SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 15 On 30 August 2017, Merriwa Springtime Show Committee hosted a Farm Safety Day at Merriwa showground for the students of the surrounding district. The participants ranged in age from 8 to 18 years, with each group having relevant activities presented by interested community members. Students in the 12 to 18 years age groups were directed to activities that were farm related, including stock handling, quad bike riding, work safety and safe handling of fi rearms. SSAA NSW Merriwa Branch hosted a series of seminars on the safe handling of fi rearms tailored to farming activities. This encompassed the carriage of fi rearms on quad bikes, motor vehicles and walking in the fi eld. During each presentation, fi rearms and ammunition laws were explained including transportation on public roads and the need for a fi rearms licence or a minor's permit to use fi rearms on agricultural land. Due to our fi rearms laws, all demonstrations were carried out using a prop (i.e. a broom handle). During these seminars students were extremely well behaved and displayed interest in all the techniques presented. Long arm experience within the groups varied between competent and inexperienced. By the conclusion of the presentation, most students were able to develop an understanding of the terminology used when referring to a fi rearm. The presenter from SSAA NSW Merriwa Branch would like to express his thanks to the Merriwa Springtime Show Committee and SSAA NSW for the support that was provided in conducting these seminars. SSAA NSW provided each student with promotional material, including an application for a minor's permit and an instruction sheet on the processes that need to be completed when applying for that permit. It is believed that this farm safety day will also be conducted in 2018 with SSAA NSW Merriwa Branch already accepting an invitation to be involved in delivering a similar presentation in regard to farm safety in fi rearms use. We would like to pass on our congratulations to Mel Frost, a member of the SSAA NSW Guyra Branch, who recently shot for Australia at the World Cup and European championships for air rifl e and rimfi re benchrest. The competition, which saw 300 plus competitors from all over the world enter, went over nine days with testing conditions, hard to read winds, and then a heat wave of 40 plus degrees. Mel competed in all fi ve disciplines, light air rifl e, heavy air rifl e, rimfi re sporter, light varmint rimfi re and heavy varmint rimfi re. Mel worked hard and it all paid off. She came home with three individual medals in the junior class. Her fi rst win was a bronze medal in the rimfi re sporter class. She then won a silver medal in the rimfi re light varmint and then another bronze medal in the rimfi re heavy varmint. This placed her 1st in the juniors in the 2-gun aggregate and an aggregate of 23rd outright with seniors and juniors combined. Congratulations Mel World Cup Junior Champion Merriwa Springtime Show Committee - Farm Safety Day Students names in photo from farm safety day left to right: Scone High - Jonathan McMahon and Matthew Wicks, St Joseph's Aberdeen -Alex Wilson and Thomas Clift, SSAA NSW Merriwa Branch - Phil Martyn, Merriwa Central-Hanna Byfi eld and James Hagley and from Scone Grammar School - William Evans and Tom Hawkins

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