once held Australian Records for both the 50km and 100km. For his achievements in long distance running Trevor was awarded the Australian Sports Medal He obviously thrived on tough hilly courses as his remarkable record of ten wins and five seconds from sixteen starts in the Brindabella Classic, as well as many successes in the tough Six Foot Track Marathon, indicate.

20 Page 20 February 2017 Vetrunner In August 2006 Trevor won the M50 World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in Colorado, USA and the following year was third M55 in the championships at Jungfrau in Switzerland, but this was merely a lead up to his major focus - the 9km uphill World Veterans Mountain Running Championships in Germany, where he won the M55 class by more than a minute. Trevor has run many sub 2:40 marathons, some of these being during a 50km event and is a Walter Burley Griffin, having completed 32 Canberra Marathons. He has also completed 19 ACT Veterans Half Marathons for a remarkable thirteen age championships and has won the trophy for best male performance (as determined by WMA age standards) on three occasions - in 1999, 2003 and again in Veterans Versus Masters Debate Revisited For the second consecutive year there was a disappointing attendance at our AGM. The 2008 AGM reelected Christopher Lang and Rosemary Parker as president and vice president respectively but, as there were no nominations for secretary or treasurer, these positions were not filled. However, Miranda Rawlinson and Paul Archer were elected at a special meeting following the June monthly run/walk handicap. The most important discussion at this year s AGM was a possible change of our club name from Veterans to Masters. It is interesting to note it was almost exactly ten years earlier in November 1998 that our membership had the same debate. A referendum conducted at the time overwhelmingly favoured the continued use of the term Veterans. (Refer to Chapter 6). The motion put to the 2008.In August 2016 Peter Freeman completed his 25th Vets Half Marathon around Lake Ginninderra. The opportunity was taken at the November Run/Walk Handicap to present Peter with his Bakker award for this achievement. Peter commented as follows: My first half marathon was in 1985 as a 39 year-old, when I ran about 119 minutes. Over the next 20 years I ran and then jogged around the old course at Lake Burley Griffin, completing my legend of 20 events in My times increased by approximately five minutes each year as I matured like a good red wine, increasing by 100 minutes to three hours plus. A leg injury in 2005 finished my running in events, so I now walk in. The only issue I have with half marathons is the distance and the terrain. I would like to thank the organisers, Ken Eynon and Shane Hutchison, and all the volunteers for their efforts in marking the course and, on the day, all the support they give the competitors. meeting to use the title ACT Masters Athletics to promote the club to the public at large was narrowly won. But there remained a strong feeling amongst some members who were opposed to the potential name change and within the next three editions of Vetrunner ten Letters to the Editor discussing the topic were published. However, a change in name required constitutional amendments and the earliest this could occur would be at next year s AGM. Thus the most important matter facing the 60 attendees at the 2009 AGM was to ratify the Club s new trading name of ACT Masters Athletics. The outgoing committee moved: That in accordance with s34 of the Club s Constitution, this general meeting amends the constitution so that club means the ACT Masters Athletics Incorporated, and Masters replaces Veteran or Veterans where they occur. After some passionate debate the motion was put to a vote but was defeated. Christopher Lang was re-elected for a third term as president, Rachelle Ellis-Brownlee became our new vice president and Paul Archer traded his treasurer s hat for that of secretary. Unfortunately, there were no nominations for treasurer but, at a Special General Meeting held in July 2009, Nick Blackaby was elected to the position. At this same meeting members voted to rescind the motion passed at the 2008 AGM to use the name ACT Masters Athletics for promotional purposes. Next Month Chapter 8 has been broken into three parts. The second part is published above and the third will appear in next month s Vetrunner. Another Half Marathon Bakker Submissions for February 2017 Vetrunner Due by: Saturday 11 February 2017 All copy and queries to: vetrunner@actvac.com All submissions must go to the Vetrunner address to ensure they are included in the next edition. Late submissions may only be accepted if space allows. Editorial Style and Formatting Stories All stories submitted for inclusion in Vetrunner should be created in Word, preferably in Century Schoolbook font. We welcome any member s contribution which is of an athletic theme, or tells of that member achieving an important milestone or award, or just has a story to tell. Photos When taking photos of award ceremonies, please ensure that the awardees are looking in your direction and the background and foreground of the photo do not detract from the importance of the moment. All in all, check your surroundings before clicking. Action photos are very welcome.

