Ammunition and Strategic – Piers Cambridge
Projectile Levy. At the members workshop it was agreed by the S&T to cease the levy on projectiles and increase fees as a fairer mechanism to raise revenue for the NRAA. Only F Standard and TR shooters (and those that shot TR projectiles) were being charged the levy. As a result members can expect a reduction in TR approved projectiles (3c per projectile) on 1 July 2020.
Factory Ammunition. The Thales/ADI factory ammunition is now widely available through OSA – and S&T have been ordering and receiving their orders in Jan. In a show of good faith – the Board has agreed not to levy the new Factory ammunition. As a consequence it will be available at $1.46 per round and not $1.49 as advised at the AGM/Workshop.
Whilst the factory round is more expensive than the factory Winchester, I would ask members to consider the following:
- The $1.46 includes an ADI case that is very good and can be sold for approximately 30c once fired – or used multiple times if you intend to reload.
- The ammunition comes in bags of 120 rounds, 4 x bags to a 50cal ammunition box (metal). If you therefore purchase 4 bags (480 rounds) you get a 50cal ammunition box included that can be sold for $20-$30. That equates to 5c per round if you get $25 for the box.
- Based on those ‘potential savings’ the ammunition is close to the Winchester Factory round in price, but for a higher quality round.
Powder. We are currently working with OSA to shore up timely powder supplies and this looks very promising. At the Members workshop the S&T agreed to buy powder through NRAA/OSA. Members should be aware that there are issues with supplying some types of powder due to the move to the new powder factory. The NRAA will advertise and expected shortfalls in the future, currently we have issues with supplying the following powders (ie that is no supplier or the manufacturer have any in stock):
- AR2209
- 2206H in 500g
These shortage are already being resolved and normal supply should be available late March early April.
Strategic Plan / Discussion Papers
At the recent Members workshop (NRAA Board plus S&T representatives) discussed a number of key issues in an open and frank manner. Many of you would be aware that three discussion papers were presented for discussion and feedback – we intend to continue with such discussion papers so that we can receive positive and constructive feedback. We are mindful that not everybody will agree with a proposal – on that basis we also seek alternative views/proposals – that is we hope to promote open and frank discussion on what we could do not necessarily what was presented. So please keep an open mind and think about what could work.
Of the three discussion papers that were presented:
- Should the NRAA change name – consensus to move to a Trading As Name.
- 6BR allowed in TR and FSTD – consensus not to proceed.
- Projectile Levy – consensus to cease the levy and increase fees. It was also agreed to continue to purchase projectiles and powder through the NRAA.
Next Steps
As a result of the Members workshop and the first board meeting the following issues will be progressed by the Board:
- IT Plan – improve our collective IT
- Contact Information – for open messaging
- Powder Supply to the S&T
- Projectile Manufacturing – a study to determine the feasibility of producing our own projectiles
- Trading as Name for the NRAA
- Personal Firearm Insurance
Other key tasks identified: Constitution Review, Junior Development Camp, Membership Benefits/Value. We also received feedback around breach flags, rules sub-committee and the like and so we will address those issues – even though they might not appear in the ‘Top 6’.
IT and Membership – Albert van Wyk
This year will see a few exciting and long-awaited technology improvements at the NRAA that will allow us to improve the way we communicate and interact with our members. In mid-February, the NRAA will launch our new look website that is shaping up to be a vast improvement over our older version.
Some of the primary features of the website, will be a new blog-style ATR, aimed at providing a constant stream of information as and when it becomes available. Our previous ATR was a valuable resource but was unfortunately just not able to keep with the pace and frequency with which competition results, event details and technical information became available.
The new look website will provide the NRAA, States & Territories and even clubs with the ability to upload information on a real time basis. No more would you need to wait for weeks or months after an event to read about it. Moving forward, reports can be made available every day and include an abundance of photos, videos and other content types.
With this change, the NRAA board aims to improve member communication and interaction. The new Website will allow for greater ability to search and advertise our clubs and our ranges, find upcoming events, enter for competitions and purchase goods. We will emphasise what we as a shooting organisation stand for and use our new platform to highlight our competitive successes, celebrate our diversity and provide sponsors and advertisers with commercial benefits that in turn will benefit our members directly.
Our website will continue to evolve and key to this will be receiving constructive feedback from our members. So, with this, I invite you to write to me (albert@nraa.com.au), or the executive officer with your thoughts and ideas on areas where we can improve and how we can make the NRAA, our states and clubs feature boldly.
Alongside the website, the NRAA board has invested in a new email and communications platform, that will see regular and relevant updates being sent to all members via email or SMS. As part of our member data platform we are planning a “Communications Preference” section that will empower members to choose what- and how information is distributed to them.
We are in the process of collecting member data from the states and territories and I thank every state delegate for your input and agreement to the NRAA strategy. Your collaboration is invaluable, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.
Competitions – Craig McGowan
The area of competitions for NRAA has been under a full review, I would like to thank the Competitions sub-committee for all their hard work. We have reviewed all the response from the Queens Survey and will be aiming to implement the top priorities as chosen by the members. This year’s National Championships will be a busy week with the National Teams Matches being contested prior. We would like to acknowledge and thank the Native Rifle Club for all their assistance with the Calendar to make sure we can host the matches smoothly. The Natives will be conducting their Prize Meeting on Saturday the 13th June, keep an eye out on the NRAA ATR page for the entry forms. We hope that everyone will support this Prize Meeting to show thanks for Natives Club support of the National Teams Matches.
As you may have seen we have been able to publish the National Teams Championship Calendar out to 2034. This is a living document that we will continue to update when needed. We hope this will assist everyone in preparations for future Teams Matches.
We have placed several nomination calls on the ATR page, please continue to look here for future teams’ nominations.
