Where do you live and what is your home range:

Brisbane. Home range is now Belmont but for the previous 28 years it was at Majura in Canberra.

When did you first start benchrest:

Majura,Canberra. 1st registered match was at Dapto, Illawarra in 1979.

Who helped you in the early days:

Herb Valerius and Tom Stone.

What was your first BR rifle:

Sako action, 222 mag, Douglas barrel, Lyman 20x,laminated timber stock.

When did you get your first HOF point:

Adelaide 1983 (3rd in 4 Gun)

What year did you qualify:

1990 (Adelaide)

Where do you shoot most:

Now at Belmont. Used to be Majura.

Which ranges do you like and dislike and why:

This could get long.J
Likes (Australian ranges):- Canberra, Brisbane,Adelaide and Newcastle although I cuss a lot. The 200yds are tough but that’s how you win. Silverdale is subtle and difficult but a good challenge. Coffs Harbour is ‘Paradise Range’ most of the time. Just nice to be there even if you don’t shoot records! Little River is usually ‘blow you away’. Warwick is nice although a challenge. Springsure is OK. Rockhamton and Innisfail nice.
Likes (Overseas ranges):- Dobiacco, Italy. Umea, Sweden. Phoenix, Arizona. Whittington Centre, Raton, New Mexico. St Louis, Missouri.
Kelblys, Ohio. Why? Just fantastic places for Benchrest shooters to be at.
Dislikes: Batemans Bay is terrible (down hill). Jarradale is the most frustrating range I have ever shot at in the world. Have only shot there twice but it’s (how shall I politely put his),....different.
Having said that it does apparently have its good honest days. Portland I don’t like. The people are nice and it’s a nice place to visit,has well run events,but the climate and topography are ‘adventurous’. Diggle in the UK, Noumea, New Caledonia, Nelson, New Zealand. Also Palmissano’s range at Wappwallepen in Pensylvania (the original Council Cup range) is a fantastic place to be for the history but terrible to shoot at. Loose timber bench tops, shoot uphill and very low to ground on R/H side and very high off the ground at left. Reloading areas are awkward. Seymour in Texas has stupid benches where you sit in the middle.
I don’t enjoy shooting when it’s cold, wet and wild (Says someone who lived in Canberra for 34 years!). Generally I like to feel comfortable.
The best benchline in the world is at Phoenix Arizona closely followed by St Louis. Best reloading facilities would be at Raton, New Mexico and St Louis. Pretty ranges would include Dobbiacco in Italy, Kelblys in Ohio, Coffs Harbour here and Nelson in New Zealand. The most difficult range for topography and access would be Noumea in New Caledonia closely followed by Para in Adelaide.

Which match do you like most each year:

Nationals are always good. Australia Day, Harry Madden,Super Shoots, Coffs, Newcastle, Warwick.

Have you shot overseas, when, where, how did you go:

In the USA:- In 10 states since 1981 including two Super Shoots, two US Nationals, several state championships and regionals and the WBC.  Plus BRT training courses in 2005 (Texas, New Mexico and Ohio).
In Europe:-
Italy, WBC in Dobiacco in1999. Sweden WBC in Umea in 2003. UK at Diggle near Manchester in 2003.New Zealand:- WBC and Oceania in Nelson in 2001.
New Caledonia: 2005 BRT course at Noumea.
Results overall - several WBC medals at all but the last championship. Top twenty finishes in the 1997 and 2005 US Nationals.

What is your current equipment:

Stolle teddy action. Latest Kelbly SPG-2 stock. B&L 45x and several Maddco barrels (mostly 3 groove, 15 twist). Jewell trigger, Farley front rest and Edgewood rear bag. All are 6PPC cut with my own reamer (.264 NK) made by Dan Green (Forgreens). John Giles at PSECO always did our chambering for
many years but recently Steve Sori has done it for me as he has been trying to teach me how to do my own work.

What is your philosophy for benchrest:

Enjoy and challenge ourselves.

What advice would you give to new shooters:

Ask a lot of questions. Be careful buying equipment without getting advice first. We have all bought the wrong stuff in the beginning. Get involved at you local club level first and try to travel to other
events with shooters from your local club as a group. It usually improves the enjoyment all round. Try to make friends and have fun.
Set realistic goals for what you want to achieve or do in the sport. Get to know the rulebook and general match procedures.
Take a BRT training course! (I’d have to say that wouldn’t I).

Other comments:

Hall of Fame points can only be won at National Championships. Nationals are obviously recognised as the peak events in our sport. It is also true that generally HOF points do favor those who shoot the 4 Gun at the Nationals. Whilst I don’t suggest any of this structure should change it’s also prudent to recognise that there are many events on the annual calendar that are big and important shoots. Events like the Australia Day matches, Harry Madden championships, Banana Coast, Portland, NSW state 2 Gun, Super Shoots etc. They are events that have entry numbers over 40. Some like the Australia Day Matches often have more entries than Nationals do.
So make sure you get involved in all of these as well. Winning at these events does not get HOF points but is nearly as important. To be successful in any major event you need to be a good, adaptable shooter. To get to that point you need to learn from your experience. To gain experience you need to travel and shoot at different ranges, which will have different competitors. Learn from others and analyse your own performance and results.
Good luck and have fun.