Drill Hall & Rifle Range

Southern Cross, Volume 8, Issue 18, 4 August 1900, Page 5

Drill Hall & Rifle Range

NOTES BY “MAGPIE.”

Volunteers and Rifle Club members are invited to contribute to this column Items of news, diagrams of targets reports of matches, meetings, and all events of interest to volunteers and shooting men will be received. Address “ Magpie,” Southern Cross Office.

Parade nights of local corps : Garrison Sand, Mondays and Thursdays ; City Guards, Mondays, regularly ; Oreti Rifles, Tuesdays, regularly; Awarua Rifles, Fridays, regularly; the Gore Rifles parade regularly, Government Inspection being held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays in each month ; Southland Mounted Rifles, town contingent, foot parades, 1 every second Thursday at Garrison Hall; mounted parades every fourth Wednesday afternoon at Waikiwi; Winton, Thornbury and Otautau contingens parade as per dates on cards issued to each member.

Arrangements aro now being perfected to fire” the annual match, officers v. sergeants, of the district, the date suggested being Wednesday, 15th inst. Without knowing either team, I should think the match will again prove very close. * * * The S.M.R. will shortly receive two additional members bagk from South Africa, Corporal Fahey and Trooper Hodgson. The former is due in about ten days, and will be accorded a banquet by the corps, while Trooper Hodgson has just left Capetown. The latter was the only Invercargill representative in the Third Contingent. * # * The wisdom of holding a company dance independent of the garrison ball was amply justified by the results of the Oreti Rifles’ gathering, and I think a good plan would be for each corps to have its social somewhat early in the season in future, and to wind up with a combined or garrison ball. If I know the members of the Oreti Rifles only fairly well, I believe they will, after the experience of Wednesday night, prove firm advovates of this course. * * * The range will be occupied on Wednesday next by the Mounted Rifles, who will then open their season in earnest. I expect this corps to actively promote the corps’ shooting interests henceforth, Lieut. Wallace possessing the requisite energy to carry through with success this necessary volunteer adjunct. Our other two shooting corps will welcome the prospect of further competitions at the rifle range. * * * According to advice received by Col.-Sergt. Mair, secretary ot the Non-Coms’ Club, the Dunedin Club will not relinquish their tournament this year in our favour, but want the Invercargill body to hold theirs on a date not clashing, New Year, for

instance. It is not likely the suggestion will be acted upon, but nothing was done with regard to the matter at Thursday’s meeting, on account of the small attendance of members, outside attractions being seemingly too powerful.

Major Jowsey, who has resigned command of the Fourth Contingent, to join the Royal Artillery, is an exaergeant and fencing instructor of the 15th Hussars. He has seen no actire service, but has a considerable gift in the direction of organisation and drill detail, and since his coming to the colony has kept up a lively interest in volunteer matters. /