At the 3D Australian Archery Association’s National Championships held in the Nambucca State Forest a fortnight ago, the club’s own Brian Turner came away with a bullseye: the title of best male compound unaided archer in Australia. 

And Ray Snook, who doesn’t consider himself a competitive sort, walked cleanly into the winners’ circle in the seniors division with over 420 out of a possible 500 points for his efforts; second in Australia, thank you very much.

Close to 260 competitors from across the nation arrived in Nambucca over the November 10-11 weekend – a steady increase on last year’s numbers, and testament to the growing appeal of the sport.

“It’s a great family sport – something you can start when you’re knee-high and continue until you’re 70, 80-years-old,” Ray said.

“Mum and Dad bring their kids to have a shoot and within no time at all there’s a bow in their hands too.”

It’s also one of the few sports where women have the potential to dominate; at the Nationals, the 10 best archers across all divisions played off against each other, and female prowess shone through for the win.

3D archery is different from your usual field archery contest, with classic bullseye target at set distances. The 3D kind more closely resembles hunting, with compressed foam (non-native) animal targets hidden amongst bushland at undisclosed distances.

In order to do well in the sport, you need to be a keen judge of distance, hold steady and aim true through a maze of light and shadows cast by trees and logs, and be collected enough to release at the right time.

It doesn’t hurt to understand animal anatomy either, with different scores awarded according to the lethal nature of your shot: five points to the upper abdomen, eight within the range of vital organs, and 10 for a ‘kill shot’ straight to the heart. 

And it pays to be a straight shooter, with only one arrow to get it right.

Ray explained that for archers, 10 percent is muscle memory after years of practise, and 90 percent is about being in the zone, mentally-speaking.

For Brian Turner, the weekend was off to a shocker. He scored a five on his first target and needed to transform his headspace quicksmart if he wanted a chance at the prize.

“As it turned out I managed to pick my game up a little and come in leading the division by the end of the day,” Brian said.

“Then on Sunday I just had to go out and shoot my own game and let the rest sort themselves out. The important thing for me was to not drop [miss] a target.”

Brian’s fiercest opponent just so happened to be clubmate Mike Parker.

But after a tough Saturday, Mike was out of the running, and another Mid North Coast local – Coffs Harbour’s Mark Corner – swept in for the silver. 

The club also boasts another archery legend: six-times national champion Merrilyn Sheather, whose husband, Terry, started the 3D Archery Association of Australia.

When asked why the region seems to do so well on a national level, I'm told it’s got a lot to do with club culture, and the favoured topography of the Nambucca Valley. 

The Macksville club has around 40 members, with around a third of those being junior members. They meet at the Macksville Country Club range on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, and club president Ron Edwards assures me that many come along as much for the barbecue and friendship as for the archery.

The Country Club archery course was lovingly carved from unused forested area just over the hill from the bowling greens. 

It was made with disability access in mind and has been a great base for the club for the past two years.

But the archery club committee is looking forward to having another string in their bow with a new space in the near future along Jack’s Ridge Rd which they can call their very own, and host interclub meets.

And we will be watching the fledgling club’s progress with great interest after such a fantastic result this month.

Brazen midnight break-in at Macksville aged care facility

Five local winners of community grants