A short history.
KEMNAY AND DISTRICT SMALL-BORE RIFLE CLUB
A short history
Kemnay and District Small-bore Rifle Club received its registration certificate number 1134, on 13th February 1950. The first president was E. A. McPherson (Tom) a local butcher who had his shop in Davidson's Buildings in the High Street. The secretary and treasurer was Ian McLaren, the local policeman. The club met twice weekly, Mondays and Fridays, in the Territorial Army hut, situated beyond the Burnett Arms Hotel (later purchased by the local troop of boy scouts). Albert Prest (Bert) was the caretaker and was responsible for opening and closing the range, and heating the building. This was achieved by means of a coal stove situated almost half up the range, beside the middle door. Bert, who was also a member of the club, carried out this task until his job as a long distance lorry driver took him away overnight.
The rental paid to the T.A. was 1/- (5p) per night, and this included coal for the stove. The membership at this time stood in the upper thirties and demand for places to shoot was such that names were placed on the blackboard on arrival and it may have been half through the evening before an opportunity to shoot arose. A telephone was installed in the hut originally, but this was removed due to the large bills being run up.
Ian McLaren was posted furth of Kemnay in January 1952, as the result of an altercation with one of his clientele, and William E. Ross, Aquithie, was appointed secretary in his place. The club raised funds by means of weekly whist drives held in the Public Hall, which attracted on average around sixteen tables, and generated around £2. 00 per week. In time the numbers began to drop, and in order to raise the flagging spirits, the evening was rounded off with a game of housey-housey, as it was called at that time, (the forerunner of the present day bingo). In time, several of the village clubs (football, bowling and cricket) decided to start a bingo club and an approach was made to the Rifle Club for a loan of their equipment, and of course this put paid to the whist club. The football club dropped out of the consortium and the rifle club were invited to join. Each club had to put forward members to run the bingo club and Sandy Ewen of the Rifle Club acted for a number of years as shouter, the other representative from the rifle club was Bob Dow. Following the weekly payout of prize money, the remainder of the funds was split three ways and paid into the accounts of the participating clubs. The Kemnay Bingo Club was a very popular outing for many people who travelled regularly from areas such as Durris on Deeside. There was a weekly jackpot which rolled over if it was not won and sometimes this reached as high as £1500, quite a sum in the 1960s. In course of time with new legislation coming into force, the set up was changed, and a new club was formed, thus ending the weekly income. Over the years the Rifle Club received donations from the Bingo Club to help with specific projects.
As time passed, the T.A. was disbanded and the hut was put up for sale. The local scout group, who had their meeting place on the adjoining feu to the T.A. hut, had, with foresight purchased both feus from the landlord, Mrs Beattie of Bridgend. The hut was therefore offered for sale on the condition that it was removed from the site. The scouts were able to purchase it for the sum of £100. This was in 1958, and thus overnight, the position of the Rifle Club changed dramatically. The rental was increased to five shillings per night (25p). As Friday night was the meeting night for the scouts, changes had to be made. Membership of the club had dropped to under twenty by this time, and the club changed their meeting night to Thursday. The numbers remained very stable for quite a number of years, with Bill Ross being the leading shot for most of the time. Two teams were entered annually in the Aberdeen and District league competitions and the individual members rarely changed. There was little jostling for team positions. An indoor summer league was tried, but this lasted only one season, as great difficulty was experienced in getting team members to shoot cards in the light summer evenings.
FULL-BORE SHOOTING
During the summer months, several members travelled to Aberdeen to the full bore ranges (.303). These shoots were held at either the Black Dog range or at the range on Brimmond Hill, and these shoots were well patronised by T.A. members from whom a cheap source of ammunition was readily available. Members also competed in the full-bore wapinshaws and at one of these, Sandy Ewen won the Evening Express Trophy, an open, time limit competition, which he won with a score of 49 out of 50. It was a score which has been seldom bettered. At another wapinshaw, wind conditions were such, that in order to fire on ones own target, sighting had to be made on the adjoining target. In the middle of the afternoon an abnormally strong gust of wind blew down the line of targets.
Arrangements were made one Sunday to shoot at the Black Dog, but on arrival, the members were not made welcome. Undaunted, they about turned and departed for home, but not wishing to waste a day's shooting, they headed up Donside. Sandy Ewen's father, Ben, was at that time forester at Bennachie Forest, and an approach to him succeeded in gaining permission to shoot in one of the gravel pits on the hill. The public did not at that time enjoy the freedom of access now experienced, and an enjoyable day was had by all. Sadly, that was about the end of the club's full-bore exploits.
