Welcome to the very first edition of Straight Shooting from the President’s Bench; a new weekly column where I’ll be talking directly to you, our members
Each week I’ll pull up a seat at the bench and share what’s happening across SSAA NSW: the wins, the challenges, the issues on the political radar, and the work we’re doing to protect and grow our sport and way of life. I’ll also share my thoughts on various matters — the things on my mind, the topics you’re raising with me, and whatever’s shaping our sport that week. I’ll shine a light on our volunteers; the backbone of everything we do, and champion the industry that supports our sport and keeps it strong. Whether you’re a target shooter chasing tight groups, a discipline or competition shooter chasing your next personal best, a field hunter out in the bush, a collector, or somewhere in between; this column is for you.
My promise is in the name: straight shooting. Plain talk, no spin. I’ll keep you informed on the things that matter, celebrate the people and clubs who make our association what it is, and always tell it to you straight.
Pull up a seat, and let’s get into it.
THE PEOPLE WHO UNLOCK THE GATE
~ Jai Rowell | President, SSAA NSW
Every weekend across New South Wales, someone gets up early, drives out to a range, and unlocks a gate.
They set out the frames and check the firing points. They sign people in, welcome the newcomers, run the detail and make sure everyone shoots safely and has a good day. They pack it down, sweep the shed and lock up. Then during the week they do the books, answer the emails and write the minutes that will still be there, accurate and in order, when someone needs them years from now.
They do it because they love the sport and they want other people to love it too. And they are the reason this Association is what it is.
I want to spend this column on them. In a year with plenty of serious matters on the agenda, it is worth stopping to say clearly what actually keeps shooting sports thriving in this state. It is not policy. It is our volunteers, who decided that someone should do it, and were glad it was them.
What our volunteers actually do
Branch office-holders carry real responsibility, and they carry it well.
They handle money that belongs to their members and account for it properly. They manage safety on ranges where the standard has to be exact, every time. They build relationships with landowners, councils and neighbours that have taken decades to earn. They welcome new shooters, mentor juniors, and keep the traditions of the sport alive by passing them on person to person.
It is a substantial job, and it has grown as our sport and our Association have grown. More members, more ranges, higher expectations, and more scrutiny of everything we do. Our volunteers have risen to all of it, which is exactly why the support around them should keep growing too.
Building on solid foundations
Our volunteers are already well supported, and three areas of that support are worth highlighting, because each of them is something we do well and intend to keep sharpening.
Clarity. Our branch governance framework has served this Association reliably for a long time, and we keep it current so it continues to. That work is ongoing, as it should be in any organisation of our size. A good constitution is not bureaucracy. It is what gives a volunteer committee the confidence to make a decision and know it will stand.
Capability. Our branch office-holders bring an extraordinary depth of practical experience, much of it earned over decades. The Board is undertaking governance training this year, and we will keep supporting branches in a variety of ways: practical guidance on meeting procedure, financial oversight, conflict of interest and record keeping, ready access to the State office when a question comes up, useful templates and resources, and more opportunities for branches to share what is working well with each other. Good instincts backed by good support are a formidable combination, and our people have both.
Cover. When a volunteer makes a reasonable decision in good faith, the Association stands behind them. Our insurance arrangements are strong and our people are well protected. Just as importantly, the culture backs it up. I see difficult matters handled fairly and properly across this organisation all the time, and that is what gives volunteers the confidence to step up in the first place.
The habit worth building
The strongest branches I’ve visited share one habit, they build depth.
The Secretary has shown two other people how the books work. The Range Officer has brought others through their qualification and enjoys doing it. The President has someone coming through behind them and is genuinely pleased about it.
The part I enjoy the most
I should say plainly that this is not something I only observe from a boardroom.
Board work matters, and I take it seriously. But some of the most rewarding time I spend within SSAA NSW is the ordinary kind, down at the range, helping run a day, setting up, lending a hand where a hand is needed, and talking to members about their shooting. It is genuinely good fun. There is something about a job done alongside other people, outdoors, for a shared purpose, that no meeting agenda has ever quite matched.
The part I did not expect is how many friendships have come out of it. People I would never have crossed paths with otherwise, different jobs, different towns, different walks of life entirely, and the common ground was simply that we all turned up. Some of those friendships have become among the ones I value most.
That is the thing I would most want members to hear. Volunteering is not only a contribution you make to the Association. It is one of the best ways I know to enjoy the sport more than you already do, and to end up with a much wider circle of good people around you.
A practical ask
If you are a member who has never volunteered; consider one thing. Not a committee position, just one thing. Run a detail. Come to a working bee. Take on the newsletter. Join a subcommittee for a single project with a clear finish date.
The step from member to volunteer is much smaller than people imagine, and it is almost always the people who took on one small job who found they loved it. Who knows, you might love it that much and one day you may want to serve on a committee.
And to those who have been volunteering for years; thank you. Not as a formality. Our Association is now around 74,000 members strong and we operate more ranges than anyone in the southern hemisphere, and every bit of that rests on people who were happy to unlock the gate.
I know what it takes. I’m grateful for all of it.
Until next week: keep ’em on target, in the field and on the range!
Jai Rowell
President – SSAA NSW
