SSAA NSW

Try Shooting Day at St Marys On Saturday 12 October St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre threw open their doors to showcase our great sport by running a Try Shooting Day for the general public. With more than 50 volunteers on hand, 541 new shooters came along to try out our great sport. In total more than 11,800 rounds of ammunition (kindly donated by Nioa) were fired on the day! Fred from St Clair was just one of many people to try shooting for the first time and is already planning a return trip. "My mates and I had a great time at the shooting range. The staff were helpful, everything was really well organised, and I was glad to see that they took safety so seriously. We'll definitely be heading back soon; some of us really need to improve our aim!" SSAA NSW Executive Director Diana Melham, who spent the day instructing newcomers at the Mobile Air Rifle Range, said that Try Shooting Days are a fantastic way to introduce new people to our sport. "Try Shooting Days are a way not only to introduce people to the safe fun and unique shooting sports, but it's also an opportunity for us to change the general public's opinion about what we do and how we do it." St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre Operations Manager Ali Newbery praised the efforts of volunteers who helped the public complete P650s, ran safety briefings, served as Range Safety Officers and informed people about some of the items in our Museum. "Without our volunteers, we wouldn't have been able to run the day. It just wouldn't work without their support." Ali also thanked the Londonderry Rural Fire Service Crew who assisted with vehicle marshalling on the day as well as cooking the BBQ. Unlicensed shooters who had completed a P650 declaration were able to use Air Rifles, Rifles and Pistols under the watchful eye of Range Safety Officers who guided people in the correct way to handle firearms safely and provided some tips to help them enjoy the experience. Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. "It's always great to see new juniors getting involved in the sport, but we also had plenty of parents and grandparents come down who had never held a firearm in their life try it for the first time." Ali Newbery says that one of the highlights of the day was being able to help a young blind man try the sport for the first time. "We were able to take Brendan, who has a keen interest in military history, into the Range and help him to try shooting for the first time. It was wonderful to be able to help him do something he had wanted to try for a long time." 10

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