When he isn’t shooting or overseeing the trap shoot at the Gander Rod and Gun Club, Mr. Molloy can be found reminiscing with other trap shooters, or discussing Irish history with anybody who’s willing to spin a yarn.
Mr. Molloy recently sat down with The Beacon to talk about his trap shooting career, and what his future holds in the sport he’s competed in for the past 45 years.
Numerous provincial and Atlantic trap-shooting plaques are littered around his Gander home, and Mr. Molloy enjoys answering questions, and has a story about each plaque, for those who care to ask.
The Beacon: What got you interested in shooting trap?
Mr. Molloy: As a young boy, around 16 and 17, I was always an avid partridge hunter. In fact, I was brought up like that by my father. Not only that, but I always liked guns, and liked shooting, like a lot of kids. I remember as a young fellow, when I had two or three cartridges in my pocket, and if I had a bottle in my left hand, I would throw it up and shoot the bottle when it was in the air. When I came to Gander, and when trap shooting started, I was interested because I liked shotguns and liked shooting at targets in the air. It was always a challenge to me.
The Beacon: Do you remember your first trap shooting competition?
Mr. Molloy: I went into my first competition on Kelsey Farm, which was on Kenmount Road in St. John’s, in 1966. God, how times change. When I went to Kelsey Farm, which was where the Rod and Gun Club was located, it was rolling green fields. You know what Kenmount Road is like now. There’s the Avalon Mall, all the hotels, and it’s one of the busiest streets in St. John’s. Anyway, that was my first trap shoot, and I won my class in doubles shooting a pump gun. That was the first trap shooting trophy that was ever brought into the Gander Rod and Gun Club.
The Beacon: Speaking of the Gander Rod and Gun Club, when did you first get involved with the organization?
“My eyes aren’t as good today as they were years ago — I remember a time when I could probably pick off 99 targets out of 100 — but I still find it a fascinating sport.” - — Derm Molloy
Mr. Molloy: I’ve been a member of the Gander Rod and Gun Club since 1965. The old Rod and Gun Club used to be on the end of Runway 22. We used to have trap shooting there and people would come in from St. John’s, Botwood, and even Corner Brook.
The Beacon: Of all the plaques and trophies you’ve won over the years, is there one that means the most or has a special meaning to you?
Mr. Molloy: In 2003, I finished sixth in the handicap at Atlantics. Now, fellas come in here and look at that (sixth-place plaque) and just see sixth place. ‘Sixth place?’ they’ll say. ‘Yes, sixth place,’ I’ll say. As far as I’m concerned, that’s one of the best trophies I’ve ever won. I shot against the top gunners in Atlantic Canada, and not only that, but a lot of those guys just came back from nationals, and I had to beat a lot of those fellows to finish sixth. Here I was, one of the top shooters in Atlantic Canada, but some people would say, ‘Big deal. Sixth place.’ It was a big deal to me. I had to beat people like Dave Williams, and I only beat them by one or two shots, but a win, is a win. In 1970, we had a provincial shoot in doubles shooting, and I won that, along with the two-man team with the late Bill Chafe. He was a great trap shooter, and he died a few years ago.
The Beacon: You’ve met a lot of people through trap shooting, and many who became your friend. Do you still keep in touch with many of the competitors you shot against?
Mr. Molloy: Oh God yes. You should see the big gouges in our driveway. This place was full of trailers a few weeks ago during the Festival of Flight. There were trailers everywhere in the back of the house.
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