Newsletters

NHSA Newsletter

VOL. 13 (03) - 23-01-2017

 MUST READ INFORMATION: NHSA 2017

Dear member,

Thank You

A word of sincere thanks to the large number of our members who diligently submitted postal scores in 2016, and to the 98% of our dedicated members who submitted their dedicated activities on time.  We hope that 2017 will be the best hunting and shooting year you have ever had.

We evaluated 62,243 scores and activity entries in 2016 (9,653 entries in December alone).  This shows our members are indeed busy in the hunting fields, and on the shooting ranges all over the country (quite a number overseas too).  We expect these numbers to increase in 2017, as we were fortunate to enrol very close to 5,000 new members in 2016.

Reporting Date for Dedicated Activities Moved to 30 November

Considering the above numbers, and despite us trying to benefit members as much as possible, Exco has taken a decision to move the reporting date for dedicated activities back to 30 November annually.  This gives us the required time to compile and submit the legally prescribed annual SAPS report on our dedicated members’ record of compliancy on 31 December.

For 2017 the NHSA reporting year for dedicated activities will thus run from 1 January 2017 to 30 November 2017.  From 2018 and thereafter, the reporting dates for dedicated activities will run from 1 December to 30 November annually.

2017 Dated Postal Targets

We have posted 2017 dated targets at all our postal exercises. 

Please start using these 2017 dated postal targets as soon as you can.  As indicated in Newsletter Vol 13(01) (3-01-2017) we shall only accept scores shot on 2016 dated targets up to 28 February 2017.

As requested, please do not enter scores, which are older than 3 months, as such scores entries will be declined from 1 February 2017. 

And please; do not use NHSA postal targets to enter activities for target practice.  Rather download the practice target from the top of the Targets & Exercises page on the website for that (or use your own please).

Remember, approved scores entries automatically reflect as the applicable number of approved activity entries.

Annual National Competition moved to August

The annual national postal target shooting competition will be presented in August this year, in a bid to spread the annual work load for our evaluators (members entered just over 3,000 targets for the 2016 national competition).  We shall inform you of the details of the national competition early in July this year.

Disciplinary Action

In a sadder note, it is our responsibility to inform our members that we had to expel 6 members and place 12 others on final warnings.  All for wilfully submitted falsified targets as activities during December 2016 and thus, in differing degrees of intensity, committing category 1 transgressions of our Code of Discipline.

These were all sad experiences, and very unpleasant to manage (and certainly alarming for the number of dedicated members involved).  This is the main reason, which forced us to make the changes to dates on postal targets, for imposing the 3-month limitation on scores entries, and for asking members not to use NHSA postal targets as entries for target shooting activities.

Unfortunately, and as always, the actions of a few individuals, negatively impacts on the diligent majority.

Get Out There and Shoot

In parting, we hope each of our hunting members get the opportunity to “get out there” in 2017, and that our sport shooting members shoot at least 1,000 rounds through the year.  Use that gun, it’s not there for just looking at it – enjoy it !  Buy a new one at HUNTEX 2017; we are sure you have a reason for a new friend in the safe ?

Please remain vigilant, and careful. 

Above all, please be firearm safe wherever or whenever you use firearms or when you are around people who use them.

Kind Regards

Herman Els

(Above Text also sent as an Email to all members on 23-01-2017)