News Archive

News Items Archive

did you miss an item? Here's the place to look for it! 

FARGET 2024 - Done and Dusted!!!

thanks to everyone who braved the liquid sunshine (again)

and special thanks to Fiona, Glen, Gordon, and all the others who helped to make it such a great day!!!


2/12/24

Hi everyone,


It's a big weekend this weekend, with the club field championships on Saturday 7 December, and the Illawarra Farget on Sunday 8 December.

Time is running out to register for the Farget, the most fun event of the year, when you get to shoot half target and half field with a free BBQ for lunch in between the halves.

The Farget is $25 per entrant. Register at https://account.archery.assemblesports.io/finder?id=3003133
by 23:59 on Monday 2 December.

If you miss the Farget deadline and would like to enter, email recorder@illawarraarchers.org and ask Fiona very nicely.

Hope to see you all there.

Diane

Copyright © 2024 Assemble Sports. All rights reserved.

Hi everyone,

Every member is responsible for the security of the premises.

On Thursday evening, 14 November, the clubhouse and the small target container were both left open. They had been secured by the Twilight shooters, so it appears that a member attended the club between the end of the Twilight shoot and when the early birds arrived on Friday morning.

Recently there have also been several instances of the gates being left open when no-one is there, either during the day or at night.

If there's no other member present when you're leaving the club, regardless of the time of day, you must lock up the clubhouse, the toilets, close the target container and padlock the gates.

If you don't have a key, please make arrangements asap to get one from the treasurer@illawarraarchers.org who will also show you through the lock-up requirements.

If you have a key but don't know how to lock up, please get another member to show you.

Thanks,
Diane

Copyright © 2024 Assemble Sports. All rights reserved.


Working Bee Saturday Nov 30, 9am


23/11/24

Come along and help with a working bee on Saturday Nov 30.


The work will be followed by a BBQ and then the weekly Saturday competition shoot.


Start time 9:00am

Illawarra Archers Excel at National Target Championships and NSW State Clout Championships

Hi everyone,

Illawarra members Donna, Jason, Con, Diane, Melissa, Lachlan and Fiona competed in the National Target Championships in Canberra a couple of weeks ago and had a great time shooting with friends old and new from around the country. Some Illawarra members even made it to the podium and brought home some bling.

·   Melissa shot a PB in 50+ Female Compound 1440, placing 4th, and took bronze in the 900

·   Donna took bronze in 60+ Female Barebow in both the 1440 and the 900

·   Diane took bronze in 60+ Female Recurve 900

·   Con won gold in both the 70+ Male Barebow 1440 and 900

·   Fiona won gold in the 60+ Female Compound in both the 1440 and the 900, and silver in the Female Team matchplay.

Over this last weekend, some of our members competed in the NSW State Clout Championships in hot and very blustery conditions.

·   Melissa took bronze in Open Female Barebow

·   Fiona won gold in 60+ Female Longbow.

 Please congratulation these members when you see them around the club.

 

Diane

Copyright © 2024 Assemble Sports. All rights reserved.


Upcoming QRE's at Newcastle City Archers

 If anyone is interested in making the trip to Newcastle, they are having a couple of double QREs, (720 rounds) on the 17th Nov and 8th Dec.  Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested.

 Entries via assemble links.

Nov 17th - register in Assemble 

Dec 8th - register in Assemble 


Unscheduled Working Bee Tuesday Oct 22, 9am


19/10/24

Come along and help with a working bee on Tuesday, Oct 22.

We need to top up our supply of target faces, and tighten up a few range target butts.


Start time 9:00am

Big Thank you to the  Worker Bees! 

Tuesday Oct 22, 9am


updated 23/10/24

Thanks to all the worker bees that came out on Tuesday! Lots of target faces prepared, and a couple of target butts tightened up.

Field QRE - Oct 19 Wrap-up


19/10/24

A small number of shooters took on the Field course last Saturday. 

Special Thanks to Glen and Fiona.

Glen did an excellent job of giving us a different layout, with several pegs placed in positions not seen by us before.

Fiona organised and ran the event with her usual flair and controlled the weather with great precision!

Almost everyone went home a winner (in their respective divisions) 😉


Note: Field Course closed on Friday Oct 18 for preparation for QRE on Saturday 

16/10/2024

Twilight Shoots Start this week!  Oct 10

8/10/24

Join us for the first Twilight Shoot of the season, coming up Thursday evening.


First arrow at 6:00pm in a 20/300. A short shoot to ease us into the the Thursday night comps! 30 arrows at 20m into the big 122cm face.

Upcoming Field Shoots at Illawarra Archers

updated 8/10/2024

registrations close Oct 18


 register via Assemble here


Don't leave it until the last minute and risk missing out on your chance to shoot one of the best Field Courses in NSW!

Next Club Meeting - October 12, 2024

updated 09/10/24

Ordinary General Meeting


Hi everyone,


This Saturday, 12 October, we'll hold our general meeting at 10am. Here's the agenda . Please attend you're able to, and have your say in how the club is run. After the meeting, we'll provide a free BBQ, followed by the club shoot, a nice relaxed 72 arrows. Register here


Twilight Competition starts tomorrow night, Thursday 10 October, at 6pm. Come and enjoy this relaxed comp for all members, with the emphasis on fun, every Thursday evening throughout daylight saving. The Twilight Calendar 2024-25 is available on our website.


See you soon,

Diane 



27/09/2024

Saturday September 28 - Working Bee, BBQ, Shoot


We have a working bee tomorrow morning from 9am to 12pm. Please do your best to attend. Our regular working bees are where necessary maintenance is performed, including mowing and other yard work, gluing new target faces to cardboard, refilling butts so your arrows don't go through them, to name a few. Helping to maintain your club grounds and equipment is your responsibility. (See Club Regulations and Safety Policy, Clause 6: "Working bees should be attended by all club members, whenever possible.")


Don't worry if you think you don't know how to do the jobs, because other members will be happy to teach you.


There will be a BBQ after the working bee, then the club shoot.

Division 1 - Samford; 90 arrows at 40m on an 80cm face

Division 1 - Geelong; 90 arrows at 30m on a 122cm face

Division 1 - Newcastle; 90 arrows at 20m on a 122cm face


See you all there tomorrow.

Diane 

Fiona Crushes the State Target Record


24/9/2024

Fiona set a big new record at the State Championships at Penrith City Archers over the weekend of Sept 21-22, 2024.

You lead the way for all of us!!

Working Bee this Saturday!! The Saturday shoot will follow the Bees - 90 arrows. Div 1 will shoot the Samford - @40m into a small face (80cm). Div 2 take on the Geelong - @30m into a big face (122cm). Div3 have the challenge of the Newcastle - @20m into a big face (122cm).

register in Archers Diary

Sept 21-22 A big weekend for Illawarra Archers in competition


updated 24/9/2024

Illawarra Archers were strongly represented at the NSW State Target Championships at Penrith, and at the TAA NSW State Muster at Macarthur Trad Archers in Bargo.


At Penrith, podiums were taken by Fiona (1st and 2nd, with a massive new state record score), Melissa-Ann (3rd), and Con (2nd). 


full results here


At Bargo, divisional podiums were taken by Glenn (1st), Helen (2nd), and Marilyn (2nd) - even though they were shooting as MTA members, we will claim their successes as well 😁


and in our club shoot, Peter T crushed his handicap rating, and Gordon and Mark W threatened theirs.


A good weekend by all.

Mount Keira Road Works Sept-Nov 2024

Hi everyone,


Wollongong Council has advised that there will be drainage works carried out on Mount Keira Road from late September for about seven weeks, Monday to Saturday, which may cause short delays when you're approaching or leaving the club grounds. We will be guided past the works.


The full details from Council can be read here


Thanks,

Diane 

World Archery Oceania Challenge

20/09/2024


Hi everyone.

I can’t believe it’s almost two weeks since we hosted the NSW Field Championships. It was a fantastic weekend, with 90 entrants. Thanks to Illawarra’s many volunteers who made it a great weekend. See our Facebook page or see photos and read about Illawarra’s results on our website.

Some of you might have heard about the World Archery Oceania Challenge which has been running during August and September. This is an online shoot with no entry fees and is basically Canberra shoots. We’ve been so busy with the South Coast Field and State Field that this has almost passed us by, however we can accommodate it tomorrow, alongside the advertised club shoot. If you want to shoot the WAO Challenge, let Fiona know at recorder@illawarraarchers.org, or tomorrow before the shoot.

The rounds required to be shot are:

Short Round (for people who have been in archery for 12 months or less or have never shot further than 40m, Recurve, Compound or Barebow):
30 arrows shot from each of the 40m, 30m, 20m distances on a 122cm target face.

Barebow Round (for everybody else shooting Barebow):
30 arrows shot from each of the 50m, 40m, 30m distances on a 122cm target face.

Long Round (for everybody else shooting Recurve and Compound):
30 arrows shot from each of the 60m, 50m, 40m distances on a 122cm target face.

Categories: male/female – Recurve, Compound, Barebow in all of the following:
Under 15s (born in 2009 or later):

Under 18s (born in 2006 or later):

Under 21s (born in 2004, 2005, 2006):

Open (born in 2003 to 1973):

50+ (born in 1974 or earlier):

You can even decide after the shoot whether you want to submit your scores.

Diane


Club Activities this week - preparing for State Field weekend

4/9/2024

Hi everyone,

Just letting you know that there a few things going on at the club this week that may interfere with your archery:

Wednesday 4 September

·   7am to 10am: mowing the main range. If you can help by taking a turn on the mower or with the whipper-snipper, please turn up and offer your assistance

·   8am to 12 noon: Damaged tree being removed

Friday 6 September

·   7am to 9am: setting up carparking on main range for the State Field

·   Field closed all day for preparation for the State Field

Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September

·   7.30am to 4pm State Field Championships both days.

If you aren’t entered in the State Field and have some spare time over the weekend, please come up and see if there’s anything you can do to help.

Thanks,

Diane

New CoM at Archery NSW

August 30, 2024

Archery NSW has advised that, following their AGM on Tuesday evening, the following Committee of Management positions were filled:

President: Ken Sun

Vice President-Publicity: Steve Cheah

Secretary: Bryn Hadfield

Tournament Coordinator: Jeffrey Lim

Coaching Administrator: Vida Halimian

Vice President-Membership: Gloria Tse

Recorder: Leanne Perceval

Member Protection Information Officer: Charlie Muscat

Treasurer: Stuart Fathers

Inclusions Sports Coordinator: Cassandra Mobbs

Webmaster: Martijn Timmer

They will join Officials Convenor Chris Clerke, Youth Coordinator Tracey Hansford, and RDP Coordinator Peter Feeney, who have 1 year left to serve.

This is the first time for several years that all ANSW committee positions have been filled. It will be good to have a new committee.


Diane

president@illawarraarchers.org


more details can be found on the ANSW website.

IA Success at the National and State Indoor Championships July 6-7!!

11/7/2024

Great results and lots of bling for our club members who competed in the National and State Indoor Championships over the weekend!

Fiona Hyde took both national and state gold in 60+ Female Compound, and state gold in Open Female Compound. Con Goik took both national and state gold in 70+ Male Barebow Recurve. Melissa-Ann Dunn took national bronze and state silver in 50+ Female Compound. Rebecca Attard took state bronze in Open Female Compound. Jason Attard also competed and acquitted himself creditably in a national field of 75 Male Open Compound entrants. Full results here.

Congratulations to you all!

Diane

president@illlawarraarchers.org


Learning Archery at Illawarra Archers has been updated.

04/07/2024

In the June Ordinary General Meeting, Club members approved changes to our courses. We have started a new Introduction to Archery session (based on a combination of the the Come-and-Try session and the first day of the Beginners Course), with some changes to duration and content. The Introduction to Archery is now a pre-requisite for attending the Beginners Course. Updates to the Beginners Course have been made to reflect the pre-requisite Introduction to Archery, with the biggest change being to move to two sessions for the Beginners Course (down from the current timetable of 3 days) 

Beginning in August, an Introduction to Archery course will be held early in the month, and then attendees who wish to continue on their archery journey with Illawarra Archers will be welcome to book into the Beginners Course sessions later in the month.

