By Bronwyn Hastings

Kaniva shooter Lisa Hawker will compete in the Down The Line World Championships in New Zealand next year, after qualifying at the Australian titles in Perth.

Mrs Hawker said the top-three finishers made the women’s team,  joining a Queenslander and a shooter from New South Wales.

“To qualify we had to shoot 50 double-barrel, 50 single, and 50 points to find the top five shooters,” she said.

“The following day we had to shoot 100 points to find out the qualification order – I was lucky enough to come in second place.

“I had no expectations, it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Mrs Hawker has represented Australia in down the line shooting twice before.

“I went to South Africa in 2010, and in 2012 I went to Wales and was lucky enough to come home with an individual silver medal,” she said.

Mrs Hawker, 51, took up the sport about 23 years ago.

“My husband Wayne is the shooter, and our son and daughter shoot too,” she said.

“Wayne has been my coach. There are a lot of young shooters coming through the competitions who have been coached, but my husband is mine. 

“Wayne’s consistent, he just missed out on the veteran’s team by one point, so he will go to New Zealand as an emergency.”

Mrs Hawker said she had seven months off shooting after the nationals last year.

“Wayne said before our state titles that I had better pull the gun out and have some practise, and I really haven’t looked back since,” she said.

“A break can be good, it gets rid of the bad habits.”

Mrs Hawker is having a new stock made for her gun, but said she was in two minds.

“I don’t know whether to use that one or keep my old girl – sometimes it’s best to keep what you know,” she said.

Mrs Hawker’s team will land in New Zealand the day before the national championships.

“We’ll shoot that across five or six days, have one day off and then we shoot the worlds,” she said.

“That’s three days – 100 targets the first day, 100 targets the second day, and 50 the third day, then they work out who’s qualified for the final.

“If you qualify, then you go out and shoot another 50, so it’s three full-on days.”

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