The name "Garingal Orienteers" was chosen at the first formal club meeting in 1973. A previous contender for the club's name had been "Illawong" but Garingal was inspired by the Aboriginal tribe that lived in the Ku-ring-gai area.

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The fist Garingal club event was held at North Turramurra on 7th October 1973, with 46 entries.

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The map used at the first event was on a scale of 1:15,000 and belonged to BOO which stood for Bennelong Ocassional Orienteers.

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Garingal club membership in 1973 was $1.

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The Sydney Morning Herald reported the results of the second Garingal club event (held at Narrabeen), which attracted over 100 people.

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The first Garingal mid-week event was held on Wed 28th November at Narrabeen.