Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. Stuart & Annie, your contribution to Australian benchrest over decades is enormous and truly appreciated. It’s a shame you can’t join the Australia Day matches this year, and it’s disheartening that the National SSAA and the situation with QLD SSAA have put you in this position. I completely understand your decision and the reasons behind it — it would have been great to see you there, and I look forward to catching up with you at a shoot in QLD.

At a time when our sport faces increasing scrutiny, I feel it’s more important than ever to support one another and attend as many matches as possible to help secure the future of benchrest. I hope the community can come together and continue to make our sport strong, welcoming, and inclusive for everyone.

Thanks Michael,

As I said, we will be there. Just not shooting. We bought the flights anyway before all this occurred. So we may as go and spend more of that week with our family and Grandchildren. Who live in Canberra. But we intend to visit the range to certainly catch up with friends of course.

See you then,

Stuart

I have read Stuart Elliots posts and to say that I am personally disappointed in the outcomes of National inflicting sanctions that only restrict target shooting is next level stupid. 

Let's look at the facts for this discipline only a small portion of Queensland shooters are affected by Nationals decision these are target shooters, not the sporter hunter groups the target shooters so the legitimate target shooting groups are affected. The membership of competitors that travel interstates is so small the infight that has happened here is nothing more than posturing. Queensland won't give in because their membership overall is huge but are not considering their own target shooters. If they had any realm of respect for the target shooters they would pay the insurance fee for the target shooters alone to remain eligible to compete at National and internation competition but they won't because target shooters are not classed as the majority. We have been trying to get ranges to shoot Benchrest events and Belmont which used to hold two shoots are year for benchrest will not host citing the reloading on the range is a problem with their insurance. Well I attended a National for the fly in 2025 at Belmont and shooter were changing seating depths just behind the firing line. Last time i looked reloading is the act of changing or cause to alter a factory round or reload components to manufacture loaded ammunition. So it was good enough at the fly then why isn't benchrest centrefire allowed. 

The challenges we all face now are real and threatening to our sport. please sit back and let others work it out but don't complain when this sport is no longer. To run matches takes effort people, money, ability and drive those who sit back and pull at the very fabric of this sport are contributing to it's decline. 

Start to work out what you want out of sports if you think this sport isn't for you then try something else. You only get shooters from other shooting sports I have said this for years now. 

What are the efforts been done so far by very few.

Mentor program (no other sport has this) 

online presence Facebook, website, photo's, reels

Team Capacity for A, B ,C teams for centrefire and for IRB Rimfire.  Three teams now not two. 

Information sharing with other disciplines forums,

Capacity to drive new idea's. 

Monthly State delegates meetings

What we don't have is:

Ranges that can host all events 

People to run matches anywhere

A structure of inclusive welcoming of new shooters (few are doing it well and others don't participate) 

Things that will be coming to this sport. 

Training Day's 

Paid online training that will be used to support and fund the website and teams

mentoring programs for shooters outside of our sport. 

cost will be applied to those who do not have flags. It will be small amount by competitors who do not have flags. The cost of flags and components now are $244 + this cost if the flag is destroyed will be met by the owner of the flag. For all to long now some shooters supply the flags set the flags up, take them down and then pay for the damage. You shoot over them you will either bring flags to contribute to the flag line or you will pay for the privilege of shooting over them. 

This sport offers so much to every single rifle shooting sport, reloading, wind reading, rifle accuracy, trouble finding of set up, etc etc etc. We are the top of the accuracy tree but to get there requires effort start putting an effort in or you will lose this great sport. 

If you want to have your say please do the time for moving forward is now. 

Good shooting to all 

Les Fraser

NDC Benchrest

HOF 36

Unfortunately SSAA throughout Australia have no interest in promoting or encouraging target shooting disciplines.
By now we all should understand it’s all political within the state committees annd ultimately branch committees and those committees are only interested in their personal agendas.

Sydney branch is a prime example of the issues faced nationwide and without the support of these committees the battle is pointless and trust me I’ve  even trying for 8 years to get response other than “yes we agree in principle only” as long as it doesn’t cost the branch and its members any money or loss of revenue during the competition period.

Therefore any revenue by Sydney branch must be ultimately reimbursed by the competitors in the form of staggering entry Fees .

We can push all we like but it comes down to dollars and cents.

I believe Les asked for some financial assistance during the last national meeting and correct me if I am wrong was told “we are not interested” at this time.

Sadly this is 2026 and not 1976 anymore and for folks to get involved at organisational levels and volunteer levels is tough .

