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History of VAPA:
The first known attempt to establish target pistol shooting in Victoria was made in 1951, but this was unsuccessful. In 1955 another attempt was made with the majority of the leg work being done by George and Rita Rogers. This time, (and possibly only because Melbourne was to host the 1956 Olympics) permission was obtained to form a club, this was formalised on the 23rd of May 1955. The club was originally known as the V.S.S.A. Pistol Club, later to be called the Melbourne Pistol Club. The only pistol available for the thirty or so foundation members was a confiscated .22 semi-automatic for which they had to queue up to use. A second club was formed in February 1956, initially known as Dandenong Pistol Club which later split into two clubs, the other being Yarra Pistol Club. .The V.A.P.A. was formed on the 21st of May 1957. Present at the meeting were two delegates from each of the two clubs’ and an observer, (although from the minutes Rita Rogers also appears to have been present). From these small beginnings the Association has grown to 68 clubs’ with over 3,000 members (1998).The Association is controlled by an Executive and a Committee of Management which meets bi-monthly. Members of the Executive are elected by the general membership (you) on an annual basis.The Committee of Management (C.O.M.) is comprised of two delegates from each of the affiliated clubs’. In order to obtain a fair representation, the clubs’ are entitled to one vote for each twenty five of their members. Pistol Australia:
The sport of pistol shooting on an organised basis, was introduced in Tasmania in 1928 followed by South Australia and progressively all other states. The Amateur Pistol Shooting Union of Australia (A.P.S.U.A.) was formed by the Tasmanian, Victorian and South Australian Associations on the 28th of January 1956 so that pistol shooting would have a national body recognised by the Australian Olympic Federation. This would enable Australia to enter a team of pistol shooters in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory were affiliated later in 1956, with Western Australia and Queensland affiliating in 1963 and the Northern Territory in 1967. At the 1991 Annual General meeting the name of the Union was changed to Pistol Australia Inc. The first Australian Championships were held in Hobart in January 1958. The matches were Free Pistol, Rapid Fire and Centre Fire. National Championships have since been held annually with the inclusion of new matches as they have been adopted. Pistol Australia represents it’s members through the Australian Shooting Association to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), the N.R.A., the I.M.S.S.U., the Australian Olympic Federation, the Australian Commonwealth Games Federation, the Australian Sports Commission, the Confederation of Australian Sport, the Australian Government and the public at large. Pistol Australia is responsible for conducting National Championships and funding teams to international events such as World Cups, Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games and World Championships. In addition to its Elite Sports Program, it maintains Coaching and Referee Councils which ensure a consistent standard for events at all levels of competition. |
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