Aged 53 from South Wales

Proposed by Richard Williams and seconded by M Bale

Retired

BASC member for 3 years, regular deer stalker

Gareth says: I am passionate about all field sports. I lived, worked and travelled most of my adult life throughout Britain and mainland Europe. During the 1970s I served in the Army with the REME. I have now retired but during my working life I have held management positions and ran my own international haulage company for some 15 years.

I am a regular deer stalker and on the Approved Witness List for DMQ2. I have stalked deer both in the United Kingdom and abroad for over 20 years. In addition to BASC I belong to the British Deer Society and assist in DMQ level 1 training. I also enjoy clay pigeon shooting, occasional rough shooting with a shotgun, sea fishing and fly fishing for trout.

If elected to BASC Council to sit as a members’ representative, I believe that is what I should become, not someone who wants to satisfy one’s own ego or be a professional committee member. I believe that as a Council member I could help to represent all members and work towards encouraging a greater understanding of disabled shooters’ and older shooters’ needs. I believe I could also work towards encouraging greater participation by younger members.

In addition, I would also like to see shooting encouraged more within colleges and universities, an opportunity I saw neglected when I was a recent student at university. I feel that by encouraging groups within colleges and universities to foster an interest in target and clay pigeon shooting that BASC would be reaching out to possible future policy makers and voters, and would at least, if not encourage them to take up the sports to have a healthy respect and understanding for those that do.

I strongly believe that shooters and hunters (along with their respective representative associations) have become relatively entrenched defending our sport. I feel that the only realistic way forward is to set aside this bunkered mentality and to take the fight to those that have been attacking us. I believe that shooters and hunters along with those we elect to represent us should be more proactive and that our weapon of choice should be education and helping to foster a better public perception of shooters and hunters.

I also believe that in a country with an ageing population, with the average age of most shooters in recent years increasing, that our association should possibly consider tailoring its shooting opportunities towards those that are less mobile or fit than others. Also as a shooter that lives in an area with less species of game than other areas of the country and therefore has to travel some distance for my sport I also have a great empathy for others in my position. I would therefore work within the representative committee to try and increase sporting opportunities further, for all within our association.