Drill Hall & Rifle Range

Southern Cross, Volume 8, Issue 22, 1 September 1900, Page 12

Drill Hall & Rifle Range

Volunteers and Bide Club members are inviled 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 Band, Mondays and Thursdays ; City Guards, Mondays, regularly ; Oreti Rifles, Tuesdays, regularly; Awarua Rifles, Fridays, regularly ; the Gore parade regularly, Government Inspection being held On the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays in each month ; Southland Mounted Rifles, town contingent, foot parades every second Thursday at Garrison Hall; mounted parades every fourth Wednesday afternoon at Waikiwi; Winton, Thornbury and Otautau contingens parade ars per dates on cards issued to each member.

NOTES BY “MAGPIE.”

The City Guards occupy the range next Wednesday—by lotation S.M.R day—continuing the competition for the Hallenstein trophy. * * * The Rifle Club will compete for a trophy prize on the same day, but particulars are not yet decided on. * * * “ Nothing succeeds like success.” To illustrate this, the Oreti Rifles intend holding a progressive euchre match and dance on the 20th inst., and anticipate it, being as enjoyable as the annual social, which is saying a good deal. * * * I understand it is the intention of the Invercargill part of £the Battalion to go into camp on the Queen’s Park during the early part of November, the arrangements being on similar lines to the very well-conducted one of last year. Colonel Penton has always laid stress on the want of practical drill under which volunteering labours, and a local camp such as this is of more real service than a larger one at a distance, owing to its being more largely attended. A very interesting and instructive day’s campaigning at the Riverton Beach is suggested for the 9th November, the programme, I have heard, being such as will give much instruction to all ranks, and I sincerely hope to see it carried out, as it no doubt will, very successfully, should the weather be favourable. # * # On Wednesday afternoon a teams’ match was fired between the Awarua Rifles and Rifle Club. Conditions were seven shots and two sighters at 300 and 500 yards, and as the weather was all that could be desired, some very good shooting was doue. The top aggregate on the Rifle Club side fell to Mr R,. Kightly, who put on the good scores of 28 and 33, total 61. Following him closely were Mr 3 no. Johnston, W. B. O’Toole, and W. Wills, all 57. The Awaruas’ top men were Privs. Stewart and MacDiaimid, each 45. The Awaruas were handicapped by some of their team being unable to get out, which is to be regretted, as their team being principally young shots, their scores could have been improved had some of the older shots been there to take them in hand. The match resulted in an easy win for the Rifle Club, but I am of opinion the Awaruas will not be content to let matters remain as conclusive, but will rather strive, by persistent practice, to make the return match of a much more even nature. * *

With regard to the match noted above, shooting men will make all allowances for the heavy margin of the Rifle Club —about 140 points—and look with something akin to admiration at the plucky action of the Awaruas in tackling such redoubtable opponents. Time was when the Guards and Oretis were just as low, in a shooting sense, and it has been advanced very largely by careful and persistent coaching of their junior shots, that these two corps can now look to their rather superior abilities at the butts, with much satisfaction, as a reward for time and labour expended for the purpose. Apart from individual honor, the presence of even

20 men with a fair knowledge of how to use the rifle successfully, in the ranks of a company at volley-firing time, must have a steadying effect, and considerably raise the average of the corps. Volunteers should there-( fore remember that success can only be attained by practice, and to that end, each corps’ turn to use the range, should be availed of by many more men than have done so in the past. * # * It gives me pleasure to be able to announce that Mr VV. Nicol has kindly consented to provide any diagrams of targets that may be sent for insertion in this column. Therefore I would be glad if secretaries of shooting committees will send to the Southern Cross Office by Thursday, at mid-day of each week, a shot for shot record of any score worthy of publication. * * The Southland Mounted Rifles held a competition for a trophy presented by Trooper Harper, last Wednesday, some 10 men competing. Class-firing conditions were observed, and the trophy fell to Trooper Munroe, the following being the highest scores : Lieut. Wallace, 60 ; Trooper Munroe, 53 ; Corp. Todd, 49 ; Trooper Padget, 48; Corp. Cunningham, 47; Capt. Hazlett, 47; Trooper Harper, 45. Last evening the corps tendered a banquet to its members just returned from South Africa, Sergts. Fahey and Hodgson, when no doubt members would attend in full strength to hear some of the experiences of the men named.