December 2008 President message
It has certainly been a busy and productive year for SSAA National. We have increased our commitment to research and development of recreational hunting by employing a full-time project officer who is responsible for increasing the public perception and participation in recreational hunting. As a result of the work so far, information from research undertaken has led to the creation of a number of fact sheets that have been both uploaded onto our website as well as distributed to media agencies. The fact sheets have resulted in a number of interviews and comment requests from both printed and radio media, which will help raise our public profile in regard to conservation hunting. Information has also been used to develop articles in the Australian Shooter and Australian Hunter magazines.
We have also developed SSAA’s Cooks Companion, which is a fantastic recipe book that provides a variety of meal ideas used by our members. The SSAA’s Cooks Companion has been in the pipeline for many years and is the culmination of recipes sent in by many members. The book is a practical example of what field and game hunting is all about and the recipes cover the most popular game meat animals that we can hunt in the field and showcase the ultimate in ‘organic free-range’ food.
The development of The Junior Shooter magazine has provided our younger members with their own publication, which is aimed at encouraging them into the sport as well as providing a valuable educational tool with the assistance of informative stories and quizzes. We have also reintroduced the Shooting: A Beginner’s Guide to strengthen our push to encourage more juniors into the sport and to protect our future.
Unfortunately, this year’s Olympic Games were disappointing for our shooting team and we can only learn from what happened and work on improving the situation. It does show that the wave of gun laws introduced since 1996 has had a big impact on the introduction of new up-and-coming target shooters. Sadly, with all the hurdles and expenses required to participate in the shooting sports today, it has led to a decline in Australia’s ranking on the world stage.
With the change in Federal Government and the corresponding political climate, we decided late last year that the time was right to reinstate the position of a SSAA lobbyist in Canberra. Our lobbyist’s key duties involve the discussion of our position and any relevant firearm issues with politicians, as well as clearly explaining the potential effects of gun legislation on our members. We also continue to keep an eye on the international scene, such as treaties at the United Nations that have the potential to affect sporting shooters at home.
We are here for you, but remember, it is you, our members, that are the lifeblood of this Association. So, on that note, we wish you and your families a merry Christmas and a safe New Year.
Bob Green
SSAA National President
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