The Red Roos club was formed in Canberra by John and Karan Walker in November 1975, as the Red Kangaroos (ACT), an offshoot of the Red Kangaroos (Vic). The name was changed to Red Roos in 1983 to differentiate the club from its Victorian parent club, which subsequently merged with Bayside Orienteers to form the Bayside Kangaroos.
The Red Roos was originally a Tuggeranong-South Canberra based club, but it was one of the first clubs to recruit members not only from elsewhere within Canberra but from throughout Australia. The Roos brought about in change in national rules that had previously limited membership to one’s own State/Territory. Thanks to the Roos, club memberships are no longer limited by geographical boundaries.