Vale Keith Anker

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Bayside Kangaroos member Keith Anker, who had been ill for many months.  Keith was an enthusiastic park street orienteer, enjoying both the outdoor exercise, and the challenge of solving the puzzles that orienteering presents.  Keith loved maps, and relished setting tricky courses that really made us think.  Even while unwell and housebound, Keith was still setting great courses for us all to enjoy, the latest one being as recently as April 29 at Mulgrave.  Keith, we will certainly miss you.

Ian Davies was a good friend of Keith’s and he has written the following tribute.
Keith was quite a remarkable person, always calm, never flustered, a prodigious memory for trivia, opera and poetry. A frighteningly good chess player who was capable of playing multiple games blind simultaneously and wining them all. An accomplished pianist, he had a baby grand at home, sadly not much used in recent times although I should note that he played for an hour and a half four days before he passed and that this was the first time in several years. We mostly remember him as an orienteer but he was also involved with Rogaining at its very beginning. With wife Robyn they won a number of events and set them too. Before that came rock climbing, bushwalking and cross country skiing. As he became older, sea kayaking. He earned his living teaching maths, which he loved. So he was not just ‘that old bloke’ who leaned on the finish table puffing. Thanks for all those good times Keith, I’ll miss you.

Details of a memorial service will be posted when known.

Click here to see Keith’s last course.