| DUTY OF CARE |
All participants (including Leaders and Co-ordinators)
in Club walks and other activities are volunteers in every respect.
You are primarily responsible for your own well-being. You have
a duty of care towards everyone who is with you on a Club walk
or other activity and they have the same responsibility towards
you. To assist, we have provided the following information. |
| WALK GRADES |
Easy |
Up to 12 km on good tracks and relatively flat terrain. |
| |
Easy/Medium |
Similar to EASY but up to 15 km or with some harder sections. |
| |
Medium |
Up to 20 km on tracks or shorter distances in open bush. |
| |
Medium/Hard |
Similar to Medium but in some difficult terrain, eg: difficult
ascents/descents, heavy scrub or rock scramble. |
| |
Hard |
Up to 30 km or more on tracks or shorter distances in difficult
terrain. Suitable for fit and experienced walkers only. |
| |
Exploratory |
Even the Leader doesn't know what to expect. |
| |
PLEASE NOTE: |
Ascending 100 metres is considered equivalent to walking
one kilometre on level ground. |
| FITNESS |
Members are responsible for being
fit enough successfully to complete the walk they have undertaken.
Check the distance and difficulty with the Walks Leader. If
you have any medical problems, make sure you let the Leader
know. If you may require medication, make sure you have it with
you. |
| FOOTWEAR |
Sensible comfortable footwear with
a reasonable tread should be worn. |
| DAYPACK |
A backpack will allow both hands
to be free. |
| BRING |
AT LEAST 1 LITRE of water (2 LITRES
IN HOT WEATHER), sufficient lunch and snacks, plastic bag for
food scraps and rubbish, sun cream, hat, rainproof jacket or
coat and a warm jacket. Extra clothes if there is a long car
or train journey home. |
| CONSTITUTION |
Members are invited to read our
Constitution. See a Committee Member. |
| LEADER |
No one should walk in front of the
Leader without his or her permission. If in front, YOU MUST
stop regularly to allow the party to remain together. |
| LAST PERSON |
Be aware of who the LAST PERSON
is and check with him/her if you wish to have a "break".
He/she will wait for you at a discreet distance. |
| KEEPING UP |
Try to keep the person in front
in sight. Look back occasionally to ensure that people following
know which way to go.
BRANCHES Do not worry about branches flicking the faces of persons
behind. It is their task to walk far enough behind (approximately
2 metres) to avoid the problem. |
| STOPPING |
If you need to stop the party, call
ONCE to alert the Leader, TWICE to stop, THREE times for emergency.
If you do become separated from the group, return to where you
last saw the group, otherwise STAY WHERE YOU ARE. Keep warm
and remain calm. Arrangements will be made to find you. |
| CLIFFS |
Do not go too close to the edge
of a cliff. It is recommended that you keep at least your body
length from the edge of a cliff and that you do not turn your
back on a cliff. Be aware that the underneath of what you are
standing on may be suspect and that people have been accidentally
knocked or pushed or tried to grab some object going over the
edge - all with disastrous results! |
| ROCKS |
If you dislodge a rock on a steep
slope, shout ROCK so that those below get clear or cover their
heads. Many rocks in creek crossings are slippery, so take extra
care. |
| LATE RETURN |
Make sure your family or friends
know where you are going and approximately what time to expect
you home. Explain that some walks may take longer and that a
reasonable period of time should be allowed for missed trains,
bad traffic congestion, etc. Leave the Walks Leader's telephone
number with them. |
| TIREDNESS |
Ask the Leader to give the group
and you a break if you are experiencing undue stress. If you
are feeling tired, chances are there are others feeling the
same way and the Leader would appreciate knowing. |
| GROUP SIZE |
Every Club walk must have a minimum
of four (4) walkers. This includes exploratory walks. |
| FIRST AID |
If you need assistance, ask the
Leader. |
| TICKS |
Ticks may hide in body crevices.
Use tweezers to lever the tick outwards, checking carefully
to ensure the small head is removed. Ticks breathe through their
abdomen so Vaseline, applied over the body, may induce the tick
to withdraw. A paste of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) applied
over the tick has also been used for inducing ticks to withdraw.
If a rash develops after a few days, seek medical advice. |
| BOOKS |
These are notes only. We have attempted.
to inform you about some of the hazards (joys?) of bushwalking.
Whole books have been written on the subject. Some of the better
ones are: |
| |
• "The Book of the Bush"
by Ed Kynaston (published by Reed) |
| |
• "Sydney Bushwalks"
by Neil Paton (published by Kangaroo Press) |
| |
• "Bushwalks in the Sydney
Region" by The National Parks Association. |
