Congratulations to Great Walks contributor, author and navigation expert Caro Ryan on being awarded an Order of Australia Medal as part of last week’s Australia Day Honours.
Many readers will know Caro through her insightful Great Walks articles, the Lotsafreshair blog, her essential book How to Navigate, her engaging and practical navigation courses, or as the host of Rescued.
Through these platforms, she shares real rescue stories that help people head into the outdoors with greater confidence and safety.
What is less widely known is just how much Caro gives back to the bushwalking community. As Deputy Unit Commander of the NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue Unit, she has made a significant contribution to strengthening wilderness search and rescue capability.
More broadly, Caro has been at the forefront of promoting outdoor safety, improving risk awareness and encouraging preparedness across the bushwalking community.
Caro truly embodies what it means to be a bushwalker, and her recognition is well deserved.
“Compared to competitive sport, only a handful of bushwalkers or outdoor adventurers have been recognised, so Caro’s award is welcome,” said David Reid OAM, Past President of Bushwalking Australia. “We are slowly getting there and should encourage more nominations.”
Other OAM recipients recognised for their contribution to bushwalking include Stuart Brookes, Chris Baxter, Margaret Covi and Terry Lavender.