Hunters celebrate 40 years
Discussion about small game hunting in Australian compared to Poland heralded the 40th annual hunter’s dinner organised by the Australian Deer Association recently.
Held at the Drouin Golf Club, 150 people attended including guests from New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
The Victorian national executive traditionally acts as the host for the three course game dinner, organised on their behalf by a committee of local ADA members of the Gippsland Branch. Chaired by Neville Cliff from Hill End, the group consisted of Matt Draisma (Warragul), Mike Harrison (Tonimbuk), Andrew Seggie (Heyfield), Peter McDonell (Nilma North), George Martin (Strzelecki), Wally Dergacz (Westernport), and Tony Power (Traralgon). The group has worked tirelessly on this project for the past six months.
An international keynote speaker, a biologist and wildlife management specialist, Joe Hamilton travelled from the USA to take part in the celebration, this being his seventh visit to Australia.
Other guests included six ADA national life members, and two honoured national members including Robert Browne and Robert Borzak, both representing the NSW Shooters and Fishers Party where they are upper house members, Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood, Senator Bridget McKenzie, Member for Eastern Victoria Jeff Bourman, Member for Northern Victoria Daniel Young, parliamentary advisor Norm Dunn, CPI strategic director Rick Brown Field and Game Australia chairman Bill Paterson, ADA national president David Voss, and ADA state president Col Brumley.
The guests were welcomed by Victorian President Col Brumley who opened proceedings by reading the hunter’s code, which decrees respect for the deer and wildlife, for the environment, the land holder and his property, and for everybody who enjoys the bush.
This was followed by the dedication of the first course of whole trout, a toast to absent friends and the annual awarding of honours to an exceptionally active member of the association.
The mixed small game course was also heralded by a talk about small game hunting in Australia compared with that in Poland and emphasised the great privileges enjoyed in Australia.
The main course, the venison, was introduced by a formal dedication and the reading of a poignant poem about the fallen stag, written for this purpose for the first dinner and used ever since, by its author Rob Prior 40 years on.
The venison was then ceremonially carried in on a litter by two hunters preceded by another bearing the antlers and followed by guest piper Don Whyte of Morwell playing during the ingress and afterwards in tribute to the deer. A formal toast to the deer followed.
American guest speaker Joe Hamilton gave an informative presentation on the current state of the deer hunting scene in the US where extensive use is made of graduate wildlife managers, biologists and foresters to manage a multibillion dollar deer hunting industry in the many states of America where deer hunting is permitted.
In Victoria the activity has been found to be worth $4.23 million annually where there are currently more than 90,000 licensed deer hunters.
Mr Hamilton was presented with some Aboriginal flint points by life member George McKenzie from South Australia as a token of appreciation.
The other highlight of the evening was the awarding of the national trophy for the highest scoring antlered sambar stag taken by an ADA member in the past season by life member Mark Blundell.
The Arthur Bently Trophy, named after the association’s late founder and first life member is the premier hunting trophy of the Australian deer hunting scene and this year for the first time ever there were dual winners of this award with two stags for 2015 scoring an identical top Douglas score of 214 3/8 points.
The lucky hunters were Paul Rahman from Geelong and Jamie Stevens from Gippsland, the latter being only one of two hunters who have won this award twice, the last occasion for him being in 2013.
Entertainment followed, with a musical piece on guitar, and recital of some bush and deer hunting poetry from a number of members and concluded with the traditional benediction performed by Mr Brumley.
The 150 guests departed with great memories of a remarkable 40th dinner milestone