Meet the Veterans
Captain
Charles Brooks
Charles has been a regular overseas tourer, starting 50 years ago with the Athelings team to Canada (with Veterans teammate, Webbie), followed by seven official GB overseas tours.
Charles is well connected with overseas shooters at Bisley having been Secretary and Captain of the British Commonwealth Rifle Club and is now its President. This will be Charles’ second tour to South Africa after he led the GB Veterans Goodwill team to Bloemfontein last year.
Charles is married to Penny with two grown up children and one grandchild with another on the way, all of whom have had to suffer his life at Bisley! Since retiring as a partner of his law firm three years ago, Charles is now a (very) part-time consultant to the firm and keeps himself busy with a City of London Livery Company and with non-exec board roles with two long-standing charity clients.
Vice-Captain
David Richards
GM SC
David is no stranger to the General De Wet ranges in South Africa, having toured there on three previous occasions, including in the Palma year of 1999. He is also familiar with the Veterans having been a member of the team to the last World Championships in New Zealand in 2019. David has toured many times with GB and England and has been lucky enough to have had some success over the years, including shooting and coaching in many GB teams at home, and abroad and winning the H.M. Queen’s Prize when he was MUCH younger…in 1984.
Apart from Target Rifle, David also shoots smallbore and stalks deer. He has run a charcuterie business for several years and is married to Karen who is back home looking after the dogs.
Adjutant
Stephen Penrose
Having first discovered the delights of shooting in South Africa as part of the 1993 GB team, Stephen is looking forward to making his 10th return visit. He first started shooting at Rugby School, continuing at Cambridge University where he managed to change course enough times to ensure he got in plenty of practice. Over the years, he has shot in many teams matches, has captained the England team in the National Match and enjoyed the odd highlight individually too – winning the SA Long Range Agg in 1993 and State President prize in 1999.
Stephen is a veterinary surgeon by profession and was a partner in a small-animal practice in Colchester; now managing a small property business. He is a keen skier and, with all three children having flown the nest, he enjoys travelling with his wife Kate.
Main Coach
David Calvert
GM3 SB3 SC2 SM
Bloemfontein is arguably David’s second ‘shooting home’, having competed in all 25 SA Open Championships held there. His first shooting visit to South Africa was to Kimberley in 1996, when his RAF Club team won the Protea Match and he won his first of eight SA Open Championships.
David has represented GB on more than 50 occasions and has toured with GB, Ireland and RAF Club teams to 35 shooting venues in 20 countries across six continents. Individual Target Rifle achievements include four Gold Medals for Northern Ireland over 11 consecutive Commonwealth Games, and three Gold Medals in the H.M. Queen’s Prize. David has also represented GB in Match Rifle, Smallbore Rifle and Service Rifle.
Away from shooting, his interests and activities include family, golf, occasional skiing and scuba diving, and flying as a part-time instructor pilot in the RAF Reserve.
Squad
John Bellringer
GC SB
John learned to shoot at Epsom College and progressed to represent Surrey county 48 years ago, and they still drag him out on occasions. He has been lucky enough to qualify for the Big 5, winning both as a coach and shooter. Whilst he has been fortunate to make the Sovereign’s Final at Bisley 28 times and the top 50 of the Bisley Grand Aggregate 23 times, he now gets more joy chatting with fellow competitors, helping youngsters, and greeting overseas visitors.
John retired as a dental surgeon five years ago, leaving him more time to fly fish and wave his shotgun around with varying degrees of success. Sarah, his wife, enjoys her time at Bisley and they have two grown-up sons: Edward and Alexander who keep him in his place.
He is much looking forward to the SABU meeting and is sure he will leave with more friends.
Nick Brasier
GC
Nick took up shooting in earnest at University, captaining the smallbore club and being dragged to Bisley to take up fullbore shooting. His first GB tour was with the 1991 team to Canada where he won the Governor General’s Prize, followed by a GB tour to Zimbabwe and South Africa in 1998. Nick has toured with seven GB Target Rifle teams (and one Match Rifle team), including the Palma teams of 2007 and 2011. He came 4th in the 2003 World Long Range Individual Championship at Bisley, winning the Day 3, 900 yard competition.
Nick is Chairman of the London and Middlesex Rifle Association and regularly takes club teams on tour to distant and not-so-distant ranges away from Bisley. Nick is also a Friend of the Royal Opera House, and enjoys travelling to both new and favourite places around the world.
Paul Charlton
Paul started shooting at Wimbledon Common where his school is sited, continuing at University before a career induced hiatus to qualify as a Chartered Accountant.
Paul received a GB Match Rifle cap in the 2001 Woomera followed by a GB Target Rifle cap in the West Indies, before the famous Ireland National win, both in 2002. Paul proudly helped Ireland win the 2005 Elcho after a 97 year gap before touring to SA with GB in 2006, Ireland in 2009 and the GB Veterans in 2023. A previous winner of The Albert in Match Rifle, he shot the first ever twenty shot 1200 yard HPS in the world, a feat subsequently matched by two of this team.