For people new to archery, completion of the Introduction to Archery (one session), followed by the Beginners Course (two sessions), are required for application for club membership.

for more information follow these links (or choose from the menu options)

Learn Archery 

Introduction to Archery 

Beginners Courses 

South Coast Field - August 17-18, 2024

updated 13/8/24

entries now closed


Our South Coast Field event is a 2 day field shoot on our challenging field course. Our course is generally recognised as one of the best in New South Wales (and the country!).


Rounds of 24 marked targets are shot on Saturday and again on Sunday, with BBQ lunches provided, and a medal presentation ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Event medals are awarded for all contested divisions.


The South Coast Field Tournament is World Archery registered. Competitors will be able to claim World Archery Field Awards.


more info

Next Club Meeting - August 10, 2024

update 11/8/24

A big thanks to all the members who attended the meetings.


All the club officers and executives were returned for another year.

Mel (now Coaching Coordinator) and Atonya (now Assistant Coordinator) did swap roles.


The club approved a change to our Constitution to remove the provisional membership stage, which means people who successfully complete our beginners' course will become full members upon applying and paying for membership. Updates to our Constitution and membership information will be completed soon.


A trial of an Introduction to Compound Archery was also approved. Watch for updates on this as we purchase the gear and finalise the course. And please note, the current expectation is for this to be done with very small groups with a high coaching presence. And there will be a pre-requisite of having successfully completed our Introduction to Archery and our Beginners Course. 


Very important club meetings this Saturday!!!

Annual General Meeting

Ordinary General Meeting

Special Meeting


Hi everyone,

This Saturday is one of the most important meeting days of our year, when we’ll elect the seven executive officers and various non-executive officers for the next twelve months. On the agenda for the Annual General Meeting, you’ll see the list of officers we’ll be electing, and we invite you to consider nominating for any of the positions in which you feel you’d be able to contribute to the running and well-being of the club. Have a chat to any of the current Executive, or any of the current holders of non-executive positions, if you’d like to find out what’s included, and get an idea of how you can be involved.

We’re also still looking for volunteers to take turns with the mowing (ride-on) and other maintenance jobs like whipper-snippering. The more volunteers we have for this the better, so that you can work on a roster based on your own availability. If you’re interested in this, talk to our Field Captain, Glen, or to one of the Executive.

We will also hold a Special General Meeting, which will consider a change to the constitution to remove provisional membership. This will mean that full membership will be immediate upon joining the club, and will allow new members to participate fully in club meetings.

The order of events for the day is:

It sounds like a lot, however I hope we can get through it all in two hours or so, and then we’ll have a BBQ lunch before a leisurely Combined Australian Indoor Shoot (30 arrows at 25m on a 60cm face and 30 arrows at 18m on a 40cm face).

We hope to see you all there.

Diane president@illawarraarchers.org


Working Bee July 27

updated 27/7/24

Come and help out at the Working Bee on Saturday. Always lots of work to keep everyone busy!!



Hi everyone,

It’s been a beautifully calm and sunny week at the range after damaging winds last weekend. On Sunday morning some of our early risers and the beginners course coaches arrived to find that a large tree had fallen across the beginners range and demolished the awning on the beginners container. These wonderful volunteers immediately set to work and were able to clear away the tree and the awning in time for the beginners class to take place at 9am.

The wind had also caused severe damage in the field, which had to be closed for a couple of days while Field Captain Glen and others cut up and cleared broken branches away and made the field safe for us.

Thank you to everyone who got stuck in and did all this hard work so quickly to enable members to use Range B and the field again.

The work is not all done however. Tomorrow morning, Saturday 27 July, we have a working bee, where we’ll perform many of the regular tasks that keep the target sheds full of good quality targets, the butts safe to shoot on and many other things that keep the club operating smoothly for all members. We ask that you attend if you possibly can. Don’t worry if you’re not sure what to do – we’ll show you what and how. We’ll be grateful for all help.

After the working bee we’ll provide a free barbecue lunch, followed by the club shoot. All divisions will shoot a Drake (90 arrows at 30m on 80cm faces).

Please join us if you can.

Thanks,

Diane

Changes are coming to Learning Archery at Illawarra Archers starting August 2024

02/07/2024

Club members have approved changes to our courses. We will be adding a new Introduction to Archery session, which will be similar to the Come-and-Try session, with small changes to duration and content, and it will be a pre-requisite for attending the Beginners Course. Updates to the Beginners Course will be made to reflect the pre-requisite introduction, with the biggest change being to move to two days for the Beginners (down from the current timetable of 3 days) 

Stay tuned for more details and session timings coming soon for August and September.

Beginners Course for July 14,21,28 - registration now closed

update 25/6/24

Our July Beginners Course is now fully booked.


The next course is expected to be posted soon. As always, book in early to avoid missing out!


any questions, please contact CoachingCoord@illawarraarchers.org

Saturday Competition - July 13

updated 14/07/2024

A strong turn out came for the QRE / Club Field shoot, with 15 shooters from other clubs in the region! Overall, there were 22 QRE competitors plus another 4 people shooting the course as a club shoot. Classes ranging from U16 to 70+ were represented. As expected, the various class podiums were shared between our club members and visitors.


Full results are here in Archers Diary

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

07/07/2024

The Saturday shoot will be a QRE Field competition. As always, there will be pegs for different bow types and club shooters of different skill levels. 

Just a reminder, Archery Australia has updated its Shooting Rules for Field Shoots. Compound and Recurve shooters in the categories of Women 60+, Women 70+, and Men 70+ now compete from the Blue Pegs.

Archery Australia Shooting RulesVersion 7.0 – Electronic version – Mar 2024  

registration for the QRE in Assemble closes July 11

register for the club shoot in Archers Diary

Next Club Meeting - June 15, 2024

Reminder the next regular club meeting will be held Saturday, June 15, starting at 10:00am. All members are encouraged to attend club meetings to participate in the ongoing governance of your club.

Beginners Course set for July 14,21,28 - open for registration

Our July Beginners Course is now open for registration.

As always, book in early to avoid missing out!


register here


any questions, please contact CoachingCoord@illawarraarchers.org

A Great Golden Gong 2024 - May 26

Thanks to all the competitors and supporters (and the weather) for such a great day.

Pan Pacific Masters Games

Gold Coast  - 1-10 November 2024

Events Management Queensland based on the Gold Coast, Australia, will be hosting the Pan Pacific Masters Games from 1-10 November 2024 on the Gold Coast. The event consists of over 40 sports for participants aged primarily 30 years old and above, competing in up to 10 days of competition. 


The Archery competition will be held 2-3 November 2024, and will have sections for all bow types and age groups.


for more information, go to their Website: https://mastersgames.com.au/ppmg/ 


to register, on the website, click on ENTER NOW and follow the prompts.

there are early bird fee concessions

Lake Macquarie Games

WESTLAKES ARCHERS INC will be hosting the LAKE MACQUARIE GAMES Field Shoot on Sunday, August 4, 2024

By entering the event you are agreeing to be bound by the Constitution and Rules of Archery Australia Inc.


EVENT: 24 Target Marked WA Field

(3 arrows to be shot at each target...all arrows score).

LOCATION: Fassifern Oval, 51 Miller Road, Fassifern, 2283.

TIME: 8:00am - 9:00am Practice

8.30am - 9.00am Registration

9.15am Muster

9.30am First arrow shot.

DIVISIONS for all gender / bow types / age groups

his event is open to all Archery Alliance members.

Lake Macquarie Games medallions will be presented at the conclusion of the event for all

divisions.


COST: $35 for Adults. $25 for Under 21s.


CLOSING DATE: 30 July, 2024 (late entries accepted on application with the Secretary)


NOTES: No camo clothing. The canteen will be open all day.

CROSSBOW archers must show a current NSW permit at registration.

Bow weight must be under 60lb.

ENTRIES: Via Assemble; non-AA members Contact the Secretary.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact: V O’Brien (mobile) 0438 430 988

email: westlakes_archers@bigpond.com

Register via Assemble:  https://account.archery.assemblesports.io/finder?id=3002410

National Target Championships - Oct 22-28 2024

Are you ready?

NTC IS BACK! The 2024 National Target Championships will be hosted by Archery Australia at the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS). Mark the dates, 22nd - 28th October will be the dates of the event! Be sure to keep checking the Archery Australia socials and newsletter for any announcements. Registration will be via Assemble Sports on 24th June 2024.


NSW State Field Competition - September 7 & 8, 2024

updated: 10/6/2024

Note the date change!

the Competition has been pulled forward a week to provide the opportunity for our World Field Archery Championship archery team to shoot prior to their departure for Canada.


Illawarra Archers will be hosting this year's NSW State Field Competition. This is one of the major shoots in the 2024 calendar. We look forward to seeing a big turnout taking on our highly rated Field Course. 


register via Assemble before Monday August 26, 2024

NSW State Field Competition - September 14 & 15, 2024

Illawarra Archers will be hosting this year's NSW State Field Competition. This is one of the major shoots in the 2024 calendar. We look forward to seeing a big turnout taking on our highly rated Field Course. 

Field QRE July 13 - registration link now available

17/4/24

We will be hosting a Field QRE on July 13. 

The usual options for shooting it as a QRE or as a club shoot will be in place.

Registration is via Assemble. Here is the link.

2024 National / State Indoor Championships July 6-7 2024 


Hosted by Penrith City Archers

Date: 6th and 7th July, 2024

Location: 446 Wilberforce Rd, Wilberforce (Butterfly Farm/ Go- Karts)

Saturday will be a Double Australian Indoor: 3 Spot Triangle OR 40cm single target face.

Sunday will be a WA Indoor:  3 Spot Vertical OR 40cm single target face

The Entry Fee for Both Days is $60

Closing Date: 6th June


Flight 1 rego 6.30am , practice 7.30am , scoring approx 8.00am. Both days

Flight 2 rego 10.00am , practice 11am ,scoring approx 11.30am. Both days

Flight 3 rego 2.00pm , practice 3.00pm, scoring approx 3.30pm Both days

A fourth evening flight will be considered dependent on entries.



Please enter via Assemble.

 https://account.archery.assemblesports.io/finder?id=3002587 



Penrith City Archers Golden Arrow Event - June  1-2, 2024

Penrith City Archers has their Golden Arrow Event coming up on 1st and 2nd June.  Target (Canberra's) and Clout are on Saturday and the Field is on the Sunday.

Entry is via Archers Diary and payments can be made on the day or deposited to our account. 

To qualify for the Golden Arrow you must enter the OPEN division for all 3 events (target, field and clout) this will cost $75. (Golden Arrow can only be shot with the one bow type through out.) Non Golden Arrow all three events are $75. However if you only wish to shoot one event, say for instance target only, it will only cost you $30 for one event. If you wish to shoot just 2 events, say clout and target or target and field, it will only cost you $60.


Saturday Competition - Saturday May 25 - Field QRE

The Saturday shoot will be a Field QRE. As usual, there will be pegs for Yellow, Blue, and Red shooting lines. QRE registrations via Assemble (Here is the link) close May 23, non-QRE registrations are available via Archers Diary.

Field QRE May 25 - registration link now available

17/4/24

We will be hosting a Field QRE on May 25. 

The usual options for shooting it as a QRE or as a club shoot will be in place.

Registration is via Assemble. Here is the link.

Golden Gong 2024 - Postponed 

now on for May 26, 2024

updated 7/5/24

Due to the rain over the last week, and forecasted to continue for some time, the event has been postponed.  


The event is now fully booked, and registrations are now closed to further entries.


select this link for more information.

Working Bee May 18 - many thanks!

Thanks to everyone who came to the working bee on Saturday, on a blustery, rainy and very cold Saturday.

Thanks also to Glen, who mowed, snipped and generally provided lots of TLC to the range today, with the result that it's looking fabulous for a successful Golden Gong next Sunday 26 May.

Thanks to all the following volunteers who'll be helping to run the Golden Gong.


Working Bee this weekend - Saturday May 18 - start time 9:00am

Here's your chance to give a bit of your time to your club. There are lots of opportunities to help out with new target faces, general maintenance of the range and field courses, etc. 

If you happen to be an early riser, come along anytime you are ready. There will be grounds maintenance underway from about first light!

The working bee will be followed by a free BBQ lunch.

As always, many hands make for light work!


The competition shoot will follow after lunch.

Golden Gong 2024 - May 12, 2024

updated 4/5/24

Only two days remain to register for this popular shoot. There are only 5 places left to fill. Registrations close Monday May 6 at 23:59pm


Registration is now open for our Golden Gong 2024 tournament. This is a shoot for novice archers of all age divisions and bows and makes the perfect introduction to archery competitions in a relaxed environment. 