HAZELHEAD WAPINSHAWS
Several members annually competed in the Aberdeen and District Wapinshaw which was at that time held on a range at Hazelhead. The range was in the area above the maze and the fifty yard firing point was to the side of the 100 yard range, unlike the present day set up at Denwood, where the firing point is common to both distances. The targets were changed by the cadets, thus relieving the shooters of wandering up and down the range. On arrival, the shooters had to present their equipment at the stats tent to have the triggers tested for three pounds pressure. One was not allowed to shoot until the rifle had been passed. One of the wapinshaws of note was a very hot day with large numbers of wasps in evidence. They were everywhere, even crawling on rifle barrels during details. Kemnay was usually represented in the prize list. With the passing of the years, interest in outdoor shooting faded, and Bill was the only shooter left attending these events. He was a competitor at the Scottish National Meeting when it was held at Seaton in 1971. The main reason for the lack of interest could have been the lack of facilities for outdoor practice near home.
CLUB STALWARTS
Bill Ross was through all this time the backbone of the club, carrying out the duties of secretary and treasurer and acting as club coach. His interest in the sport kept the club on the go, and there is no doubt, that, but for Bill's interest, the club would have gone to the wall. Another of the stalwarts at that time was Robert A. Dow (Bob), who at that time operated a fish retail van. Shooting at this time took place on a 15 yard range within the hut, and the members who were not shooting, sat around telling tales, and all the rest of the chat of everyday life. Bob's round on a Thursday was up the Glen of Cushnie, and he used to regale the club with all the weekly happenings in that area, much to the consternation of some poor fellow lying on the floor doing his darndest to put on a good card. To say that we lay on the floor is technically incorrect, as there were wooden ramps about six feet long by three feet wide and raised about six inches at the front, on which was laid an army palliasse. These were later replaced by coconut mats. These had to be moved up to the end of the range and stored beside the targets on completion of shooting. Bob, instead of lying on the ramp, lay with his left leg draped over the side, and trailing on the floor. Another of the top shooters was William Sharp from Roquharold, who was a good consistent shooter. During handicap shoots, it was not unknown for some members to jump up and down behind the firing point in an attempt to get William to drop necessary shots, but with little success. The shots kept on heading for the middle.
During the mid sixties, coaching was given to some of the scouts with a view to gaining the marksman badge. Little good came of this, and none of the boys was of a standard to stay on in the club.
RIFLES
The rifles used by the club were mainly B.S.A. 12/15s. Few members had their own rifles, only Bill Ross and Bob Dow. The club fell heir to several rifles belonging to Monymusk Rifle Club when it went into abeyance. Among these was a small B.S.A. which the club had re-tubed. Unlike modern rifles the action of the B.S.A. rifle was very elementary and it was not uncommon to see someone with their action in pieces, cleaning and trying to doctor up the trigger action to make it lighter. This was achieved by the deft action of a pencil on the contact points, and sometimes a file was resorted to. This was quite a technical operation, since removal of too much of the contact point resulted in being unable to cock the rifle. When this point was reached, Sandy Ewen was usually approached to have the offending surface made up at his place of work, Inverurie Loco Works. All these different operations were carried out under the watchful of Bill Ross who was always willing to help and advise. Bill would sometimes mutter that it was time to have a change of secretary, but nobody seemed to listen and he was always urged to carry on with the good work.
ERIC C. LOVIE
During the mid seventies, coaching was again offered to juniors, and among those who joined at that time was one Eric Lovie, a rather droll youth, but seeming to have more interest than most of the others who joined around that time. Eric stuck in at his shooting and was progressing favourably, when, in November 1982, he unfortunately lost his right eye in a motor accident. Undaunted, he appeared two weeks later, and started shooting off his left shoulder and by the end of the season, he was almost as competent off the left shoulder, as he had been off his natural shoulder at the start of the season. Shooting was his only interest in life outside his work in a slaughter house in Inverurie. His attitude to his chosen sport seemed to be somewhat infectious. His interest seemed to rub off on to other club members and even further afield. He was mentioned in the annual report of the Aberdeen and District Association, and complimented on his progress.
