Site found: Club’s home victory

Alex de Vos
Winchelsea Gun Club has praised Surf Coast Shire’s plans to relocate its 50-year-old home to a new shooting range at Buckley.
Club president Bob Brown said the new site was the “best scenario” for the shooters.
“We’ve been working with the shire’s planning consultants for a good while to make this happen and, although we’ve still got a long way to go, this is a good solution,” Mr Brown said.
“Our biggest problem at Winchelsea Common was that we were too close to too many houses but at the new place we’re a bit more isolated.”
The Independent revealed earlier this year that State Government had secretly ordered Surf Coast Shire to boot the shooters and the town’s go-kart club off the common.
In a letter leaked to the paper, Department of Sustainability and Environment public land use and development manager Craig Whiteford said council “must” advise the gun club to “cease its activities immediately”.
But Mr Whiteford later denied to the Independent that State Government was behind the purge attempt. He blamed the shire for the pending evictions.
Mr Whiteford refused to reveal why the Government wanted the clubs removed from the site.
Surf Coast councillor Lindsay Schroeter said he was disappointed authorities had still kicked the Winchelsea club off the Common but considered 185 Waltons Road, the “next best location”.
“The club talked to most people in the area and there weren’t any concerns,” Cr Schroeter said.
“The best location was where it was but the powers said they had to go. I think (the new site) is the next best location.”