Taking Aim at a Brighter Future for Local Archers

Sabian Nuttall, Diane Jackson and Jai Dennison. Photo Credit: Zach Houtenville.  

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Between backyards and long drives to Townsville to the beginnings of a local sporting community, archers in the Whitsundays are hoping a new initiative will give them a place to train, compete and chase their dreams closer to home.

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For archers Jai Dennison, Sabian Nuttall and Diane Jackson, their passion for archery has never been in question.  

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Jai discovered archery through the Queensland Academy of Sport's Youth 2032 program, an initiative designed to develop the state's next generation of athletes ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Games.

Sabian was inspired to pick up a bow after watching the Olympic competition in Paris, progressing from a local come-and-try session in Melbourne, to competing at national events.  

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Para-athlete Diane Jackson found archery through the Future Green and Gold project and has since trained with Australia's assistant national para-archery coach.  

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Despite taking different paths into archery, all three have faced the same challenge of finding somewhere close to home to train, instead relying on regular trips to Townsville or, in Diane's case, practicing from a target set up in her own backyard.  

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“My husband has set up a target in my backyard so I can shoot 20 metres but the para-archery is 70 metres for a recurve bow,” said Whitsundays para-archer Diane Jackson.  

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“I'm restricted with that at the moment because we don't have the space to do that.”  

This has taken a toll on the talented athletes, making the drive to pursue their sport more challenging.  

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“For about six months I haven't really been able to shoot and I lost a bit of interest,” shared Sabian Nuttall.  

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“You need somewhere to shoot to stay passionate.”  

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Behind the scenes, Club Whitsunday Sports and Events Coordinator, as well as Whitsundays Sportpark treasurer, Alita De Brincat has been working to bring the region's archers together, with the aim of laying the foundations for a local archery community.

While the sport is still in its early stages, the Whitsunday Sports Park has begun providing access for athletes to train when fields are available.  

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"No one wants to be on the road all the time, and we are really happy to have these guys here, already achieving where they want to be, it's just a no-brainer for us," Alita said.

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“The first stepping stone is that this is open for these guys to start training and start building on what they're doing.”

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The hope is to continue growing participation, establishing a committee and eventually introducing more programs for people of all ages and abilities.

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"The key is to get people around and training and build up on the go, we already have a community of archery people here, and we are looking forward to building on that” Alita said.  

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