Recently WICEN Victoria supported the Baw Baw Extreme, a 2-day extreme multiple discipline athletic event where competitors made their way over 80kms of Victorian high-country. The event allowed competitors to be a team (relay style), duo (two people) or solo where competitors ran, biked and kayaked their way from the township of Walhalla to the village at Mt Baw Baw. Some chose to do the trek in one go (within a day) while others split the trek and stayed overnight at the township of Erica. www.bawbawextreme.com.au
For a competitor to even attempt and contemplate completing such an event they train for many months and years in all sorts of conditions. Their preparation is time consuming, and their equipment is well maintained (bikes & kayaks). They also have a support team throughout the event. A parallel can be drawn with a WICEN Event Commander, who could also be said to spend hundreds of hours preparing for events. 
In no particular order, and of course every event is unique so the list varies, here are some of the things an may do:
• Client management – becoming embedded with the client (the event) planning as early as possible. This is crucial for a successful outcome. The EC (Event Commander) needs to fully understand the needs of the client, the event and what is being expected of WICEN. A lot of time is dedicated attending meetings and corresponding with our contact for the event.
• Comms planning – depending upon the event’s RF needs (voice and or data) and the topography. Many hours are spent doing computer RF modelling as well as real world tests by visiting the various checkpoints to verify and validate the computer modelling. The EC also needs to coordinate resources such as access to fixed repeaters and other field requirements such as deployment of WICEN mobile repeaters.
• Call for operators – the EC is responsible for sourcing operators for the event. Based on the RF requirements and locations, the EC matches those needs with suitable WICEN members. Selection criteria may lend itself to a 4WD required to get to the checkpoint, availability as some events run 2 or even 3 days, and the RF requirement, as the operator may have to operate packet as well as voice on a variety of bands.
• Documentation – the EC prepares the “comms manual” as well as the HSE documents. The comms manual tells you why we are doing it, what to do, where to go, how to do it and when do it. The HSE operations guide provides information relating to how to go about your deployment safely. It’s a good reminder of all the things you might need to be self-sufficient for what could be a multiple day deployment. They are mission critical to a successful outcome.
• Pre and post event briefings – the EC organises and hosts these briefings, providing an opportunity for the team to share and discuss the event, and exchange learnings. This is a two-way process whereby the EC and the operators share and gain knowledge specific to the event. The post event de-briefing is a way for the EC to learn what worked and what didn’t work, gain information to feedback to the client, and formally thank everyone for their participation.
So, to Chris Morley VK3CJK, the Event Commander for the Baw Baw Extreme, along with John Morrisey VK3ZRX and many others who helped with the preplanning of this inaugural event, we acknowledge the many hours and expense given by you and the team to ensure the event ran well. Without all our WICEN Vic EC’s and their teams, WICEN would not be able to get involved with our clients (events). 
WICEN Vic could not have completed its duties without the many volunteers who gave their time to operate in all sorts of conditions at the Baw Baw Extreme. Some of the photos show WICEN checkpoints, many of which operated for up to 18 hours. One that John Sunderland, VK3JSN, setup was a 5km hike from Baw Baw village. Many of the competitors commented how good they felt knowing there was someone close to the finish to greet them and be there for them if needed after making the trek up the mountain from the Erica car park. Often a message I’ve heard in many an event.
