Posted by Les Fraser on
URL: http://oldforum.flyshooter.com.au/FOR-THE-ATTENTION-OF-ALL-FLY-SHOOTERS-tp5708867.html

Dear Fly shooters,

I would like all fly shooters to be aware of some proposed rule changes put forward by the Victorian Delegate, Mr Peter Van Meurs. They include an inference that all registered matches will only award a multi gun entrant as the winner of the match.
 
As a consequence of defending the tradition and ethos of this sport, and standing up for the views that I believe the majority of fly shooters hold, I have been put aside as delegate by Mr Dave Billinghurst (the National Chair for benchrest discipline). This has been done by stealth without any consultation or due process.  It would appear that some influential people do not want me standing up for shooters views, holding meetings and actually having discussions, rather they want the comfortable status quo to remain where things can be changed quietly by stealth in a committee where the majority do not shoot or understand fly.
 
The upside of this is that if I am no longer a delegate under his hand, I can inform shooters and advise that you need to contact your respective state delegates and provide emails or letters as documented evidence of your wishes on rule book changes and how you wish this sport to go into the future.
 
It is my opinion that Mr Van Meurs agenda is to make sure that if a shooter does not have the ability to shoot in both classes, he or she cannot be the over all winner of the match, his direct statement is, and I quote from a recent email:
 
PVM - "Don Ewin (the principal match organiser) and I during many conversations over the years had always agreed that the multi gun was the focus of the event. As long term benchrest competitors we both felt that is how it should be in the Fly as well and Dave Billinghursts communication."
 
The history of the fly is deep in tradition and at no matches other than Little River this year, and with the interference of PVM at Wagga this year, has the winner been awarded this way.
 
As you can see there has been collusion in the sport to further one person, or states personal view.
 
The consequence of this hidden agenda is that if PVM gets this across the National floor, NO SHOOTER WHO SHOOTS ONE CLASS CAN WIN A MATCH.
 
To sum up this is what PVM stated in an email ;-
"Competitors shooting only one class must learn to accept that they cannot win the match"
 
Well that says it all for me.
 
It is my opinion that the highest total score for the day is the winner, can you imagine if you shot a new national record high score at the Procal cup in Canberra…..and because you didn’t shoot both classes, or had an issue with your other class, you did not win the match !!
 
It is in your best interest to contact your state delegates and put your wishes forward.
 
Mine will be " The overall winner of the match is the individual with the highest score regardless of class"
 
There are further implications to this discussion, Hall of Fame is being discussed at the moment, and the same delegate wants HOF points orientated toward two gun (Centrefire) at National Events. Each of the three classes in Fly should stand alone.  You can choose to shoot Light Gun, Heavy Gun & Rimfire or any one of the three and should earn HOF points for the win in the class or classes you shoot.  You should not be required to shoot all three (or two in the case of centrefire only) to obtain HOF points.  If the rules change to acknowledging the winner over all to a multi gun format, we will have allowed the change by stealth to influence HOF standings.  Is this what the shooting community want ?  I doubt it.
 
 
As I am apparently no longer a delegate, I am not bound by their committee and therefore for those interested I will be posting relevant sections of the rules and provide my advice, it is up to you whether you want to stand up and be counted or not.
 
I look forward to all this being behind us and getting on with the positive aspects of participating in what is the best shooting sport in Australia, we just need to band together at the moment and ensure that it remains that way.


Yours in shooting Les