The ANU mountaineering club acknowledges the Traditional Owners of this land, Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, who are caretakers of this Country on which this club and the ANU reside and operate on. We pay our respects to Country, to custodians, Elders, knowledge-holders and their kin, and we acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia as having strong and continuing connections to land, culture, and Country. We acknowledge that mountaineering and related activities have a colonial history, which has enabled participants to benefit and enjoy these activities based on a history of land being taken without free, prior and informed consent. We acknowledge that First Nations people continue to be sovereign people, and continue to hold knowledge about the environment around us, which has been passed on for thousands of generations. We thank Country for nurturing and holding us.
The Australian National University Mountaineering Club (ANUMC) was formed on the 29th of September 1967 from a merger of the ANU Bushwalking, Rockclimbing and Canoe Clubs. The ANUMC is Canberra's largest and most active outdoor club running hundreds of activities each year.
The Club is coordinated from this website. You'll need to become a member to login and access some of the content and mailing lists. Paid members can participate in trips and hire gear from the gear store. Non-members can go on a trial trip for an additional cost, but members get priority.
Club trips are not commercially guided tours. Trip leaders are club members who volunteer their time to organize the trip, coordinate equipment and transport. Participants are responsible for their own safety and enjoyment. What you get out of a trip is up to you.
The ANUMC is proud to have a large cohort of both student and non-student members. If you wish to become a member, information can be found here
Hall of Fame
Established in 1999, the ANUMC Hall of Fame recognises outstanding personal contributions to the Club. The award is represented by a wood handled ice axe which, back in the 1970s, was one of several in the ANUMC gearstore and was likely to have been used on various club mountaineering expeditions to New Zealand and Nepal.
The following ANUMC members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Their names are engraved onto the ice axe handle.
2024 - Terry Murphy
2023 - Ashley Barnes
2022 - Steve Hare
2021 - Steve Lade
For his extensive service to the club over many years, Steve Lade was recognised with The Axe in 2021. This service commenced around 2007, and included roles in the management of the club as well as leading many ski and bushwalking trips over a number of years, notably an unusually wet traverse of the Larapinta Trail. Steve has also dabbled in other club activities such as cycle touring, rogaining, rock climbing and adventure racing. Contributions to the Epic magazine with various articles and recipes have also been a regular feature of his involvement in the club. On his return from a stint working overseas, he immediately commenced leading bushwalking and XC skiing trips for the club, including traverses of stunning Tasmanian ranges such as the Du Cane and Eastern Arthurs (with an ascent of Federation Peak). His contributions have introduced many beginners to the joys of the Australian bush and exposed many members to various landscapes particularly through the Australian Alps.
2020- Ivan Dovana
2019 – James Bailie
For his distinguished service and contribution to the Club: 5 years on the Exec (with 2 years of Presidents, 2 years of Secretary and a year of General Officer - all of them high-quality work). He has also served on the committee as gear store officer and climbing officer. He has led numerous trips over the years ranging from beginner to advanced level across different types of activities, organized courses for members and shared his administrative knowledge and climbing skills. He organised the iconic Cocktails on Castle for 5 consecutive years. He was part of the successful Kyrgyzstan expedition and recently led his very own mountaineering expedition to Peru, which has inspired many other junior mountaineers. He has a solid understanding of the workings of the club and a multi-discipline representation. In general he is a very responsible, understanding, trustworthy and reliable person in the club. James will continue on the exec in 2020 as vice president.
2018 – Josh Bax
In the 5+ years at the club Josh has contributed a huge amount as canyoning officer, website officer and trip leader. Well versed in canyoning, climbing, bushwalking, mountaineering and skiing he organised a huge number of trips including the high profile extravaganzas. Josh has a particular focus on beginners, taking the time to run a number of training sessions to introduce new members to abseilling and bushwalking. Additionally, his management of the club IT system steamlined gear hire and improved equipment accounting. Josh is a fixture in the club and even proposed to his fiance An Ran on the 2018 Cocktails on the Castle.
