Warren Gun Club

The Warren Gun Club hosted their annual, open two-day shoot on the weekend (9th & 10th March) with 80 competitors travelling from as far as Yamba, Bega and Hay to try and win the Golden Ibis and Dennis Hunt memorial trophy. Conditions were ideal for shooting and the club members have been working very hard over the last few months to have the grounds and facilities looking immaculate.

The first event for the weekend was 30 targets Single Barrel with Wayde Hawkins shooting a possible score and proving victorious in the shoot off.
Frank Dutton was first in C-grade with Charlie Banks getting second place,
Jarrod Barraclough first in B-grade and Brent Barwick took second place,
Kevin Dowton was the winner in A-grade with Brett Trindle picking up second prize
and AA-grade was won by Colin O’Leary, Stephen Schiller was second.
Colin O’Leary won the veterans, Abby Wason got the Ladies Prize with James Mitchell winning the Junior Category.

Next up was 45 mixed targets with Brian Doyle being the overall winner.
Charlie Banks won C-grade over William Abbort,
Jarrod Barraclough was second to Abby Wason in B-grade,
Reyce Bodiam won A-grade with Mark Forgione in second place and in AA-grade Scott Moody edged out Doug Ferguson.

Event 3 on Saturday afternoon was 50 target double barrel where several shooters achieved clean scores. Several shoot offs were required to decide the prize recipients with Brad Kidd taking the overall prize.
Charlie Banks was second in C-grade being beaten Jason Mitchell,
George Smith picked up second in B-grade and Lachlan Hunt continued his quality form to win B-grade and also earnt himself a re-grade.
Peter Hosie was the victor in A-grade in front of Kevin Dowton and Peter Jones beat Jason Peters in AA-grade.
olin O’Leary was the best of the veterans, Helen Overton won the ladies, and Jack Hunter won the junior prize.

Sunday morning started with 30 target point score from 15m.
Jack Hunter was the overall winner.
William Abbort won C-grade over Jason Mitchell,
Brent Barwick was the B-grade winner with Jarrod Barraclough coming second,
Brett Trindle was first in A-grade with Malcolm Stephens second,
and in AA-grade Peter Jones edged out David Player.

Competition was always going to be stiff in the handicap event with $2000 prize money up for grabs, with five competitors shooting 30 out of 30.
John Wason (24m) missed early in the shoot off and got 5^th place, Bruce Hunt (17m) was flying the Warren flag getting 4^th, Jack Hunter (22m) secured 3^rd place, William Abbort (15m) finished second and Brett Trindle (19m) won the event.

The final event for the weekend was 30 target point score shoot from the 18m marker where club president Trevor Banks won the event.
His son Charlie was second in C-grade behind William Abbort,
Abby Wason beat Michael Shields in B-grade,
Brett Trindle was again victorious in A-grade finishing in front of Reyce Bodiam, meanwhile Mark Rogers won AA-grade with Brian Doyle second.

At the completion of the events everyone’s scores were tallied with Brian Doyle proving to be the best of the weekend taking out the overall high gun, Golden Ibis and the Bruce Hunt memorial trophy.
Jack Hunter won junior high gun,
Helen Overton won ladies high gun,
Peter Jackson won veterans high gun.
William Abbort won C-grade high gun,
Abby Wason won B-grade high gun,
Brett Trindle won A-grade high gun
and Peter Jones won AA-grade high gun.

The club would like to congratulate all winners from the weekend and thank our sponsors, the trappers who worked tirelessly all weekend keeping the traps full, the ladies in the kitchen for providing us with fantastic food, the bar staff and all the members who chipped in to make sure the event ran smoothly and successfully.

Overall High Gun winner Brian Doyle with Bruce, Lachie, Ruth and Megan Hunt.

Sash winners from the weekend: Jack Hunter, Wayde Hawkins, Peter Jones, Brett Trindle, Brian Doyle, Trevor Banks, Abby Wason, William Abbort and Peter Jackson.

