Many thanks to everyone who attended the centenary dinner on Saturday night.  What a fantastic evening!  There was a great mix of “young” and “old”, of past and present members, friends and family, and WSRA Executive members.

The Perkins Cup, originally awarded to one of the club’s founding members, Alexander Worsfold, in 1920, and was re‑presented to the club by Alexander’s grandson, Phil Martell, who travelled from Auckland for the occasion with his  son and grandson.  Excerpts from newspaper cuttings tend to suggest that the trophy was presented quarterly and if won a number of times consecutively could be retained by the shooter permanently.  One excerpt noted that this   necessitated Mr Perkins replacing the trophy at least three times.  Thanks to Phil for the insight he gave us into the life of Alexander Worsfold.

Perkins Cup 5x7.5

A new competition will be introduced and this trophy presented at the annual prizegiving to the winning team or individual winner, depending on the nature of the competition.  Please email the committee (c/- d.grain@xtra.co.nz) with any ideas you may have for a suitable competition for this trophy.

Also thanks to Betty and Neil Johnstone for sharing their memories of shooting at the club in the 1950s.  Neil mentioned the squadding system, whereby a shooter needed to squad and shoot before being able to squad again – a practice that remains in the club to this day.  Back then the club was very large and while there were numerous squads, many were only able to shoot one card due to the sheer numbers on any given night.

Our oldest current club member, Ian Jensen, talked about his family’s numerous ties to both the Brooklyn Club and the Wainuiomata Club.  His dad, George, is featured in many club records and was a prominent club member for a large number of years.

On a personal note, David and I were overwhelmed and extremely humbled to be awarded life memberships of the club (to be confirmed at a special general meeting).  This huge honour was totally unexpected and left both of us speechless at the time, but we would like to thank everyone involved.  A major strength of the club is our ability to work well together with many club members having input into running the club, and the support we give each other.  Long may that last.

This is the final “Brooklyn Shooting Update” of the season, though there will be occasional emails sent out regarding a rifle cleaning session, working bees at the Bell Road building, and one or two Christmas social shoots in December.  Please come along and help out at these events – the more involved you are with the club, the more enjoyment you’ll get from shooting.

Outdoor 50m shooting takes place at the Allen Range in Trentham on Saturday mornings from 9am until approximately 12.30pm (please note: there is no outdoor shooting on 24 October).  The same equipment is used as we use for indoor shooting, but shooters do need to be able to scope themselves and make their own sight changes.  If you would like to have a go, please let David know (d.grain@xtra.co.nz). 

The 2016 indoor season will get under way with the four-week college introduction to shooting programme and practice sessions for members in early March.

Upcoming events:

  • Wednesday 2 December, social shoot.  Details to be advised in a later email.