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1969 - 2019: Orienteering Clubs Celebrating 50 years!

British Orienteering Federation, Orienteering Association and Club Growth in 1969 - Summary

Report by Clive Allen, Former British Orienteering Federation Chairman 

Sourced from British Orienteering’s archive at University of Sheffield

British Orienteering Federation opened its first office at 3 Glenfinlas Street, Edinburgh on 1st January 1969.

YHOA was officially constituted in 1969 – the first AGM was held on 23rd January in York.

Clubs

  • Formed in Yorkshire and Humberside Orienteering Association (YHOA) in 1969 were Eborienteers (March), Airienteers (May) and EYOC (East Yorkshire OC, now HALO; first event in November).
  • Lanchester Orienteers (LO) in Co. Durham (March), now I think incorporated into Northern Navigators NN.
  • Also in Co. Durham, TCOC (Teeside & Cleveland OC, now CLOK) and Patons OC, a club attached to the wool firm Patons in Darlington, quite an active club in the 80s but eventually merged with (Cleveland Orienteering Klub) CLOK. Both started in May.
  • Leicestershire Orienteering Club (LEI), first event 20th April.
  • Deeside Orienteering Club (DEE) (May).
  • Quantock Orienteers (QO) (April).
  • Dorset Orienteers – not sure what happened to them later, possibly merged with Wimborne Orienteers (WIM) which existed before 1969.
    Poole OC also formed 1969, again fate unknown.
  • Walton Chasers (WCH) (December).
  • Derwent Valley Orienteers (DVO) was formed in late 1968 but appointed its first Chairman (Jenny Tennant) and Committee in early 1969.

There may, of course, be others, not recorded in the concise historical records.

1969 Developments and Club 50th Anniversaries!
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more in-depth information available here.

Did you know?

British Orienteering Federation has an extensive archive in the Special Collections section of the Sheffield University Library.

Most clubs in the UK would find many of their early maps and event results in sections of the archive. Almost all of British Orienteering’s paper records over the 50 years, and pre=British Orienteering Federation are held there, and some personal collections of special interest have been donated too.

An outline description of the collection can be found here, and the full archive listing and the Book List can be downloaded as pdf files.

Visits to the Special Collections department can be made by appointment; the reading room is open from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm on most weekdays. It is best to decide in advance what you want to look at, and the relevant boxes will be brought into the reading room before you arrive. Additional items can usually be brought out at short notice.

Contact and location information can be found here.

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