The Association maintains the following people/bodies to provide an organised system of competition throughout the State for your benefit.

A Coaching Council:

Runs coaching seminars and trains coaches throughout Victoria. Its members also travel interstate to seminars to keep up to date with new methods and equipment. It's main job it is to provide coaching for all our members, if you need coaching, talk to your club secretary, he/she has the contacts to organise a coaching session to suit your needs. Juniors are catered for in a special program and a "Junior Training Camp" is run each year towards the end of January. A definition of "Junior" for competition purposes is "a member who has not yet reached the calendar year in which he/she turns 21", ie if you turn 21 in 1995 you cannot compete as a junior in 1995.

A Referee Council:

Apart from training Range Officers and Judges, is the go-between to our National Referee Council, and thence to the international bodies controlling various disciplines. Without this chain of command to ensure that we are running competitions correctly, we couldn't send teams interstate and overseas or host international events in Australia. Judges are rostered for "open competitions".

State Teams:

Each year the V.A.P.A. sends a team of shooters to the various National Championships. All V.A.P.A. members are eligible for selection to the State Teams if they are of the required standard. Team members are given the opportunity to represent their State at the highest level in Australia. The Association subsidises the team members with travel, accommodation, uniforms etc.

Team Managers:

Are responsible for the "State Team Training Squad", in which members aspiring to the State Team are coached throughout the year. They submit proposals to the C.O.M. on team selection methods and elimination shoots, and look after the team at the Nationals. The State Team Selection Sub-Committee decide the successful members who will represent Victoria at the National Championships.

A Fund Raising Sub-Committee:

Run a "shop" at open's and operate a mail order service to raise money to support the State team. Details of items available can be found in the Pistol News.

A Competition Controller:

Runs the "Postal Competition" which lets you shoot in a state wide competition without leaving your own club. The only time that you may need to travel, is if your team gets through to the "grand final". Ask your club secretary to get information from the Competition Controller if you are not already involved, the pennants will look good in your clubhouse. The controller is also responsible for recommending applications for "open competitions" to the C.O.M. so that clubs do not compete with each other for entries.

An Executive Officer:

Is the "go between" with Pistol Australia, he attends the Pistol Australia Annual General and Mid-Year meetings, and reports to the monthly Committee of Management meetings.

A Victorian Pistol News editor:

Relies on some of our members to send him articles / information to print in the magazine.

A Publicity Officer:

Tries to get media coverage and advertise target shooting and the V.A.P.A. generally.

Delegates to:

Vicsport, Shooting Sports Council, Firearms Appeals Committee, these representatives look after your interests by raising and talking to issues that affect you, and report back to the C.O.M. on issues that need discussion and further action. A good example of this representation, was the 1994 proposals from the Firearm Consultative Committee to the Minister on the Firearms Act. Without a representative for pistol shooting anything could happen to the Act, and it is doubtful that any change to the Act without representation would be in our best interests.

A Technical Inspector:

Advises on, and inspects new ranges or modifications to existing ranges, and reports back to the Committee of Management meetings. Advises clubs on matters about range safety.

A Treasurer:

Looks after the day to day financial affairs of the Association, provides monthly and annual reports, and makes budget recommendations to the C.O.M.

A Target Secretary:

Arranges for the printing and sales of targets and patches. This service is provided in an effort to keep costs as low as possible for the clubs'.

A Secretary:

Processes paperwork from all kinds of sources. Is the initial contact point for club's, members, and the general public. Liaises with the Firearms Registry. Writes and distributes minutes of meetings. Provides labels for Pistol News, Referee Council, and clubs. Maintains database of membership. Provides membership details to the Registry and Pistol Australia.

Insurance:

Part of your capitation fee provides for a Public Liability and Personal Accident insurance policy which covers our members worldwide. Without this insurance it would not be possible to have clubs at all, let alone move freely throughout Australia to compete at different venues. When negotiating things like insurance, numbers are the overriding factors in the determination of final cost.

Affiliations:

A large percentage of your annual capitation fee goes to Pistol Australia and other bodies. The P.A. content provides such things as; a national magazine, access to all kinds of competitions (Nationals, Commonwealth Games, World Games, Olympic's and other international events), delegates to international bodies, input to the Federal Government, a National Coaching Council and a National Referee Council, etc.