Colchester And District Archery Club 1954 - 1994
Page 7 : A New Club Hut And Some Dinosaurs
As a membership guide there was in 1974 24 adult members and seven junior. Archery publicity leaflets were issued advertising coaching. The club offered to host archery in the Essex games. In 1977 the Colchester Open replaced the Oyster shoot title. A deal was made with Oxley Parker School for difficult boys to use their hall if members coached their pupils. A Historic decision – it was decided in ’78 to hold Colchester FITA to aid Essex archers towards MB status. In a few weeks there were 98 entries and Audrey Short was LP.
In that year Bill Tucker organised the county flight with the co-operation of the University of Essex and their field of soccer pitches. The national jubilee celebration FITA was held at Stoneleigh in 1978 with Bill covering for the Press and with overseeing national secretary the late John Bray, whose widow now lives in Wirral. John and his wife Marie were originally Essex archers and the GNAS office was at Chelmsford. Southend’s Opens continued to be supported by Colchester. At Colchester’s open (using square bosses) not being allowed to put down white lines the club used miles of string unwound from a giant drum. It had one advantage. You could lift and read just if need be but it had to be watched going up to the target. The club’s silver jubilee was in 1979 and founder Bill was presented with an archery tableau made of horse shoe nails which he still has on show.
At the Open FITA in 1980 Penny Palmer got three perfect ends. In 1981 the club decided to move to Mill Road which opened the way for its expansion. The Mill Road sports centre group was already used for Rugby and Cricket and later dog training. It was our permanent venue at a cost then of £300, today over £600. It came into its full use in 1982. A newly launched short lived magazine “Archery International” organised in 1981 a weekend course at the University of Essex the coaches brought over from the U. S. included the American national coach, former world champion, Rick McKinney, author A. L. Henderson and Arizona University coach, Sheri Rhoden. Colchester town never hosted such a high powered coaching team from so far. There was a charge but no more than a dozen turned up for coaching and it must have been a financial loss for the magazine. Policeman Brian Templeman of Colchester won the National Police Federation archery championships in London. The club won the Essex Games. Hosting the county field on the Garrison ground created a novel highly perched bird target fixed to a prepared ‘tree’… and with a long overshoot!
Routine activities marked the ‘80s and collected photos show county personalities frequently at Colchester to name but a few, Jack Secombes, the Sibleys, Thelma Davis, the Prestons, Marcello, Hodder, the Pears, Robin Frost and Wooffs including daughter Sue, a tot with a bow, now British squad, the Majors, the Wrights, Terry Vaughan… and just as many space restricts mentioning. Colchester’s Colin Clements was county indoor champion. There was poor weather that summer, Colchester’s Open suffering from the rain and cold and Braintree having its targets and tents blown over and the round curtailed. That year many recall a handicapped archer with only one arm shooting by pulling the string back with his teeth and a rubber grip. Sally Follows became junior girl champion.
The most significant development was the purchase of a club hut for the Mill road ground, members working on a concrete base, new roofing and creosoting. The first league match on the new ground was December 6th. The last shoot on the Garrison ground was the club’s target shoot. For the field, with Brian Templeman pulling the strings with a landowner, we shot in woodland with a small lake at Thorpe-le-Soken, and parking in the railway station yard. When shoots coincided with armistice Sunday the gathering observed the 2-minute silence.
New hut opening ceremony.
from the Bill Tucker Collection
Colchester beat ‘Jurassic Park’ by having their 1982 field dinosaurs as painted targets. The county flight returned to Essex with Bill organising it at the University of Essex at the price of three soccer pitches to get the distance. Floodlit archery was introduced at the time when it was appropriate to call it the equinox shoot using the rugby club’s floodlights. One target went into shade as one of the lights went out! Hot food was supplied. Dew on the grass soaked feet. The idea of painted animal targets for field intrigued regional television and they came to Layer Road to film a feature. One TV shot was unreal… The president with an easel in the undergrowth painting a squirrel target! Television wants sport to be active and above all, entertaining, which archery does not tend to be, but this novelty appealed and archers were pictured shooting in the woods. This year 1982 was the World and European Field championships and Bill was called to Reading to assist. The club had a stake in that event as the poster which went world wide was of Brian Templeman standing in the hedge at the bottom of the field where the dog training club now is. He was photographed in a dramatic pose but with a tassel between his legs which had to be removed from the poster which showed him in silhouette at full draw.
The club consolidated facilities on the ground and maintained busy years in the 80s. Their bought hut was the precursor of two steel containers rat and burglar proof and a target hat near the line. The club was among the best equipped in the county. From its corporate membership of the rugby club it has use of the pavilion toilets and in addition the bar. This same pavilion is headquarters for the annual FITA star computers and catering. The shooting was on adjacent ground free of rugby game interference. The contract for the ground included the May Whit-weekend for the FITA Star, now attended by national champions and top archers. It all started from 1984 and the first use of control lights. Field shooting was enjoyed at West Bergholt and the club shots visited many field opens around the county. Bill again got involved this time in the World Games with Don Stamp which was sponsored by a Japanese business but without the high profile expected.
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