Orienteering Canada Hall of Fame

Scott Donald made a lasting impact on orienteering in British Columbia, especially in the Kootenays, where he was a driving force for over 40 years. In the early 1980s, he founded the Kootenay Orienteering Club, bringing the sport to a geographically vast and previously underserved region in South and Southeast BC. He led orienteering for the 1986 BC Summer Games in Cranbrook and served on the board of the Orienteering Association of BC (OABC). Scott created many of the first orienteering maps used in the Kootenays and was an early adopter of OCAD, contributing mapping expertise throughout BC and the Pacific Northwest.

Scott also served as a course planner, meet controller, and instructor, running workshops to help others achieve certification. He was qualified to control World Cup-level events and was Technical Director for the 1997 Veteran’s World Cup (now WMOCs) in Minnesota. His thoughtful approach to course planning was reflected in his published writings, including contributions to Orienteering North America and the Due West newsletter, where he shared expert advice on course setting and meet organization.

Together with his wife Shirley, Scott introduced orienteering to countless youth in the Kootenays, often driving vanloads of juniors to events and securing funding to support their participation in Sass Peepre camps. Many of those youth have remained in the sport and taken on leadership roles themselves. Scott’s passion, mentorship, and technical expertise helped build a strong orienteering community that continues to thrive. His legacy lives on in the vibrant Kootenay Orienteering Club and in the many individuals he inspired throughout the province and beyond.