Competitors are encouraged to register early, as places are limited in this popular annual tournament.


select this link for more information.

Field Course Closed  

May 6 2024

our Field Captain, Glen, has closed the field course effective immediately until further notice, because of safety concerns caused by the rain. 

Next Club Meeting - April 13, 2024

Reminder the next regular club meeting will be held Saturday, April 13, starting at 10:00am. All members are encouraged to attend club meetings to participate in the ongoing governance of your club.


Of particular note in the upcoming meeting is a notice of proposed amendment to Club Regulations and Safety Policy, Regulation 27.1

As per Clause 29 of this Policy, the club has provided a week's notice of the motion. Formal notice was communicated to all members in a message from the Club President on April 4, 2024.


Regulation 27.1 states:

"There will be no shooting during a working bee"

Proposed amendment:

"There will be no shooting during a working bee until 12pm"


This issue was discussed in the general meeting of 27 February, but the Policy could not be changed at that time due to the requirements for one week's notice of motion. That meeting did carry a motion to have shooting on working bee days to not commence until 12:00 p.m. This was found to work satisfactorily for the working bee of 23 March. 


For details, refer to the minutes the meeting held February 27, 2024 and the President's message of April 4, 2024.

Update: NSW State Field Competition - remaining as originally scheduled September 14 & 15, 2024    updated March 31

Illawarra Archers will be hosting this year's NSW State Field Competition. After lengthy consultation with ANSW, it has been decided this shoot will remain in its original slot. Our best wishes for a strong performance go with the World Field Championships team.

Revised AA Field Shoot Rules for senior archers Feb 2024

Archery Australia has updated its Shooting Rules for Field Shoots. Compound and Recurve shooters in the categories of Women 60+, Women 70+, and Men 70+ now compete from the Blue Pegs.


Archery Australia Shooting RulesVersion 7.0 – Electronic version – Mar 2024 

Beginners Course set for June 16,23,30 - now full

updated 28/4/2024


Our June Beginners Course has now been fully booked and is closed to further registrations.


Dates have not yet been set for further courses, but it is likely the next available one will be in July 2024. Watch this space for announcements of any new sessions.


any questions, please contact the CoachingCoordinator@illawarraarchers.org

Beginners Course now set for June 16,23,30

Registration is now open for our June Beginners Course. This will be held over 3 consecutive Sundays in June, with the first session on June 16.


Links to the registration pages can be found in the IA Events box on the Home page and on the Beginners Course page


complete your registration soon, as these courses fill up very quickly.

any questions, please contact the CoachingCoordinator@illawarraarchers.org

Update 4: April Beginners Courses now full.  updated April 11, 2024


April courses are now filled.


the next  course will be in June Illawarra Archers Beginners Course June 16, 23, 30


links to the registration pages can also be found in the IA Events box on the Home page and on the Beginners Course page


any questions, please contact the CoachingCoordinator@illawarraarchers.org

Update 3: Only one Beginners Course in April remains open for registration - April 15-16.  updated April 9, 2024


The first course in April is now filled (again).


However, one place remains available in the second course, scheduled for the first week in NSW School Holidays -  April 15-16. 

This course is being presented over 2 consecutive days during NSW school holidays. It will commence on April 15. Registration is now open.


Book in soon to avoid missing out. 


the next  course will be in June


see the news item for the June course, or links to the registration pages which can be found in the IA Events box on the Home page and on the Beginners Course page


any questions, please contact the CoachingCoordinator@illawarraarchers.org

Update 2: April Beginners Courses open for registration

updated Apr 7, 2024


One spot has opened up in the first course in April.

This course will run April 14, 21, and 28.

Registration re-opened 


Only one place remains available in the second course, scheduled for the first week in NSW School Holidays -  April 15-16. 

This course is being presented over 2 consecutive days during NSW school holidays. It will commence on April 15. Registration is now open.


Book in soon to avoid missing out. The next course after this will be in June.


Links to the registration pages can be found in the IA Events box on the Home page and on the Beginners Course page


complete your registration soon, as these courses can fill up quickly.

any questions, please contact the CoachingCoordinator@illawarraarchers.org

Update: Only one Beginners Course in April remains open for registration - April 15-16.  updated March 31


The first course in April is now filled.


However, places remain available in the second one, scheduled for the first week in NSW School Holidays -  April 15-16. 

This course is being presented over 2 consecutive days during NSW school holidays. It will commence on April 15. Registration is now open.


Book in soon to avoid missing out. The next course after this will be in June.


Links to the registration pages can be found in the IA Events box on the Home page and on the Beginners Course page


complete your registration soon, as these courses can fill up quickly.

any questions, please contact the CoachingCoordinator@illawarraarchers.org

Beginners Courses in April are now open for registration - one starts April 14 and a second starts April 15.

Our standard course held over 3 consecutive Sundays, commencing April 14, will take 16 students. Registration is now open.

Another option is a course being presented over 2 consecutive days during NSW school holidays. It will commence on April 15, with spots for 8 students. Registration is now open.


Links to the registration pages can be found in the IA Events box on the Home page and on the Beginners Course page


complete your registration soon, as these courses fill up very quickly.

any questions, please contact the CoachingCoordinator@illawarraarchers.org

Liverpool City Archers Blacksnake Marked Field Event - April 14

LCA welcome all archers to their annual Blacksnake Field Shoot. This is a 24 Target World Archery marked Arrowhead Field Round. Registration is available via Assemble Event 3002330 .  

Executive Challenge Team Competition - Its a Wrap - April 7

The Illawarra Archers Executive Team Challenge has been completed for another year. Another excellent day, with one team from each of Northern Archers, Warringah Archers, Southern Highlands Archers, and Illawarra Archers. A high spirited competition with fun had by all.


Fiona kept all the shooters out of their comfort zones throughout the day with her wicked 3rd end challenges. Numerous comments along the lines of "But I can't even aim out there! Its not in the centre!!!" were heard. Some pushed their luck shooting at the white rings and were risk/rewarded with wood instead. At least one shooter has vowed to find the wand targets and donate them to the fire gods.


Oh yeah, and there was scoring and prize awards. 

1st place, and the coveted Golden Arrow Team Award, went to Team Northern

2nd place to Southern Highlands

3rd place to The Executive

4th place to The Bow Job


Many thanks to Gordon for running the BBQ, Andris for the shopping, Glenn for the setup, and especially to Fiona for her organisation and for running the day.

2024 Executive Team Challengers

Executive Challenge Team Competition - April 7

Registration is open (on the Assemble platform) for the Illawarra Archers Executive Team Challenge. Get your team of archers, one from each of the 4 disciplines of compound, sighted recurve, barebow, and longbow, and sign up to take on the IA executive team, and others, to vie for the Golden Team Arrow! If you don't have a team, but would like to join in, contact our Recorder and Fiona will do her best to find a group for you to join.


Note for Illawarra Archers members: contact Fiona to register your team at our members' only price!


more about the shoot


more about Assemble Accounts

Working Bee this weekend - Saturday March 23 - start time 9:00am

Here's your chance to give a bit of your time to your club. There are lots of opportunities to help out with new target faces, general maintenance of the range and field courses, etc. 

If you happen to be an early riser, come along anytime you are ready. There will be grounds maintenance underway from about first light!

The working bee will be followed by a free BBQ lunch.

As always, many hands make for light work!


The competition shoot will follow after lunch.

Assemble Registration - Wednesday March 20

Many members still haven’t registered an account on Assemble, the new membership database platform. This may become an issue for you when you need to renew your membership, so please try to get it done before then. The link to register your account is  https://account.archery.assemblesports.io . If you have any trouble registering your account, please contact Con at treasurer@illawarraarchers.org 

Twilight Team Matchplay this weekend- Sunday March 17 - note start time of 10:00am

This Sunday, we will be running the Twilight Team Matchplay. Register in Archers Diary, and Fiona will assign shooters to teams based on their rankings. Register early so Fiona has time to herd the cats into teams. Unfortunately this comp was rained out. 

Twilight Matchplay Competition - Sunday March 3

An annual highlight of the twilight competition, the Twilight Matchplay, takes place surprisingly not at twilight, but on this Sunday, 3 March, beginning at 10am. Please register on Archers Diary so that our Recorder, Fiona, can organise the opposing pairs of archers as much as possible ahead of time. Please bring your lunch, including meat if you would like a BBQ, and maybe something toward dessert/afternoon tea so that we can celebrate together. Look out in the next couple of weeks for news about the Team Matchplay, which will follow on 17 March.

New Illawarra Archers Website - Friday March 1

Due to changes being made by Archery Australia, we will be moving to a new website on (or before) Friday March 1. The webmasters have been working hard to get the new site ready for changeover. There are likely to be a few bugs with the new site, and some features may not make it onto the site until some time after the changeover date. Your patience is appreciated.  The new site address remains the same as the previous site - www.illawarraarchers.org

New Archery Australia Membership Data Base - Friday March 1

As you know, Archery Australia is introducing a new membership database on 1 March. Your club officers have been working hard to learn how to administer the new system, and from 1 March, AA will send information to all members on how to access the database, to guide you through the registration process and to familiarise you with its features and functionality. 

Field Course closed for QRE preparations - February 23 (and maybe other days/times prior)

Note: as per normal procedure, the Field Course will be closed prior to the QRE shoot day for necessary preparations. 


There will also be closures of the ranges during the QRE shoot on Saturday.

Illawarra Archers feature at recent ANSW presentation night - Saturday February 17

Illawarra Archers members featured strongly at the recent ANSW presentation night. Brian and Fiona gained Archery Australia Bronze Elite Awards in Field. Diane was awarded Outright Female Recurve Winner for the State Clout Championships. Performance Awards went to Donna for 60+ Female Barebow Recurve, Con for 70+ Male Barebow Recurve, Finley for U14 Male Barebow Recurve, Helen for 60+ Female Longbow, and Marilyn for 70+ Female Longbow. Chris was thanked for judging at the Metropolitan Open Championships, the State Field Championships and the State Target Championships. Please congratulate these members when you see them around the club. 

Ordinary General Meeting - Saturday February 10

The next club meeting will be held this Saturday, 10am start. Watch your email inboxes for the agenda and reports. This is your chance to participate in the operation of your club, and your attendance is strongly encouraged.

ANSW Tournaments February 2024

3rd February: Warringah Open
4th February: Penrith City Archers 60th Anniversary Field - WA 24T Marked and Matchplay (sportstg.com)
10th February: SOPA Double QRE (Link TBC)
17th February: State Presentation Night. new link.
18th February: Coast Archers Youth Tournament (TBC)
25th February: SOPA Challenge Series 1 (Summer) Tournament (TBC)

A Great Wrap-up for 2023

There was a great turnout for the 2023 wrap up on Saturday. Thanks to the organisers for a great day and an excellent lunch! A strong showing from Hoggie saw him take out the Wand this year. Congrats to all the annual award winners. Time for the rest of us to begin our campaigns of conquest for next year :-) And, as one of our members showed this year, start out strong enough and you can coast into the end of the year still on top!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone 

Illawarra Archers’ Exceptional Performances at the National Target Championships Sept 29 - Oct 2

Six of our members competed in the National Target Championships held at Samford Valley Target Archers over the Labour Day Weekend. A massive storm rolled in during the 1440 round which resulted in play being abandoned after 90 arrows on Friday. Saturday saw a return to fine weather and the 900 Canberra round was shot. On Sunday it was time for the Matchplay ranking round, and then the Matchplay shootdown completed the championships on Monday. Congratulations to Fiona, Con, Neil, Melissa-Ann, Donna, and Jason for their competition in their individual and team rounds (truncated) 1440, 900, and Matchplay. As a result of their efforts as individuals and in teams, a number of national champs will now be shooting with us! Fiona, 1st place in the (truncated) 1440 and again in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Female Compound, and in the Team Open Female Compound Matchplay. Con, 1st place in the (truncated) 1440 and again in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Male Barebow Recurve Neil, 1st place in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Male Barebow. Of special note was the first round of the male open barebow recurve matchplay shootdown where Neil faced Con. Illawarra was guaranteed to advance to the second round! Full results can be found on Archer’s Diary – select Archery Australia for both the RGB and Organiser drop downs. (apologies if we missed some of the results - please let the webmaster know of any mitsakes) 

Stolen Archery Gear

Sadly Joshua has had his new full archery kit stolen from his apartment lockup. It is a recurve setup in a distinctive red Avalon bag. click the link for more info

 

Hi Diane,

 

I just wanted to let you know that my archery gear was stolen from my apartment block storage cage recently by a break in. It’s been reported to the police but I thought I would let the club know as to please keep an eye out for it.

