A Little bit of History

[Barry Davies]

Being interested in all things historical, whilst browsing yesterday I came across a list of all rifle clubs that existed in Victoria in 1910.
Total number of clubs was 323 of which 33 were metropolitan clubs.
Our numbers have declined somewhat since then to the almost insignificant state we are in today.
Most of those clubs had their own rifle ranges also, of which some remains are still visible if you know where to look.
The once great rifle club movement has been in slow decline since then and one wonders what lies ahead -- don't want to sound negative but facts are facts.
Barry

[Lynn Otto]

Barry the same applies everywhere, obviously. As you say some of the ranges are still visible if you know where to look. My father was a shooter and we have been looking for some of the SA ranges he shot on, a number of the rural ones can still be found. It is rather sad really, that so many have been lost.

[M12LRPV]

Being interested in all things historical, whilst browsing yesterday I came across a list of all rifle clubs that existed in Victoria in 1910.
Total number of clubs was 323 of which 33 were metropolitan clubs.
Our numbers have declined somewhat since then to the almost insignificant state we are in today.
Most of those clubs had their own rifle ranges also, of which some remains are still visible if you know where to look.
The once great rifle club movement has been in slow decline since then and one wonders what lies ahead -- don't want to sound negative but facts are facts.
Barry

Yes facts certainly are facts. The decline is there but so to is the growth and the growth opportunities.

Will it ever get back to where it was though? Not likely.

Because adult sports are in decline.
I was recently looking at a previous activity of mine, Sailing and in a discussion with an old club commodore we noted that just 20 years ago there were more than 150 boats sailing out of the club on a weekend while we watched one class that in our day fielded 50 boats with 200 sailors on a Sunday afternoon now had just 5 boats and 15 sailors.

People would rather go to fitness first than be out in the real world.

[Iggy]

Being interested in all things historical, whilst browsing yesterday I came across a list of all rifle clubs that existed in Victoria in 1910.
Total number of clubs was 323 of which 33 were metropolitan clubs.
Our numbers have declined somewhat since then to the almost insignificant state we are in today.
Most of those clubs had their own rifle ranges also, of which some remains are still visible if you know where to look.
The once great rifle club movement has been in slow decline since then and one wonders what lies ahead -- don't want to sound negative but facts are facts.
Barry

G'day Barry

Could you please post the link where you find the info...very much interested.

That would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[RJNEILSEN]

Gun laws, Mel & Koshie and land values will be the death of long range rifle shooting. At Belmont I see those houses on the hill looking down at us and the developers are already wondering how to grab our land. 40 years left on the lease I think?? That should see me out. I doubt there will be a rifle range close to many capital cities for my grandkids though.

[Barry Davies]

Hi Iggy,
try this

http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Ho ... lubs-1910/
link is case sensitive.
Barry

[Barry Davies]

Since 1910 there have been many other clubs ( not on that list ) which have come and gone -- a couple that spring to mind are Rochester and Mount Franklin ( have shot on both those ranges ) no doubt there are many more. Back before my time the #3 and #4 DRA's ( Castlemaine and Bendigo ) were combined to form a DRA with 72 member clubs and stretched from Gisborne ( Vic ) to Deniliquin (NSW ). Nowdays those Associations can only boast 7 clubs between them -- and one of those is a Metropolitan club.
Yes Lynn, very sad.

Barry

[Iggy]

Thanks Barry

[bobeager]

By contrast, the Sporting Shooters Assoc. of Aust. has I believe in excess of 120,000 members and some $millions in the bank for development!!! the last Fly Shoot at Canberra had I believe 100 entries ...the max capacity of the range!!!! At ourRifle club, a couple of our members run Firearms Safety courses...very popular...but almost none of these people are interested in long range target shooting....has it become just too expensive for the ordinary citizen?

[Barry Davies]

As Bob said -- expense --which I believe is a big factor, if not the biggest, in a person deciding whether they will commit themselves to FB shooting in either discipline.
You can argue that a top line set of golf clubs are also expensive but you cannot compare golf with shooting-- that's just an excuse, and a poor one at that.
You can also argue that an omark will shoot just as well as a Barnard or whatever, but I'll bet those arguing that don't use an omark -- do they?
Then there are the ongoing costs!!
Well, that's the hole we dug for ourselves, and that's why our numbers are slowly but surely depleting.
Sobering thoughts.

Barry

[M12LRPV]

I would say that promotion is a bigger issue.

Bob described a recent fly shoot in Canberra that saw 100 competitors and a maximum range capacity. I would say that fly shooting is more expensive with finer tuned equipment for the smaller targets they use.

If you want to know why we are in decline then take a look at the SSAA website and compare it with the NRAA web site.

http://www.ssaa.org.au/
http://www.nraa.com.au/

What's the first menu item on each page?

Now this is not a dig at the guys doing the NRAA website. They are constrained largely by what their membership expect of them.

The next thing that is a problem is that all the young potential long range shooters care about are x-box games and tactical rifles. Omarks and Barnards just aren't cool.

One of our guys has a full Accuracy International setup. We get more young guys drooling over that than anyone else does with their gear, no matter what action they use.

That's the market today. Now how do you tap into it?

Third is that many people like to talk up the mystique of it being some horrendously difficult task to be able to shoot long range.
Telling someone now that they might become a good shooter in 5 or 10 years time really puts them off. Shooting long range is easy. Winning is hard, but shooting long range is easy. With tools like chronographs, weather meters and ballistics calculators around there is no excuse why a new shooter cannot put their first shot in the black every time after just one initial sight in.

[John S]

Having commenced target shooting at the age of 53 years, I can perhaps have a different view on how the sport of target shooting is progressing, membership wise. The last thing I want to do on the range is to act as a baby sitter to gen y or z or a etc! I don't mind helping and encouraging, but the nappy changing is in a distant past!

Before we all become morbid and commence dribbling into our porridge, lets look at the positives. Hey, this is all about us (a baby boomer talking here!). While we can lets make it happen for us, spend the kids inheritance, and enjoy the sport while we are above ground!

Seriously, target shooting is expensive and after my children found their way in the world, then I could afford to purchase one or two new F Class target rifles and associated equipment and supplies to enjoy the sport. I am hoping to enjoy the sport of target shooting for at least the next 20 years or so while there is a range near me!

I am sure that target shooting will be enjoyed by the generations to come, perhaps in a different form and or organisation. I am now 60 years and at this time I am exploring target shooting challenges within SSAA. We need to be flexible and for goodness sake enjoy the present. The past is behind us and the future is unknown.

Gee, I feel better already!! Here's looking forward to the next shoot on the rifle range!!!

Cheers

John S

[Iggy]

Barry

Thanks again for the link.

After reading the info on the link in detail I was surprised that Rosedale Rifle Club did not appear as we have an Honour Roll in our club room of some 50+ names of club members from the Great War.

I might have to query the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre & ask for further information.

Will keep you posted.

Regards

[Barry Davies]

Maybe Rosedale RC did not exist until after 1910 but before 1918.
Barry

[Barry Davies]

Further, the link below takes you to a comprehensive list of rifle clubs in each state in addition to Light Horse units and other military units in 1913 just prior to the outbreak of the great War.

http://alh-research.tripod.com/militia.htm

Read particularly the essay by JB Campbell on The Rifle Club Movement -A distinct factor in the defence problem --- very interesting reading.

Barry