At the Aberdeen and District Wapinshaw, held in May, Eric regretted not competing in the sharpshooter competition, as it seemed very interesting.
SCOTTISH MEETING 1983
As encouragement for Eric, it was decided to send a representation to the Scottish National Meeting being held that year at St Andrews. Entered for the competition were Bill Ross, Duncan Downie and Eric. Entry was made for the Championship Aggregate, and the unsquadded competitions. As the three members were in C Class, this meant that their shooting was over on Wednesday, and it was their intention to return home on Wednesday night. In order to have some light hearted shooting to end their outing, they entered the sharpshooter competition. This was the only team competition they could enter as all others required teams of four. Much to everyone's surprise, not least their own, as they were ranked as total unknowns, and not given much credence, they won the competition and left for home (some 100 miles). The trio returned to St Andrews on the Friday for the presentation of prizes. They collected the No. 2 Patriotic Shield, (doubtless one of Bill's proudest moments in the club). Duncan Downie also collected the Gilmore Challenge Shield, which is competed for in competition 3 in C Class, being 20 shots at 50 metres and 20 shots at 100 yards.
During the period since Eric's accident, much discussion had taken place as to his future in the sport. The options open to him were to continue shooting off his left shoulder, or to revert to his natural shoulder by means of a crossover sight. On the way home from St Andrews on the Friday night, Eric, never one to say much, announced his decision to revert to shooting off his right shoulder by means of a crossover sight. Arrangements were made, and soon Eric was kitted out with an Anschutz rifle and a crossover sight. This meant disposing of his B.S.A. 1215 which had been in the club for nearly twenty years, it having belonged to Duncan Downie. Eric went from strength, and in 1985 he attended a training course in Stirling lasting two weekends, resulting in his being appointed as a county coach. After all these years, Bill now saw a possible successor to him as secretary. At the Annual General Meeting held on September 19 1985, Bill Ross was appointed Chairman, Duncan Downie, Vice Chairman; Eric C Lovie, Secretary; Sandy Cook, Treasurer. A committee was formed among the members present.
RIFLE STORAGE
The rifles and ammunition were originally stored in a wooden cupboard situated in the kitchen at the end of the hut, a situation which had been satisfactory for thirty years. When the club firearms certificate came up for renewal in 1980, the police refused to issue a certificate until a more secure system was devised for holding the weapons and ammunition. To overcome the problem, the partition at the kitchen door was extended and two solid core doors were fitted. This work was carried out by Bill Ross and Duncan Downie. Sandy Ewen made a metal safe and this was fitted in place by George Taylor, it having to be bolted to both wall and floor. After carrying out all this work, the members were somewhat annoyed when the police granted a certificate without further inspection.
RANGE EXTENSION
Towards the end of 1983, an Anderson shelter, which had been situated at the front of the hut from the outset, was removed. It was the intention of the scout group to replace it with another store. In the area of land now vacated, the club members saw an opportunity to extend the present 15 yard range to 25 yards. Measurements were taken, and it was found that there was just sufficient length if an extension were built at both ends of the hut. Discussions took place with the scouts, and the club proposals were put forward. It was decided to extend the hut out towards the road to form a committee room to be used jointly by the scouts and the club, and a room containing two firing points, to be used by the club. A store was to be built between the two huts for use by the scouts. The scouts were to pay the cost of the materials and the cost of labour was to be borne by the rifle club. Without further ado the matter was put in hand and the work commenced in the summer of 1984. Unfortunately the enthusiasm of the club members far outstripped that of the architect employed to obtain planning permission. The building works were completed before permission was granted. Following a meeting on site with the planning officials, the club was asked to remove the corner of the building next the road as a safety precaution. This the club agreed to and it was removed in the summer of 1985. As work proceeded, a meeting took place with Pat Cobb, Group Scout Leader, to discuss the general state of the properties as a whole. It was pointed out that if a store was to be built between the two huts it may stop any future long term development in that area. It was decided not to proceed with the store at that time. A brick annexe was built at the rear of the hut to house the targets and the bullet catcher. Bricks were used simply because a good deal was obtained from John Fyfe. Inexperience of club members contributed to a reduction in the standard of finish, and what was intended to have been a facing brick building ended up being roughcasted by one of the club members, Henry Innes, a slater. The inside of this area was lined on the ceiling with steel plates removed from behind the targets of the previous set up. A piece of sectional flooring was received from George Taylor, and this was fitted in the extension. The bullet catcher consisted of a sheet of steel three eighths of an inch thick, also received from George Taylor. The target frames were constructed and an opening was cut in the end of the scout hut. Shooting commenced in September 1984 as soon as a line of sight was achieved.
