Did you used to wish you could be like “Robin Hood”? Did your children watch “Brave” and think the fire-haired Merida was supercool and hound you about wanting to get a bow and arrow? Did your older kids (or you!) see “The Hunger Games” or “Avatar” and wonder where you might be able to try out archery?
You could give it a go with Tweed Valley 3D Field Archers!
With films like those mentioned above and the promise of an exciting new TV series called “Arrow”, there is renewed interest in archery.
Tweed Valley 3D Field Archers have been around for a while. Their first club grounds were located in Murwillumbah. They then relocated to Carool and are now located at a member’s property at Chillingham.
With films such as “The Avengers”, “Hunger Games”, “Brave” and even “Avatar” bringing renewed interest in archery, the Tweed Valley 3D Field Archers look forward to welcoming newcomers.
For those of you who are unaware (as I initially was) of the difference between plain old target archery (no offence to anyone!) and 3D field archery, I’ll explain.
With 3D field archery you get to be out in the fresh air, enjoying the great Aussie outdoors. You get exercise, fresh air, a few giggles and a lot of fun all rolled into one!
Instead of just standing in one spot shooting at paper targets, you get to stretch your legs and have a bit of a bushwalk on a beautiful property. You shoot at strategically and challengingly placed 3D animal targets. If you’re really lucky, you hit the target and score points. If you miss, you might get a bit of friendly ribbing, but also some advice on how to improve your aim.
Tweed Valley 3D Field Archers’ members use a combination of traditional longbows, recurve bows and hi-tech compound bows. The club has some bows available for use by newcomers and are looking at purchasing more.
Archery is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea and not every archer wants to (or has to) hunt.
Whilst the majority of Tweed Valley 3D Field Archers’ members are undoubtedly male, there are a few of us girls. The guys in the club are friendly and (generally) well behaved and helpful.
It’s also not just aimed at adults. We have a number of young lads in the club, some of whom are great shots! If you have a son or daughter who have tried various sports and not been able to find one they like, maybe archery could be their thing!
It also has to be said, archery is pretty cool, for those teenagers who relish being a little different.
The club meet once a month, on the third Sunday of the month weather permitting. If it’s too wet to shoot, it will be postponed until the following Sunday.
The club ends every shoot with a sociable sausage sizzle and cold drink. It’s also a good opportunity to have a chat to the more experienced members and get some advice or even check the score sheets and have a bit of a brag, or cry, as the case may be.
To become a member of Tweed Valley 3D Field Archers, it is a requirement to register with 3DAAA (Archery Association of Australia). This is for insurance reasons. The cost is quite reasonable, with annual fees as follows:
Adults $40
Junior $30
Family $85
The cost per shoot is $12 (adults) and $9 (children).
Club stalwarts Gary Case and Greg James are probably the most experienced shooters in the club, and are happy to offer new members advice and coaching, upon prior arrangement.
Greg James also produces some beautiful hand-made bows, for anyone interested in commissioning one.
What have you got to lose, apart from a few hours on a Sunday? Besides, it’s a really nice drive out there!
If you think you might be interested in giving it a go, contact Adam on 0468 822 748 or Peter on 0437 517 040.
By Kate Chisholm