 

It looked like this (attached photos), pretty sure the bag still had its new price tag on it just like in the photo.

 

 

It was a target olympic style recurve with samick carbon Xtreme Limbs, and a silver riser (I think it was win and win or Hoyt, I can't remember)

 

It had this bag, inside was a quiver belt, the bow itself and string, stabilizers, 18 carbon arrows, leather finger guard, even a little bow stand, basically everything you need.

 

Very upset, please pass this around to everyone in the club if possible.

 

Thanks,

 

Warm regards,

Joshua

Joshua's Gear

Joshuas Gear

Reminder: Invitation to Christmas lunch at Illawarra Archers Saturday 16 December

It is with great pleasure that your Executive invites you and your guests to our Wand shoot, annual presentations, and a free catered Christmas lunch on Saturday 16 December.

As we have to give final numbers to the caterer on Tuesday Dec 12, please register ASAP.

Please register yourself and the number of your guests. Details can be found in the 'read full article' link and in your email inbox. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our end of year wrap up !!!!!



Reminder: Invitation to Christmas lunch at Illawarra Archers Saturday 16 December

Hi everyone,

A reminder about our end of year celebrations next weekend on Saturday 16 December. 

All members and their guests are invited to join us for novelty shoots from 10am, the annual presentations from about 12noon and a catered lunch at 1pm. New members are especially welcome to join us, have some fun in the novelty shoots, be inspired by our annual award presentations, meet other members and enjoy a delicious lunch on the club’s tab.

That’s right, there is no charge for lunch, which will be catered by the famous Tony’s Chicken Shop, and will include roast chicken, cold meat platters, and several different salads, followed by baklava for dessert. For catering purposes please register your name and the number of people in your group. We will need to finalise numbers with the Chicken Shop by Tuesday Dec 12. We hope to see lots of members and guests at our 2023 celebrations.

The link is also on our website. Anyone who has difficulty registering can email, or phone or message me.

Please register for the Wand on Archers Diary as usual. 

Diane


Ordinary General Meeting - Saturday December 9

The next club meeting will be held this Saturday. Watch your email inboxes for the agenda and reports. This is your chance to participate in the operation of your club, and your attendance is strongly encouraged.

Illawarra Farget Returns - Sunday Dec 3

See you at the annual Illawarra Farget - a fun shoot, half field and half target. Registrations have now closed. Late entries, for an additional charge, my be accepted if space allows. Please contact Recorder@illawarraarchers.org


 

    The Illawarra Farget

Hosted by Illawarra Archers

 Sunday 3rd, December 2023

 Registration from 9 am. Shoot starts 10am.

Entry Fees: $20.00 

Illawarra Archers Range, Mt  Keira Rd,  Mt  Keira

 

 

Entries Close Sunday 26th November

Late Entries will be accepted if space available and will be charged an additional $5.

A one day combined field and target event hosted by Illawarra Archers.

This is primarily a fun event and is aimed at recreational and tournament archers alike. COME ALONG AND HAVE SOME FUN WITH US

 

Consisting of a 12 target Marked Field and a National Target Round (consisting of 48 arrows at 60 yards and 24 arrows at 50 yards with 5 ring scoring).

One group of archers will shoot the field whilst the other group will shoot the target round, followed by a lunch break after which the groups will swap and shoot their other round.

There will be a free sausage sizzle provided for lunch. Drinks can be purchased at the canteen.

Canteen: Limited canteen facilities are available throughout the day.

The scores from both events will be added to produce a final score for use with placings.

Verification of Club Membership: it is a requirement to verfiy your membership to either an Archery Australia affiliated Club or an Alliance Association (ABA or 3DAAA)

 

Pegs for the field round: As per the relevant AA rules (Red, blue and yellow)

Dress code: For safety reasons, no camouflage clothing is to be worn whilst shooting.

NOTE: No dogs are permitted on the Illawarra Archers' grounds unless on a lead and under the control of a responsible adult at all times.


What a fantastic weekend! December 2-3

After the club shoot on Saturday, we held a very successful Buy-Swap-Sell hosted by Peter. Members were able to find equipment and others reduced their inventories. Thanks to all, especially to Peter for running the event. Sunday saw entrants compete in our Farget, mostly from other clubs. Our club was a surprise to those who’d never visited before. Thanks to the many members who contributed to the event, including John, Brian, Mick, Helen, Marianne, Ros, and especially to Glen for organising the field and retrieving arrows, and to Fiona as DOS, event judge and prize presenter. Apologies if we’ve missed anyone. Let us know and we’ll make sure to update this news item. 

After an enjoyable club shoot on Saturday, we held a very successful Buy-Swap-Sell hosted by Peter. Some new members were able to find some equipment to suit them at a good price and others were able to off-load no longer required bits of kit. Thanks to all who participated, and especially to Peter for running the event.

Sunday saw eighteen entrants, mostly from other clubs, compete in our annual Farget. Our club was a surprise to those who’d never visited before. Entrants were very complimentary about the event, our hospitality, and our beautiful grounds. Thanks are due to the many members who helped to get the grounds ship-shape, and contributed to the event in various ways, such as John, Brian, Mick, Helen, Marianne, Ros, and especially to Glen for organising the twelve-target field and retrieving lost or stuck arrows, and to Fiona who acted as DOS (Director of Shooting), event judge and prize presenter with her usual humour and verve. Apologies if I’ve missed anyone. Let me know and I’ll make sure I add you to the news item for the website. Here are a couple of photos. 

Diane

Weekend of Field Shooting in the Southern Highlands Nov 18 & 19

Southern Highlands Archery and Marulan Archery clubs are holding a weekend of field shooting with SHA shooting on Saturday and MA shooting on Sunday. (SHA is an AA club so is covered by insurance, however Grahame has advised that on Sunday there is no insurance for shooting with MA.) Be there at 9.30am ready to shoot at 10am on either day.

Roadworks on Mount Keira Road - Nov 13 - Dec 8

Wollongong City Council have advised that they’re doing roadworks between 271 Mount Keira Road and Queen Elizabeth Drive from 13 November to about 8 December. Our access to the club should be maintained, as we’re the owners of the property, however there may be minor delays.

Illawarra Archers Bring Home Gold and Silver at the State Clout Championships Nov 12

Illawarra Archers picked up two more state championship gold medals at the weekend as well as two silver medals, during a long, fly-plagued, 37-degree day hosted for ANSW by Penrith City Archers. Atonya Lamberson won gold in the 50+ Female Barebow Recurve division, while Melissa-Ann Dunn won the silver medal. Fiona Hyde, returning to clout shooting after many years, took the silver medal in the 60+ Female Compound division. Diane Cranson won gold in the 60+ Female Recurve division, and was the top scorer at 145m in female recurve, beating archers in the 50+ and Open divisions..

Our Champions

Field QRE Shoot this Saturday Nov 11

The club shoot this Saturday will be a QRE Field Shoot. Update: Registrations for the QRE are now closed, but it is now open as a club shoot on Archers Diary. And don't forget to thank Field Captain Glen for his hard work preparing the course for us!

Many thanks to the Worker Bees last Saturday Nov 4

Another excellent showing for the Working Bee last weekend. Despite the wet weather, the Bees kept busy in the glue factory assembling a stack of new and refurbished range targets. The follow up BBQ was well attended (surprise?), thanks to the chefs for prep and cooking and cleanup. There was even a rare sighting of a Canadian jumper, although our resident Canadian appeared to refuse to acknowledge it?

Working Bee, BBQ and Shoot this Saturday Nov 4

We have a working bee this Saturday from 9am to 12 noon. There are many different types of jobs that are needed to keep the club available for you, so there’s something for everyone to do. Don’t worry that you may not have the necessary skills – we’ll show you what to do and how to do it. We appreciate everyone who comes to lend a hand, and to show our appreciation, we’ll provide a free BBQ lunch afterwards. The BBQ will be followed by a shoot of 72 arrows, 50m on a big face for Divisions 1 and 2, and 30m on a big face for Division 3.

Club Meeting and Comp Shoot October 21

Reminder the Club Meeting is on Saturday morning, 10:00 start. The Agenda with links to the reports should be in your email now. As always, members are strongly encouraged to attend. This is your opportunity to participate in the decision making of your club, and to gain first hand information about key club issues and opportunities. Of course, the meeting will be followed by our regular BBQ delights. We will wrap up after lunch with the Saturday comp, with Divisions 1 & 2 shooting an AA50/720 and Division 3 shooting the IA30/720, both on the 122cm faces.

Australian Masters - Another Strong Showing from Illawarra Archers - October 8-13

Melissa-Anne and Atonya continued their tour of Queensland and South Australia with a final stop at the Masters Games in Adelaide. Between them, they took home 5 medals in their age categories across Clout, Target, and Indoor rounds. Well done to you both!

Illawarra Archers Club Field Championship Oct 7

This year’s Club Field Championship is on this Saturday (Oct 7). Glen has been busy as usual preparing the course for us. Please note, the Field Course will be closed this Friday (Oct 6) for final setup and preparation. The shoot is posted in Archer’s Diary, so get signed up early to help with target assignments. And a reminder, archers must be qualified to at least 30m on the range prior to shooting the field.

Twilight Season Has Arrived - Oct 5

Finally, Twilight Competition Season has returned. For any of our newer members, during daylight savings, we have a club competition shoot Thursdays, with first arrows flying at 6:00pm. We aim to be a bit more casual than the Saturday competitions. Everyone shoots the same round in a single division. We haven’t seen the calendar yet, but the first few weeks will tend to be indoor shoots, as the light is still a bit restrictive. So, bring your gear and be ready for our ‘surprise’ opening round this Thursday evening (Oct 5).

Illawarra Archers’ Exceptional Performances at the National Target Championships Sept 29 - Oct 2

Six of our members competed in the National Target Championships held at Samford Valley Target Archers over the Labour Day Weekend. A massive storm rolled in during the 1440 round which resulted in play being abandoned after 90 arrows on Friday. Saturday saw a return to fine weather and the 900 Canberra round was shot. On Sunday it was time for the Matchplay ranking round, and then the Matchplay shootdown completed the championships on Monday. Congratulations to Fiona, Con, Neil, Melissa-Ann, Donna, and Jason for their competition in their individual and team rounds (truncated) 1440, 900, and Matchplay. As a result of their efforts as individuals and in teams, a number of national champs will now be shooting with us! Fiona, 1st place in the (truncated) 1440 and again in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Female Compound, and in the Team Open Female Compound Matchplay. Con, 1st place in the (truncated) 1440 and again in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Male Barebow Recurve Neil, 1st place in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Male Barebow. Of special note was the first round of the male open barebow recurve matchplay shootdown where Neil faced Con. Illawarra was guaranteed to advance to the second round! Full results can be found on Archer’s Diary – select Archery Australia for both the RGB and Organiser drop downs. (apologies if we missed some of the results - please let the webmaster know of any mitsakes) 


Six of our members competed in the National Target Championships held at Samford Valley Target Archers over the Labour Day Weekend. A massive storm rolled in during the 1440 round which resulted in play being abandoned after 90 arrows on Friday. Saturday saw a return to fine weather and the 900 Canberra round was shot. On Sunday it was time for the Matchplay ranking round, and then the Matchplay shootdown completed the championships on Monday.

Congratulations to Fiona, Con, Neil, Melissa-Ann, Donna, and Jason for their competition in their individual and team rounds (truncated) 1440, 900, and Matchplay.

As a result of their efforts as individuals and in teams, a number of national champs will now be shooting with us!

Fiona, 1st place in the (truncated) 1440 and again in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Female Compound, and in the Team Open Female Compound Matchplay.

Con, 1st place in the (truncated) 1440 and again in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Male Barebow Recurve

Neil, 1st place in the 900 Canberra, Age Division Male Barebow.

 

Of special note was the first round of the male open barebow recurve matchplay shootdown where Neil faced Con. Illawarra was guaranteed to advance to the second round!

Full results can be found on Archer’s Diary – select Archery Australia for both the RGB and Organiser drop downs.