START OF OUTDOOR SHOOTING
The Scottish National Meeting was staged in Aberdeen in 1982, at a range set up in Seaton Park. Bill encouraged, nay demanded that a good support be given to the event by the club. With this end in view, the club were very kindly given the use of the facilities at the rifle range at Denwood in Aberdeen. This was mainly through the good offices of Jack Lavety, the organiser of the events at Denwood, who also settled the club in and gave basic coaching tips. The Kemnay members journeyed into Denwood every Wednesday evening for a practice session. About half the club members entered for the Scottish shoot;, not a bad percentage, and most enjoyed the event, although there were no particularly good scores. Once the Scottish meeting was over, the club carried on with their weekly visits to Denwood, fired with a new enthusiasm for the sport. A small competition was run over the rest of the season, more to give an aim to the shooting than anything else. It was won by Sandy Ewen jr. What had started as practice for a specific event was now becoming an established part of club activities. In 1983, Denwood evening remained on Wednesdays, but in 1984, it was decided to retain Thursday night as shooting night both summer and winter. In 1984, outside shooting ceased following the Scottish meeting, in order to concentrate on the alterations to the Scout hut.
With the participation in outdoor shooting, the club members began to be more in contact with other shooters. This is not possible with postal shooting which takes place throughout the winter season. On average, about fifty per cent of the club members attended shoots arranged at Denwood, both at local and national level. This is a percentage well above some of the other clubs participating in these events. This widening of the circle of friends also resulted in friendly shoots being arranged at club level throughout the winter season.
BILL ROSS
Without Bill Ross there is no doubt that Kemnay Rifle Club would have gone to the wall. His name is synonymous with the sport in this area and well beyond. He started shooting with the Ballater club in 1936. The sport at that time was far more basic than it is now, there being far less money to spend on sport and also there was far less equipment available than nowadays. With the start of hostilities in 1939 Bill was called up and following capture at St Valery, spent the rest of the war years in confinement courtesy of the Germans. Many a club night has been enthralled sitting listening to his experiences of these times.
Ballater Club did not reopen immediately after the war, and the members were invited to shoot at the Braemar club for the season. The Ballater members won all the trophies and were never invited back. Bill moved to Kemnay in 1949 and joined the rifle club on its formation in 1950. He became Secretary and Treasurer in January 1952, a post he was to hold for over thirty years. His work for the club was done quietly, and unknown to many of the members. Repairs were carried out to the fabric as and when required and no mention of expenses was ever mentioned. He was first at the range and last to depart, week in week out, year after year after year. Personnel came and went but still Bill was in his customary seat at the back of the range. At that time, it was not the practice to spot individually. A telescope was set up behind the shooters, and a member had to spot for those lying shooting. More often than not it was Bill. Not only had the person to tell the shooter where his shots were, but it was usual practice to tell the shooter where to set the rifle. Once when Bob Dow was spotting, George Kiloh, a local plumber, was shooting and Bob kept on saying, 'good shot' to such an extent that George thought he had a perfect card. Bob was right in saying that it was good shooting, meaning consistent, only the shots were not bulls as George expected, but something lesser. He was never seen again at the club.
Bill coached all the members as they required it, helped with adjustments to rifles, gave encouragement when needed, and also handed out reprimands for any misdemeanours. He was club champion for 29 consecutive years, no mean feat for any person. His name appears by far the most times on the McPherson Trophy. Even after about fifty years in the sport, his average is still about 97. At the annual dinner-dance of the Aberdeen and District Small-bore Rifle Association held in Banchory on May 3rd 1986, he was presented with a distinguished service award from the N.S.R.A. for his service to the club as secretary and treasurer for thirty three years. That night also he received a medal as winner of the spring handicap competition, 'A' class, and also an Aberdeenshire County Badge. He now sits in the president's chair in the club, and is at present, chairman of the Aberdeen and District Association.
TROPHIES
At the start of the club E. A. McPherson (Tom) presented a trophy to the club, which is competed for annually on a knockout basis. (The club championship which is known as the McPherson Trophy).
