DEFENCE RIFLE CLUBS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 51, 22 February 1944, Page 6

DEFENCE RIFLE CLUBS

GENERAL REORGANISATION MEETIiNG AT KATDKATt A general meeting of riflemen held in the. Public Hall Katikati recently re-established the first of the six clubs incorporated in the Bay of Plenty Defence Rifle Clubs' Association. Mr S. Wright who convened the meeting, stated that he would like the Katikati llifle. Club to commence its commendable programme of training marksmen. He had asked the President of the Bay Association to be present to address the riflemen, bui first he wished to propose that the Katikati club should ask Mr W. A. P. Baker to taki the. presidency, and after refusing the proposal that lie should take office himself he duly proposed Mr Baker who was formally appointed, to the chair. The other officers elected were.: — Deputy president, Mr S. Wright; hon. treasurer, Mr G. Faulkner; lion, secretary, Mr W. Poole; committee, Riflemen Walford, McDonald and Newland. The usual formalities being completed Mr Baker asked the President of the Bay of Plenty Defence Rifle Clubs' Association (Ma'jor F. A. Eustace) to address the meeting. In his address the president commenced by warning those present that although the war with Germany was three-quarters through, the war with Japan had only just commenced. On May 14, 19.10, lie had. circularised all the six clubs suggesting the formation of a defence unit. The circular bad used the term "Commando" before the term came into general use. Riflemen throughout the Bay who w r ere present at the general meeting subsequently held at Rangiteiki, v/ould. remember the unanimous resolution to volunteer, and the resolution was duly submitted with a full report to Army Headquarters. His resentment at the lack of action was terminated in his own case by leaving New Zealand with the sixth reinforcements. There was now a sit-> uation caused by the cessation of training of the Home Guard where the rifle clubs could resume their useful work of training marksmen the matters for disposal were: (1) Affiliation, (2) rifles, (3) programme. As regards the first all knew it was necessary to have a headquarters. The National Rifle Association of New Zealand, once a strong and vigorous association had almost ceased to hold a place in the Dominion. An endeavour to get the Auckland member, Capt. Milton Clark to open correspondence to re-start the New Zealand Association had met with the reply that Trentham Range was built over and the National Rifle Association was dead. Simultaneously correspondence had been received from overseas from Major Talbot Smith, acting secretary of the National Rifle Association of the British Empire. This officer had been in correspondence with this district for many years before the. war and had been instrumental in supptying snipers' sights to many riflemen in the Bay. These sights, normally over 50s, were imported at a total cost of 9s 6d and had helped many new riflemen to marksmanship. The British very energetic in forming the backbone of the British Home Guard and its journal was the official periodical of all units. Recently it had extended its activities to> the Empire at large and had offered direct affiliation to any unit throughout the Empire. Affiliation invoked many privileges 'including, for each affiliation, one Donegall Bronze Medal, one silver Marksman's badge, one Bronze Badge and the issue ol certificates of marksmanship. In a talk which the president was able to deliver to officers of the Home Guard at Whakatane, through the courtes3 r of Major Wilson and Maj,or Gow, the units all promised co-operation. The Tauranga Companies. had already applied for membership, and, their applications, had gone through, and at Rotorua the battalion commanders had been interested to the extent of taking similar action. This was in progress when, the Home Guard was disarmed. The president pointed out that once affiliation of a club was confirmed with the British National Rifle Association they could feel the security of being anchored with an association with extensive. funds and extensive influence, and there would be no alteration in policy through local or political influences. At the general meeting held, in London last year the High Commissioner had sent the. representative of Naw Zealand to the meeting, and here in New Zealand, Mr Nash had replied to a le.n£J;?.'<y IcUcr selling

out the advantages of co-operation with the National Rille Association, that he would refer the matter to the War Cabinet. During the course of events a motion was proposed and seconded that the Ivatikati club should apply for direct affiliation to the British National Rifle Association and this has been done. The necessity of keeping alive the training in marksmanship was such thaj it was even contemplated suggesting a New Zealand branch of the overseas National Rifle Association be formed with headquarters in the Bay of Plenty. A resolution requested the President to take steps to get all riflemen any any authority interested in marksmanship to fix a date for a rifle meeting at Tauranga at Easter. The Ivatikati riflemen then com-' pleted arrangements to commence their usual programme with a shoot on the Ivatikati range for the following week. In reply to a vote of thanks for his attendance at the meeting the president of the Bay Association stated it always gave him sincere pleasure to be among keen riflemen, and he was impressed and inspired by the way the pioneers of Katikati mentioning by name Capt. Poole and Mr S. Wright, had hewn their ranges out of the solid, and had always been in the fore in a keen effort to uphold the national t .o'icfeiicy 1 n uia rksmansh!p.