2017 – Mel Stamell
Mel has been active in the club and leading trips across a range of activities for 10 years. She has served on the committee in a number of different activity office roles and been a GSO for several years. Mel promotes participation in a number of activities and is a fun and good humoured person to have on any trip! Mel also played a lead role in organising the fantastic ANUMC 50th anniversary celebrations in October 2017.
2016 – Mark Euston
Mark has made many often unseen but very valuable contributions over many many years including inspiration to others; running trips of all sorts; running rope nerd workshops; general skill transfer to other club members especially regarding rope work; carrying the party tent on several occasions; making the club look good by winning rogaines; making awesome video clips; initiating and supporting visions (others would say silly ideas) such as snow kayaking and building a snow sauna; being the faff police ensuring that faffing in the club is reduced to a minimum; providing first hand (powder) snow condition reports; and generally being an awesome companion in the outdoors).
2015 – Nic Fox
For, among other things, committing 'full-time job' time in building the new webpage. For his contributions at the wall, being wall officer, offering guidance to people there and the huge amount of effort in maintaining the wall and setting new routes he has put in. Also, that’s not even mentioning his contributions to the website which he was been mainly developing on his own this year. For being so helpful with almost anything – website, climbing wall, boat shed working bees (he doesn’t even kayak!) and helping out with social events.
2014 – Gabriela Scheufele
For the years of work she has put into keeping the club's canyoning scene alive and thriving, training new canyoners and canyoning leaders, organising rescue courses and running trips almost every weekend of the season, all while helping to keep the club's gear in order. She has been incredibly dedicated to the gear store, and has taken on the additional role of canyoning officer (and Mountaineering Officer) with a commitment to training and safety that has not often been replicated in other roles.
2013 – Lauren Bartsch
This incredibly motivated lady first joined the club around 2008. She came with a love for hiking and an obsession with pink, and soon grabbed onto every activity in the club to became one of our most skilled members. In addition to this, she demonstrated an almost super-human level of motivation on the committee: She’s edited The EPIC, been the social officer and Vice President, and one of the club’s longest serving Presidents with three successful years at the helm.
There is no denying the legacy that Lauren will leave in the club: a greater emphasis on training and competition funding within the club, as well as the hugely popular Bluies Weekend, the Coast weekend, and the brief annual foray into resort skiing where the club hires an entire bus to go to Thredbo.
2012 – Alana Wilkes
Alana has been a member of the club since 2008 and has been the club's outstanding Secretary since 2009. Alana started out as a bushwalker, but has since mastered the art of rolling a kayak, conquered the climbing wall (and the Castle), and donned skis on many occasions.
Alana has made an enthusiastic contribution across all club activities, has been tireless in her promotion of the club to new members and encouraging beginners. She has shown regular and longstanding leadership of weekly activities and club trips. She has exhibited inexhaustible patience and good humour and has many years of stellar service on our committee. Most of all, she has completed all of these activities with her ever present cheerful smile.
2011 – Dave Boland
Dave has been a long-time member of the ANUMC, with interests in a range of activities (e.g. climbing, skiing), but with a big focus on white-water kayaking. Dave was on the club’s committee as one of the club’s kayaking officers for several years and continues to run a huge range of trips and skills sessions, as well as looking after the club’s whitewater kayaking gear at the boat shed and coordinating working bees.
2010 – Nic Bendeli
Nic has made a long contribution to the development of bushwalking, canyoning, cross-country skiing, and kayaking within the ANUMC. Nic has been one of the club's most outstanding trip leaders and has passed on his knowledge and skill to many who went on to themselves become the regular trip leaders in the club. He has served on the committee as the Canyoning Officer and Cross-Country Skiing Officer, and is always willing to lend a hand at slide nights and other club functions.