A cup was purchased for competition as a summer trophy, but when this failed to materialise, it was competed for as the Consolation Cup. It is competed for on a handicap basis by all those who do not reach the final of the other club competitions.
A club handicap trophy is competed for annually. No trophy was available for this competition until one was presented by Duncan Downie in 1979. A junior handicap trophy was also presented by him and is competed for annually. A small trophy has been competed for annually at Denwood, being won outright each time, and not returnable.
OUTDOOR RANGE
During 1985 it was felt that the weekly trip to Aberdeen was a deterrent to some of the members, who were unable, for various reasons, to give up a whole evening to shooting. Bill Ross and Duncan Downie, who were working together at the time, spent much time discussing rifle shooting and how better to improve facilities at the club. Moves were made to find a site for an outdoor range in the vicinity of the village. An offer of a site at Backhill of Burnhervie was received from Kemnay House and an application for planning permission was made but was eventually aborted when the club was unable to receive a lease from the laird's solicitors. Following this an offer of a site was received from Jim Riddel of Sunnyside. This was on part of an old disused thoroughfare which passed through the farm. It was in fact part of the old road to Aberdeen which went out of use in the early years of the nineteenth century when the Turnpike road was constructed through the parish in the 1820s. Contrary to some points of view it is not listed as a right of way.
By January 1986, full planning permission was received for the range, subject to several conditions. These were that permission be granted for a period of one year ….. to enable the matter to be reviewed in the event of the application becoming detrimental to the amenity of the area. That the permission shall enure solely for the benefit of Kemnay Rifle Club. .. Since this permission has only been granted as a result of special circumstances. That parking be made for a minimum of seven cars. .. To ensure adequate on site parking. A lease was also received for the duration of the planning permission.
Part of the agreement with Mr Riddel was that any rental could be commuted into labour. The net result of this was that by the middle of February, the club members were acting as drainage labourers in the fields adjoining the range, and in the approach road, busy laying pipes behind a digger. The weather at this time was rather cold and frosty, with a fair covering of snow. This was the pattern for about six weekends, by which time the field above the range had been fully drained, and a fence erected along the lower side of the approach road.
On March 28, the start of the Easter break, a large tracked digger was delivered to the site courtesy of Sandy Reid of the Methlick Rifle Club, and much to the annoyance of Mrs Batt, Pine Lodge, who was delayed for five minutes during the unloading operation. Bert McBain, a club member, and also a digger driver, acquired the use of a JCB digger for the duration of the break. It should be stated here, and will no doubt be oft repeated in the future, that without the help and expertise of Bert, this project would never have got off the ground. Bert started on the Saturday morning and by late afternoon, had filled in the ditch, stripped the surface of the road, and was hell for leather up the range with the massive crawling beast. A large boulder, half submerged on the side of the old roadway, which had feared several of the members, was soon dug out. It was a massive brute standing about five and a half feet at its highest, and measuring approximately five feet by three and a half feet on the other two dimensions. It was blue heathen and from its size must have weighed in the region of five or six tons. It eventually found its final resting place in the foundation of the left hand dyke of the range.
On the Sunday morning, Bert was up with the birdies, and it was pleasant to hear them all chirping away in the peaceful surroundings, and hard at it excavating at the butts. By Sunday night, and that was night, as Bert was no respecter of hours, only daylight hours, he had built a butt stop as high as he could reach, had reduced the level of the range at the butts by about six feet and had built earth dykes for the full length of the hundred yards.
On Monday, just over a hundred tonnes of hardcore was delivered from the quarry. It sounds a lot, but when spread along the road at two to three inches deep it soon disappeared. We were all hoping for a light shower of rain to bind the hardcore, followed by dry weather to allow it to settle. Unfortunately on Tuesday night, heavy rain followed by snow left things somewhat spongy on the road. As Bert had almost run out of space to dump his excavated material, and as he did not want to travel too far with the digger, a large dump truck was hired (at the expense of Bill Ross) from Sandy Reid of Methlick. This removed the excavated material from Bert, down to the foot of the range for spreading later. A fair quantity of black mould was removed from the side of the road and driven up to Sunnyside for Jim Riddel. Unfortunately, this played up with the road surface and left it tracked to a depth of nine inches in places. The gate at the road end was hung on, and just as the bottom strainer was being finished the heavens again opened and threw down another helping of rain and snow, thus adding further to our problems.
