SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 3 From Diana's Desk Over the last couple of years I've been fortunate enough to visit a large majority of our Branches, check out quite a few ranges and often participate in activities. Two things continually amaze me; the dedication of the volunteers that spend an incredible amount of time and effort ensuring that their local Branch and ranges continue to run smoothly and the ingenuity of many with the numerous ways old and often discarded items are put to a new use on ranges, in clubhouses and along fi ring lines. Some of the more interesting things I've seen include a truck bed used to provide additional fl ooring behind a fi ring line, an old container converted to a shower room, old car doors converted to 'benches' and the conversion of many structures to a 'mobile' status to enable their re-location. SSAA NSW is built on volunteers and as a result has become the thriving, successful organisation that it is today. There are literally thousands of members throughout the State involved in many facets of the organisation. At the grass roots level we have the Branch Committees, elected by their members to oversee and manage the operations of the Branch, its ranges and provide services to our 50,000 members. We also have the many range offi cers that ensure the safe running of all the matches and competitions that are shot each week throughout the State. Add to that range captains, discipline captains, coaches and mentors that give freely of their time and are willing to share their skills and knowledge with new and existing shooters. You only have to attend any Try Shooting Day around the State to witness this in action. There are many ranges that have fantastic facilities, the majority of which have been built using the expertise and talents of local members many of which have trade skills. There are also members all over the State that make time to volunteer at various working bees. Much of the infrastructure and materials have been donated as well as being funded by SSAA NSW and various other government and community grants. However, it takes time to put together a successful grant application, and there are many members out there that dedicate their time to this task. At the State level there are a number of dedicated volunteers that work hard to ensure SSAA NSW continues to progress. Many of our NSW Discipline Chairmen spend considerable time promoting and growing their respective disciplines. The SSAA NSW Mobile Air Rifl e Range and Shotgun Trailers travel around the State and are a fantastic tool, not only in encouraging new shooters to the sport, but building community awareness and acceptance of the shooting sports. Events such as SHOT Expo, HuntFest, information days and local shows also lift the profi le of our sport, but require the assistance of volunteers for SSAA NSW involvement. As with all organisations, there needs to be a managing body responsible for ensuring that it is functioning within its legal framework, meeting its regulatory obligations as well as looking to the future to guarantee its sustainability. The SSAA NSW Board comprises volunteers who spend much of their free time working on numerous tasks and projects to ensure that the organisation is functioning as it should and is travelling in a positive direction for the future. On occasion, the Board is assisted by members who volunteer to be part of working groups to address specifi c issues that arise from time to time. Statistics show that our sport is growing and this can be attributed to a number of different factors, however, personally I believe the welcoming encouragement shown to newcomers to our sport and the willingness of most members to assist and nurture those new to particular disciplines plays a very important part. Equally as important is the passion and dedication shown by our many volunteers at all levels who give so freely of their time to ensure that SSAA NSW continues to thrive and build upon its reputation as the peak shooting body in NSW. Diana Melham Executive Director - SSAA (NSW) Inc. As I've often said, travelling around visiting Branches, ranges and having the opportunity to chat with members is defi nitely one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

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