Port Macquarie Independent
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Thursday 23rd October, 2014
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Delivered free throughout the Port Macquarie, Laurieton, Wauchope and Kempsey regions • Phone 6583 9088 • Thursday, 23rd October 2014 • Vol 21, Issue 43
Rifle club up in arms been closed – but the rifle club plans to fight the decision. Hastings Regional Shooting Complex chairman John Tingle announced earlier this week the Police Firearms Registry withdrew the licence for the 1000-yard range, meaning the range can no longer be used for this type of shooting. He said the registry’s action followed a decision by the complex committee to end the Port Macquarie Rifle Club’s membership of the complex, which is also home to another six shooting clubs. Mr Tingle said the move followed ongoing concerns about public safety because the targets at the western end of the range are only 800 metres from the airport tarmac and the line of fire points towards it. He said no-one wanted to see any shooting facility closed down, but it had been clear for some time that the rifle club was never again going to be able to shoot on that range. He said shooting had been suspended since August 2013 on the 1000-yard range after a police range inspector found safety restrictions had been breached.
The complex committee appealed for a review of that decision, but the suspension was upheld. He said the rifle club had explored some affordable alternative layouts to try and make it a safer range without success. “Given all the circumstances, the committee felt it was not justified in continuing to collect membership fees from the club, so voted to withdraw its approval for the rifle club to be a member club of the complex,” he said. Mr Tingle added it was a sad end to a historic facility, but the extensions to the airport had taken the tarmac southwards across the drop-zone of the 1000-yard range. What made the situation even more unfortunate was that the land the airport was built on was originally ceded to council by the rifle club. The Port Macquarie Rifle Club reacted angrily when told of the closure, saying they will fight on to retain the grounds they have used since the early 1900s, at least until they can be re-homed somewhere else. “We will make a full statement when we have received formal notification, but you can say we will be fighting this,” club captain Mal McKenzie told the Independent.
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