The idea to get a beginners lesson in shooting sounded great. Many years, back in Switzerland, I tried to shoot with a pistol. Well, I tried… that was it.

Of course I had to tell everybody who would listen that I was going to get a shooting lesson. Since I have a reputation of exaggerating I told the boys at the office that the range belongs to the Swiss Rifle Club. And, of course, I would be shooting with the Swiss Army rifle. You should have seen their faces.

So, on Sunday January 16th, I went to the Spruce Grove Shooting range. Once there I was told that: No, unfortunately the range is not theirs, and no I would not lay my hands on an Army rifle. We had a good laugh.

Daniel Farner was my personal instructor. How to hold the rifle turned out to be the first challenge.  Automatically, I closed my right eye. Not a good idea if you want to shoot with your right side. So I was given a shield to cover my left eye. After I was assured that there was no recoil I tried my first shot.  Once I got the idea I couldn’t be stopped. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you Daniel, Jeannette and Joe for your instructions and patience. On my last try I had a score of 77 out of a 100 points.  Of course I had to show the targets to the boys. They were impressed. Well, little Swiss bookkeepers are full of surprises.

Marion Steger