A sketch history of Penang Rifle Club
1. To foster the art of marksmanship and teach the safe handling of firearms at all times.
2. To provide facilities for the training of marksmen who may wish to participate in international shooting competitions,
3. To provide opportunities for young people to practise marksmanship so that they would be trained to serve the country when and if called upon to do so.
The first Patron was then Resident Commissioner, Penang, Mr. R.P. Bingham and the first President was the then Chief Police Officer, Penang, Mr. H.B.J. Donaldson. The first Hon. Secretary was Mr. D.K. Howell, and the first Hon. Treasurer was Mr. W.G. Coleback. Mr. W.G. Coleback served for only 3 or 4 months and on his retirement from service, Mr. Khaw Bian Huat took over from him and served as Hon. Treasurer till 31.12.77 when he voluntarily retired "to make way for a younger man to serve", and the resent incumbent Mr. Cheong Yee Sin succeeded him.
During the year 1954, the Club became affiliated to the National Smallbore Rifle Association of United Kingdom.
The Pollice Volunteer Resertve Headquarters in MacAlister Road served as temporary Club house, and by courtesy of the regular Police the 25 yards Miniature Rifle Range at Peel Avenue was placed at the Clu's disposal on condition that it accepted responsibility for maintenance. There were only six firing paints for Smallbore Rile shooting and conditions were at first primitive.
When the Chief Police Office, Penang, Mr. H.B.J. Donaldson relinquished the Club Presidency in 1955, he was succeeded by his successor Mr. P.H. O'Flynn who remained President until he retired in 1958 when the first non-expatriate Chief Police Office, Mr. J.J. Raj Sr., accepted office with Mr. R.J. Tolley as Chairman of the Management Committee.
In 1955 the membership rule was relaxed to permit licenced holders of firearms to join, but they were not eligible to hold office. Mr. R.J. Tolley succeeded Mr. D.K. Howell as Hon. Secretary in 1956.
In 1957 the name of the Club was changed to the Penang Rifle Club and full membership was opened to the public. During the year 1957 through the generosity of some members two Semi-automatic .22 Pistols were acquired and Pistol Shooting under N.S.R.A. Rules was introduced. Mr. Tan Seng Keat succeeded Mr. R.J. tolley as Hon. Secretary in 1957 and contunued as Hon. Secretary until 1977 when he declined re-nomination and Mr. Tan Leong Lay the present incumbent succeeded him.
The Penang Rifle Club had its beginning as the Penang Police and Volunteer Services Miniature Rifle Club. It was founded by a group of rifle shooting enthusiasts on 26th January, 1954, and comprised members from the Malayan Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, the Federation of Malaya Reconnaisance Corps, the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force, the Police and Police Volunteer Reserve, and the Civil Defence Corps. Membership was exclusive to these Services, and the Objects of the Club were:
- To foster the art of marksmanship and teach the safe handling of firearms at all times.
- To provide facilities for the training of marksmen who may wish to participate in international shooting competitions,
- To provide opportunities for young people to practise marksmanship so that they would be trained to serve the country when and if called upon to do so.
The first Patron was the then Resident Commissioner, Penang, Mr. R.P. Bingham and the first President was the then Chief Police Officer, Penang, Mr. H.B.J. Donaldson. The first Hon. Secretary was Mr. D.K. Howell, and the first Hon. Treasurer was Mr. W.G. Colebeck. Mr. W,G. Colebeck served for only 3 or 4 months and on his retirement from service, Mr. Khaw Bian Huat took over from him and served as Hon. Treasurer till 31.12.77 when he voluntarily retired "to make way for a younger man to serve", and the present. incumbent Mr. Cheong Yee Sin succeeded him.
During the year 1954, the Club became affiliated to the National Smallbore Rifle Association of the United Kingdom.
The Police Volunteer Reserve Headquarters in MacAlister Road served as temporary Club house, and by courtesy of the regular Police the 25 yards Miniature Rifle Range at Peel Avenue was placed at the Club's disposal on condition that it accepted responsibility for maintenance. There were only six firing paints for Smallbore Rifle shooting and conditions were at first primitive.
When the Chief Police Officer, Penang, Mr. H.B.J. Donaldson relinquished the Club Presidency in 1955, he was succeeded by his successor Mr. P.H. O'Flynn who remained President until he retired in 1958 when the first non-expatriate Chief Police Officer, Mr. J.J. Raj Sr., accepted office with Mr. R.J. Tolley as Chairman of the Management Committee.
In 1955 the membership rule was relaxed to permit licenced holders of firearms to join, but they were not eligible to hold office. Mr. R.J, Tolley succeeded Mr. D.K. Howell as Hon. Secretary in 1956.
