Norman Linehan Awarded Life Membership
On Saturday January 19 , 2019 at the general meeting of the East Central District Rifle Association Inc. the members unanimously awarded Life Membership of the ECDRA to Norm Linehan. Rosco Davis, treasurer, and Graeme Kerr, Vice Captain, addressed the meeting and explained that Norm Linehan has been a very active member of the ECDRA first as a member of Merton Rifle Club joining back into the 1970s.
Norm, a skilled fitter and turner. literally turned himself to many tasks requiring metal work form a ladder into the target pit to the massive shooting tower incorporating a set of stairs and shooting bench for the 600 yard mound at the Violet Town Range. The stairs he found in a junk heap and he persuaded the proprietor to donate the structure for the club.
It was Norm who developed the zero range equipment including the permanent chronograph station and the mechanisms for the small bore range. Norm has been the "go to man” for many rifle problems and he always had a solution and it always involved at least a few minutes in the workshop. These minutes are now treasured by the members as they recalled Norm’s skill with metal and for that matter he is very handy with wood as well.
He was one of the first to build an all alloy rifle stock in the district, it looked fine but on the test firing the stock rang like a bell, back to the drawing board and with more testing the problem was soon solved. He was attracted to the extreme part of the sport "Match rifle" where shooting is conducted out to 1300yards. It is a must-see event a Bisley in England where the shooters use all sorts of positions in attempt to gain maximum scores, positions including lying on your back with the rear sight on the very end of the butt of the rifle stock. Norm was more attracted to ballistics and building custom barrels and loads to use at these extreme ranges. He was rewarded with his efforts with a National Champions badge and locally as Sportsman of the Month in the Rotary Club of Mansfield’s annual competition.
There is hardly a place on the Violet Town range that has not had Norms Hand on in some way this includes the BBQ and the storage container. It is safe to say that Norm has been the literal nuts and bolts of the club as well as serving as a term as Treasurer, then the custodian of the silver-wear, over 18 trophies that have been collected by the ECDRA or held in trust for the Yea, Alexandra, Gobur, Euroa and Mansfield Rifle Clubs. Norm is well known around Australia and his vast network of friends and specialists has given instant access to solutions to every problem you can imagine and some. Norm continues to serve the club well although his health has now severely curtailed his shooting. Norm well and truly worthy of Life Membership. As Graeme and Rosco completed their address the motion was carried unanimously with acclamation. Norm now joins Geoff James as the ECDRA’s Life Members and everyone wishes their service to continue well into the future.