Rifle range under restoration
Post Weekly Goulburn, Page: 3. Thursday, 2 April, 2009
Last Sunday, a group of volunteers from the Goulburn Branch of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA) met at the Goulburn Rifle Range to begin the restoration of the 100-year-old machinery, which raises and lowers the target frames.
The project, a joint effort between the Goulburn Rifle Club and SSAA Goulburn Branch is being supervised and coordinated by SSAA club armourer Ron Gimbert.
Recently elected SSAA Goulburn Branch President, Ken Kenchington, said that Goulburn should be proud of the range’s place in Australian military history.
“This facility would have been used to train the young men sent off to France and Egypt in 1914 and on to Gallipoli in 1915,” Mr Kenchington said.
“The AlE recruits sent to the Middle East and later to New Guinea would also have learned about their .303 Lee-Enfield rifles right here? ‘ It is also thought that the massive protective bunker is one of the first examples of large reinforced concrete construction in Australia.
There is still a substantial amount of work to be completed before the range can be opened. This will include installation of an extensive (and expensive) concrete drainage system to prevent erosion of the earthworks, which has been a particular problem.
However, the SSAA Goulburn Branch has recently been awarded a grant from the NSW Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation, which will be used to finance the project.
Mr Kenchington said that the Goulburn SSAA would welcome anyone interested in the shooting sports.
Club meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at the Goulburn Soldiers Club from 7pm.
For further information, Mr Kenchington ‘s email address is samandken@bigpond.com
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