In 1957 the name of the Club was changed to the Penang Rifle Club and full membership was opened to the public. During the year 1957 through the generosity of some members two Semi-automatic .22 Pistols were acquired and Pistol Shooting under N.S.R.A. Rules was introduced. Mr. Tan Seng Keat succeeded Mr. R. J. Tolley as Hon. Secretary in 1957 and continued as Hon. Secretary until 1977 when he declined re-nomination and Mr. Tan Leong Lay the present incumbent succeeded him.
In 1964 the Club became affiliated to the National Shooting Association of Malaysia and henceforth Penang Rifle Club members were eligible for selection to the National Team in International Games in which Shooting is one of the Events.
In 1965 the Club Constitution was amended to enable members to elect their President, and the First President to be voted into office was Mr. Ng Kam Kew. Mr, Ng Kam Kew held the post of President until he declined re-nomination in 1977 when the present incumbent Dr. Chan Koon Yau was elected President,
Through the years 1954 to 1963 the Club had been carefully conserving its funds for the day it could build its own Club house and Range. No suitable place could be located all this while until the most unlikely site 100 yards from the entrance into the Botanical Gardens was discovered. It was boulder-strewn and swampy -- a disused quarry used as a tipping ground for empty tar drums and debris by the Jabatan Kerja Raya Penang. The Committee started negotiations with the State Government Penang for the use of this area known as Lot 210 Mk, 16, and it was only towards the end of 1964 that the State Government Penang granted the Club a Temporary Occupation Licence for its use as a Shooting Range.
The Committee under the able leadership of Mr, Ng Kam Kew immediately went into action, but construction could only commence at the end of 1965. Progress was slow due to the vast amount of blasting, clearing, earth and drainage works that had to be carried out. By the middle of 1966 the butts and all protective earthworks and shed with 16 firing points for Smallbore Rifle at 50 metres and 6 firing points for Pistols at 25 metres were completed, and for the first time Penang Rifle Club members could shoot on their own Range under International Shooting Union Rules. The project was by no means complete as the Club house, store, and lavatory block were yet to be constructed and Club funds had run dry, An urgent appeal was made by the Committee for contributions and members responded magnificently in cash and kind and all projected works were completed before the end of 1966.
In 1967 the new (Club house and) Shooting Range was officially opened by the President of the National Shooting Association of Malaysia, Y,A.B. Tun Tan Siew Sin, SSM., JP., who was also then the Minister of Finance. In his official address at the opening ceremony, Tun Tan Siew Sin paid tribute to the Committee and members for their activities in the promotion of Shooting Sport in Malaysia. He declared the Range open by shooting a clay bird which released a large bunch of multi-coloured balloons into the atmosphere.
In 1968 further improvements were made to the 50 metres and 25 metresRanges,A trench system for 14 Smallbore Rifle shooters and one set of ten automatic turning silhouette targets were installed through the generosity of the President and some members. With the installation of these facilities which comply with International Shooting Union Regulations the Penang Rifle Club can justifiably take pride in having facilities which compare favourably with those at the National Shooting Range, Subang. However, due to lack of space, the Club could not provide facilities for Skeet and Trap Shooting.
Since 1965 the activities of Club shooters included participation at National and International Shooting Competitions and the achievements of some members in their chosen sport are noted with pride by the Club, In every International Games in which Shooting is an Event, since 1965 the National Shooting Team has always included a number of Shooters from Penang Rifle Club in the Smallbore Rifle and Pistol disciplines.
It is no vain boast to claim that the Penang Rifle Club is the Premier Shooting Club in Malaysia by virtue of our very active promotion of Shooting Sport in Malaysia and the fact that we have held our Closed Shoots far all events annually, our Club Shoots monthly, and our Open Shoots which are really "Open" to our shooting confreres in Malaysia and Singapore annually. We also had the honour of staging the Malaysian Open Shooting Championships for Pistol/Rifle disciplines for the National Shooting Association of Malaysia in 1974, We pioneered the North Malaysia Barat Regional Shoot in 1978, and are now embarked on the Penang Rifle Club Silver Jubilee Open Shooting Championships 1979 in which Malaysian Armed Forces, Polis Di Raja Malaysia, affiliates of the National Shooting Association of Malaysia, Singapore Rifle Association, National Shooting Sport Association of Thailand, Hong Kong Rifle Association, and Macau Shooting Association, and other invitees will be participating. To complement it all, the Penang Rifle Club has also the experienced U,I,T, officials, referees, and judges to ensure that there can be no "hanky panky" where Union Internationale De Tir (UIT) Events are concerned in our Open Shooting Championships. It is also with pride that we record that U,I.T. Referees/ Judges from Penang Rifle Club form the hard core of U.I.T. Officials that had served the Nation in such International Games like S.E.A,P. Games, 1965, Asian Shooting Championships, 1975, S.E.A. Games, 1977, etc. held in Kuala Lumpur.
Reproduced From: Penang Rifle Club, Silver Jubilee, Open Shooting Championships Dated: 9th - 14th April 1979.