Wendouree Archery Club 80th Anniversary Dinner
From Left to RightAdam Sassmannshausen, David Sutherland, Geoff Rogers, Phil Greenbank, Dusty Vallance, Damien Vella, Neil Nickless, Elizabeth McCracken, James McCracken, Judy McCracken, Alex Bakhtadze, Matt Black, Mark Oughton, Allan Terrett
The dinner was held on the evening of the clubs 80th Anniversary and was at the Golf House Hotel at 6pm
Present were 14 current members, 1 past member and 13 family members
Club Historian, Alan Terrett presented a brief history of the club's 80 years. Alan is currently working on the 2nd edition of the club's book "Archery in Ballarat" due out early next year.
AUSTRALIA's OLDEST ARCHERY CLUB CELEBRATES ITS 80th ANNIVERSARY.
Speech by Allan Terrett - 10th of July 2021, Walker Room,
Golf House Hotel, 920 Doveton Street, Ballarat North.
I have been asked to say a few words about the history of our archery club.
But there were archery clubs in Ballarat before our club.
As early as 1864 (that is 157 years ago) Ballarat had two archery clubs: - a male club (The Foresters’ Archery Club) and a ladies club (The Webster Street Archery Club).
On Boxing Day 1864 male and female archers were part of a fete in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in aid of the Ballarat Orphan’s Asylum where archers (dressed in their uniforms) shot distances of 40, 60 and 80 yards (37 to 74 metres).
This is the earliest archery tournament in Ballarat that we have the scores for, and often an anniversary shoot is held by our club on or about the 26th of December.
If this shoot is held this year, it will be on the 157 anniversary of that Boxing Day shoot.
The next mention of archery in Ballarat is in 1899 and 1913 when Loreto College had an archery club for their girls.
From the early 1930s there was a small band of archery enthusiasts who on the 10th of July 1941, exactly 80 years ago tonight, in the second year of World War 2, in the home of Don Johnston at 31 Loch Avenue (which according to Google Maps is only 2.1 kilometres, and a 4 minute drive from where we are now), 14 archers met and officially formed “The Ballarat Archers”, including Don Johnston, Don Balfour, Ken Balfour and Jack Collins.
Before World War 2 there were twelve organised archery clubs in Australia.
Then how did the Ballarat archery club become the oldest existing archery club in Australia?
Well, during World War 2, many businesses and community organisations closed down or ceased to exist as young men rushed off to join the Navy, the Army and the Air Force.
All of the archery clubs that had existed in Australia before World War 2 folded and ceased to exist, - and while several members of the Ballarat club did join the military forces (see article by Don Johnston), at least two members were reserved occupations and could not be enlisted in the military forces (you can have accountants, doctors and lawyers go and get killed in wars, - but you cannot have the town blacksmith go to war, - they are too valuable), and they kept the club functioning during the war years.
Jack Collins was the town blacksmith, and Don Johnston was a fitter and turner at the Railway workshops in Creswick Road.
So our archery club (“The Ballarat Archers”) continued to exist during and then after World War 2 to the present day.
Our Club changed its name to “The Ballarat Archery Club” on 3.Sep.1948 and became affiliated with the YMCA, the club then sponsored a daughter club – the “Returned Servicemen’s Archery Club” in November 1948, and finally, on the 28th of October 1950 the Ballarat Archery Club amalgamated with its daughter club the “Returned Servicemen’s Archery Club” and changed its name to the “Wendouree Archery Club”.
Since the 1930s our club has shot outdoors at: (1) Black Hill, (2) Stawell Street-Yarrowee Creek, (3) The Botanical Gardens (4) the Wendouree Reserve (on the southern side of M.B. Johns) and (5) the Prince of Wales Park.
We are a small club, but we have a long history of proud achievement.
We are unique in having an aboriginal name, - the word Wendouree meaning: “go away”, “be gone from here, “off you go”, “be off”, or in plain language – “piss off”.
The club has held many Victorian State championships, and in 1997 held the Australian National Archery Championships incorporating the 5th Australian Indoor Championships, and the 19th Australian Junior Archery Championships.
The health and survival of all clubs depends on dedicated members.
In the early years, and then for several decades, the outstanding members of our club were Don Johnston, Jack and Lil Collins and Don and Ken Balfour.
During my time, the outstanding contributing members of the club have been Gary and Chris Daly and of course Phil Greenbank (who is still contributing), and now current members such as Neil Nickless, Geoff Rogers, Judy and Liz McCracken and Dusty Vallance.
