A local archery club with more than 50 years of competitive history in its quiver is the go-to group for aspiring and seasoned archers in the Illawarra.
The Illawarra Archers is a non-profit organisation founded in the 1960s and now, with 190 members, it's one of NSW's largest archery clubs. Affiliated with the Archery Society of NSW, Archery Australia, and World Archery, the club offers its members daylight access seven days a week at its scenic bush location on Mt Keira.
“This is going to sound weird, but it's a little bit like a martial art,” said Fiona Hyde, member of the Illawarra Archers for 38 years and their club recorder.
“It's mastering yourself, mastering your nerves, your skills and improving those skills.”
Archery requires precision, concentration and discipline to master, and all of those skills help with real-world resilience. Anyone can pick up a bow and develop archery skills, whether they're a young child or an adult.
Beginners at the club are required to pay a shooting fee and take an introductory course, followed by additional beginner courses to help them to develop their skills at their own pace.
Fiona said members are "welcoming to everybody”.
The club holds a weekly tournament every Saturday to give anyone interested a taste of competitive archery. Thanks to the club's connections with major archery programs, Illawarra Archers' members can find events across Australia in which to compete.
As archers improve, they may participate in qualifying and ranking events to gain a spot on the National Ranking List. This opens the door to international competitions, such as the Archery World Cup, for which Archery Australia selects teams from that list, often giving newer archers a chance to gain valuable experience at a high level.
“The opportunity is there if you're competitive and you want to compete higher, you've got the pathway to do that,” Fiona said.
Over the weekend of August 17 and 18, the club hosted the South Coast Field Day tournament. This event featured 24 targets set in the bush, with participants shooting at one target before moving to the next. Open to locals and archers from around the state, it served as a preliminary event for the 2024 NSW State Field Championships on September 7 and 8.
The Illawarra Archers' next introductory course is scheduled for September 1, followed by beginner courses on September 15 and 29.
The club regularly hosts courses and events year round.
For more details, visit the Illawarra Archers' website.