Short Siberia in danger - letter to Robin Pizer
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 5:52 pm
I am posting a copy of my letter to the chairman of NRA and I have also sent a copy to the new CEO, Andrew Mercer. Neither has seen fit to acknowledge receipt not offer any reassurance/explanation. For your additional information, I shoot on Short Siberia at 100 and 200 with 4 clubs as well as share a target with a group of friends. For the past few years my average runs to about 25 days per year and in all that time I have never ever seen a member of staff or a member of council anywhere near. They are completely clueless.
They are contemplating wrecking the last of the really nice ranges only to provide mid-week shooting club jollies for the nuclear police at the taxpayers' expense - taxpayers are you folks!
I trust that I have described the sutuation well in the letter below.
Dear Robin,
Proposed disposal of 100yds range on Short Siberia
I have heard on the grapevine that you are considering “selling” the Short Siberia 100yds range to Nuclear Police for their exclusive use and that the existing 100yds facility will be moved to the right-hand side of Century! Exact details have not been published and in view of the repercussions any such change will have, I urge you to publish the proposal and invite comments from the membership as soon as possible. I must emphasize that you cannot rely on staff or council to guide you because they simply do not know the people that will eventually be “displaced”!
All ranges offer shooting FACILITIES and some, because of their position and special features, have also developed into important ATTRACTIONS!
The recent past is littered with instances where a FACILITY was moved but the ATTRACTION did not move with it so it soon died in its new location!
You will remember that the Pistol Gallery (later Winnans) was busy throughout the year. Even after the pistol ban it continued to be in full use for gallery rifles and muzzle loading revolvers. Then the facility was moved to Melville where it promptly died, because those responsible for organizing the move failed to recognize the attraction! The attraction was that each user had a target to himself; was able to shoot at his own pace and did not have to stop (and waste time) whilst others went forward to change targets. That attraction was not provided after the move to Melville and consequently the facility died. If closing Winnans was inevitable a better job could have been done by not spending any money on alternative facility that no one wanted.
I am writing to you because I think you are about to do the same again and we cannot afford to alienate more members and regular shooters.
To be on Short Siberia is a very pleasant experience at any time of year. The trees provide a welcome wind break and a cooling shade during heat waves. Car parks are adequate and conveniently close by, so that users do not have to lug up to 4 –5 rifles and ancillary equipment for hundreds of yards. Access to the butts is direct and quick. The targetry is light and easy to operate even for children and the disabled. Whole clubs and families come to Short Siberia with picnics and barbeques to spend a pleasant day shooting and generally socializing.
In comparison, shooting on Century at 100, 200 and 300yds is a nightmare! Parking is totally inadequate. If we work to a template of 8 people sharing each target once a total of 5 targets is rented over all 3 distances the car park is full and the nightmare starts. There is nothing more annoying to a driver in any situation than to arrive at his destination and not be able to park. It ruins his day before he fires a single shot. I have seen people turning round and going home rather than to lug their rifles hundreds of yards!
Access to the butts from, say, 100yds on Century means (a)walking back to 300yds, (b)across the car park, (c)back along Hobson’s Way to Short Siberia, (d) then along the target sheds – you really need to walk that just once to appreciate the problem. And it is not just the walk that is the problem but the time it takes because it leaves less for shooting, which is the main reason why we are there.
The targets are too heavy and not well maintained and they require two strong men to operate at a barely acceptable rate. I invite you and the council members to do a short stint in the butts on Century to see for yourself the conditions there. I guarantee that after a stint in the butts you will be so worn out that accurate shooting will not be possible for several hours if not for the rest of the day. Even the paid markers often cannot cope and have to be replaced with physically stronger ones!
The new people entering the sport are mainly recreational shooters who want to shoot a variety of rifles at 100 and 200yds. They are doing it because they enjoy it and they are not willing to put up with aggravation and bad conditions. With a little encouragement, they could be enticed to extend the range to 300yds and beyond and eventually adopt TR or MR. The primary obstacle to that development is the Century.
It is a nightmare and you and the council members need to take a close and personal urgent inspection along the lines that I have described. It is a product of several organizational mistakes and we really cannot afford to made yet another!
