Club Established
19 April 1972.
Range Site Approved:
24 August 1972.
Melton Pistol Club Inc. was
established in 1972 by some gentlemen who enjoyed the sport of
shooting and wanted a challenge for their talent, pistol shooting
did this.
Initially there were three
members, but this grew very rapidly and at the peak of our
membership there was 135 members in total, we currently have
approximately 105 members including women, children (over the age of
12 and accompanied by either a parent or legal guardian), business
people, teachers, tradespeople, and those who have retired but still
want to stay active .
The land the Melton Pistol Club
currently occupies was originally farm land that was donated by Jack
Hurley, a local and distinguished farmer in the area. Since the
clubs humble beginnings back in 1972 it has grown to be one of the
largest pistol clubs in Victoria. The land the club is situated on is
divided between Melton Council and Southern Rural Water and is
leased back from both these stakeholders.
From our humble beginnings of
shooting in an open air facility, members and council have made extensive
improvements to the site with the erection of club rooms, indoor
ranges, toilets, fencing, water storage and signage around
the perimeter fencing.
In partnership with the Shire
of Melton, the Melton Pistol Club Inc. has had in excess of
$1,500,000 in improvements in the past few years including new clubrooms
and 3 indoor ranges .
The club has always
been financially independent.
The council proposed that the
facility was to be relocated several times but feasibility studies
showed that it would be too expensive to uproot the club to a new
location, so the administrators of the time decided that the best
place for the club was at its present location and a lease
was signed by both parties.
With regard to public safety,
the current laws regarding firearm usage on ranges is quite
comprehensive and any breaches are dealt with severely by the police,
and the Melton Pistol Club committee.
As far as safety is concerned
the Melton Pistol Club Inc has never had any incident occurring at
any stage of the clubs existence (1972 til present).
Pistol shooting is one of the
safest sports any person can participate in as the regulations
regarding the sport are very strict and all safety procedures are
adhered to quite strictly.
We have had a number of council
employees, Rotary Club, scouts and secondary school students
participate at the club for team bonding sessions, and the time
spent at the club was enjoyed by all who participated even though
some have never held a firearm before.
It is also a sport where a
person of any age (juniors must be 12 years of age or older and be
supervised by a handgun licensed adult and their parent or
legal guardian at all times) may participate (we
have members in their eighties still shooting and enjoying it. Members
are required to undertake a club safety course and pass written and
practical assessment before they are allowed to handle a firearm and
must also pass a police safety course held at the club by our
police approved qualified instructors who themselves have had to
undergo rigorous training.
The Melton Pistol Club Inc. has
had many female and junior members throughout its existence and some have represented
Victoria in state and national championships while others have gone
on to achieve the ultimate in competition, the Olympic Games.
There are not many sports that cater for the whole family, but
Pistol Shooting is one of those sports. The legal minimum age is 12
for juniors, but do not let this deter you from letting them join.
Juniors have to develop a high degree of self discipline and
responsibility to earn the trust of fellow club members. At club
level, juniors are not segregated and participate along with mum and
dad, and probably even grandpa or grandma. There is no maximum age
(we have numerous pensioners in the club, and members in their 80's), and strength and fitness
are not an important consideration at club level (there are quite a few
disabled shooters)