Retired from business, he is grateful for the continuing support of Margaret, family and friends and looks forward to a second Veterans World Championship, amongst the friendly shooting fraternity and sorority in Bloemfontein.
Rupert Clark
Rupert shot in his first Bisley Meeting in 1975 whilst at school – Malvern College. His first overseas tour was with the 1976 Athelings to Canada (along with teammates David Richards and Stephen Penrose) and he toured with GB to Kenya & Zimbabwe in 1989 and South Africa & Zimbabwe in 1993.
His working career has been as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, mainly flying and instructing on an exciting range of fast-jet and training aircraft. He is still Serving as a Flying Instructor based at RAF Cranwell but will have to retire fully in 2024.
Rupert’s main shooting club is the RAF TRC and he has toured with them to Kenya, New Zealand, and back to Bloemfontein on a number of occasions. He has enjoyed his (very occasional) individual successes over the years and represented England in the National Match, and as a reserve in the Mackinnon.
Charles Dickenson
Charles started shooting at Cambridge University, rapidly becoming hooked on both shooting and wind coaching. Early successes resulted in his first GB tour to Canada with the 1982 Palma team.
Shooting subsequently took a lower profile as a growing family and work (Royal Navy, then BAE Systems) took priority. Since his son and daughter left home in 2003, his shooting has been in resurgence, with a number of selections for NRA, England and GB teams both as a shooter and a coach, including further GB team tours to Canada in 2010 and 2016.
Charles also shoots smallbore and Match Rifle and enjoys giving back to the sport by coaching less experienced shooters. Any remaining time is spent looking after three grandchildren, walking, helping Sue keep the garden under control and doing endless DIY jobs around the house.
Chris Fitzpatrick
GM SM
This is Chris’s third GB Veterans tour to the World Championships and his inclusion no longer lowers the average age of the team.
He has worked his passage to the Veterans through many teams, the first being the Athelings to Canada in 1967. The same year, he represented Ireland in the National Match and is pleased to say he still makes that team. Full GB representation started in Canada in 1975, he was back there for the Palma in 1982 and again in 2013, that time as Captain. Chris is a H.M. Queen’s Final winner, taking the prize in 1991.
Flying has been Chris’s career, with the majority in the Royal Air Force. The RAF TR team was extremely successful at home, regularly winning in the Inter-Services but also around the world which it toured regularly, including South Africa in 1996 when the RAF team beat the SA Protea team by one point.
John Halahan
John’s first experience with shooting was at the age of 11, pest control shooting at monkeys in Malaysia which were destroying the young rubber trees. It is extremely doubtful that he actually hit anything, but he definitely succeeded in scaring them off! He commenced proper target shooting at Framlingham College in Suffolk, continuing in the Army. Following a break, he returned to target shooting in the mid-1990’s.
His first tour was with the 2008 NRA team to the Channel Islands before touring as a reserve with the 2014 GB team to USA and Canada and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He has now represented Ireland in both National and Mackinnon matches.
Now retired, the theory is that he should find more time to shoot. Married to Ann, he has two grown up daughters and seems to be quite heavily involved with babysitting grandchildren.
Richard Hirst
Richard is a retired Patternmaker, apprenticed in Halifax and then Bradford. Returning to Halifax, he started as a labourer, ending up as Foundry Manager. His other skills include engraver, french polisher, theatrical prop designer/builder, panel beater, engine builder and chauffeur. His hobbies are shooting, classic cars and motorcycles.
Richard started shooting smallbore at the age of 12, attained three Junior Badges at Bisley in 1972-74, a Mastershot Badge in 1975 and an Experts badge in 1977.
Richard’s expertise in shooting has come to the fore in recent years, including winning the Yorkshire Championship in 2017 and 2023 and the Daily Telegraph in 2020. He has toured with England to the West Indies and to South Africa with last year’s GB Veterans. He is very much looking forward to returning to South Africa for the World Championships.
Andrew Lothian
Andrew was given an air rifle for his seventh birthday and discovered a talent for shooting. Whilst at Epsom College, he started shooting .22’ and .303’ and really got hooked, the team winning their first Ashburton in 1973.
In the intervening fifty or so years since, he has toured with Great Britain and England teams to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, most recently as Captain of the GB team to Canada in August 2023. He considers himself a team shooter first and foremost and is looking forward to being in Bloemfontein again and may enjoy some steak and red wine whilst there.
Andrew used to fly 747s for Branson, which rather interfered with his shooting. He now spends an appreciable portion of his time coaching 10-13-year-olds at a local preparatory school and helping out at Epsom College.
James Mehta
James started shooting at Framlingham College, was selected for the Athelings in 1975, and continued at Edinburgh University. Then a long break of twenty years ensued, caused by family and work commitments, until a chance visit to Bisley reignited his passion for the sport.
