SSAA Kyogle Branch

New South Wales Club Profile

Smack bang in the middle of the small country town of Kyogle in New South Wales sits the SSAA Kyogle Branch (Sporting Clays). Formed from the affiliate club The North Coast Sporting Clays, Kyogle has been operational for only two years, but the site has served as a shooting range since 1915.

Currently, the branch is without a clubhouse, but that doesn’t stop its 54 members from meeting each week and enjoying each other’s company. The only structures on the range are a portable toilet, an old shed and a much-loved and used barbecue. The branch shares the site with a number of the local kangaroos, 50 rodeo bulls and the National Rifle Association (NRA). Pending the success of a grant, a building donated by the NRA will be turned into a clubhouse and a parking lot will be added.

Sporting Clays is shot on the fourth Sunday of the month. There is one round shot on the day and each month the layout is different. The branch officers try to make the day as inexpensive and enjoyable as possible.

Approval has recently been granted for pistol shooting and once the events are determined, they will take place on the second Sunday of each month.

Competitions results are posted in the local paper, The Talking Turkey. “By doing this,” says Branch Secretary Carol Allison, “we have managed to promote the club and create enough gossip for the locals to be interested to ring, come, look and join the SSAA.”

Since Kyogle is a fairly new club, it hopes to increase its profile within the community and grow its membership. Carol says the club’s aim is to continue to promote the SSAA and shooting as a rewarding sport. It also hopes to generate as much interest in its pistol events as it currently enjoys for its shotgun shoots.

Training is a regular offering at the club. With 11 carded range officers and Carol serving as a licence testing officer, new members and visitors have access to all the help they need. Carol has supervised tests for 18 people, 15 of whom became SSAA members. In its short existence, the branch has managed to add 30 new members to the SSAA.

Carol said, “We have had tremendous support from the SSAA NSW from the time we applied for branch status. Nicole McClenahan is the best thing that has happened to the Sydney office. Nothing is too much trouble for her. We would like to thank Nicole as well as John Triggs, who has helped us with range officer courses and been a wealth of information regarding the pistol side of things.”

For contact information check the state branch list here.