Thursday was spent dressing up the sides of the range with the big digger and also some drainage along the top of the roadside field for Jim Riddel. The site was fairly muddy with all the wet but most of the work envisaged had been done. Sandy Reid was wishing to have his digger returned on the Friday. Bert spent Friday tidying up, as he now had the JCB back on site. Pipes were received from the roads department and these were used to extend the culverts at the road end. Saturday was spent cutting drainage tracks on the road, building up at the culverts at the road end, fitting stops to the gate and planting the remainder of the strainers round the range as long as we had the digger with us. Bert returned the digger to Hunter Construction on Sunday after a week in which a great deal of work had been carried out.
Duncan Downie purchased fully £100 worth of hardwood trees from Dunecht Nurseries and these were planted along the top of the butt stop and along the side of the access road to the range. An old well had been uncovered near the foot of the range. It had been previously filled in with stones by the contractor laying the water main which passes along the middle of the road leading to the range. On the advice of George Irvine, water diviner, the well was duly filled in, the spring, he informed us was on the other side of the dyke from where the well had been dug. Eric Lovie duly planted a maple tree on top of the well. The rest of the month of April was spent trying to get a seemingly endless supply of rainwater clear of the road. A fair chunk of the right hand wall of the range had fallen in near the target area, doubtless with all the pressure of the higher land behind the bank, and helped down with all the continuing wet weather. Odd moments were snatched to sow grass seed on the embankments to the range, but with the busy calendar of shooting events in the area, little work was carried out at the range.
George Walker, Bograxie, was employed with his digger for two evenings to tidy up the road surface and to clear up the slippage on the side of the range. Part of this was driven to the rough ground at the old Sunnyside quarry, and part of it dumped along the side of the access road. Bert then managed to get a digger and the rest of the range was tidied up and a stone drain laid up the side of the range to try and keep the water clear of the range. The range was then covered with earth, some from about the range and some which had been driven from Sandy Cook of Mosshead. The target frames were erected at the top of the range and the surface of the range was raked as we went down, to level the surface and clear the stones. After forming the firing point at fifty metres, the remainder of the range was raked and the firing point for the 100 yards was formed, which was then topped off with concrete. A slatted fence was erected to the left of the entrance gate. Manure and grass seed was sown on the floor of the range on July 4th.
An old henhouse had been received from Jim Riddel and this was pulled into the foot of the range and a slatted fence with a gate erected across the foot of the range. Work then started on getting the henhouse into shape as a store. Several inches of dung were scraped off the floor and a skin of chipboard laid down. Glass was fitted in the windows and the lower portion fitted up as a toilet complete with Elsan closet. It was decided that the male species would have to go outside except in cases of extreme emergency. Racks and tables were fitted along the back wall and a small table fitted at the front. Eric and Tim were busy at this time erecting fences round the outside of the range.
By now, Brigadier Hamilton in Perth, the inspector of ranges, had been phoned that the range was ready for inspection. A reply was eagerly awaited and all the little incidentals, such as position numbers, posts for wind flags etc., were put in place, and all the while wondering if everything had been done. Finally a letter came, announcing the arrival of the brigadier at 11 a.m. on Thursday August 7th. A final gathering of stones was made on the Wednesday night and we waited. Thursday dawned wet and we wondered if the weather would delay the brigadier when just after 11 o' clock his car arrived. We escorted him to the range and met a burn of water running past the clubhouse. He immediately made himself at home in the clubhouse and proceeded to fill in the paperwork, some three pages of it. We then made our way up the range inspecting the work as we went. Measurements were taken of all the different components at the top of the range, with all the while the ground getting more like a pail of spilled milk as we gradually sank into the dubs. Just as we thought he had completed his form filling, the brigadier announced that the crunch moment had come. He started checking our measurements against his table of requirements and we stood with bated breath till he finally announced that everything was in order. On the way down the range he complimented us on the work we had done in making a tidy little range. On returning to the clubhouse, he remarked that no doubt we would be anxious to start shooting, explaining that for some silly reason he had to send the certificate to the N.S.R.A. who would eventually forward it to us. Tim Grundey, who had joined us by this time, announced that if it had been a better day, he would have been across in the afternoon to try it out. The Brigadier then announced that we could start shooting any time we liked, as he was quite satisfied with the set up.