Since then, he has been desperately trying to make up for lost time. Selected for the NRA to the Channel Islands in 2014, the GB tour to Canada and USA in 2016, and the GB Veterans team to the 2019 World Championships in New Zealand, this will be his fourth visit to Bloemfontein.
Having recently retired from dental practice, he is keen to carry on shooting as long as possible, and enjoying his enlarging family with four grandchildren so far, including the two who live in Johannesburg.
Martin Millar
GM SC
Martin started shooting aged 18, when a neighbour asked would he like to have a go and he has been hooked ever since! He represents Ireland and GB and has shot in the National, Mackinnon, Australia and Kolapore matches, in addition to six consecutive Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland. He has toured with GB teams to Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Martin won the H.M. Queen’s Prize in 1994, he has a Bisley Grand Aggregate Silver Cross and four Commonwealth Games medals including two Golds. He is looking forward to the forthcoming SA Open Championships and renewing friendships with old friends from around the world.
Martin is married to Kate. They have two children Andrew and Victoria, and three grandchildren. Martin loves a bit of craic over a glass or two of wine and a spot of fly fishing when he is not tasked with odd jobs around the house.
Reg Roberts
Reg is a semi-retired Fellow Chartered Accountant who develops land and property projects in the UK and Canada. He’s an Aussie by birth, arrived in the UK in February 1983 and the country has suffered ever since!
He started shooting in 1971 with The Kings School, Parramatta. Reg has toured overseas with 11 GB teams including seven to Canada, one to Australia in 2005 as Captain, and was a target coach for the GB Palma winning teams in 2007 and 2015. His personal worldwide achievements include 19 H.M. Queen’s Final badges and six Bisley Grand Aggregate crosses. Reg was inducted into the “The Big 5” after captaining the GB Kolapore team in 2016 to an ICFRA target, record score of 1196 ex 1200.
He is married to Jennifer and has four children, two of which, Nick and Tim, are already avid fullbore shots.
Jeremy Tuck
Jeremy first shot fullbore at Bisley in 1973 with Whitgift School CCF. 2023 saw him, and his trusty blue range box, celebrate 50 years of shooting at Bisley. In that time he has won many finals badges in both the H.M. Queen’s Prize and St.George’s, and been selected for Surrey county and England. Jeremy came late to touring, with his first GB tour to Canada in 2013 and then to the USA and Canada in 2016. His first visit to Bloemfontein was in 2023, rounding off some hugely enjoyable tours to date.
Jeremy is looking forward to revisiting Bloemfontein which will be his first official GB Veterans appearance, but with ICFRA targets and tricky winds he expects to no longer be able to say he has ‘never dropped a point for GB’!
His wife Alison, appointing herself ‘shooting manager’, provides invaluable encouragement and constructive critical feedback when needed!
John Webster
John started shooting fullbore in the cadet force at Uppingham School in the early 1970’s, progressing to the Athelings (1974), NRA representative honours (1981 tour to Zimbabwe), England (Mackinnon 1984), and Great Britain (Canada 1987). He has since shot in all the Big 5 matches, as well as in the America Match, and has been on 12 overseas tours with GB or England teams, captaining three of them, most notably the 2011 GB team that won the Palma and Australia matches in Brisbane.
He has been actively involved in GB Veterans shooting since reaching the qualifying age, captaining them on their 2 previous tours, to South Africa (2018) and New Zealand (2019). This tour will be his sixth trip to South Africa with a target rifle, and he is very much looking forward to improving his Afrikaans beyond knowing the difference between a “lekker skiet” and a “kak skiet”.
Chris Weeden
SM
Chris’s principal club has been NLRC for the past 34 years, where he is now President. He shoots for and captains the county of Kent and has represented England in the National Match, and GB in the Kolapore and Australia matches. Chris has toured with GB to Canada, (including as Captain in 2017), West Indies and Zimbabwe & South Africa. This will be his first GB Veterans World Championships.
At Bisley, he has five Grand Aggregate crosses and has shot in 16 Sovereign’s Finals. In 2023, he won the Silver Medal, winning the second stage of the H.M. King’s Prize, after a tie shoot. When not shooting, he currently helps the NHS to achieve their IT Goals, to assist in patient care.
Living in an Old Rectory, with wife Jules, gives him the opportunity to hone his carpentry and DIY skills. He has three children and four grandchildren…who keeps him young, but tired.
David Young
Mostly to be seen shooting indoors at Salford and outdoors at Altcar and Huddersfield ranges, David still practices as an Architect and has designed indoor ranges including Salford 25m and Wigan 25m/50m, the latter being used for national training.
David is married to Marion whom he met at his University rifle club, and two of their four children, Bruce & Stuart, also compete. Having decided to spend much less time working, he has recently completed two GB tours to Canada. This will be his first GB Veterans excursion.
With 17 the H.M Queen’s Final badges, one the H.M. King’s Final badge and representation of England in the National & Mackinnon and Great Britain in the Commonwealth, Canada & America matches, he is looking forward to shooting in South Africa for the first time.
