It is with heavy heart that I report here the passing of Herbert Valerius. This morning in Hervey Bay QLD.
Herb is survived by his wife Anni and sons Michael and Mark and several grandchildren. Herb was 92 yo last August.
Herb and Anni lived in Canberra for most of their Australian life after imigrating from Germany. After retirement they moved to QLD in the early 2000's. First at Glasshouse Mountains, then Crowns Nest near Toowoomba until late last year moving to Hervey Bay where their eldest son Michael lives. Herb had been in a high care facility since December.
There will be many people here reading this who may not have know or heard of Herb Valerius. Or his life and impact on our sport of Benchrest Rifle Shooting. So I would like to add a little history below. As I know it.
Herb began Benchrest shooting in the mid 1960's when they lived in Canberra. He was instrumental is beginning the Benchrest section of the ACT branch and in fact the first ACT Rifle Range which was outside of Queenbeyan (NSW). He organised most matches. The earliest photos he had given me of those are from 1968. Soon after was a move to a new location and the construction of the ACT range at Majura. Where it currently is today. Herb was involved in construction of most of the original facilities. Including the Benchrest range, Pistol Range, Field Rifle range and Shotgun range. He attended his first National Benchrest Championships at Tynong in Victoria in 1970. I believe the first official 10 target per class Nationals as we today know it. His next National Championships was next year in Brisbane in 1971 where he won his first Gold medal winning Light Varmint. He was a very passionate benchrest shooter. Also very good at Field Rifle and Shotgun too. Also like to hunt and I was fortunate enough to be invited with him several times. Throught the 1970's he was actively running matches and helping with Nationals and International matches at Majura. Also competiting in Dapto (Illawarra) and the original Silverdale range (Sydney) and Adelaide.
In 1978 I first attended the SSAA Benchrest range at Majura. I had been living in Canberra for a few years after moving from the family farm to take up an apprenticeship. I was already rifle shooting and reloading well before then. But I had been reading a lot about Benchrest Shooting and that some matches including the Speer Lovelock matchers were conducted at Majura and having many visiting American Benchrest Shooters as well. I though I needed to find this place. So one Sunday morning I went out for a look. There were lots of people there shooting all sort of things and mostly sighting in hunting rifles. But on Bench #1 and #2 were two (obvious) Benchrest competition shooters practicing. Herb Valerius and Tom Stone. They had gear and reloading tools like I had been reading about for years. I observed from a distance for a while as they were reloading there as well as shooting. Eventually Tom Stone noticed me and invited me over and introduced me to Herb. They sat me down to shoot a group and Herb explained why there are wind flags and how to "read" them. I remember this day very vividly indeed. It changed my life, that's for sure. I was hooked from then on. I became life long friends with Herb and Anni from those times and our families have been connected ever since.
Once Herb found someone for me to buy a second hand BR rifle (222 magum Sako) I was off and shooting and getting involved in club matches. Herb suggested I come with him to an International Postal Match at Dapto range near Woolongong for the weekend. So he took me along and that was my first registered match. Went back for a couple of more matches in 1979 and 1980
Herb had a plan that he wanted to revive a match in the ACT which had previous withered. Whilst it was just a local match it was called the Australia Day shoot. He asked me to help and suggested we build it up and run official registered matches and try our best to make these matches the standard for matches being conducted around Australia. So we started. Herb was the leader. He designed built the target frames. The first with East-West backer system. My job was to design the moving backers system and motor drive. He designed the new windflags and we constructed those together. In those days the rules would not allow shooters to place their own flags. They had to be provided by the host club. Both of us were by now on the ACT branch committee and succeeded in securing funding for major earthworks being the 100 yard and 200 yard backstops. This first Australia Day match was to be the first in Australia to use the vertical group targets. As we all use today. We had to design new targets. Similar to the American targets, but in red colour and line thickness to match AUS rules and be approved by the National Committee. Having those printed locally with the best paper was a challenge. So there were lots and lots of new things, too numberous to mention here. Also the trophies was a pet thing for Herb and he built most of the first AD trophies. The first match was a success and we grew from there. By 1981 Herb wanted to take a back seat so I was in charge from then. But he was always supporting as 2ic. We came up with improvements all the time. Developed better quality trophies and patches which Herb had a passion for designing. We also managed to run State championships and IBS Postal shoots all through the 80's. He also managed to win a couple of more points at Nationals and be admitted to the Benchrest Hall of Fame (HOF) as #7.
Later in the 1990 Herb was there with us for the first 500m Fly Shoot. The idea of that event was the brain child of John Rawson and Jim McKinley. But they needed help planning and organising matches. So that is where we came in. The first match was at Majura in March 1990. Herb designed the Fly Patch which today is synomomous with this event world wide. I cannot recall if that was for the first event of not. But certainly the Fly Patch was his design and his sketch drawing of that first design is added in photos. Anyway more and more matches evolved.
Herb was a member of the Australia team for the 1995 World Benchrest Championships.
There were some other unusual things for which Herb can claim some fame I think. He was a carpender/cabinet maker tradesman and ver skilled at that. So designed and making competition stocks was a natural. In about 1972 I believe, he had made an alluminium sleeve to fit over a modified Remington action. We was making up a laminated timber stock for it and he made a bedding job of the sleeved action into that stock. He used Devon steel bedding compound. But...he forgot to add the release agent. The result was, the sleeved action was virtually permanently bonded to the stock. He could not remove it, so decided to shoot it anyway. It all shot very well indeed, so well it stayed that way. He carefully drilled coresponding holes in the sides to the timber stock to align with the trigger pins. So that trigger could be removed for service if required. Anyway the rest is history. Almost all benchrest rifles world wide are "glue ins" still to this day. Herb did not claim he was first in the world, but was accidnetally was first in Australia to do so.
I won't add anymore here. It is a summary really. A small snippet. I am sure there are a few who could add a lot. I am sure we would all be glad to hear of a particular memory anyone has of Herbert P Valerius. He was a good person, proud Australian, proud shooter, proud tradesman and husband. I think Anni and Herb have been married for over 70 years.
Rest in Peace my friend.
Stuart Elliott