Your mandate as far as the members are concerned is to promote shooting sport and to run the ranges for the benefit of members and affiliated clubs. Selling any part of the camp to the highest bidder is not part of that mandate and should not be contemplated without involving members.
Yours sincerely,
They are contemplating wrecking the last of the really nice ranges only to provide mid-week shooting club jollies for the nuclear police at the taxpayers' expense - taxpayers are you folks!
I trust that I have described the sutuation well in the letter below.
Dear Robin,
Proposed disposal of 100yds range on Short Siberia
I have heard on the grapevine that you are considering “selling” the Short Siberia 100yds range to Nuclear Police for their exclusive use and that the existing 100yds facility will be moved to the right-hand side of Century! Exact details have not been published and in view of the repercussions any such change will have, I urge you to publish the proposal and invite comments from the membership as soon as possible. I must emphasize that you cannot rely on staff or council to guide you because they simply do not know the people that will eventually be “displaced”!
All ranges offer shooting FACILITIES and some, because of their position and special features, have also developed into important ATTRACTIONS!
The recent past is littered with instances where a FACILITY was moved but the ATTRACTION did not move with it so it soon died in its new location!
You will remember that the Pistol Gallery (later Winnans) was busy throughout the year. Even after the pistol ban it continued to be in full use for gallery rifles and muzzle loading revolvers. Then the facility was moved to Melville where it promptly died, because those responsible for organizing the move failed to recognize the attraction! The attraction was that each user had a target to himself; was able to shoot at his own pace and did not have to stop (and waste time) whilst others went forward to change targets. That attraction was not provided after the move to Melville and consequently the facility died. If closing Winnans was inevitable a better job could have been done by not spending any money on alternative facility that no one wanted.
I am writing to you because I think you are about to do the same again and we cannot afford to alienate more members and regular shooters.
To be on Short Siberia is a very pleasant experience at any time of year. The trees provide a welcome wind break and a cooling shade during heat waves. Car parks are adequate and conveniently close by, so that users do not have to lug up to 4 –5 rifles and ancillary equipment for hundreds of yards. Access to the butts is direct and quick. The targetry is light and easy to operate even for children and the disabled. Whole clubs and families come to Short Siberia with picnics and barbeques to spend a pleasant day shooting and generally socializing.
In comparison, shooting on Century at 100, 200 and 300yds is a nightmare! Parking is totally inadequate. If we work to a template of 8 people sharing each target once a total of 5 targets is rented over all 3 distances the car park is full and the nightmare starts. There is nothing more annoying to a driver in any situation than to arrive at his destination and not be able to park. It ruins his day before he fires a single shot. I have seen people turning round and going home rather than to lug their rifles hundreds of yards!
Access to the butts from, say, 100yds on Century means (a)walking back to 300yds, (b)across the car park, (c)back along Hobson’s Way to Short Siberia, (d) then along the target sheds – you really need to walk that just once to appreciate the problem. And it is not just the walk that is the problem but the time it takes because it leaves less for shooting, which is the main reason why we are there.
The targets are too heavy and not well maintained and they require two strong men to operate at a barely acceptable rate. I invite you and the council members to do a short stint in the butts on Century to see for yourself the conditions there. I guarantee that after a stint in the butts you will be so worn out that accurate shooting will not be possible for several hours if not for the rest of the day. Even the paid markers often cannot cope and have to be replaced with physically stronger ones!
The new people entering the sport are mainly recreational shooters who want to shoot a variety of rifles at 100 and 200yds. They are doing it because they enjoy it and they are not willing to put up with aggravation and bad conditions. With a little encouragement, they could be enticed to extend the range to 300yds and beyond and eventually adopt TR or MR. The primary obstacle to that development is the Century.
It is a nightmare and you and the council members need to take a close and personal urgent inspection along the lines that I have described. It is a product of several organizational mistakes and we really cannot afford to made yet another!
Your mandate as far as the members are concerned is to promote shooting sport and to run the ranges for the benefit of members and affiliated clubs. Selling any part of the camp to the highest bidder is not part of that mandate and should not be contemplated without involving members.
Yours sincerely,