New national shooting leader has given outstanding service

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 36

New national shooting leader has given outstanding service

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Fullbore rifle shooting might be New Zealand's oldest competitive sport — its premier trophy, the Ballinger belt, was first contested in 1873 — but it has taken until 1982 for a Canterbury man to be at the helm of the National Rifle Association. A North Canterbury farmer, Ben Hoban, whose competitive and administrative work in the sport dates back several decades, was recently elected president of the national body. It is a position which Mr Hoban hopes to hold for a good many years, “at least while I feel that I'm doing some good for the sport." The future of the sport is far from bright at present. “I hate to admit it, but I feel that the asport is dying: it faces so much competition from other sports nowadays and fullbore shooting is just not fast enough for youngsters. And it holds little spectator appeal.” said Mr Hoban. Mr Hoban, who is now 60. became involved in fullbore shooting in his final years at

primary school. The Culverden club’s rifle range was on his father’s farm and he and a friend used to earn five shillings each for an afternoon's work by marking the shooters’ scores. Their best time came at the afternoon tea break. The resident policeman supervised the boys as they fired a few shots themselves at the distant targets. Then it was a mad dash back over the mounds to see where they had hit the targets. Those were the days of the friendly neighbourhood policeman. Mr Hoban is justifiably proud of his attendance record at the national championships held annually at Trentham. His first meeting was in 1948 and he has missed only two championships since. On one occasion, he was forbidden by his- father to attend because a crop of white clover needed harvesting on the farm. “The weather was so bad that we

got ohly one day of harvesting finished while the championships were being contested. I was fairly annoyed.” recalled Mr Hoban. There was another time when Mr Hoban suffered burns to different parts of the body and was unable to compete. But he still got to Trentham - “that was the best medicine for me, being among my fellow shooters." Mr Hoban's long competitive career, one which he has no intention of ending, has brought him many successes and honours. He was runnerup in the 1962 New South Wales-championship and was runner-up to Barry Price in the 1973 New Zealand championship. Price won the Ballinger Belt that year with a record score, one which has stood the test of time and, in fact, might never be beaten. He has been a regular member of Canterbury teams as a shooter or coach and was a member of the South Island team that visited Australia last year.

His dabbling in smallbore shooting also placed him in the limelight. He was a South Island representative in 1955 and 1957 and a national representative in 1955. However, it has been in an administrative role that Mr Hoban has made an outstanding contribution at club, provincial and national level.

He was a member of the Culverden Rifle Club from 1939 until its dissolution in 1957 and the secretary for the last 17 years. He was also a member of the Waiau club for 21 years until it closed in 1979. Now he has to travel 142 km to compete at Malvern.

The Canterbury association has reaped the benefits of Mr Hoban’s experience: 22. years on the executive, the president for 10 years, a Canterbury delegate to the national body for 16 years. Not surprisingly, he is a life member of the provincial association.

As well as having represented New Zealand against Britain in 1974, Canada in 1975 and Australia that year, Mr Hoban has held many official positions —

commander of the national team to Australia in 1969, adjutant for the team against that country at-Trentham in 1972. He was coach for a president's invitation team at Trentham in 1976 and captain of the New Zealand goodwill squad which visited Germany, Britain and Canada, that year. Mr Hoban was the commander of the New Zealand team against Canada in 1978 but his biggest achievement that year was being appointed manager of the New Zealand