Just the activity program.

The pdf version has room for 16 participants and is aimed at leaders who fill in the activities form by hand. The Word version allows for 20 participants and is intend for those leaders who copy and paste the booking details into the Word document. More details about using the activity booking sheet are on the Leaders Page. Here is a summary:

1. record details of the proposed activity—where, when, who, special requirements, etc
2. record bookings made for the activity
3. record the participants' emergency contact details before leaving Warrnambool
4. record an acknowledgement from non-club members that they will abide by the conditions for booking
5. before the trip leaves Warrnambool, send a photograph of it to the emergency contact
6. after the trip, complete the leaders report on it and returned it to our risk officer

Each participant should carry such a form outlining any personal emergency information in a readily accessible part of the pack, eg top pocket. The form, filled in and maintained by the participant, gives medical details that would only be accessed by the leader in an emergency, typically when the participant is disabled.

Well, we think it's well worthwhile joining.

If a serious incident occurs on an activity our Incident Report Form should be filled in (usually by the leader) and then sent to the Committee. If the incident is such that BWV insurance will be called upon contact the committee as soon as possible.

Every person attending one of our activities must agree to abide by our conditions for participating. This agreement is done once a year when membership is renewed or, for non-members, before each activity.

Being an incorporated club, we must have a set of "Rules of Association". Members must agree to abide by them.

The page with the details of the AGM requires you to click on the "I'm a member" button. You will be asked for the code that was mentioned in the notice of meeting email.

To be able to see our last 6 newsletters, you must click on the "I'm a member" button and enter the code that has been sent out with the newsletter email.

One needs to register with Parks Victoria's Parkconnect system. This is good since it does away with the form filling that was done at the start of a working bee. One also need to have a Working With Children Check, mandated by Parks Victoria in an effort to show their wokeness but actually to make it extremely difficult to have people come spontaneously on child-free activities like our working bees.

Just in case you are stuck at home and bored. You can change the number of pieces using the "9 squares" item on the menu bar when the puzzle opens.

Participants on club activities are expected to

• adhere to applicable laws, regulations and customs
• minimise their impact on the environment
• be courteous to, be respectful of, and include fellow participants

Breaches of this code should be dealt with promptly and politely when and where they occur, and if warranted, brought to the attention of the committee for further action. Serious breaches may lead to expulsion from the Club.

There are two types of emergency contact:

• The trip's emergency contact is somebody not on the trip who has a list of participants and their contact details for use if problems such as non-return, arise on the activity. That aspect is more relevant to activities in remote areas because of mobile phone coverage in the areas we usually walk. The leader chooses, and lets participants know the name of, the emergency contact.
• A participant's emergency contact is somebody the leader should contact in case of an emergency relating to the participant on that particular trip. These details are supplied to the leader by participants at the meeting place or before that, when booking. The leader sends these details to the trip's emergency contact before the trip leaves Warrnambool. This is often done by texting a photograph of the completed activity sheet, in which case the emergency contact should acknowledge receipt.

The following points from our Conditions of Booking are worth a special mention:

• "It is the participant's responsibility to disclose to the leader medical conditions, disabilities or injuries.........which may affect his/her ability to complete the activity..............."
• "All participants must ensure that the activity is within their capabilities, and that they carry enough food, water, clothing and equipment appropriate to the activity."
• "A dependent person (ie 16 years and under, or unable to independently undertake the activity safely) must be accompanied by an adult responsible for that person."

Leaders should consider the weather forecast for the day of the activity and adjust the activity as necessary:

1. Walks should be cancelled on Days of Total Fire Ban (except easy urban walks)
2. Leaders may cancel/alter activities if extreme weather, eg. severe storms, lightning strikes, severe heat/humidity is likely
3. Leaders should cancel outdoor activities where the predicted temperature is > 35 degrees and humidity > 30%
4. When predicted temperatures are between 31 and 35 degrees and humidity more than 50%, leaders should take more frequent breaks, and decrease the intensity of the activity.

BWV's Bushwalking Manual has a good section on hydration, well worth the read.

The grading in the activities program gives the distance, the cumulative height gained, and a broad indication of the type of surface to be traversed. Any other factors that might affect the activity's difficulty are given in the preview in the newsletter.

The walks grading system used until 2022
Distance in 1 day	Hills	Tracks
S–Short, under 10 km	1–3 Easy, suitable for beginners	1–3 Graded "open terrain", well formed tracks or paths
M–Medium, 10–15 km	4–7 Medium, reasonable fitness required	4–7 Bush, minor scrub, some rock hopping or scrambling
L–Long, 15–20 km	8–10 Hard/strenuous, fit walkers only	8–10 Bush, thick scrub, major rock/creek crossing, rock hopping, scrambling and use of hands
X–Extra long, over 20 km

 

The normal rates are 25c/km for 4 cylinder cars and 30c/km for 6 cylinder cars, diesels and 4WD. Talk with the driver before the trip to ascertain if these guidelines are to be followed or not.

To calculate the individual cost, multiply the distance driven by the rate for the vehicle and divide by the number of people in the vehicle.

If there are several cars, calculate the cost per car by multiplying the distance by the appropriate rate, add up all the car costs and divide by the number of people on the trip to determine what each person should pay. Some passengers may have to split their payment between two drivers.

Example: for a 150 km round trip for 3 occupants in a 4 cylinder car, multiply 150 km by 25c per km to get 3750c (the total sharing costs in cents). Divide 3750c by 100 to get $37.50 (the total sharing costs in dollars), and divide $37.50 by 3 occupants to get $12.50 per person. Each passenger would then owe the owner/driver $12.50.

Our web site does not ask for or collect details about visitors. Information entered into our contact form is deleted after it has been used to create and send an email to the club. Some of the photographs taken on Club activities form part of the activity reports on the site.

As an incorporated association, we are required to collect each member's name, address and the dates of joining and leaving the club. To facilitate communication to club members we collect a member's phone number and email address. This information is not distributed to third parties.

Each participant on a walk must provide a contact phone number for themselves (for arranging the walk) and the
details of a contact person (to call in case of delays or problems on the activity). Non-club members must also provide an address to become temporary members for the duration of the trip. None of these details are distributed to third parties.

When you use the link in the newsletter to book for a trip, for convenience your usual emergency contact is added to the form using information stored as a cookie on your own computer. You have an opportunity to store any changes to the details for later use, again as a cookie on your own computer. All the data you enter into the form is discarded after it has been passed to your own email program which will then create an email for you to send to the trip leader.

Participants should carry a form outlining medical information about themselves that might be important in the case of a medical emergency. Such a Personal Emergency Information form would only be accessed by the leader when the participant has been disabled.