In order to try and protect the ground area at the top of the range, it was decided to erect target frames at 50 metres up from the bottom firing point and shoot mainly at the shorter distance until conditions improved. The firing point was also covered with a polythene cover to improve conditions for the shooters.
A committee meeting was held to discuss arrangements for the formal opening of the range, which was set for August 24th. Eric Lovie had arranged a shoot for the Twickwickdeen club on August 17th and it was decided that this would act as a rehearsal for the opening proper. The range was a hive of activity on the sixteenth preparing male toilets, erecting tables to hold gear, and in between times having a trial shot. The Twickwickdeen shoot passed off a treat and the range was much appreciated by all the visitors.
Over the summer, the Council had tipped about twenty loads of tar along the side of the range which had been removed from streets in the village during repairs. Attempts to shift some of this by hand failed completely, as it could not be marked with a hammer. Bert, who was off work following a slight operation, supervised as a Drott from J. J. Spence, Kintore, spread it all the length of the access road, giving a firm though slightly bumpy surface. It also greatly increased the parking facilities.
Saturday August 23rd saw another very industrious day. Following several sore heads, it was decided to heighten the door of the clubhouse. Another table was erected for holding gear, a cover was erected over the entrance in case of inclement weather, and Bert took up his caravan to use as a kitchen for the opening. Jim Riddel very kindly gave us the use of his field as a car park, Sandy Cook supplied forms for the use of the visitors and everybody mucked in generally. A baffle had to be erected in front of the male toilet as it was directly in view of the caravan window.
The committee had decided to invite those shooting friends who had contributed in the construction of the range, to the opening. Top of the list was Sandy Reid and Alister Gray from Methlick. Gavin and Catriona Baxter and Jocelyn Chamberlain-Mole from Peterhead received invitations as they were old friends and also members of the Twickwickdeen club. Bert and Molly Mackie and Jack Lavety from Portlethen and Sandy Stronach were all old friends. Eric felt that Sandy should be invited as a shooter and not in his usual capacity as scorer. Sandy was delighted to come but was unable to shoot due to elbow problems; Jack was unable to come as he was to be in America. It was also decided, where applicable, to invite along the wives as guests.
The non shooting guests were to be Jim and Agnes Riddel, the landlords, Mr and Mrs Grant Downie, Mr and Mrs Harry Forrest and Mr and Mrs Pat Cobb. Mrs Downie, mother of the vice-chairman, had offered in the early summer to carry out the opening ceremony, but unfortunately she had suffered a slight stroke at the end of July which cast some doubt on the matter. However, once the brigadier had passed the range, she again expressed interest. Harry Forrest was invited as he had been instrumental in the flitting of Sandy Reid's digger, while Mrs Cobb was there in her capacity as press representative of the Inverurie and District Advertiser.
The club members present were: Bill Ross, Duncan Downie, Eric Lovie, Sandy Cook, Bert McBain, Peter Macquarrie, Denis Kindness, Ian Truscott, Evelyn Hay, and Neil Forrest, Michael Low, Ian Sinclair, William Downie, Derek Innes from the juniors.
When the crowd was duly assembled, Mrs Downie cut the ribbon which had been stretched across the gate of the range and was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Evelyn Hay. A cup of tea and eats, provided by the committee member's wives and Mrs Lovie, Eric's mother, was then partaken of, and an album of photographs, taken by Peter Macquarrie who had more or less been appointed photographer for the whole project, was passed round. The visitors were all favourably impressed with the work which had been carried out in the time.
Following tea, a friendly shoot on a handicap basis took place. Two details per person were shot and Gavin Baxter was awarded a special prize, donated by Sandy Stronach, for the best card of the afternoon – 4 off ex 200. Five people tied at the finish with one point off; Jocelyn Chamberlain-Mole, Gavin Baxter, Bill Ross, Ian Truscott and Eric Lovie who each received a box of Tenex and a box of Match ammunition. After another session with the teapot, everyone departed homeward, thankful that the weather clerk had been kind, and relieved that no hitches had upset the proceedings.
A grant of £300 was received from Gordon District Council towards the cost of the range. Donations were also received from the Bingo Club, Mr and Mrs Downie, and Sandy Stronach while Mr and Mrs Mackie very kindly donated a battery clock.