History
The NSW Amateur Pistol Association, now numbering over 9500
members in 150 clubs, was formed in 1958 with three Clubs. It
was called the NSW Shooting Association. The foundation
President was Ben MacArthur of the Sydney Pistol Club. This small
Association was able to send a team to the First Australian
Championships, which were held in Hobart in 1958. They entered
the only three competitions conducted in those days - Free Pistol,
Rapid Fire and Centre Fire. Looking at old correspondence, we
find that sponsorship was just as hard to obtain then as it is now.
The Sport was slow to develop until 1961 because of heavy
licensing restrictions placed on the amateur shooter, but by the
end of 1963 there were 12 clubs (with 254 members) and a rapid
growth was expected as the Pistol Licence Act of 1927-36 had
just been amended. Under the earlier Act it had been virtually
impossible to obtain a pistol licence for target shooting. In 1957-
58, licences were issued for Olympic Training, but, after 11
licences were issued, it was back to the old problem of "target
shooting is not a good and sufficient reason for acquiring a
licence."
In 1966, Sunday shooting was approved for target shooters. The
main concern of Clubs was to bring their ranges up to the
exacting standards of safety required by the Police to gain Range
Approval.
1967 saw 65 Clubs and 1750 members in NSW. For the first time
NSW was the Host State for the National Championships. Also,
for the first time, a full-time paid Administrative Secretary was
appointed.
In August 1968, the legal machinery was set in motion for the
introduction of licences for Standard Pistol and Air Pistol. With
the awareness of the need for increased competition within the
State, to develop shooters into top-line members, Zone
Competitions were arranged monthly with Regional
Championships approximately every 3 months. To provide the
opportunity for all members to participate in the running of the
State, General Meetings were held at Regional Championships
instead of only in Sydney.
In 1971, there were 85 Clubs and 2600 members. During the year,
the Pistol Licence Act was amended to enable each shooter to
have 5 pistols. The Regulations were also altered to allow Clubs to
admit junior members with no minimum age limit applying.
However, a "recommended policy for juniors" was laid down by
the Association. At the State Championships in October 1972, a
Junior section was established for the first time.
In 1977, the Service Pistol and Black Powder Matches were
adopted.
1978 brought an extra licence for .45s but with it came the
obligation for shooters to have security cabinets or safes.
In 1980, NSW endorsed the Practical Pistol Match and Metallic
Silhouette Big Bore Matches.
During '81/82 the Executive was successful in negotiating a
change in the Regulations to the Firearms and Dangerous
Weapons Act, which firstly recognised the need for special pistols
for the Metallic Silhouette Match, secondly lifted the maximum
number of licences to 10 under certain circumstances and finally
raised calibre restrictions for Black Powder Pistols for those
seeking to shoot replicas. The introduction of .22 Metallic
Silhouettes and the greater popularity of Service Pistol broadened
pistol shooting so that it was more fun for more people. In 1987,
NSW held the Inaugural Metallic Silhouette National
Championships. 1988 saw Police approval of the Service Pistol
Production Match and the NRA Action Matches.
Over the years many NSW members have been on Pistol Australia
and Australian Shooting Association management teams. Our
shooters have successfully represented Australia many times at
World and Regional Championships, Commonwealth and Olympic
Games. Australia's first Olympic Medallist in Pistol Shooting, Patti
Dench, was a long time member of the NSW Amateur Pistol
Association.
We are very proud of our achievements over the last 57 years.
Structure
The NSWAPA is administered under the terms of its Constitution,
which provides for a Management team of seven (7) officers
including: the President, Treasurer and the Secretary.
The Executive Committee act for the benefit of the association
and its members at times of policy making. The Executive
Director and staff are responsible for communicating such
decisions to affiliated clubs in order to ensure that members are
informed of current issues at all times.
The NSWAPA operates within a two-tiered system with each tier
maintaining a specific and important role within that structure.
Starting at the grass roots, the first level consists of all the
individual clubs around New South Wales who maintain the
member base of the organisation. In order to take up the sport of
target pistol shooting an individual joins a club and thus becomes
part of a close knit community that shares a common enthusiasm
and enjoyment of the sport. It is the responsibility of the Clubs to
communicate with their members and with the NSWAPA who form
the second tier.
Last Updated: 26 June 2016 | PO Box 3232 North Strathfield NSW 2137 Ph: 8736 1234