The weekend 11^th & 12^th March 2017, the Warren Gun Club was host to the annual Golden Ibis and Denis Hunt Memorial shoot. The seven event program included shooting at 210 targets and if you were lucky enough to shoot it perfectly, the possible final score is 375. Shooters competed for trophies, cash and prizes in excess of $10,000 including the coveted 1oz solid gold, Golden Ibis trophy. The eventual winner was also fortunate to have his/her name etched in history, by winning the memorial trophy of the past great Warren shooter Denis Hunt.

A total of 80 shooters contested the weekend for the magnificent array of prizes, with overall winners taking home a new ‘Weber Q’ barbecue. Winners came from far and wide with a total of 20 clubs being represented from QLD through to Southern NSW.

Warren Club’s spacious grounds and supporting facilities were utilised by shooters and their families who camped and caravanned, adding to the atmosphere that prevailed throughout the weekend. With the labours of the committed club members, the grounds looked fantastic for our annual two day shoot. Saturday started with a glorious sun filled sky and great weather for some very competitive shooting.

This year’s event was tightly contested, with the eventual winner only taking the prize in the last event. It was a tight contest up until then, with multiple shooters swapping places for the lead. The eventual winner was Steven Walker, who took out the overall event shooting 365 out of the possible 375 for the whole weekend; this was achieved without even winning any of the seven programmed events. Well done Steven, consistent shooting over the two days paid off.

The first event, the 30 target Double Barrel Cash Divide started the weekend. The cash was shared between the grades with no shooter scooping the pool in their respective grade. The event was proudly sponsored by Warren Joinery and Hardware.

The second event was the 30 Mixed Targets off 18m, proudly sponsored by Warren United Services Club. The overall winner was Wayde Hawkins shooting the only possible of 75/75. Wayde was recipient of a Bowie hunting knife and sash.
Remaining grade winners of the event;

AAGrade 1st–Bryan Manns 149/150
A Grade 1st – Rob Machul 98/100
B Grade 1st – Nicholas Easman 66/75
C Grade 1st – Mal Birrell 61/75
AA Grade 2nd – Button Powell 148/150
A Grade 2nd – Stuart Boydell 97/100
B Grade 2nd – Ken Fisher 65/75
C Grade 2nd – Lachlan Hunt 60/75

The third event was the 30 Target Lower Macquarie Single Barrel Championship, proudly sponsored by Gunpro. Four shooters contested the shoot off, with the eventual winner Tony O’Leary winning the prize with 49/49. Tony was recipient of a Bowie hunting knife and sash. Remaining grade winners of the event;

AA Grade 1st – Bryan Manns
A Grade 1st – Mackinley Codrington
B Grade 1st – Bruce Hunt
C Grade 1st – Lachlan Hunt
AA Grade 2nd – Malcolm Stephens
A Grade 2nd – Adam Boyd
B Grade 2nd – Robert Alston
C Grade 2nd – Mal Birrell
Ladies – Melissa Crosby
Junior – Jack Hunter
Veteran – Colin O’Leary

On to event four the 30 Target Double Barrel Championship proudly sponsored by Macquarie Toyota. At the finish there were 30 shooters who shot the perfect event, to enter into the shoot off. Many a shot faltered and only 2 shooters made it to the final wave. After shooting 160 targets straight, the shooters agreed to toss the coin to decide the fate of the trophy. Robert Thompson, using his own coin, tossed for victory, and was the lucky recipient of a Hunter Elements Camping pack and sash.
Remaining grade winners of the event;

AA Grade 1st – Tony O’Leary
A Grade 1st – John Hayes
B Grade 1st – Stephanie Mills
C Grade 1st – Lachlan Hunt
AA Grade 2nd – Steve Walker
A Grade 2nd – Ray Welch
B Grade 2nd – Lyell Pettman
C Grade 2nd – Mal Birrell
Ladies – Mackinley Codrington
Junior – Jack Hunter
Veteran – Graham Bayliss

Saturday night the shooters and their families were fortunate to enjoy a beautiful meal of cold meats and salads. Some good old time yarns and laughs were enjoyed, and a great night was had by all.

