Robert Alan Rolph was born in Paddington NSW in 1941 and is believed to have moved to the ACT in the mid 1960s. His working life included being a Dairy Farmer, a Concrete Truck Owner-Driver and a Security Officer.
Alan, as he preferred to be known, joined CRC on 13 September 1963 at the age of 22 having previously been a member of Goulburn RC in 1962. He was introduced to .303 rifles as a committed National Serviceman in 1959 albeit he saw no active service.
Alan then joined Bungendore Rifle Club (BRC) on 2 September 1964, and was therefore due to celebrate his 60th year of effective membership with that club.
Consequently Alan participated in club shoots on the Bungendore Rifle Range up to the early 1970s. Originally operated by the Army, BRC was given access to the rifle range on its formation in 1906. It had two targets only and was very open to winds that according to Alan “would blow Christ off the Cross”.
Alan was appointed Captain (and to nearly every other executive role) of BRC for two periods: from 1965 to 1970; and then again from 1983 to 1998.
Alan had a good photograph, taken by Jack Bensley, of CRC and BRC members participating in an inter-club teams match at Bungendore on 13 February 1965. The photograph includes relatives of the present BRC Captain, David Daniel. Other notable BRC members, not in the photograph, included Doug Flynn and Tom Ashton (ex CRC) who both made strenuous efforts in the 1970s to secure BRC operations at Bungendore.
Most of the land involved was in private ownership. Access to the range proper was being denied by the owners from 1970 for various reasons. The butts area was, however, on town common controlled by the Department of Defence and in theory smallbore operations could have continued there. The last actual shoot at Bungendore Rifle Range is noted in the BRC Minute Book as occurring on 28 May 1972.
Alan is recorded on CRC membership rolls from 1970-71 through to 1979-80. Alan also served on the CRC Committee from the 1973 AGM through to 2 February 1976, but it is clear where his heart belonged.
Extract from CRC Committee Minutes of 19 May 1979: “P. Robinson observed that a number of former members had transferred to the Bungendore Rifle Club, and asked that their efforts to foster shooting in Bungendore itself be supported.” Alan Rolph, Hilary Bateup, Geoff Casselden and Phil Dovey were among these transfers.
BRC began regular club shoots in its own right on the McIntosh Rifle Range alongside CRC. Working bees at the Bungendore site were organised and continued into the 1980s. Cantilever target machines were acquired but never installed. They were later passed onto Cowra RC for their new range at Rocky Ridge.
Extract from AGM Minutes of 28 June 1983: “Vote of thanks from the members of BRC by A. Rolph the club Captain to members of Canberra Rifle Club for the use of facilities on the McIntosh Range and co-operation and support while the new range was being constructed at Bungendore.”
It appears that any hope of resuming operations at Bungendore soon evaporated due to the encroachment of housing into the danger zone, and the Department of Defence relinquished the butts area in 1987. It is understood the butts area has now been largely covered over with dirt but the stop butt is still visible on exiting the town towards the coast on the Kings Highway.
Alan enjoyed being Assistant Range Officer to Roy Hudson up to when he became Assistant Butts Officer to Jack Ockenden in November 1984. Once Jack gave away that role in the late 1980s Alan became the Chief Butts Officer on McIntosh Rifle Range, a position he retained up to the introduction of e-targets, and beyond.
Many a National Queen’s and an ACT Queen’s benefited greatly from Alan’s steady influence over the markers, and his exacting repair of targets on the run. On retiring from paid employment Alan also became a Range Custodian and he spent countless hours on the old tractor mowing the range fairway. The new range tractor has now been christened “ROLPHIE”.
The Lead-up competition to the ACT Queen’s / King’s was named the RA Rolph in Alan’s honour. Alan was awarded Life Membership of CRC (aka the ACT Full Bore Target Rifle) at its 2015 AGM.
Alan Rolph passed away on Monday 12 August 2024 at the age of 83, knowing that he gave the best he had to life.
On Saturday 31 August 2024 a rousing send off for Rolphie was conducted by BRC. Alan’s last shot ceremony with a difference can be found on the Facebook page for the ACT Rifle Championship. Members of BRC and CRC attended in force, along with family and friends.
Long term friend and BRC Life Member Mike Parker noted that Alan’s guiding philosophy for BRC was that “we are all here to have fun, and if we happen to get a good score in the process then that is just a bonus”. May it always be thus.
The sport of rifle shooting is very grateful for Rolphie’s service.
Rest In Peace Alan.
