Starting Archery in Singapore by Bill Wee
My interest in target archery flourished when I was at the University of Sydney in the 1950s. There I started a small archery club, still in existence today, and it was there that I met many archers generous with their time and knowledge.
Archery in Singapore 1973
December 5, 1964 saw me start the first post colonial archery club in Singapore called ‘Singapore Bowmen’. We had our archery practice at the Singapore Gun Club. The Singapore Bowmen was subsequently renamed Singapore Company of Archers, and finally ‘Archery Club of Singapore’.
This photo above, taken in 1973 with my daughter Natalie and son Colin, was at my residence in Swettenham Road.
The practice venue initially moved from the British military grounds at Dempsey Road opposite the Botanics to the Polo Club at Marymount Road where we spent many years. We then moved to NUS Bukit Timah campus then called the Institute of Education. This was very close to where the Singapore Bowmen practiced at Cluny Road from 1949 to 1952.
The Archery Association was formed at the Polo Club lounge in 1967 with 5 clubs: ACS, RAF Seletar, University of Singapore, Hospital Club, and EDB Club. HDB and Metropolitan YMCA joined soon after. Target archery then was still a weekend sport, and it would take me another ten years to see 12 clubs starting and my son to represent Singapore overseas.
The bow you see above is a Hoyt TD1, with no v-bar, no carbon limbs, and Easton aluminium arrows as the only (and best) option available. Bows and arrows sure have come a long way. My hope is that starting target archers nowadays can continue to have the same excitement as I have had learning about the sport.