2009 – Andrew Collins
Andrew joined the club in 1983, as a keen climber and mountaineer. Andrew has made a real contribution to kayaking, particularly organising beginner skills sessions, pushing the club towards sea kayaking as a separate activity and as a long time leader of beginner trips, with focus on developing beginners.
2008 – David Price
Dave joined the ANUMC in 2001 and became especially active in 2005, soon becoming a driving force in the Club’s climbing fraternity. As Climbing Wall Officer (2006 - 2007) and Rock Climbing Officer (2008) he introduced new measures to support emerging climbing trip leaders and increase the amount of climbing trips being run. The ANUMC is, however, most grateful to Dave as the saviour of the ANUMC website. Fundamentally dependent upon the Internet for the coordination of trips, the administration of the Club and communication with its members, the ANUMC averted the disastrous prospect in first semester of losing the entire website thanks to Dave’s foresight and monumental personal effort. Along with his team of volunteers, he oversaw the construction of a new club website in a very short time frame and has continued to manage and maintain the website.
2007 – Sam Keech Marx
Renowned for her persistent shoulder injuries (and winning the Bandaid Award in 2005 and 2006) Sam’s contributions to the ANUMC since joining in 1999 included serving on the Committee/Executive as General Officer (2002), Secretary (2003-04 and 2006), Bushwalking Officer (2005-06) and President (2006-07). Sam also served on the ANU Sport and Recreation Council from 2002-2006. She also led numerous trips each year, including 3 Huge Days Out and is often heavily involved in organising other major ANUMC events, including the 40th Anniversary celebration in 2007.
2006 – Sam Margerison
Sam ‘Moneybags’ Margerison joined the ANUMC in 1998 and subsequently served as Database Officer (2000-04) and Gearstore Officer (2000 and intermittently since then) before discovering his true calling as Treasurer. For two years (2005-06), Sam managed the ANUMC’s finances with the highest level of integrity. His foresight and dedication gave placed the ANUMC on a solid financial footing while maximising the use of available funds for the benefit of all members. Sam was/is always a willing and reliable volunteer at Club events such as social nights, BBQs and O-Week stalls, and in this way he quietly kept/keeps the club running. An active trip leader, Sam continued to serve as Treasurer (2007-09) and was further recognised in 2007 with Life Membership of the ANUMC.
2005 – Bron Davies
Bron contributed significantly to the Club since joining in 2002. She served on the Committee for over three years as Social Officer (2003), Bushwalking Officer (2003-04) and Epic Editor (2004-05) and led several trips each year including bushwalking and rock climbing trips. In 2004 and 2005 she led Cocktails on The Castle and in 2002 helped manage media arrangements for the Club’s Kiandra to Kosciuszko fundraising bushwalk for the SnowyHydro Southcare Helicopter and was heavily involved in the planning and coordination of the fundraiser. Bron continued to serve as Epic Editor in 2006 and 2008.
2004 – Matt May
Matt is a gear store legend. Having joined the ANUMC in 2000 he promptly volunteered as Gear Store Officer. With amazing dedication, for the next five years he could be found behind the gear store counter on an almost weekly basis cheerfully helping members hire and return gear. He also led numerous bushwalking and skiing trips, showing a commendable tolerance for the inexperienced and plain stupid. In addition to this exemplary commitment (especially during the ski season) he also served as Epic Editor (2001), XC Skiing Officer (2002) and President (2003). As President, Matt was well respected and took the role seriously, taking an interest in every aspect of the running of the Club and attending every social event and BBQ. Matt continued to serve as Gear Store Officer until 2008 (an incredible nine years) and was further recognised with Life Membership of the ANUMC in 2007.
