SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016

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1 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016 Your Committee President Dennis Gaskell dengas@bigpond.net.au Treasurer / ABA Rep Annie Gorgat Range Captain Rob Gleeson Secretary Melissa Ainscow ainscow@iinet.net.au Publicity Officer / Editor Rob Duncan rolex3@tpg.com.au Membership Secretary Don Honey donjhoney@gmail.com Score Recorder Rob Holmes Bowhunters Rep Graham Newell Head Coach Donna Smit PRESIDENTS REPORT & WFAC Roundup Since the last newsletter a number of significant events have taken place. Firstly, the World IFAA competition at Wagga Wagga 26 th -30 th September. Seven Grange Bowmen members made the long trip down to Wagga. They were Donna and Tony Smit, Justin Olexienko, Paul Olexienko, Rob Gleeson, Annie Corgat and myself. The whole adventure started under the threat of bad weather including the trip down the Newell highway. About 50 klm past Parkes the road was covered with water in about 15 places. I have never seen so much water, as far as the eye could see there was water on both sides of the road. We travelled down the Wednesday before the competition and authorities closed the road on Thursday morning. We had sincere doubts as to whether the competition would go ahead after talking to the organisers on Wednesday night by phone as they had already had to get 4 bogged vehicles out. We decided to go out to the venue and see for ourselves and then make a decision to stay or travel home. This was Thursday morning and it was not so bad at the club grounds as long as you stayed on the higher ground. We set up camp and settled in and we were lucky not to have any more substantial rain for the next 6 days. As with all clubs, the organising staff were very short handed and we offered to help by running the LARGE practice ranges. We worked in teams of three and rotated with a few others. At times there would be around 100+ people on the practice range and it was very interesting watching behaviour of some of the individuals especially some from overseas who believed they were more important than others. They did look a bit shocked when we would pull them up and tell them the safety requirements while on the range. The first three days competition went well with only a few light drizzles of rain. The four ranges were challenging but enjoyable to shoot. By Wednesday afternoon there was prediction of heavy rain and strong winds for Thursday and Friday. Having completed the Field, Hunter and Animal rounds over the first three days, myself, Donna and Tony decided to pack up and start the trip home on Thursday morning. Justin, Paul, Annie and Rob decided to stay and complete the last two days. As it turned the October

2 last two days were cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. Big congratulations have to go to Justin who won the World A Grade Freestyle Unlimited division, Paul for achieving 2 nd place in the Veterans Freestyle Unlimited class and Annie for 1 st place in the female C Grade Longbow. What a tremendous effort by these three to achieve these results at world level. CONGRATULATIONS!! On the weekend of the 8 th and 9 th of October we hosted a world class coach from America who run a seminar over the weekend at our club. There was 27 people who attended the seminar and all learned a lot from the experience. Sunday the 16 th we held the Dick Coates memorial shoot competition. This is 3 D shoot primarily for long Bow shooters, but among the 20 participants were a number of compound shooters who enjoyed the day. A big thanks to Rob Gleeson and Annie who put a lot of effort into setting the range up for the shoot and Graham for organising the lunch. Over all it has been a busy period and I would like to thank those who have been working behind the scene to keep the club looking great and organising targets, grass mowing and ongoing repairs Etc. This takes a lot of time sacrifice and effort by a few people to keep things happening. It is extremely important that YOU as club members support YOUR club at working bee s and attendance at scheduled shoots. At the moment attendance has dropped off at working bee s which means the same small group of people are doing all the work. If we want the club to continue to prosper and improve you the membership must get involved otherwise the few will get burnt out, loose interest and then the club will go downhill very fast. We have two more scheduled competition shoots before the end of the year. There is the ABA Club Championships on Sunday the 6 th of November and the 3D Club Championships on Sunday the 27 th November (check your calendar). A reminder to all, to be eligible for club champion you MUST have competed in at least one scheduled ABA competition shoot and these two competition shoots. There is a working bee on Saturday the 26 th to get the range ready for the 3D shoot. This takes a lot of work to set up and we need as many people as possible to come and assist. The working bee starts at 8am. Even if you can only spare a few hours it will be a great help. In closing I want to remind you the club Christmas function is on Saturday the 10 th December at 6pm, more information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. Put it in your diary, it will be a great night. Keep enjoying your sport :-) Dennis Gaskell October

