TEACHING RECRUITS TO SHOOT

Southland Times, Issue 24229, 12 September 1940, Page 8

TEACHING RECRUITS TO SHOOT

MORE USE OF RIFLE CLUBS URGED

“Of the older members of the club who are not eligible for active service, there are quite a number who would be useful for teaching recruits to shoot,” said the president of the Invercargill Defence Rifle Club, Mr A. R. Wills, when expressing disappointment that the authorities had not made use of the rifle clubs' in New Zealand at the annual meeting of the club on Tuesday night. “Many of those who had gone away would be far better shots,” said Mr Wills, “if they had had training from men who understood the job.”

When war was declared he said he had telephoned the Invercargill authorities and had asked, as a defence rifle club, if they would be taking jlart in home defence or guard duty, and he had been told that that would not be the case, and that those members who were eligible could sign on in the ordinary way.

“The position is they are not going to use us, and that is not right, he said. “No matter how old a man is, so long as he can shoot he would be of value in some way. I am quite satisfied that if we picked out a squad from our two rifle clubs here any enemy coming within 100 yards would get a hot time, a hotter time than any territorials could give them.” . Mr Wills said that they had their own gear and had been shooting for years. If the services of the rifle clubs were utilized members could be formed into a valuable unit for home defence and failing that they could be used for training purposes.