An early 8:30am start, and another beautiful day at the Warren Gun club. Many shooters enjoyed in a hearty cooked breakfast, of sausages, bacon and eggs before the start to the days shooting. Event five commenced on time with the 30 Target Point score Championship, proudly sponsored by Frontier Agencies, who again assisted in supplying many of the great prizes for the weekend. Shooter Brian Doyle, starting the day strong, shot an impressive 150/150, to take out the event, and be the recipient of a Bowie hunting knife and sash. Remaining grade winners of the event;

AA Grade 1st – Steven Walker
A Grade 1st – Mackinley Codrington
B Grade 1st – Lyell Pettman
C Grade 1st – Lachlan Hunt
AA Grade 2nd –Benjamin Woodhouse
A Grade 2nd – Richard Fryer
B Grade 2nd – Mark Lawford
C Grade 2nd – Christie Wheeler
Ladies – Stephanie Mills
Junior – Jack Hunter
Veteran – Button Powell

Event Six the Lower Macquarie Handicap sponsored by Supa IGA and Warren Meathouse included 30 Targets from the shooters respective handicap mark. Two shooters shot the possible, and after a brief shoot off, Warren Gun club president David O’Brien was victor. David was recipient of $300 cash and a sash.
Remaining winners of the event;
2nd – Stephen Schiller
3rd – John Hayes
4th – Brett Williamson
5th – Mal Birrell

Event Seven and the last chance to make the winners circle. The Presidential Trophy, 30 targets off 18 meters, proudly sponsored by Auscott & Soul Biz Solutions. Robert Brodin with the only possible 90/90 took out the win, and was the happy recipient of a Bowie hunting knife and sash.
Remaining winners of the event;
AAGrade 1st–Scott Moody
A Grade 1st – Adam Boyd
B Grade 1st – Robert Alston
C Grade 1st – Michael Ford
AA Grade 2nd –Robert Thompson
A Grade 2nd – Brett Farlow
B Grade 2nd – Lyell Pettman
C Grade 2nd – Melissa Crosby

Overall High Gun winners this year were awarded a Weber Baby Q barbeques and a sash. The Overall High Gun winner received the beautifully crafted 1oz Golden Ibis Trophy and the Dennis Hunt Memorial Cup, presented by the Hunt family. We thank Kord Keogh who makes the Ibis trophy each year, and thanks also to the Hunt family for supporting our great shoot.
The High Gun winners for 2017 were;
Overall – Steven Walker 365/375
AA Grade – Robert Thompson 364/375
A Grade – Mackinley Codrington 359/375
B Grade – Lyell Pettman 341/375
C Grade – Mal Birrell 321/375
Junior – Jack Hunter 338/375
Ladies – Stephanie Mills 315/375
Veteran – Graham Bayliss 360/375

For those who don’t compete in the events shooting, they always have the possibility of winning the raffle. This year the raffle was kindly organised by Nigel Clark and Kell Wills. The lucky winners included;
Frist – Graeme Patten – Weber Baby Q BBQ
Second – Tracey Hunt – $100
Third – Ashley Bell – $50

Many thanks must go to the small but hard working people who put in many hours preparing for this weekend and helped make the grounds spectacular. Many thanks to our safe and efficient Trap Team who made sure no one waited for targets. To the hard working ladies who ensure the food is delicious, and the kitchen a welcoming place, thank you for a great weekend. To the bar staff, who were kept busy supplying water and soft drinks to the shooters and visitors. Thank you to our office staff, and trap manager who continue to ensure this is a smoothly run shoot.
Special thanks to Frank Auditore for continuing to support the Warren shoot, and making available a wonderful shoot program, that allows us to have peace of mind, and digital scoreboards. Lastly to our sponsors Macquarie Toyota, Warren United Services Club, Frontier Agencies, Warren Supa IGA, Gunpro – Dubbo, Warren Meat house, Auscott, Warren Joinery and Hardware, Soul Biz Solutions, your continued support and contributions certainly go a long way to making this event happen. And lastly, to the most valued of all, the contributing shooters who travelled from near and far to make such a memorable event.
On Behalf of The Warren Gun Club thank you one and all.

All round a great weekend, good fun, great companionship and heaps of laughs. We look forward to seeing you all at the 2018 Golden Ibis Trophy and Denis Hunt Memorial.