Just look at any local sporting institution nowadays and they are all struggling to get help.

Not trying to be negative but these issues are real and they must be rectified,and how to achieve that is an unknown to me . Cheers Chris 

Hi Chris an interesting read. 

Firstly, yes I did ask for a large portion of funds to build mobile backers and target frames for this sport the request was removed from the budget allocation however, it will be tabled at the National meeting in February 2026 for consideration. In saying that it is not going to stop my leadership in this sport in advancing benchrest as much as I can whilst I am the NDC. 

The commentary about clubs and internal politics are in every sport in everything we do as humans. The complexity that wraps up who we are how we work etc etc is endless. During life's journey you can either be safe in the meal room of life's ship or venture out on the bow of the ship with the sea in your face and make changes, are they better or worse time will tell. 

One thing I am not going to do is sit back and watch as a sport I really enjoy and mates who mean and have meant a lot to me in my lifetime are lost to the politics of the sport. The issue for Queensland and SSAA National really has no impact on anyone else other than target shooters. 

Sporter hunters don't have to participate in National events for selection in Australian Teams to represent this great country. So out of the 80000 membership of Queensland actual travelling target shooters would not break 13000 so the impact of National taking a stand on QLD members having to join another club is placing financial burden only on target shooters which will have an effect on entries as National and state matches and yes I vigorously protested this in Melbourne at the NDC meeting. 

So I am very glad you pointed out the dollars and cents and how it all comes down to money.

Here is some insight. 

Matches in the early days everyone was eager to set up flags, set up the range, be in target crews, hang targets, sweep down benches, set up the mobile backers etc etc etc. 

Currently shooters come with no flags don't help set up anything yet sit back and complain about the high cost of entries. 

I put up a post about flags and the covering of costs if they get damaged and that was like striking Thors hammer in rock, the fallout the whinging and the oh that is just too much. Well, this Australia day, I will have 5 k with of flags and wind probs out on the range for shooters to use, currently there are 4 main people who bring flags. Then we come down to the set up If shooters come to a match find your flag rotation speak with the person who owns the flags grab a hammer and radio (and have your own uhf radio) and assist in either putting them together or setting them out to 100 then over lunch instead of sitting back and talking with your mates go out and set up the 200 yard flags they don't pop up like magic someone is actually doing it. Don't forget the end of the match don't be putting your gear away and sitting for presentation when the flags you have used for the past days are still out there not cleaned down not packed up or accounted for. 

The target crew at Canberra will be paid that is how it is done because there are no shooters to do that. Australia Day would not go ahead without Robert Tobler and the family. 

Myself and Alison (who has now joined SSAA as a target shooter) assist with everything we can from getting groceries for meals to feed the shooters, setting up the range going out over the lunch break to move the target frames back to 200 clean off the benches assist with any breakages, Alison works all hours helping Kathy who puts on great meals at reasonable prices so People don't have to pack sandwiches that are not at the best after 5 or 6 hours since they have been made. 

Now look at the great work that Coffs do they have club mates cater food, great location but they have been carrying the burden of benchrest for years. When Millmerran was taken off the table they didn't hesitate to take on this year's Nationals that is a great club but is getting tired.

What is it then.

It is not just financial it is commitment. Just so there is a broader understanding the Fly has been at the same clubs the same circuit for the past 15 years is the sport growing no it isn't but it is stable. It exists because the clubs have people within their club that will help out will go the extra mile to arrange coordinate and facilitate a registered match and they do it well. 

I have joined Mudgee and will be attending this weekend I spoke with the club, I will range officer and run matches in additon and I will be developing another target sport under the Benchrest banner along the same lines as the Tack Driver in the USA. 

The reasoning is taking on the current situation with the Gun Laws in NSW if you hold a Target licence the number is currently 10 if you are a sporter hunter it is 4. I don't know any sport shooters that only have 4 guns most have 10 -15 to cover the different hunting situations.

So how do they get to keep 10 they become target shooters so instead of saying ok now you have to go out and buy a target rifle 10k over how about we build a target discipline that you can use the rifles you have and become a target shooter. You guessed it I have put together such a match and will present it to the delegates next Monday night. 

NSW about 60000 membership lets say 15, 000 are targets shooters that means that 45,000 will be looking for a target shooting sport well here we are. 

Please have your say folk's healthy conversation about this sport is needed Chris has provided insight into issues hopefully there can be a broader understanding. 

Good Shooting to all 

Australia Day coming up 

Les Fraser 

HOF 36