3 Club Championships! IMPORTANT: The end of year is closing fast and that brings us to two of our biggest club shoots of the year, the ABA Club Championships and the 3D Club Championships. Just a reminder that to be eligible to win a Club Champion trophy members must have participated in at least 1 standard Club ABA round and BOTH these club coming Championship rounds. ABA Club Championships When: Sunday 6th November Muster: 7.45am - 8am 3D Club Championships When: Sunday 27th November Muster: 7.45am - 8am Justin Olexienko, left (1 st Adult Male, Freestyle Unlimited), Paul Olexienko (2 nd Veteran Male, Freestyle Unlimited) Grange Bowmen take this opportunity to congratulate Justin Olexienko on his first place win at the recent World Field Archery Championships, Justin s win makes him the reigning Mens Freestyle A Grade World Champion. We would also like to congratulate Justin s dad Paul who came 2nd in the Veteran Mens Freestyle Unlimited Division, an amazing story of success for the Olexienko family!! Congratulations must also go to Annie Corgat who placed 1st in Adult Female Longbow ( C Class)! Well done you have ALL made Grange PROUD!!! October

4 Over the last couple of years several of the Grange Bowmen Inc. members, namely Brett Stokes, Alan Robertson (Robbo) & Graham Newell have headed north to hunt feral pigs The only game taken by our members are ALL FERAL, that is non native animals and the aim is to do so as quickly & humanly as possible. Interestingly, according to a recent estimate, there are some 20 million plus feral pigs in Australia and these feral (non native) animals cause considerable damage to our fragile environment, they are a declared pest in all states of Australia. Over the years these Grange members have experienced all sorts of interesting conditions, people and animals. In the last couple of years they have removed some 50 plus feral animals, driving through wet, boggy black-soil country. When it rain up north it RAINS, as little as 20 mm can see the traveller bogged for several hours/days, one such "adventure" on the dirt road took the boys almost 3 hours to travel 83 klms, most of that the vehicle was covered in mud & water, "exciting" times. The "job" of a bowhunter is indeed fickle, their recent trip saw the boys travel a whopping 5,465 klms for the huge tally of only 3 confirmed boars -- but that is another story :-) Grange Bowmen Inc - Bowhunter Representative Can you add we are considering a BPC for Fe I can put a form out front near the sign-in bo October

5 2016 World Field Archery Championships A personal perspective from our Range Captain, Rob Gleeson Rob Gleeson, Annie Gorgat, Paul Olexienko, Justin Olexienko - (Missing from photo Dennis Gaskell, Donna Smit, Tony Smit) World IFAA Championships - Wagga Wagga, NSW We had to fight our way through flooded roads just to get there, many of these roads were washed out and detours were in place. Once the site was opened up we all converged on the place trying to get a good spot before we could start the practice greatly required by all to be ready to compete at the highest level. Unfortunately, due to the lake of staff at the venue Grange Archery club donated their time so others could benefit and get their practice in, I think it was appreciated although not mentioned during formalities. Monday came upon us in a flurry as the commencement of the games had started, all eye s were on Justin to succeed in his quest! Unfortunately Tony & Donna pulled out on the first day which left Justin, Dennis, Annie, Paul & myself to do our best for both personal satisfaction and as representatives of Grange Bowmen. Dennis was doing his best against a large number of competitors in his division, Annie was going great and I was on fire for the first two days, we all shot well however the rain was relentless and just kept falling making for a slippery and dangerous environment. On the third day Animal round I dropped from a decisive fourth place to a I think it was a 8 point deficit putting me back to fifth place but still confident l could get enough points back over the next couple of days to retain my fourth place knowing that s about as good as it was going to get. Annie was still going great guns as was Dennis, but as the weather closed in and more floods were on the way the grounds became unsafe to even walk on and the event was called off. Presentation night the room was a buzz with anticipation, Dennis left early to try and beat the rain and flood waters with Tony & Donna. Justin took out the Freestyle A Grade division making him the reigning World Champion! Paul did exceptionally well and took home a second place in the Veterans division whilst Annie snuck one in and one her Longbow category! Although I didn t place I came home proud of my achievements after only shooting for a short time ( just over twelve months ) Grange Bowmen Range Captain big wig said every competitor can hold their head high this completion had the highest number of competitors ever in Australian history with the most divisions and countries so well done to all. Rob Gleeson Grange Bowmen Range Captain October