Fiona's Female Team Target Gold Medal Round can be viewed on youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFHxpnRaKgI

Archery Australia Facebook page video of all the finals:

https://fb.watch/nQkevgHPQj/

(apologies for any errors or missing results – please let the webmaster know of any mitsakes)

Another Great Working Bee - Sept 30

Thanks to everyone for their help with the working bee on Saturday. A big group effort saw a good amount of jobs taken care of.

A number of new 122 target faces were glued up, as well as refurbished 122’s for our practice shoots. Special thanks to the budding Picassos demonstrating their self control and keeping the paint within the lines and off each other!

Two target butts were repacked. #4 had 5 points in it, and #1 had 2 points. Here’s hoping the compounders can keep a few more vanes on their arrows. That pretty much used up all the prepared carpet, so we will be looking for more very soon.

The coaching group worked on arrows and equipment registers, getting things ready for the next Beginner’s Course, currently pencilled in for October.

Glen took a line trimmer for a stroll around the Field Course. Not sure how he shoots arrows with that, but he could probably tell a good story if asked.

And, of course, thanks to Andris for the BBQ supplies and paint, and to Gordon for grilling.

Club ordinary meeting and AGM this Saturday, 26 August 2023

The club’s ordinary meeting and Annual General Meeting will be held this Saturday morning, 26 August. The ordinary meeting will be at 10am as usual, and the AGM will follow the ordinary meeting. If you’re interested in who will be managing the club and holding various responsibilities for the next twelve months, please attend and cast your votes. The agendas for the meetings are in your recent emails.

Provisional members are particularly invited to attend to be introduced to the members.

After the meetings, the club will supply a free BBQ lunch, followed by the club shoot.

South Coast Field – it’s a wrap - 21 August 2023

The South Coast Field is over and done for another year, and what a great event it was! The weekend was enjoyed by entrants from Illawarra Archers and from other clubs far and wide, including SOPA, Warringah, Southern Highlands, Penrith, Sydney University, Coast, Bathurst, Sawtell and Ku-Ring-Gai. Full results here.

Our Field Captain, Glen Chrystal, set up a great field course with a few interesting changes to surprise us, and in case we became bored or just too comfortable after Saturday’s shoot, he threw in a few more changes for the Sunday shoot! Thanks for all your work, Glen. It was a terrific weekend of field archery.

Thank you to all the other volunteers who helped make it such a success, including those who set out the range for parking; Fiona for all Recorder duties and medal presentations; Chris and Fiona for donating their judging services; Con and Mick for grocery shopping; Gordon and Andris for manning the barbecue; Mick for photography; Ros, Dani, and Marilyn for running the canteen; and Helen, Sala and others for providing the home-baked afternoon tea.

Ranges closed this weekend 19-20 August for South Coast Field - 13 August 2023

On Saturday and Sunday, 19th and 20th August, Range A and Range B are both closed to individual practice...

On Saturday and Sunday, 19th and 20th August, Range A and Range B are both closed to individual practice for all members, while we host our annual two-day event, the South Coast Field.


Only event entrants will be able to practise, and only during the official practice time. 

Great time had by all at the Executive Team Challenge - 3 August 2023

We all had a great day at the inaugural Executive Team Challenge on Sunday.

Executive Stress (Andris, Diane, Con and Glenn) was challenged by three teams, Exhaustipated (Hoggie, Tim, Donna and Marilyn), Barely Lethal (Melissa-Ann, Scott, Atonya and Helen) and the late entry, Serendipity (Gordon, Steve, Tristan and Chris). Fiona, DOS for the day, kept the event moving along with leader-board announcements after each end, and threw in the wild-card of reverse scoring for each discipline’s last end! At the finish, Executive Stress lost their Challenge to Serendipity – the ring-ins! Full results here. The award for best cheerer and jeerer went to Scott – no surprises there!

Thanks to all who helped make the day a great success, the teams and supporters, Glenn for the idea and format, Fiona for scoring, DOS-ing and keeping us all laughing, Andris and Gordie for the BBQ lunch, and Helen and Shanti for the delicious home-baked afternoon tea. Photos here.

What to do if your arrow loses a point in a butt - 28 July 2023

Hi everyone, 

You might have noticed in the last couple of weeks that several target butts have been temporarily closed. This is because several members have had arrows damaged by hitting points that have been left in the butts. Besides the expensive, and usually fatal, damage to members’ arrows, these butts then have to be stripped completely down, the lost points located and removed, and the butts rebuilt. The butts that have been rebuilt over the last couple of weeks have all been found to have multiple points left in them.

Losing points from your arrows in target butts can happen to anyone, anytime. What’s important is what you do next:

Thanks for your help with this. It will make shooting more pleasant for all of us.

Illawarra Archers members excel again - 27 July 2023

Last weekend, Illawarra Archers life-member, Fiona, competed in Penrith Archery Club’s Golden Arrow event. This is a two-day annual event comprising a 60/900 (the Canberra shoot) and a clout shoot on the first day, and a field shoot on the second day. Fiona came home with the coveted Golden Arrow for the Women’s Compound division. Well done, Fiona! Please congratulate Fiona when you see her around the club.

Another of our members, Jason, is currently competing in China after having been selected for the Australian team representing Australia in the World University Games. World Archery has named the World University Games as one of the five biggest international events to watch in 2023. The archery competition runs from 27 to 31 July. We congratulate Jason on being selected and send our very best wishes for him to shoot well and have a great time.

Increase to Archery Australia membership fees - 24 July 2023

Increase to Archery Australia membership fees

On 30 May all members would have received an email from Archery Australia advising that they are increasing the AA portion of the membership fees from the beginning of July. This means that our individual membership fees are therefore increasing.

Because of the Archery Australia increase, our membership fees are going up by $10 per adult member to $206, by $5 per junior member to $154, and $20 per family subscription. 

For your information and interest, your membership fees of $206 (adults) are made up of three portions:

There is no increase to the club portion of your membership fees. 

Executive Team Challenge

Executive Team Challenge and ANSW Waratah shoot

Thanks to everyone who turned up at short notice for the working bee on Thursday. It was a great roll-up, and lots of targets were completed. Now, to use up some of those targets, we have a couple of competitions next weekend.

Executive Team Challenge Sunday 30 July

We now have four teams in the Executive Team Challenge next Sunday, 30 July, but there’s still time to enter, even if you don’t have a team made up. Just list your name and we’ll do the rest.Each four-person team will consist of a compound, a recurve, a barebow recurve and a longbow. Each archer shoots only 36 arrows on a 122cm face, made up of 18 arrows at each of the two distances below:

Scoring is off-bow – no handicaps – which means you can enter even if you haven’t achieved a rating yet.

We’ll start at 10am, with compound archers shooting first, followed by recurve. We’ll then have a BBQ lunch before resuming the shoot with the barebows and finishing up with the longbows. Even if you’re not shooting, come along and cheer us on, and enjoy lunch, good company and a bit of archery with us. Please enter your team in the list, either online or on the hard copy in the clubhouse.  If you don’t have a team yet and would like to participate, put your name in the appropriate column, and we’ll team you up.

ANSW Waratah shoot - 23 July 2023

Over the weekend ANSW is running the Waratah Postal Shoot. We won’t be able to fit it in on the Saturday, because we’ve been getting such good numbers to our Saturday comps, however we can fit it in on Sunday, running parallel to the Executive Challenge, starting at 10am.

Members who want to do the Waratah event should enter through the ArcheryNSW Portal in Archer’s Diary, choose the right day, then the round pertaining to your age group, either a 1440 round and/or a double 720 round. For the 720 round this year there is also an AA20/720 (20 metres) for U11 archers who may not be ready to shoot 30m.

Waratah Awards will be given to those who achieve scores of 1050, or 1150 or 1250 or higher.

The password for day 1 – is waratah1

The password for day 2 – is waratah2

Working Bee this Thursday 20 July - 18 July 2023

Because of increasing numbers at our Saturday competitions and more of our keen members practising throughout the week, we’re pleased to report that we’re running low on 122cm targets. To address this very welcome shortage, we’re having an extraordinary working bee this Thursday morning, 20 July, at 9am, specifically to get more targets ready for you.

If you’re available on Thursday morning, please come to the range at 9am and we’ll get you started. You don’t need experience or special skills for this job. It’s as simple as working in pairs to glue the paper target faces onto the cardboard backing. The club will provide the equipment and materials and experienced members will show you how it’s done. All we need are your willing hands.

Hope to see plenty of people there.

Illawarra Archers take gold and silver at Gympie - 15 July 2023

Two of our members, Helen and Glenn, trekked all the way to Gympie in Queensland last weekend to compete in a traditional archery tournament, the Gympie Field Archers Phoenix Muster. 

They both shot really well, with Helen winning the silver medal in the woman’s longbow division and Glenn winning gold in the men’s primitive division.

Of interest to long-standing members, on the way they stopped to have dinner with ex-member, Pat, who sends her greetings to us all.

Illawarra members perform brilliantly at the National Indoor Championships - 12 July 2023

Congratulations to Illawarra Archers members Fiona, Marilyn, Melissa-Ann, Rebecca and Con who all competed in the State and National Indoor championships over the weekend. While the NSW Championships results haven’t been aggregated over the three venues yet, our archers did very well in the National Championships. 

Rebecca finished 11th of 29 in the very competitive Open Female Compound division. Melissa-Ann, after shooting compound for only a few months, finished 6th out of 16 with ratings in the 80’s in the 50+ Female Compound. Con took Bronze medals in 70+ Male Barebow Recurve and the Barebow Recurve States’ teams event. Marilyn took the silver medal in 70+ Female Longbow and Fiona took the gold medal in 60+ Female Compound.

Well done to you all and thanks for representing Illawarra Archers so brilliantly. 

Full results here

Half marked and half unmarked field shoot - 6 July 2023

This Saturday morning is our special club field competition, half marked distances and half unmarked distances. Within each peg colour, we’ll shoot 12 targets with the distances marked as usual, and 12 targets with the distances unmarked. It should be lots of fun.

Register on Archers Diary as usual, and bring a charged phone for scoring purposes.

Join in the Executive Team Challenge 10am 30 July - 13 June 2023

Come and have some fun with us in the Executive Team Challenge on 30 July.


Join in the Executive Team Challenge 10am 30 July

Come and have some fun with us in the Executive Team Challenge on 30 July. Teams can challenge the Executive team in a 144 arrow competition, but don’t worry, each archer shoots only 36 arrows, so it shouldn’t be too taxing for anyone. We’ll start at 10am, with compound archers shooting first, followed by recurvers. We’ll then have a BBQ lunch before resuming the shoot with the barebowers and finishing up with the longbowers. 

Even if you’re not shooting, come along and cheer on your fellow members, and enjoy lunch and good company with other archery lovers.

Format

Please enter your team in the list in the clubhouse.  If you don’t have a team yet and would like to participate, put your name in the appropriate column, and we’ll team you up.

ASNSW Short Course Championship results - 2 June 2023

Last weekend saw the Archery Society of NSW Short Course Championships held at SOPA (Sydney Olympic Park Archery club). The Short Course Championships are so named because they are 90 arrows in total as opposed to the Target Championships which are 144 arrows.

Several Illawarra Archers participated, achieving great results as follows.

Well done to you all!

See Saturday’s results here and Sunday’s results here

If you see Jason, Donna or Fiona around the club, give them your congratulations.

Working Bee Saturday 20 May, 9am to 12noon - 19 May 2023

Tomorrow morning we’re holding our Working Bee. We hold a working bee every two months or so to keep our facilities and equipment up to scratch for members, and to keep the club running smoothly. 

It’s a great opportunity if you’re unable to help more regularly, for you to give something back to the club, and to get to know other members better. No matter your skill set, we’ll find something for you to do, and give you a free BBQ lunch as well!

The Club shoot will follow lunch, 90 arrows on a big face for all divisions. If you’re trying to qualify at 20m, 30m or 40m, tomorrow’s competition is for you!

Fun Day - thanks and photos - 8 May 2023

The Family and Friends Fun Day yesterday was a great success with around 70 people in attendance, over 50 of whom were guests enjoying their first taste of archery, ably assisted and fed by around 20 volunteers. We hope your guests had a wonderful time.

Thank you to all members who brought guests and thank you especially to those members who volunteered their time and expertise to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves. As Marianne, who coordinated the event, said, “supreme effort from a good group of club members.”


