Our Club, now known as The Monarto Clay Target Club, had its origins in Mannum and was known as the Mannum Gun Club, opening on private land around the late 1950s. When the Shooting Complex was formed at Monarto the members saw the advantage of being situated on a dedicated shooting ground with secure tenure. As a result the Mannum club moved to Monarto around 1980 and the then existing members built and funded the entire required infrastructure. Further, in the passing of time the Alexandra Gun Club, which was situated on private land at Milang and which was opened in 1953 was closed in 1996 due to the landowner’s requirement, they expressed the desire to relocate at Monarto. After some negotiation the Alexandra and Monarto members agreed to an amalgamation of the two clubs, to be known as the Monarto – Alexandra Clay Target Club Inc. The name change, after some delays was finally incorporated in 2000. In 2016 the club’s name was changed to be the Monarto Clay Target Club after consultation with members and the wider clay target community.
Throughout that period (some 50 odd years) all those clubs and now the amalgamated Monarto – Alexandra Clay Target Club Inc., have been affiliated with The South Australian Clay Target Association Inc., and Federally with The Australian Clay Target Association Inc., which are the peak bodies of this particular type of clay target shooting.
We shoot officially once a month, however additional scheduled monthly practice shooting is available.
This opportunity is taken to explain our position in relation to the grounds we occupy at the Monarto Shooting Complex. The Complex is a duly constituted body consisting of five independent shooting disciplines, each of which is represented on the Complex Council by two delegates. This body manages the total Complex facility of some twelve hundred acres of land that is on a long-term lease from the South Australian Government (administered by the Dept for Recreation and Sport). The concept of the Complex and its activities are clearly supported by the Government.
Apart from the regulation ACTA shooting events we have staged many State and Commonwealth Championship events. In addition, the Monarto Complex has already hosted the World Black Powder Championships on two occasion and all the shotgun events were shot at our club.