50 years down the drain?

After more than 50 years of service in Gander, the local Rod and Gun Club is on the brink of closing its doors.

After what the secretary of the club's executive called a "very poor turnout" at its annual general meeting, April 26, Wayne Lorenzen, the only active executive member serving the club, said if nobody steps forward at the May 10 meeting, the club may very well shut down.

"If we get the same turnout as last time, 10 out of 10," said Lorenzen when asked of the odds the club will close. "The club has been in Gander for over 50 years and has a long history of shooting and sporting."

Lorenzen attended the club's AGM in 2009 when his friend and past president, Dylan Driscoll, asked him to go. He became a member of the executive when he signed his membership card, and although he isn't an avid shooter, Lorenzen said he wants to see the club remain open because of what it means to the town.

"I just have an invested interest in maintaining things that are viable to the community, and I think this is a valuable resource. Paul Langdon was at the AGM, and both of his children are involved with biathlon, and they have a plan to start a biathlon training camp," he said. "He was shocked to hear that there's a possibility the club could fold."

Lorenzen said the club is financially stable, and there's no issues with squabbling between members. It's just a matter of nobody stepping forward to run the club. As it stands, Driscoll and treasurer Janet Brake decided to take a break from their executive roles, so other members need to step up if they want to see the club remain active.

"The entire enrollment of the club is roughly 75 people...that's paid, registered members. If you ran the executive correctly, if you had a balanced approach, the president isn't the person who has to do all of the work," said Lorenzen. "Dylan and Janet aren't bitter, they just need a break. There's no bad politics in the club, and there's no arguing between individuals...I just want to get the word out to our members that this is the situation, and this is what the risk is."

The club has already allocated a lot of money to upgrade different to reach certain standards. From expanding the range, to improving the berm, the money is there. However, if nobody steps up to accept executive duties, the $200,000-plus will be of no use.

"We have some issues with the Firearms Control Office to get the range up to modern specifications. The club is financially very healthy...before the election of officers we allocated funds for a full range of improvements. Right now we have a 100-yard range, and moose hunters and those who hold hunter safety courses would like to see it at 200 yards, and we're going to do work on the berm (the wall that stops the bullets)," said Lorenzen. "We're going to upgrade the trap-shooting area, and the shooting platform hasn't been upgraded in years...so we've allocated about $200,000 for improvements. We're doing everything to put ourselves up to complete compliance. The irony is if we don't have an executive to actually run the club, the funds will just sit there, and the club will have to dissolve because there's no executive to run it. There's a very strong possibility that after being in Gander for 50-plus years, there could be no more Rod and Gun Club in Gander."

The club will hold its next meeting May 10 in meeting room two at the Gander Community Centre starting at 7 p.m. If nobody shows up to lend a hand, Lorenzen said the club could fold, and what he considers a valuable resource will be no more.

"It would be huge...it's a resource gone," he said. "Look at the ramifications it would have on the biathlon group. We host trap competitions, one in particular that's very popular provincially is the one associated with Festival of Flight, where trap shooters come out from the west coast, St. John's and even the mainland to come here to shoot. That won't happen, and that's revenue gone for the Town."

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