21 February 2017 Vetrunner Page 21 Calendar ACTVAC events are shown in bold, other events are run by different organisations. Please check with organisers to confirm details, especially for non-actvac events. Feb 2017 Thu 2 Feb: ACTVAC Track and Field, Woden Fri 3 Feb: Athletics ACT Summer Competition, AIS Sun 5 Feb: YCRC Women s and Girls Jogalong Tue 7 Feb: ACTVAC Social Dinner, The Uni Pub, Canberra City Tue 7 Feb: YCRC 2/5km, National Museum Thu 9 Feb: ACTVAC Track and Field, Woden Sat 11 Feb: Athletics ACT Summer Competition, AIS Sun 12 Feb: Throws Pentathlon Tue 14 Feb: YCRC 2/4km, Telopea Park Thu 16 Feb: ACTVAC Track and Field, Woden Feb: Athletics ACT Championships Sun 19 Feb: ACT Mountain Running Championships Thu 23 Feb: ACTVAC Track and Field, AIS Sat 25 Feb: Throwing Handicap Sun 26 Feb: Run/Walk Handicap, Central Curtin Tue 21 Feb: YCRC 2/5km, Weston Park Tue 28 Feb: YCRC 2/5km, Barrenjoey Drive Mar 2017 Thu 2 Mar: ACTVAC Track and Field, Woden Sat 4 Mar: Athletics ACT Summer Competition, AIS Sun 5 Mar: YCRC Women s and Girls Jogalong Tue 7 Mar: ACTVAC Social Dinner Tue 7 Mar: YCRC 2/5km, Boat House East Thu 9 Mar: ACTVAC Track and Field, AIS Mar: Athletics ACT Summer Competition, AIS Sun 12 Mar: Throws Pentathlon Tue 14 Mar: YCRC 2/5km, Stirling Park, Yarralumla Thu 16 Mar: ACTVAC Track and Field, Woden Sun 19 Mar: Weston Creek Half Marathon Tue 21 Mar: YCRC 2/5km, Stromlo Forest Park Thu 23 Mar: ACTVAC Track and Field, Woden Sat 25 Mar: Throwing Handicap Sun 26 Mar: Run/Walk Handicap, Stromlo Forest Park Mar: Australian Junior and Senior Athletic Championships, Sydney Thu 30 Mar: ACTVAC Track and Field, Woden Apr 2017 Sun 2 Apr: YCRC Women s and Girls Jogalong Tue 4 Apr: ACTVAC Social Dinner 8-9 Apr: Australian Running Festival, 5km/10km fun runs, half marathon, marathon and 50km Sun 16 Apr: Throws Pentathlon Sat 29 Apr: Throwing Handicap Sat 29 Apr: YCRC 2/3.1/6.2km, North Lyneham Sun 30 Apr: Run/Walk Handicap, Majura Weekly, Bi-Weekly and Monthly Events Please check with organisers to confirm details ACTVAC General Committee Meetings monthly on the second Wednesday of the month at Belconnen Soccer Club, Belconnen Way, Hawker at 7.00pm. Contact Secretary Shane Hutchison, secretary@actvac.com. ACTVAC Monthly Weight Pentathlons at 9am at Masson Street, Turner Contact Jayne Hardy Customs Joggers meet every Friday at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park at 12.15pm. Mike Stracey Lake Tuggeranong Stakes every Tuesday on the lake edge near KFC at 12.20pm. Peter Thomson BBQ Stakes Handicap every Wednesday from the Senior Citizens Club in Woden at 12.10pm. Adrian Plunkett YCRC Women s and Girls Jogalong at Weston Park on the first Sunday of the month at 9am (8am in summer). Lake Ginninderra Handicap, last Tuesday of the month, from outside the Lighthouse Bar at 12.20pm. Simon Wall Mount Ainslie Run Up, first Tuesday of the month, from Treloar Crescent behind the War Memorial at 12.45pm. John Harding Black Mountain Run Up, held on the third Tuesday each month at 12.45pm, Clunies Ross St, 100m east of Botanic Gardens Entrance. John Harding Join a Training Group Improve Your Fitness Groups of veteran athletes conduct training sessions around Canberra. To train with any one of the groups you should contact the group coordinator listed. It s always fun to train with others, to share skills and knowledge. Runners, throwers, jumpers and walkers of all levels are welcome. Val Chesterton: Strength, speed & general fitness for runners, jumpers & walkers, Calwell Playing Fields, Fridays 9am, 8.30am in summer Katherine Fitzpatrick: FIT (Females In Training). Tuesdays 12.15pm at the AIS Track Fran Harris: Strength, sprints and hurdles training at the AIS track (h) John Hunt: Jumps. Sundays, 11:00am at the AIS track (h) Saturdays 7:00am in summertime at Treloar Crescent Campbell. 7:30am in wintertime at Cotter Reserve (h), (w) Geoff Moore: Distance interval training. Mondays 5:30pm, Parliament House underground carpark. Sundays 7:30am at Stromlo Forest Park (all hours) Brad Osborn: Sprints and hurdles training. Saturdays 10:00am at the AIS when no other track meets Greg Stretton: Middle distance training. Sundays except long weekends, 9.00am, Grammar School, corner of Mugga Way / Flinders Way (h), (w) Tuesday group : long distance running and walking. Tuesdays 9:00am at Black Mountain Peninsula.

22 Page 22 February 2017 Vetrunner ACT VETERANS ATHLETIC CLUB INC. (ACTVAC Inc, GPO 2356, Canberra ACT 2601) Membership Form To join the Club or renew membership, you can use this form or (our preferred option) go to our website at - Club Pages - Membership, click on ONLINE PAYMENTS and follow the prompts. New memberships and renewals for the year starting on 1 October are accepted from 1 July. TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP New: Single ($65.00) Double ($110.00) Been a member before? Yes / No Renewal: Single ($65.00) Double ($110.00) Membership no(s): FAMILY NAME GIVEN NAME(S) GENDER DATE OF BIRTH ADDRESS STATE: POSTCODE: TELEPHONE HOME WORK MOBILE EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME: PHONE: ADDRESS: RELATIONSHIP: CLUB ACTIVITIES The Club s membership fee covers participation in regular Club events including fortnightly Track & Field meets (in summer), monthly Throwing Handicap and Throws Pentathlon and monthly Run/Walk Handicaps. The more Club activities you participate in, the greater value you get from your membership. VETRUNNER The Club s monthly newsletter, Vetrunner, is posted in colour on the website each month and there is a link to it in the ACTVAC Bulletin ed to members on Tuesdays. PAYMENT BY: CASH / CHEQUE / BANK DEPOSIT (BSB , A/c number ) (Please include your name in the direct deposit transaction) In submitting this membership form, I acknowledge my rights and responsibilities as set out in the Club s constitution and I agree to act in accordance with the Club s conditions of membership and policies as presented on our website ( SIGNED: / DATE:... APPLICANT 1 APPLICANT 2

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