Robert Chaffe 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 Robert Chaffe Rosco Davis, treasurer, and Graeme Kerr, Vice Captain, addressed the meeting and explained that Rob had been a member of the executive of the ECDRA since 1980 and had acted as secretary from the late 1980’s through to three years ago when he was elected President.
They explained that Rob is very well known in the rifle shooting movement as a target shooter of moderate success and was state champion at the Police and Emergency Services Games and winner of many gold medals in this annual competition. He had won a stack of medals including 5 gold at the Bendigo World masters games.
He is best known for his work around the ECDRA organising the annual prize shoot, member of the GVDRA executive who organise the Pennant Shoot and he is a regular member of the pennant teams. He has stuck with the Target Rifle class up until his recent illness and it is hoped he can get back to the range this season even if it means he may have to use the bench and perhaps try one of the F class disciplines. In the Club he has managed to attract significant funding for works that have improved the Violet Town Range.
In the Club he has managed to attract significant funding for works that have improved the Violet Town Range and almost single handed kept the Gobur range in good order since 1980. Recently he was a driving force to obtain electronic targets working with Rosco and Graeme to get the Nagambie, Karramomus, Katandra, Wangaratta and Wodonga Clubs to join the program. The result being that all rifle clubs in North East and North Central Victoria shoot on electronic targets and that most pennant matches are shot on electronic targets at distances from 300 to 1000 yards. This has completely transformed the sport bringing it up to the 21st contrary taking almost all the heavy work out of the sport and providing competitors and officials with shot by shot print outs of every shoot.
He ensured the club has a defibrillator and the latest in sun protection by the use of grants provided by the State Government. The acquisition of the first electronic target was with a grand as part of round 1 of the Shooting Sports Facility program and then in 2018 he managed to obtain a grant of $100 000 from round 3 of the Shooting Sports Facility program. Most of all the wider community is aware of the ECDRA and its goings on through Rob’s weekly news items that are distributed throughout the regions local papers and the community radio UGFM, he has literally prepared over 1500 of theses reports as well as numerous other publicity items and radio appearances. Rob is our voice in the wider community. Rob is a highly valued member of the ECDRA and his home Club, Gobur. It is a privilege to put him forward for Life Membership of the ECDRA.