SSAA NSW

Getting to know Bateman Bay's Bryson Payne Bryson Payne grew up on a farm and, as many young people were, was introduced to firearms by his father. "Whenever I would ask Dad if I could have a look at his gun, he would always check that it was clear first. He was very aware of firearms safety and made sure we all understood the importance of respecting the firearm." In fact Bryson's father passed on some valuable information to him at a young age which has served him well. "Dad always used to say a gun is always loaded and a horse always kicks and that's a message I've passed on to my own children." The first firearm Bryson ever picked up was a Lithgow single shot with open sights which he says 'shot plenty of rabbits and foxes', but he recalls his first purchase was a Winchester .22 Model 77 semi-automatic that he purchased during a trip to Condobolin. All of Bryson's early shooting was done on farms, and it was quite some time before he visited a range. "I used to take my children out camping, hunting and fishing and they were some of the best times of my life." "I hadn't set foot on a range until 1991 when my two sons became more interested in the shooting sports, so we went down to the local range together," says Bryson. And Bryson thinks that we are starting to see a resurgence in the number of families returning to the outdoors. It was at the range Bryson developed a love for Field Rifle and Metallic Silhouette although these days you're more likely to find Bryson shooting Benchrest or the SSAA NSW Batemans Bay Branch monthly fox shoot for a bit of fun. "Age wearies you. I've had some back problems but the great thing about the shooting sports is that there is something for everyone." Bryson says the licensed firearm community in Batemans Bay, an area that is surrounded by State Forests, has been left "dumb-founded" by the NSW Government's decision to suspend all public land hunting in NSW. "We just can't understand what happened. It was working perfectly for many years, and they just stopped it without warning." Bryson has sought to carry on the traditions his father instilled in him, by introducing his own children to shooting and hunting. Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. "It's definitely becoming more common again. We're also seeing a big increase in the number of women taking up the sport." One of the female members of SSAA NSW Batemans Bay Branch is none other than Bryson's wife Lynette. "Lynette has been a tremendous support not just to me, but to the entire Branch. But Bryson notes that having his wife compete alongside him has led to some gentle ribbing from friends and family. "We try and have our Branch scores reported in the local paper and every time Lynette beats me, people will stop me on the street and remind me of it!" On the question of what SSAA NSW can do to encourage more people to try the sport for the first time, Bryson said that first impressions were crucial. "At Batemans Bay we really work on making that first visit to the range a pleasurable one for new shooters. We want them to know they are welcome to come back anytime." 13

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