Photos can be seen here 

Field QRE and Golden Gong 2023 - 8 April 2023

The field QRE on Saturday was great, with a small but dedicated group of archers, who braved the drizzling rain at the beginning, and were rewarded with dry skies for the shoot after the first couple of targets. Results can be found here in Archers Diary . Thanks to all who entered, and all members who helped to provide the event, including our event judge, Peter.

The Golden Gong on Sunday was an outstanding success, with thirty-eight novice archers ranging from Under 14 to Over 70 age divisions, coming from Warringah Archers, SOPA, Sydney Bowmen, Shirewood Forest Archers, Southern Highlands Archers, Shoalhaven City Archers, Illawarra Archers, and eleven from Bathurst Archers who hired a minibus for the trip! Results can be found here in Archers Diary . All archers seemed to have a good time, and they learned a great deal that will stand them in good stead as they progress in their archery careers.

Thanks to all our Illawarra Archers members, too many to name, who worked tirelessly before, during and after the shoot to make it the great day that it was, and to raise the profile of Illawarra Archers high in the company of NSW archery clubs.

Photos here

A big weekend! Field QRE and Golden Gong - 30 March 2023

We have a very busy weekend at the club this weekend.

On Saturday we have our club field shoot, and a field QRE which is run concurrently with the club shoot. 

Members who wish to shoot the club field shoot can register by emailing recorder@illawarraarchers.org or by putting their names on the whiteboard in the correct column for their division. We’ll fix Archers Diary entries before the shoot.

On Sunday we have the Golden Gong, our very popular novice shoot, where we teach the entrants as much as we can about being in tournaments. We have 36 entrants for the Golden Gong, many from our own club, and others coming from clubs north and south, and even as far away as Bathurst.

We have a few volunteers listed for specific jobs:

We still need a few more volunteers to assist with such areas as:

As all twelve targets will have archers, we need more helpers to assist the new competitors. This is very important, as tournament competitors really have to know how to do both paper and electronic scoring.

There may be other things not listed, so please email me if you’d like to assist and we’ll be pretty sure to find you something to do.

Hope to see you at the weekend.

Attention new members - the Golden Gong is for you! - 23 March 2023

On Sunday 2 April, Illawarra Archers will hold the Golden Gong, an event that’s become very well-known throughout NSW archery clubs, and that we recommend to all our new members.

The Golden Gong is for novice archers of all age divisions and bow types, and makes the perfect introduction to archery competitions in a relaxed environment. The event is conducted under normal tournament rules and conditions, however experienced Illawarra Archers members will be there all day to help you with all you need to know and generally support you in gaining tournament experience. You’ll also meet archers from other clubs, and may even win your first tournament medal!

All entrants will shoot a total of 90 arrows, made up of 30 arrows at each of 30m, 25m and 20m. (You don’t need to have completed distance qualifications for the Golden Gong, because it’s a controlled shoot.)

Register here  Registration is your first lesson in tournament shooting.

Clubhouse – where we’re up to - 5 March 2023

As some of you are aware, at a future Special or General Meeting, members will be asked to vote on whether we repair or replace our clubhouse because of extensive termite damage. The Executive anticipates that either option will involve a significant expenditure and before the members make that decision the Executive wants to provide them with all the relevant information, in particular, quotes for same. 

Although the Executive are undertaking that process, we are calling on all members who may know a builder, building company or similar and/or have any other ideas for repair/replacement (e.g. container or containers, demountable building, granny flat kit, shed kit etc etc) to obtain a quote for same (including installation if relevant) and to forward that quote to the Executive prior to the next General Meeting on 15 April 2023. 

We intend to apply for a Government Grant or Grants to pay towards the cost of same so only quotes that involve licensed tradesman/companies or compliant structures will be accepted. For the purpose of members obtaining a quote, members can contact Mick who can advise the extent of the current damage and provide any other details required. Looking forward to your assistance.

Junior Archers! Your comp is back for 2023 - 1 February 2023

Just to let you know that your Junior Competition is back for 2023, starting this Sunday 5 Feb at 10am. Please arrive by 9:30 to set up. Registration is not necessary, and there is no fee. So just come and enjoy!

Format of the Comp:  Events at distances from 10 -20 metres.

The whole thing should only take about an hour and a half or so. There will be a coach in charge of the shoot. A parent or responsible adult of under-age participants needs to be there for supervision.

First working bee of the year - 25 January 2023

Call out to all members. This Saturday 28th Jan at 9am is our first working bee of the year. There is a range of jobs that need to be done. Don’t worry if you’re not sure how you can help – we’ll show you how to help to do a job that will suit you.

One housekeeping job that we’re starting is clearing out the lost & found arrow tube. Over the next two months, please check if any of your lost arrows have been found and put into the arrow tube in the clubhouse. Any arrows still left in the tube at the next working bee will be disposed of.

You can help in future to get your lost arrows back by putting your initials or name on the shafts so that we can easily identify the owners. If you aren’t sure how to mark your arrows, ask for guidance from a senior club member.

The working bee will be followed by a BBQ lunch and then a club shoot. Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3 will all shoot a WA Indoor - 60 arrows @ 18m on a 40cm face. We hope to see lots of you there.

Welcome back BBQ and first shoot of the year - 19 January 2023

The Saturday club competition re-starts at 10am this Saturday, 21 January, followed by a welcome back barbecue supplied by the club for all members who wish to attend. For catering purposes, please let me know if you’re not shooting, but attending the barbecue.

The shoot is divided into three divisions to cater for most archers, even new ones, and the shoots this Saturday are perfect for distance qualifications.

Division 1: Melbourne – 90 arrows at 50m on a 122cm face
Division 2: Darwin – 90 arrows at 40m on a 122cm face
Division 3: Geelong – 90 arrows at 30m on a 122cm face

We hope to see lots of you there.

Club Christmas party and Wand shoot - 15 December 2022

If you’re shooting the Wand on Saturday, please register on Archers Diary at https://archersdiary.com/EventEnrol.aspx?id=32a9b7c6-a4fc-8f94-9e61-0ea02b6e18b8 even if you’ve already told me you’re coming to the Christmas celebrations.

Our junior archers and their parents will be welcome. Junior archers will be able to participate in the Wand, which is only 36 arrows, from a suitably close distance. 

We look forward to seeing you there.

13 December 2022

The Wand 2022

The club will hold its traditional Wand shoot on Saturday as part of our end of year celebrations. 

For those who aren’t familiar with Wand shooting, the target is a two-inch-wide strip down the centre of the butt from top to bottom. Archers must get their arrows wholly within the boundaries of the strip to score. Line cutters are counted as misses. It sounds difficult, but because we’ll shoot from a distance based on our rating it gives everyone a fair chance. 

If you’re a new archer, your distance may be 10 or 20 metres, while experienced archers will be shooting from anywhere up to 90 metres. Come and have a go. It's only six ends of six arrows each, and you may win the coveted annual Wand trophy.

Annual presentations and Christmas break-up party - 11 December 2022

The Christmas shoot and annual presentations will take place this Saturday, 17 December, at the club. 

The traditional Wand and novelty shoots will start at 9am, then all members and their families will be treated to a delicious Christmas lunch. 

The annual trophies will be presented to the 2022 winners in the early afternoon, followed by afternoon tea.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Farget wrap-up - 5 December 2022

The Farget on Sunday was great fun. We had a smaller group than past Fargets, with only twelve entrants, who came from Ku-Ring-Gai Bowmen, Liverpool City Archers, Southern Highlands Archers and as far away as Bathurst Archers, along with six from Illawarra. We all had a great time shooting twelve targets in our lovely field in the morning, and an old National round (60 yards and 50 yards) in the afternoon, with a couple of relatively new archers learning to shoot a tournament in the wind.

Even a small event needs a lot of people to make it happen. Thanks go to all who were involved, including:

All in all, it was a most enjoyable day, and after a couple of years without it, we hope to re-grow it in the future to again be an end of year fun event looked forward to by archers from across the state. Photos here

Last junior comp of the year - 4 December 2022

To all juniors and your families, just a reminder that the last Junior Comp for the year is on next Sunday. Should be lots of fun.

As it’s the last day of the trial Comp for this year, it will be a fun-filled event with novelty shoots and lots of small prizes to be won. Come and join the fun!!

Please arrive by 9:30 to set up. Registration is not necessary, and there is no fee. So just come and enjoy!

Format of the Comp:  Novelty events at distances from 10 -20 metres.

The whole thing should only take about an hour and a half or so. There will be a coach in charge of the shoot. A parent or responsible adult of under-age participants need to be there for supervision.

Illawarra Farget this Sunday - 1 December 2022

The Illawarra Farget is on Sunday 4 December 2022! This is a one day fun event including both field and target, and is aimed at recreational and tournament archers alike. It consists of a 12 target Marked Field and a National Target Round (48 arrows at 60 yards and 24 arrows at 50 yards with 5 ring scoring). In the morning, half the archers will shoot the field in while the other half shoot the target round. There will be a BBQ/sausage sizzle lunch then the groups will swap and shoot their other round. Prize-giving and afternoon tea will complete the day.

Final day of the Junior Comp trial Sunday 11 December - 12 November 2022

As many of you will know, the Club has been trialling a new format for a Junior Competition for young archers. Under the leadership of coach Glenn, the first events have been quite successful and we’d like to finish the trial with a bit of fun and some small prizes for the young archers.

The final day of the trial Junior Comp is on Sunday 11 Dec at 10am.

Glenn is seeking your support in donating small prizes for the shoot. Small prizes under $5 in value, such as deck of cards, fidget spinners, pencils, notebooks, highlighters, usb’s etc (no chocolates please) can be left in a box in the Clubhouse.

On the day the prizes will be placed in a Santa sack and drawn lucky dip style by the young archers as they achieve results. We’re expecting a fun-filled day of novelty shooting events at distances from 10-20m, with prizes being awarded all morning.

Vale, Bruce Pascoe - 19 October 2022

It’s with great sadness we announce to members the death in hospital of our dear friend and fellow member, Bruce Pascoe, on Friday 14 October, after a motorbike accident. 

Bruce was a member since 2011, and a past president. An instructor for many years, many members will remember undergoing their beginner’s course with Bruce.

He will be sadly missed by all members who knew him.

New Executive members, club field championships and BBQ, twilight shoot - 12 October 2022

The Executive is very happy to report that the two remaining vacant executive positions have now been filled. Rosemary is our new Secretary and Glen is our new Field Captain. Rosemary has previously spent many years in the Secretary position, and is also currently the Coaching Coordinator, while Glen has previously served as Field Captain and has spent many years as an instructor. Thank you to Rosemary and Glen for stepping up.

The club field championship will be held this Saturday at 9am. Yes, you read that right: 9am! Practice, for those who desire it, begins at 8am and ends at 8.40am. The championship will be held as an urban field, marked out on the target range. This is a fun shoot, and a great introduction to the multiple types of target and distances you’ll encounter in the field. The championship is followed by a free barbecue, so come and join us.

Twilight comp is again optimistically scheduled for Thursday night at 6pm. The shoot is an Australian Indoor 2, which is 30 arrows at 25m on a 60cm face. Here’s hoping for better weather than last week.

Twilight season, working bee and National Championship results - 5 October 2022

Our twilight season starts tomorrow night, Thursday 6 October at 6pm, with an Australian Indoor, which is 30 arrows at 18m on a 40cm face. The weather forecast doesn’t look good for it but keep an eye on the sky just in case. The full calendar will be available soon.

We have a working bee on this Saturday morning, 8 October, from 9am to 12noon, followed by a free barbecue. Don’t worry if you think you won’t know what to do – our friendly club experts will give you on the job training. Please come and participate if you can – those targets don’t make themselves!

Con, Donna and Jason are on their way home from Brisbane, having just finished competing in the national target championships and matchplay. Jason placed a very creditable seventh from a field of twenty-four in the male open recurve 60/900 and fifth of sixteen in the male open 70/1440, as well as reaching the second round in matchplay. Donna is bringing home silver medals in female barebow recurve 60/900 and 60/1440 in her age group, while Con is bringing home three golds in male barebow recurve in his age group for the 60/900 and 60/1440, and for the barebow mixed team matchplay! Congratulations, Con, Donna and Jason!

Message from your new President - 4 September 2022

Hi members, my name is Diane and I feel honoured to have been elected to serve as your president for 2022-23. 

