Around ninety women of all ages from across northeastern Victoria and Southern New South Wales came together at SSAA Victoria’s Wodonga range in November for the highly successful Women on Target event.
Women on Target was initiated by SSAA Victoria four years ago to break down barriers for women to enter the shooting sports.
SSAA Victoria provides expert tuition, use of firearms, ammunition, safety equipment, a commemorative cap and a light luncheon to all attendees. All the women need to provide is an open mind and a sense of fun.
The Wodonga event ran over two sessions (morning and afternoon), with participants split into four groups rotating between shotgun, pistol, rifle, and biathlon. In biathlon, the ladies ‘competed’ against low-vision athlete Taryn Dickens, who is training at the SSAA Wodonga facility with the goal of competing for Australia at the Winter Paralympics in Italy in 2026.
The program is targeted (no pun intended) at women who do not have their shooters’ licences. Almost all of the participants came away from the event with a more positive perception of shooting than when they came in, and more than three-quarters have indicated a desire to obtain their licences and continue shooting.
Marion Hill from SSAA Victoria instructing on the finer points of clay target shooting
The women ‘competed’ in a relay biathlon event against Winter Paralympic hopeful Taryn Dickens