Sutherland Bush Walkers Club

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About participating in an activity
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Sutherland Bushwalking Club Inc provides opportunities for safe bush sports activities.  Membership is open to all people 18 years and over, and currently stands at approximately 300 members.

The activities offered by our Club include bushwalking, cycling, kayaking and canoeing, abseiling and canyoning.  The activities range in duration from one day to extended periods over several weeks and vary from local to interstate and overseas. 

Activities are led by volunteer leaders and are detailed in the Club program which is provided to financial members quarterly. Trip leader details are not available to non members.

Activities are generally graded according to the difficulty, experience and level of fitness required on a scale of 1 to 9, with 1 being the easiest.  These grades are not necessarily exactly the same as those used by other Clubs.  Detailed descriptions of grades of each activity are provided under the pages for bushwalking, cycling, kayaking and canoeing, abseiling and canyoning.
 
All participants in activities do so at their own risk and must sign a liability waiver accepting sole responsibility for any personal injury or property damage they might sustain.  However, financial Club members are covered under the blanket insurance policy taken out by Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW for all activities included in the program.

Costs
The membership fee to join the Club for a calendar year is $30.  There are no fees to participate in an activity but participants are expected to share fuel costs for trips when travel is shared and to meet their own accommodation costs on extended trips.

How do I join?
Complete the membership application form and risk waiver form and send it with your membership fee to:

Sutherland Bushwalking Club Inc
PO Box 250, Sutherland, NSW, 1499


About participating in an activity

Bookings

It is imperative that bookings be made directly to the leader of the activity.  Preferably, at least 4 days notice for one-day activities and 10 days for overnight activities should be given to leaders if you wish to participate, so that transport can be arranged.  Frequently the leader of an activity has to place a limit on the number of people that may participate, so it is best to book early.

Transport
Where transport is by car, travel costs are shared between passengers. The following formula is suggested to calculate the contribution of each person: double the cost of fuel and then add any additional costs shared equally, e.g. entrance fees, road tolls etc and divide by the number of passengers.

Meeting and Departure Times
The time and conditions arranged by the leader for meeting and departing cannot be extended to wait for those who are late.

If you find that you are not able to attend, please advise the leader immediately. This may allow another person to attend.


Contact Us

If you have any queries, or wish to contact Sutherland Bushwalking Club, you may :

- Send us an email at info@sutherlandbushwalkers.org.au

- Leave a message on the answering service 9990 5876

- Write to the address above in "How do I join"


Attend Club meetings
Club meetings are generally held on the last Wednesday evening of the month at 7.30 pm at Hall 2 in the Stapleton Ave Community Centre, entrance from Stapleton Avenue near Belmont St, Sutherland.

Overdue bushwalkers ?

If needed, Wilderness Rescue can be contacted by phoning 132 222, then pager number 6277321.
The Club has a Personal Locator Beacon which leaders are able to borrow for use on walks through difficult terrain.  This can be used to summon help in an emergency.

Subsidies for First Aid Courses

Sutherland Bushwalking Club encourages all members to hold current First Aid qualifications.  Financial members who undertake and pass accredited Senior First Aid or Remote Area First Aid training will be entitled to a reimbursement of 50% of the course fee to a maximum of $100 per person. 

The Club will list Senior and Remote Area First Aid courses in the appropriate quarterly program.



Club Resources

Equipment

The essential equipment for each activity is different so make sure you are familiar with the guidelines detailed under each activity.
Beginners should not buy expensive equipment without advice.  Club equipment, including tents and packs, are available for loan.  

A detailed list of Club equipment for loan is available in the Members Area.

Maps and other resources


The Club has a limited range of maps available for loan to members.  These may be borrowed by contacting the Club’s Equipment Officer whose contact details are listed in the Members Area.
Usually most leaders and some members have their own personal collection of maps or books relevant to the activities in which they participate.

Links

The following table has links that may be useful for members and others accessing this site:

This is the peak NSW organisation for non-commercial bushwalking. They represent the interests of member Bushwalking Clubs, organise insurance for Clubs, and provide guidelines for Clubs to follow for their own procedures and risk management. Contact details for other NSW Bushwalking Clubs can be found on this site.
This is the Search and Rescue arm of the NSW Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs. They provide first aid training courses, remote area first aid courses, navigation training and rescue services.
This is the Federal Government Bureau of Meteorology – NSW Weather and Warnings page. The site provides for weather forecasts and weather observations for NSW.
Information about fires and park closures. Note this is now a part of the NSW Dept. of Environment and Climate Change.
A NSW Government site – the NSW Rural Fire Service, Blue Mountains District. This provides bushfire updates and incident information relating to bushfires.


© Copyright Sutherland Bushwalkers Club 2012