Drawing a long bow

Andrew Mathieson
ARCHERY has come a long way since John Womersley first picked a limb out from a tree and planed it down into the shape of a bow.
Back then the boy from Dimboola and his mates were only interested in making bows and arrows, slingshots for shanghai games and billycarts to race.
They would make the arrows from old fence palings and use discarded bullets from .303 rifles for the arrow heads.
“We just used to wander around the bushes and we tried to shoot something,” John reflects.
“We never successfully hit a rabbit – they were just too quick for us.”
Like kids before them, John and his mates had all heard the tales of Robin Hood and would mimic his sharp-shooting.
John would still shoot on his own before archery had a presence when he arrived in Geelong.
“I still used to make my own targets,” he explains.
“I’d get cardboard boxes, just stuff them with paper, try to pack it down as much as I could and draw circles on it.”
John joined Geelong first archery club at its maiden official shoot in June, 1960.
The Geelong Archers started on a farmer’s patch off the side of the road at Lovely Banks.
“When we started we had very little knowledge of the rules,” John admits.
“Nobody had any great idea about equipment, either. A bow in those days would cost a week’s salary.”
It’s a far cry from the state-of-the-art compound bows that now, at $3500, cost more than most earn.
“It’s space-age equipment now,” John laughs.
The 70-year-old now sits back in his Leopold home comfortable with his lot.
John’s walls are strewed with memorabilia collected from more than 50 years involved in the noble sport.
Although he was a good archer, taking on the presidency of Archery Association of Australia from 1973 until 1989 blunted his competitive advantage.
“You can’t get involved in sport management and give it your all and still be a competitive archer,” John reckons.
However, outside competing circles, international judging is where the toxophilite truly excelled for 27 years until 2006.
The legacy includes three Olympic Games – 1984, 1988 and 2000 – and “about 14 or 15” biennial world championships.
That’s also where John met his Austrian wife-to-be, Suzanne, he points out.
The social aspect of archery opened many doors.
“I’ve meet the Queen twice, actually,” John tells.
“Sorry, you don’t meet the Queen, you get presented.”
Another occasion in which he learned about etiquette was during the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane while sharing a drink with the Duke of Edinburgh.
“A steward came around with a tray of drinks and the gin and tonic just happened to be right in front of him,” John remembers.
“I thought I’d better not have a beer, so I took the Scotch.”
One of the Scotland Yard minder’s later tapped the Duke on the elbow and he put down his drink.
“Good evening, gentleman, it’s been a pleasure,” The Duke farewelled.
John’s grand plan was to nick the Duke’s glass as a souvenir.
Etiquette was certainly out the door now.
“My mate said to me ‘How about if I keep an eye out for you so you can grab the glass?” John recalls.
“Well, while we were setting all this up, a waiter walked past and picked up the bloody glass.”