Regarding our future, we do not know for sure if we are moving or we are not moving.
It is hoped that our location can be settled soon so that we can again become involved in hosting major tournaments, and again become a major leader in the sport of archery in Victoria and Australia.
Present were 14 current members, 1 past member and 13 family members
Club Historian, Alan Terrett presented a brief history of the club's 80 years. Alan is currently working on the 2nd edition of the club's book "Archery in Ballarat" due out early next year.
AUSTRALIA's OLDEST ARCHERY CLUB CELEBRATES ITS 80th ANNIVERSARY.
Speech by Allan Terrett - 10th of July 2021, Walker Room,
Golf House Hotel, 920 Doveton Street, Ballarat North.
I have been asked to say a few words about the history of our archery club.
But there were archery clubs in Ballarat before our club.
As early as 1864 (that is 157 years ago) Ballarat had two archery clubs: - a male club (The Foresters’ Archery Club) and a ladies club (The Webster Street Archery Club).
On Boxing Day 1864 male and female archers were part of a fete in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in aid of the Ballarat Orphan’s Asylum where archers (dressed in their uniforms) shot distances of 40, 60 and 80 yards (37 to 74 metres).
This is the earliest archery tournament in Ballarat that we have the scores for, and often an anniversary shoot is held by our club on or about the 26th of December.
If this shoot is held this year, it will be on the 157 anniversary of that Boxing Day shoot.
The next mention of archery in Ballarat is in 1899 and 1913 when Loreto College had an archery club for their girls.
From the early 1930s there was a small band of archery enthusiasts who on the 10th of July 1941, exactly 80 years ago tonight, in the second year of World War 2, in the home of Don Johnston at 31 Loch Avenue (which according to Google Maps is only 2.1 kilometres, and a 4 minute drive from where we are now), 14 archers met and officially formed “The Ballarat Archers”, including Don Johnston, Don Balfour, Ken Balfour and Jack Collins.
Before World War 2 there were twelve organised archery clubs in Australia.
Then how did the Ballarat archery club become the oldest existing archery club in Australia?
Well, during World War 2, many businesses and community organisations closed down or ceased to exist as young men rushed off to join the Navy, the Army and the Air Force.
All of the archery clubs that had existed in Australia before World War 2 folded and ceased to exist, - and while several members of the Ballarat club did join the military forces (see article by Don Johnston), at least two members were reserved occupations and could not be enlisted in the military forces (you can have accountants, doctors and lawyers go and get killed in wars, - but you cannot have the town blacksmith go to war, - they are too valuable), and they kept the club functioning during the war years.
Jack Collins was the town blacksmith, and Don Johnston was a fitter and turner at the Railway workshops in Creswick Road.
So our archery club (“The Ballarat Archers”) continued to exist during and then after World War 2 to the present day.
Our Club changed its name to “The Ballarat Archery Club” on 3.Sep.1948 and became affiliated with the YMCA, the club then sponsored a daughter club – the “Returned Servicemen’s Archery Club” in November 1948, and finally, on the 28th of October 1950 the Ballarat Archery Club amalgamated with its daughter club the “Returned Servicemen’s Archery Club” and changed its name to the “Wendouree Archery Club”.
Since the 1930s our club has shot outdoors at: (1) Black Hill, (2) Stawell Street-Yarrowee Creek, (3) The Botanical Gardens (4) the Wendouree Reserve (on the southern side of M.B. Johns) and (5) the Prince of Wales Park.
We are a small club, but we have a long history of proud achievement.
We are unique in having an aboriginal name, - the word Wendouree meaning: “go away”, “be gone from here, “off you go”, “be off”, or in plain language – “piss off”.
The club has held many Victorian State championships, and in 1997 held the Australian National Archery Championships incorporating the 5th Australian Indoor Championships, and the 19th Australian Junior Archery Championships.
The health and survival of all clubs depends on dedicated members.
In the early years, and then for several decades, the outstanding members of our club were Don Johnston, Jack and Lil Collins and Don and Ken Balfour.
During my time, the outstanding contributing members of the club have been Gary and Chris Daly and of course Phil Greenbank (who is still contributing), and now current members such as Neil Nickless, Geoff Rogers, Judy and Liz McCracken and Dusty Vallance.
Regarding our future, we do not know for sure if we are moving or we are not moving.
It is hoped that our location can be settled soon so that we can again become involved in hosting major tournaments, and again become a major leader in the sport of archery in Victoria and Australia.