6 Winner Overall & A Grade Winner - Ladies Overall Second - Overall Gerard (Gerry) McKie Kay Prince Dale Marsh Sunday 16th October saw the skies clear for the annual Dick Coates Memorial (Longbow) 3D Shoot. This particular competition was started many years ago in remembrance of a well loved Grange member Mr Dick Coates. Dick was an amazing Longbow archer and not only won many competitions but also won the friendship of those who competed alongside him. Our sincere thanks go out to Range Captain Rob Gleeson for co-ordinating the placement of targets and setting up another challenging 3D course. Everyone had a ball and enjoyed the day immensely, but at the end of the day there can only be a few winners Today these were to be Gerry McKie, Kay Prince and Dale Marsh. Congratulations to all who attended!! Please remember this event can only be won by Longbow archers however EVERYONE is encouraged to come along and enjoy the thrill of this 3D round. If you missed this year, then come along next year!! LOST PROPERTY: 1 x Ladies Ring If you know of any member who may have reported losing a ring a few weeks ago please let them we have it in safe keeping for the honest owner. October

7 If you re a club member then chances are you ve met Matt Smith! Matt s dedication to Grange Bowmen has been outstanding and everyone who knows him welcomes his friendly and helpful advice. Even after spending time serving on the committee he still continues to help members fine tune their archery skills (As an ABA Instructor) and also takes care of the club bow room. Over recent years Matt has fletched a gazillion club arrows and this weekend he dedicated more time hanging the new bow hooks he made for the club. Essentially, we all owe Matt a bloody big THANKS MATE!!! We really appreciate what you have done. October

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9 GAME CLAIM INFORMATION: From Graham Newell (Bowhunter Rep) Grange Bowmen Inc. Please make sure that when submitting Game Claim information a CLEAR high resolution photo with yourself and the animal in the photo are submitted together with all relevant information. Graham is under strict guidelines as to what can and can t be submitted so if he knocks back your submission it s because the information provided isn t up to scratch. Thanks :-) The committee are still looking for a good tractor which will be put to work slashing club grounds, carting bales & 3D targets and lifting heavy items. The tractor must have a 40-50hp engine and have a 3 pin linkage and slasher. If you can assist in finding a reliable tractor in very good condition please let the committee know ASAP as good tractors are hard to find and sell quickly. (Est. Budget of 10K $15k has been allocated) FRIENDLY REMINDER Membership renewal is required BEFORE you can use any of the club shoot facilities after 31st December New membership is therefore due on: Sunday 1st January 2017 To avoid delays at the range next year we encourage members to rejoin for next year over coming months. A new form can be found on the club website (Under Downloads ) so you can pre-complete it to save valuable shooting time at the clubhouse. October

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11 Last Working Bee for the Year Sat 26th November, 8am It s YOUR club too, so lets ALL chip in and get the grounds ready for a big 2017!! What s on for the last two Months of 2016 Swap Meet Grange 6AM 10AM October