We’ve been fortunate to have Andris volunteer for the vacant second Vice President position, and Fiona volunteer for the vacant Recorder position. Andris served on the Executive for several years as Target Captain, running our Saturday shoots, and organising much of the work done at working bees. Fiona served for many years as our Recorder, currently chairs the Archery Australia Tournament and Records Committee, and is also the National Ranking List Coordinator. Thank you so much to you both for taking on these positions.

The Executive positions of Secretary and Field Captain remain vacant, and we’ll welcome offers from any member who’d like to serve in these positions. Don’t worry if you’ve never done anything like this before, we’ll support you in every way we can to help you learn the ropes.

Message from the new Target Captain

The most important things you can do for yourself in your archery journey are first to have fun, second to practise. The most important thing to do for your club is to participate. 

On any Saturday at Illawarra Archers you can do all three. If you are a new member and have not had any experience with a competition I urge you to come along and have a go. Not only is it fun but there is so much to learn from interacting with other more experienced archers and members of the club. If you are a member who hasn't participated for a while I can only say come along and support your club, you have much to offer the club and its membership. 

My name is Glenn, and I am the newly appointed target captain. I am at the club most Saturdays and would be happy to meet you and offer any help I can in your archery journey. If I can't help directly, I am sure there are members who would be happy to share their experiences from the many and varied methods of archery practised in Australia. One way or another there is always a place for you to enjoy and grow amongst all the members and friends you can make within the club. 

Hope to see you at the range very soon, whenever it stops raining.

Club Update #2030, December 2021

Let’s be thankful for whatever Archery we have been able to share in 2021, and look forward to hopefully shooting more and more, in 2022. In this update: National Postal Archery Championships, 2022 Club Calendar, COVID Safety.

Archery Australia News, 2021-12-23

• Archery Program to Launch at VIS • COVID-19 Statement • Paris24 Para Coaching • Invictus Archery Day

In this edition

Download all the latest news from Archery Australia.

Archery Australia News, 2021-12

• National Online Tournaments • World Field Policy • World Cup EOI • Blue Award • National Program Policy • Thank You Coach Shih • Coaches Symposium • Coaching Accreditation

In this edition

Download all the latest news from Archery Australia.


Club Update #2029, December 2021

Next Saturday, the 18th of December, marks the end of a very messed up year for our Club but it is time for a bit of light hearted FUN and GAMES.

Next Saturday, the 18th of December, marks the end of a very messed up year for our Club but it is time for a bit of light hearted FUN and GAMES.

The day of course starts off with the “Wand” at 10.00am-ish and for new comers this is just a brightly coloured strip, 5cm wide, running vertically down the target butt. The aim is to get your arrows completely within the 5cm strip at whatever distance you are forced to shoot at.

There will be other novelty shoots after that, then it will be followed by a Club-supplied BBQ and if you are so inclined, please feel free to bring some cakes or slices for dessert.

What we really need is your RSVP for this by Thursday mainly for catering purposes. Please reply to secretary@illawarraarchers.org.

We really hope to see you there.

Archery NSW News, November 2021

2021 National and Para National Championship's Online Tournament

2021 National Championships and Para Championships

Following the cancellation of the 2021 National Championships due to Covid, Archery Australia have decided to conduct a series of tournament in each RGB.

Each RGB will be conducting two tournaments between 15 September and the 19 December 2021.

Grab all the details in this month's Archery NSW newletter.


Archery Australia News, 2021-11

• 2022 National Calendar • Review Process • Overview Of Changes • Continual Review Process • Frequently Asked Questions

In this edition

Download all the latest news from Archery Australia.

Archery NSW News, October 2021

• 2021 National Youth Championships - Team Captains • Regional Development Program • ASNSW Youth News • Membership Extension • 2022 Tournaments • 2022 Festival of Field Archery

Download the September/October Archery NSW Newsletter.

Inside you'll find:

Archery NSW News, August 2021

• 2021 State Tournaments • 2021 National Youth Championships • New Clubs • Elite Awards • Membership Extension

Download the September/October Archery NSW Newsletter.

Inside you'll find:


Archery Australia News, 2021-07

• Australian Open – Round Up • Field Open – Round Up • World Championships and World Youth Championships • Audit and Risk Committee • Olympics at Home • Archers Diary Update • Events Update

In this edition

Download all the latest news from Archery Australia.

Archery NSW News, July 2021

• Presidents report • COVID Update • News from Sport NSW • ANSW AGM, Aug 7 • ANSW Tournaments

Download the latest Archery NSW Newsletter.

Inside you'll find:

Club Update #2028, May 2021

Family & Friends Fun Day this Sunday 16th May 10am-2pm

The day is for Club Members to host some of their Family and/or Friends, to try archery in a fun setting. Club members will be responsible for their guests, making sure they all front up as a group sometime between 10am and 11am to sign in, get Safety Brief, etc and then accompany them along the target range as they shoot at different targets. Club members can be shooting too; only Beginner bows will be used.

When you and your group arrives, we'll do Paperwork, then a 10min Safety Briefing & Shooting Intro, then get started at the targets on Main Range, working across from T12 to T1 - a variety of targets to try!. Club members will predominately be hosting and supervising their family & friends’ shooting, as this is an opportunity for club members to share their archery experience.

Someone will have a lolly stash, to give out as they see good/winner/interesting shots.

Some games going on: quoits, Nerf (maybe), BocciBall, and whatever else Club Members pitch in to loan us. 

BBQ from noonish. Food provided.

BYO drink (no alcohol). Water ($1) & Soft drink ($1.50) available for purchase.

Most important points for participants to know:

 wear closed shoes -  tie back hair & no baggy tops to catch in the string -  bring water bottle, or water to purchase for $1

Online registration has closed but if any club member still wishes to include their family/friends, contact Marianne Gale-Earle or secretary@illawarraarchers.org.


Archery Australia News, 2021-04

• Para and VI National Championships – Round Up • National Compound Program – Squad Announcement • High Performance Update • Team Selection Process • 2021 Online Youth Nationals • Coaching Presenters and Assessors EOI • Athlete Committee • Club Survey • Tournament Update

In this Edition

Download all the latest news from Archery Australia.


Club Update #2027, Apr 2021

• Long shoot this Saturday • Missing equipment room spinner

In this edition:

Club Shoot this Saturday - April 24, starting 10am

Most of our Saturday morning Club Shoots are 90 arrows or less.

However this coming Saturday, and on Saturday October 16 the shoot will be World Archery standard 144 arrows. Division 1 starting at 70 metres; Division 2 starting at 60 metres; and Division 3 starting at 40 metres.

After the first two brackets (72 arrows on 122cm. targets) we will break for a BBQ lunch. The final two brackets (72 arrows at shorter distances, on 80cm. Targets) will be shot after lunch.

This is a opportunity for members to experience a typical State or National Tournament format (plus enjoying the friendship and BBQ).


The Equipment Room Arrow Spinner

Has gone missing from the Equipment Room.

If anyone knows it’s whereabouts, please return it to the Equipment Room, or let a member of Executive know where it is.

Club Update #2026, Apr 2021

• Draft minutes available • Australian Open Field Archery Championships • Australian Open Target Archery Championships • New Secretary • Club Field Shoot this Saturday

In this bulletin:

Draft Minutes - Club Meeting 27/3/21

To view draft minutes of the meeting, click here

Australian Open Field Archery Championships

This year will be conducted at Armidale, May 7-9. Entries close April 11/18.

For details see Archery Australia or Armidale Archers websites.

Australian Open Target Archery Championships

This year will be conducted at Sydney Olympic Park Archery May 20-23. Entries close April 23/30. For the first time ever the event will include a Barebow Division, and Barebow entry is free.

For details see Archery Australia or SOPA websites.

New Secretary

Rosemary Edwards has offered, and been appointed by Executive, to fill the Casual Vacancy left by Alan Dalton’s time constraints. Thanks Rosemary !!

Club Field Shoot this Saturday (April 10)

For scores to count in the QRE (Qualifying & Ranking Event) entries close tomorrow (7th).

Club Update #2025, Mar 2021

• Volunteers Needed • Club COVID-Safe Policies/Rules • Archery Instructors (Level 1 Coaches)

In this issue:


Volunteers Needed: - POSITIONS VACANT

SECRETARY

Our Club owes great thanks to Alan Dalton for 18 months service as Cub Secretary. Alan did not stand for election at our last AGM, due to the demands of his work. So the position was a casual vacancy for about 6 weeks, which was a very difficult situation for our club administration. Then Alan generously offered to continue in the position. However, now he simply does not have the time to continue as Secretary, and has resigned.

It is quite urgent that we fill this casual vacancy as soon as possible.

South Coast Field (August 21 & 22) Coordinator and sub-committee

This is a World Archery registered, major inter-club event, we host each year. We need a team to coordinate it.

Field Club Shoot/QRE Coordinators (May 29, July 24, Sep 25)

Family & Friends Fun Day (May 16 - note the changed date) sub-committee

Please contact Marianne (Coordinator) mtgale@hotmail.com if you can help out.

Members' Participation Sub-committee

Please think about filling one or more of these positions needed in our Club (dobbing someone in is also good). Without these positions filled, we cannot expect our Club to function properly.

Please contact president@illawarraarchers.org if you are able to help fill any of these roles.

Club COVID-Safe Policies/Rules

With changes to NSW Public Health Orders, from Monday March 29 the Club's COVID-safe Policies and Rules no longer apply. Members are still strongly recommended not to come to the club suffering cold or flu symptoms, to use good hand hygiene, and to use the sanitizer provided.

Archery Instructors (Level 1 Coaches)

In the coming months Archery NSW will be conducting courses for Archers interested in qualifying to be instructors. Pre-requisite will include some online modules, and some experience assisting with Come & Try sessions. If interested, contact John Kennedy coaching@illawarraarchers.org.


Club Update #2024, Mar 2021

• Participation Working Group – please volunteer • The Golden Gong shoot • Distance Qualifications • Club General meeting • The Tip – it’s back!!

Welcome to autumn! Depending on the day temperatures are cooler, allowing us to stand on the main range without frying. Saturday morning shoots have moved back to 10am starts, and families of ducks are crossing the field regularly for a dips in the ponds (they've even found their way into the clubhouse – so much for our occupancy limit)!

In this message:


Participation Working Group

We've got one of the best ranges in the country, and we want you to use it more!

Our club is not just about shooting – it's a place to share an amazing sport with friends and family, and learn more about our equipment and how to shoot better.

We want to improve the club and make it more appealing to you and others who might want to join. We need your ideas!

It would be great if you would volunteer to join a new working group that we're setting up to develop and implement ideas to build participation.

What can be done to help you to shoot more? What can we do to encourage people to take up archery, or keep going when they join? What events would you turn up to?

If you've got ideas or would like to thrash thoughts around, please send me a note so that we can get the working group moving. Remember: it's your club – be part of its future!

The Golden Gong

After a year of COVID when most clubs suspended beginner courses, we had 30 people from 13 clubs register for the Golden Gong AND despite the rain, all but three turned up on the day. That's a pretty good strike rate!

Huge thanks should go to Phil Evans for coordinating the day, as well as everyone else who gave their time - it was especially good to see the small number of hardy stalwarts who turned up on the Saturday for the working bee as well as the Sunday to make the event a success. I'm not going to rattle off everyone's names, but thank you.

Yep, it rained. That happens but, for those who shot: hard core. Well done!

Who were these sodden superheroes, I hear you ask? Well, congratulations to: Solomon Kennedy, Rhiannon Evans, Alexis Evans, Darcy Rowlison, Shanti Rowlison, Tony Scognamiglio, Andrew Davies, Michael Grimm, Damian Juhasz, Michael West, Jennifer Evans and Phil Evans.

I'm pleased to see some of the Wednesday evening junior archers crew turn out. You guys killed it!

Distance Qualifications Reminder

Our new Recorder, Rhiannon Evans, has done a great job of getting across the details of her role. She's already made it easier to claim your distance qualification – simply take a photo of your qualifying score card and email it to her at recorder@illawarraarchers.org. This way, Rhiannon can check your card and let you know very quickly if there are any issues.

Rhiannon's also noted that the club's records of past qualifications are in some cases incomplete. Would everyone please take a moment to send Rhiannon an email their distance qualifications so that we can ensure that the records are up to date. This information is important for safety purposes and also to inform planning for club shoots.

