After leading our WOC teams to Hungary 2009, Norway 2010 and France in 2011 Rob Lewis has resigned his coaching position due to family reasons.  We thank Rob for his valuable input into our international teams.  He will continue to be involved with coaching.

OA has had to work quickly to secure a replacement with WOC only 5 months away.  We are delighted to announce that Tom Quayle has eagerly accepted the men’s coach / manager role working in conjunction with Wendy Read, the existing women’s coach / manager.  Tom lives in Sweden.  This provides us with a coach who can easily research European based world championship terrain and also some-one who understands Australian orienteers.

Tom represented Australian in JWOC teams in 1994 and 1995, and WOC teams in 2001, 2003 and 2004, in an era when the Australian men’s team was probably its strongest and had incredible depth.  (Initially WOC’s were held bi-annually)

Tom made an important breakthrough for Australian orienteering when he became the first Australian to podium in a World Championship, with his long distance 4^th in Poland at Jwoc 1994. This success was recognised by all the other nations present who were rapt to see Australia emerge as a top orienteering nation.

Tom repeated his 4^th at JWOC 1995, this time an agonising 2 seconds from a medal, and he also was placed 17^th in the sprint final.  In WOC 2001 Tom stood upon the elite podium with an outstanding 6^th in the relay, and was in ultra-competitive relay teams in WOC 2003 (9^th) and WOC 2004 (10^th). Tom’s best individual result was 13^th in the long in Sweden, 2004.  In World Cup events Tom had many top results, with his best probably being 7^th in a Norwegian sprint in 2002. He has competed in World Park tour events and all the major European international fixtures with good success.  Earlier this month, while holidaying in Australia Tom dropped into a Sydney sprint series race and won the event.

Although Tom has had a coaching position with the Bushrangers in the past, now that he has finished his elite career he is keenly looking forward to his new role.