2003 – Annabel Battersby
Annabel joined the ANUMC in 1999 and began leading trips soon after. In addition to numerous bushwalking, canyoning, rock climbing and snow shoeing trips, Annabel was particularly active in coordinating and leading training activities aimed at the less experienced members of the Club and prospective trip leaders. As Treasurer (2003), she obtained competition funding and Women in Sport funding for the club for the first time and co-ordinated three Women in Sport training weekends. To make it easier for trip leaders to run trips she designed the online trip-submission system implemented by Pietro Abate and Oliver Story in 2004. Annabel also played a leading role in coordinating many large and complex events such as Huge Days Out, Blue Mountains Extravaganza and Cocktails at The Castle. She served as Social Officer (2000), Epic Editor (2003), Gear Store Officer (2004), and was heavily involved in the planning and coordination of the 2002 Kiandra to Kosciuszko fundraiser. Annabel subsequently served as President in 2005 and was awarded the Peter McCullagh Award by the ANUSRA for services to the Mountaineering Club in June 2006.
2002 – John McGrath
Since joining the ANUMC in 1998 John served four years on the Executive/Committee as Social Officer (1999 – 2000), XC Skiing Officer (1999 – 2000), Epic Editor (2001) and Bushwalking Officer (2002). Always keen to go further, faster, harder, John is famous for his epic bushwalking, canyoning and skiing trips and his efforts to enhance the public profile of the Club. John first attracted positive media coverage for the ANUMC in 2000 when he completed the Australian Alps Walking Track. He did so again in 2002 when, following the tragic death of an ANUMC member in a fatal car accident on a Club trip, he conceived, coordinated and led a fundraising walk from Kiandra to Kosciuszko in 46 hrs that raised almost $20,000 for the SnowyHydro Southcare Helicopter rescue service. John subsequently ran dawn paddling all year round from 2003-2005.
2001 – Mika Kontiainen
Mika joined the ANUMC in 1996 and served for four years on the Executive/Committee as Bushwalking Officer (1998-2000), Trip Convenor (1999-2000) and Vice President (2000). He also served as Acting President for periods in 1999 and 2000. He was actively involved in ghost editing The Epic, wrote the ANUMC Trip Leaders Guide, helped introduce EPIRBs to the Club and each year as Bushwalking Officer coordinated numerous training activities including the Leadership Weekend, bushcraft and search and rescue training. A prolific trip leader, by 2001 he had led 75 ANUMC trips, including 40 in the last two years. In 2005 Mika reached an unprecedented milestone of 100 trips led for the Club and was awarded Life Membership of the ANUMC.
2000 – Duncan McIntyre
Duncan joined the ANUMC in 1993 and served for seven years on the Executive/Committee as President (1997), Vice-President (1999), Treasurer (2000), Bushwalking Officer (1994-96) and Epic Editor (1995-98). An active trip leader, Duncan helped lead the ANUMC’s first Cocktails on The Castle trip in 1994, first Midwinter Feast in 1995 and first Leadership Weekend in 1998. In 1998 he helped coordinate the production of the ANUMC Granite Guide and wrote the indispensable pocket guide, “As much Bushlore as will fit on two pages.” In 2000 the SRA awarded Duncan the Peter McCullagh Award for “Outstanding participation and long-term administrative services to the ANUMC.” Duncan was subsequently elected onto the ANU Sports Council in 2000, served as its Vice-President in 2002 and President from 2003-2005. He was made a Life Member of the SRA in 2006.
1999 – Will Keogh
The inaugural Hall of Fame was awarded to Will Keogh. Aside from several years as XC skiing officer, Will’s contributions to the Club included serving for four years on the Executive as Treasurer (1999), Vice-President (1996-97), and President (1998). As the Club’s first web page editor he played a leading role in establishing an ANUMC web presence in 1996 and managing it for sometime thereafter. An active trip leader, Will also helped coordinate numerous first aid courses for the Club. In 2000 the ANU Sports and Recreation Association (SRA) recognised Will’s contribution to the Club and awarded him the Peter McCullagh Award for “Outstanding participation and long-term administrative services to the ANUMC.”