If you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, please email Rhiannon and she'll sort you out. Distance Qualifications – Achievements I'm now shamelessly pinching material from Rhiannon's Recorder's Report that's attached to the minutes of our last general meeting (see below). First up, well done to Neil Rowlison for taking out the Division 1 bi-monthly medal, and to Marilyn Clerke for her Division 2/3. That's a pretty good effort for our club shoots where everyone is competitive, regardless of experience, due to the handicap system. Great job, folks! don't forget to come down to the next club shoot this coming Saturday when, from 10am, we will be shooting 72 arrows on the large target face at distances of: Division 1 – 50m, Division 2 – 40m, Division 3 – 30m. Please also join me in congratulating the following members for reaching the next stage in distance qualification. Each qualification reflects hard work and practice, and is well-deserved. Archer Distance(s) Bow Type Adam Munro 40m Longbow Chris Clarke 30m Compound Jeanette Easton 20m Barebow Recurve Jennifer Evans 20m Recurve Michael Brown 20m Barebow Recurve Michael Grimm 50m Recurve Neil Rowlison 40m | 50m Compound Rhiannon Evans 20m Recurve Teodor Mitew 30m Barebow Recurve

Club General Meeting

Sorry about the delay in distributing the minutes for our last meeting on 13 February – there were a couple of boring reasons that caused the delay, but everything is available for download from here!

Our next meeting will be at 10am on Saturday, 26 March. Please take the time to turn up to the club and have an input to the issues that affect us all. We need a diversity of views and value everyone's contribution, so I hope that we get to see you there.

The Tip

Today's Tip is from "the vault' of past tips". I had a couple of chats with people lately who want to build some new arrows, but didn't know about what it means to choose the correct arrow spine, or how.

Choosing the right arrow spine is very important so that the arrow matches the bow you shoot and will be accurate over all distances without changing the ‘windage' or horizontal position of your sight pin or scope.

The stiffness (or spine) measure is usually written on your arrow. A high number means a less stiff arrow; a low number means a stiff arrow. Choosing the right spine can significantly affect accuracy.

This is a bit lengthy, but it's worth reading.

Effects of Spine

As a bow's poundage increases, it needs a stiffer arrow. Too stiff an arrow will, for a right hander (reverse this for lefties) veer left while an under-spined arrow go right.

You might think that you can offset this using the lateral adjustment on your sight. This is only partly true.

Think of an under-spined arrow shooting to the right at 30m. If you move the sight to compensate, you'll be on point for 30m, but if you move back to 40m the arrow will still creep right, whereas if you move in to 10m the arrow will want to go left, so you might find yourself having to adjust your sight at different distances.

Also, you might find that your arrow will yaw or fishtail, which means that it will be less stable in flight – that erratic movement can also affect on-target performance, and how far your arrow will ‘carry' (the distance you can shoot).

Arrow charts

Arrow charts are available from most manufacturers that will help you to select the right spine for your bow. Here's one from Easton, and this on-line calculator from Victory is also really good (and compensates for the weight effects of points, nocks and fletches).

It makes sense to use the chart from the manufacturer of the arrows you want to buy, for certainty, although there is a standard for measuring arrow stiffness that most manufacturers follow.

Compound vs Recurve

Ideal spine varies between compound and recurve bows of the same draw weight. This is because compound bows have two stages of accelerating the arrow, as on release the string first moves through the less powerful ‘valley' from the cams' let-off, and gathers inertia before hitting its maximum poundage. With recurves and traditional bows, the full poundage pushes the arrow immediately on release.

So, compound bows need less spine (i.e. in review, less stiff arrows, or a higher number) than other bows of the same draw weight, which gives them an arrow speed advantage because the arrows are lighter.

Anyway, we're getting a bit detailed now. The important thing to remember here is to make sure that you use the right arrow chart – one for either a compound or recurve bow.

Draw Length and Minor Adjustments

Importantly, bear in mind that if you cut your arrows to suit your draw length they will be stiffer – this is accounted for in the arrow charts (they will ask what your poundage and arrow length is).

Tuning a bow and arrow to match is a process that's worthy of a separate discussion, but in simple terms, two simple ways to refine matching the spine to the arrow are to:

Now, grab your gear, get out to the range and have some fun.

Happy shooting!


Archery NSW News, February 2021

• 2021 Calendar Updated • Upcoming Tournaments • 2020 Elite Awards • Regional Development Program • Level 1 Archery Australia Coach Course

Download the latest Archery NSW Newsletter.

Inside you'll find:

Archery Australia News, 2021-02

Updates on the Regional Development Program and the Archery Australia Board.

In this Edition

Download all the latest news from Archery Australia.


Club Update #2023, Feb 2021

Attend the Club General Meeting on Feb 13 for awards, BBQ, shooting, and great company!

Firstly, thanks to everyone who took time out of their weekend and braved the rain to attend the working bee on Saturday, 6 February. It was good to see people keeping a respectful 1.5m distance as they glued a gaggle of targets! Seriously, thanks for your efforts - hopefully the rain will stay away next time.

Don't forget to turn up at 9am this Saturday for the club's general meeting. Download the agenda and papers which you can read as you get excited about the barbeque that will follow the meeting. Of course, after the barbeque we'll have our scheduled club shoot, which in three divisions is suitable to all levels of ability and bow types. To see what event we'll be shooting, download the club calendar for the entire year and stick it on your fridge.

Also, unfortunately we couldn't present some of our annual awards at the end of last year as we usually do, but we're taking care of that on Saturday during the barbeque. If you shot at any of the club championship shoots, I'd encourage you to come along for the meeting and snags afterwards - you never know, you might just land a gong!

Happy shooting!

Club Update #2022, Feb 2021

In this edition: • Wednesday Junior Archers' Session (from 4pm) • New Club Recorder • Change to New Archer Course COVID Measures • Working Bee – 6 February from 9am • General Meeting – 13 February from 9am • Back to Archery Tournament Results

We're back and gearing up for a much better year ahead than 2020, as we've learnt to live with and manage COVID-19.

Between the wind, heat and rain there are still opportunities to shoot - the field is in great condition and makes for a nice walk if you've got some spare time. Seriously, even if there's a bit of light rain, at this time of year it's perfectly comfortable to be outside, shooting, with the added benefit that you can brag to your loved ones about how hard-core you are.

To help us get going for the year, we have a couple of important happenings in the next couple of weeks, including a working bee from 9am on Saturday 6 February, and our first general meeting for the year from 9am on Saturday 13 February. Points we'll cover off today are:

Wednesday Junior Archers' Session

Calling all Junior archers

Do you want to meet and shoot with other young archers? Do you want to develop your form, receive some helpful pointers, and shoot for fun?

Why not come along to our Junior Archers Session on Wednesday afternoons from 4-5pm(ish) on Range B. All bow types are welcome, and there’s no cost to club members for this session which will be guided by our coaching coordinator John (0404 643 206).

Please remember that archers who are 14 years and younger must have a responsible adult on site with them. Please contact John with any questions or queries.

New Club Recorder

We're very pleased to announce that Rhiannon Evans has volunteered to be our new Club Recorder, with Colin Hobbs having to step back from the role.

Rhiannon has already got stuck into learning the IT systems for the job, and is doing a great job. If you have any questions about registering for club events, or claiming distance qualifications, performance awards or club records please email Rhiannon at recorder@illawarraarchers.org and she'll be pleased to sort you out.

Please join us in thanking Rhiannon for taking up the mantle and donating her time to our club.

Change to New Archer Course COVID Measures

The Executive has decided to change the special COVID measures that apply to new archer courses, so that a COVID marshal will no longer need to oversee a course.

Our COVID marshal was an extra measure that we had adopted, beyond what the law requires, so we remain compliant with all COVID regulations. The rest of our COVID measures remain unchanged.

Working Bee – 6 February

Yes, put it in your diary. We've had very few working bees over the past few months, and there's only so much that our committed grounds crew can do by themselves. Come along from 9am to help out – there are a range of jobs to do, from preparing target faces, to cutting carpet strips for the butts and even gardening. So, there's something for everyone.

And, no, we are not above bribery. There will be a club BBQ after the work is done for everyone to unwind, as well as a relaxed club shoot if you fancy staying around, which will be decided on the day.

General Meeting – 13 February

The general meeting is your opportunity to have input into how the club works. It's an opportunity to discuss what's coming up, and for members to give and vote on their ideas for our priorities ahead.

We'll circulate an agenda before the meeting, but in the mean time, please email me by this Friday, 5 February, with any suggestions for agenda items. You can review the minutes of the last meeting here.

Yes, for those who love snags, the BBQ will be back for the second week in a row!

Back to Archery Tournament Results

The results are in!

The Back to Archery Tournament was an innovative event put on by Archery Australia as COVID started to come under control. It allowed people to compete nationally, from the comfort of their own club.

Our club did exceptionally well – please join us in congratulating the following members for their medal-winning efforts:

Both Raw Score & Handicap

Raw Score

Handicap Score

Click here to see the full results.

Don't forget to turn up to the working bee and do your bit, and we'll see you at the general meeting the following week. If you're a younger member, keep Wednesday evenings in mind for a casual shoot and some useful pointers from our coaching coordinator, John Kennedy.

Happy shooting!


Special letter from the Coaching Coordinator

John has prepared a short letter to all members about the work of the coaching team, and to ask for your help, which we’d encourage you to read. The coaches are putting in a great effort to build interest in archery (it’s pretty impressive when you read the letter), but could do with a bit of help which you can offer in your own time. Please take a moment to read this important letter.

special letter 

Archery Australia News, 2021-01

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Club Update #2020, Jan 2021

• Improved Electronic Sign-In • Saturday Club Shoots – Start 16 Jan at 9am • Field Shoot on 23 Jan – not a QRE • Volunteer Request – Club Recorder • Volunteers Request – Course COVID Marshals • New Archer Safety Measures • COVID Situation Summary

Some important points that we need you to focus on:

Improved Electronic Sign-In

The temporary web form that we've been using for sign-in is simple and easy to use. It’s made signing in over the web much easier for archers and visitors.

So, we've decided to trial using it rather than the previous system. The sign-in button on our web page has been updated to link to the form, but you can also click here and bookmark the page.

As an alternative sign-in option, we've also created a QR code that will be posted at the clubhouse next week, which can be scanned using your phone to take you right to the sign-in page. Some of us forget to sign-in before going to the range and then have to mess around trying to log on using our phones, so this should make that process less difficult.

Our QR code will only link to our own club sign-in facility, and the data will not be stored on any external database. Keep an eye out for it.

Saturday Club Shoots – Start 16 Jan at 9am

Don't forget – Saturday morning club shoots start again on 16 January (that's next week, people), at our new time of 9am for summer shoots to avoid the searing heat of the season.

The first Saturday shoot is a "Beechboro Series", which is:

You can download the annual calendar here (printed copies are in the clubhouse).

Field Shoot on 23 Jan – not a QRE

Our field shoots, except for the club championships, are normally QREs (Qualifying and Ranking Events that award archers national ranking points).However, COVID got in the way and prevented us from registering the 23 January shoot as a QRE the month before, so this shoot will be for our club members only.

Volunteer Request – Club Recorder

Colin Hobbs thoughtfully agreed to be our Club Recorder as well as Vice President, but has had to step back from the role. Colin – thanks very much for the effort that you brought to this.

Are you able to step in and fill his shoes? Please contact me if you can.

It's a straightforward but interesting job. It basically involves setting up electronic scoring for club shoots in Archers Diary, maintaining distance qualification records, and tracking performance to award our bi-monthly club shoot medals, and processing club members’ claims for governing body awards.

The recorder also provides a short report at club meetings, on awards and distance qualifications.

It would be great if you could help out with this. e-mail secretary@illawarraarchers.com to volunteer.

Volunteers Request – Course COVID Marshals

Our courses for new archers each need a COVID marshal to ensure that our safety measures are being observed. Our marshals will receive the same "thank you" payment as instructors.

The job simply involves keeping an eye on things and having a quiet word with an instructor if someone forgets one of the measures. You don't need to be a shooting member to do the job.

If you're interested in helping out, please contact Coaching Coordinator John Kennedy at coaching@illawarraarchers.com or by phone at 0404 643 206.

Our Changes to New Archer Safety Measures

On COVID, the Executive has made some changes to the special safety measures for new archer courses (the amended safety measures can be downloaded here), but considers that our wider COVID safety measures are okay for now (available here).

A quick run-down of the COVID situation follows but the changes to the measures applying to courses are: