"We come down for the company, it's a top bunch of guys," says Woodville Gun Club's Gene Sandbrook, of the Wairarapa Gun Club's annual Boxing Day shoot. No one is quite sure how long the event has been running at the very least it's 30 years, the amount oftime Mr Sandbrook has been attending the event. "It's been going since about 10 o'clock," joked shooter Barry Jupp. More than 30 gunmen from around the region, and around the lower North Island from Manawatu to Hawke's Bay, gathered yesterday to compete in A, B and C grade competitions for trophies and plates. Any member of the New Zealand Gun Club association is welcome at the Norfolk Road club, club president Jim Mason said. "The Boxing Day shoot has been going as long as I remember," said the third-generation shooter whose father and grandfather were both members of the club. The competition started with a 20-bird eye-opener followed by a 50-bird match. "Everyone's had Christmas and they say 'why not have a shoot?' "Then we have a cup of tea or a beer and have the prize-giving," Mr Mason said. "With this sort of sport you've got to beat yourself before you beat Joe Blow over there it's all about concentration and discipline," shooter Don Rankin said. The club is still trying to resolve a problem with shotfall landing on a neighbouring property. "We're still trying to work it out here the shot is landing on the neighbour's and that needs to be fixed," Mr Mason said. Relocating the club (sited at Norfolk Road for 80 years) to Wairarapa Motorcycle Club land at the south end of Hood Aerodrome is still an option, he said.
