Dandridges still on target

These archery lovers may be in their 80s, however the pair still eat, sleep and breathe the sport.

Coral and George Dandridge spend their free time coaching, judging and officiating their beloved sport and say they would not have it any other way.

Mrs Dandridge has held world records in the sport and has received a prestigious Australian Sports Medal in 2000, which recognised sporting excellence.

“Archery is an individual sport where you compete to improve your own scores, it can be a team sport, but it is all about self-improvement,” Mrs Dandridge said.

The pair are part of the Bunbury Archery Club, the Silver Leprechauns, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in Leschenault on March 1.

The event welcomed world-class archers to compete and mark the occasion.

Mr and Mrs Dandridge have been part of the archery club since its re-inception in 1960, with the club originating in Bunbury in 1876 before going on hiatus.

The pair restarted the club after a desire to take up archery in the South West after finishing university.

“We put an ad in the paper asking for anyone interested in archery and got two gentlemen and that made four of us, and the club has continued to grow ever since,” Mrs Dandridge said.

“We took up archery because it was a sport we could both compete in and take our children along to.”

Although the club gathers in Leschenault, they decided to keep the original name of Bunbury Archery Club to acknowledge the rich history of the club.

Mr and Mrs Dandridge are the longest affiliated members of Archery Western Australia and are life members of the Bunbury club and State body.

Next month, Mrs Dandridge will travel to the Junior Nationals Archery Competition as one of 10 official judges. The prestigious event will see her judge the cream of the crop in target, clout and field archery.

She has been judging for 17 years and said judges can walk about 40km during a competition, a solid effort for someone in their 80s.

Anyone wanting to give archery a go can contact the Dandridges for more information.