Stuart Brookes Memorial 6/12hr Rogaine (17 May 2025)

Refuelling on course. Words and Photo by Greg Robinson

As we rolled out of Melbourne under cover of darkness, heading for Daylesford through sheets of rain and the rhythmic protest of screeching wipers, I couldn’t help but wonder: what exactly had I signed up for—and what kind of madness lay ahead?

Turns out, the Werona Sprint Stuart Brookes Memorial 6 and 12-hour rogaine was a brilliant adventure. Held in collaboration with Bush Search and Rescue, the event honoured the legacy of Stuart Brookes—an icon of bushwalking and wilderness rescue—and brought together a terrific crowd of enthusiastic rogainers.

Despite the cool weather and the occasional drizzle-that-might-have-been-mist, the course was superb—classic rogaining terrain with dry, fast ground, sprawling tracks, spurs, and sneaky gullies. It drew a big field for the 6-hour event, and a hardy group of competitors braved the full 12 hours.

In true rogaining fashion, some eagle-eyed participants spotted the first checkpoint before they even left the car park (did you catch it?). The course was well-balanced, sending teams deep into the bush for a mix of mental and physical challenges. Some checkpoints were delightfully tricky, especially if you dared to glance away from the map, and a few boundary fence climbs delivered elevation that rivalled a rollercoaster.

Huge kudos to the first-time course setters—what a debut! And cheers to everyone who took part. Special thanks to whoever thought to stash fruit and chocolate at the water points—you’re a hero.

A big thank you to the generous landowner who let us roam their farm, and hats off to the stellar event team: Julian Wilson, Janelle Christie, Nick Klucknow, Daniel Sue, and Phil Giddings. Massive appreciation also goes to all the volunteers, especially the catering and equipment crews—nothing hits quite like a hot meal after 12 hours out in the cold. Thank you to Grant Jeffrey, Monica Raphael, Annette Grime, Marion Skovdam, Andrew Oppenheim, Barry Middleton, Rosalie Morgan, Neil Phillips, Lukasz Gogolkiewicz, Noel Duffy, Stewart Cowey and everyone else that chipped in on the day.

Congratulations to Miles Vershuur and Rob Preston for the victory in the 6 hour event and Shelley Bambrook, Elizabeth Dornom who took out the 12 hour victory. Our podium was:-

Stuart Brookes Memorial 6hour Saturday
1st – Miles Vershuur, Rob Preston. (2190pts)
2nd – Byron Sanford, Jordan Sanford. (1840pts)
3rd – David Rowlands, Alexander Rowlands. (1660pts)

Stuart Brookes Memorial 12hour Saturday
1st – Shelley Bambrook, Elizabeth Dornom. (2550pts)
2nd – Gleb Belov, Tim Plozza. (2480pts)
3rd – Simin Ngan, David Heng, Paul Monks, Alaster Meehan. (2470pts)

As always, click the links to download the full results as well as the individual tags for each competitor.