Everyone at STS are very sorry to hear of the death of Hamish Hunter on Thursday, 5th of January 2023.
Hamish in his kilt at Barry Buddon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
Hamish went to school at the Glasgow Academy and took great advantage of the opportunities offered through the cadet corps activities by learning to play the pipes and to shoot rifles. Through his four years in the pipe band he eventually became the pipe major. However, despite playing the pipes for many years afterwards, it was shooting that became his passion and where he developed his lifelong love of the sport. With the school team, he travelled three times to Bisley to shoot in the Schools Meeting and in 1968 stayed on after the Schools Meeting to shoot in his first National Championship. After leaving school, throughout his professional life as a Chartered Accountant, and then into retirement, this was to become an annual pilgrimage. As his skill and proficiency gradually developed both at his local club at Dechmont near Glasgow and by competing elsewhere in the UK, he advanced to shoot for his county, Scotland and eventually Great Britain. On his journey, he made a multitude of friends both in the UK and abroad and of course, once met never forgotten, with his bright flaming red hair and irrepressible enthusiasm.
However, it was not only on the rifle range that he shone. He willingly took on many administrative functions starting as secretary of the thriving West of Scotland Rifle Club (WSRC) in the ‘70’s through until 1987. Part of this role included organising the annual Scottish Championships initially at Dechmont, with assistance from his mother, another able administrator. He then took the Championships to Barry Buddon near Carnoustie where he was also organiser of the Scottish Long Range Championships and finally moved it to its current home of Blair Atholl. Throughout his active shooting career, in fact, his administrative involvement in club, SRA and STSF matters was both deep and prolonged. Being an accountant, he was ideally suited to Hon. Treasurer roles and was consequently entrusted with overseeing the finances of WSRC, WARC, SRA, NRC of S and STSF.
In his long and distinguished shooting career in both Target Rifle (TR) and Match Rifle (MR), he first shot for Scotland in the National Match in 1972, which was to be the first of almost annual selections for over 40 years, with all of them latterly as target coach. Similarly in the Mackinnon match, he started the first of several appearances in the team in 1977, when Scotland won, and again became a regular coach in later years. His first GB TR tour to New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong was under the captaincy of Lord Swansea in 1979, departing Heathrow eight hours late on New Year’s eve in 1978 on the last flight out of the airport before it was closed due to a snowstorm. During the tour he shot in both the Palma Match in New Zealand and the Empire match in Canberra as well as shooting in Sydney, Tasmania, Adelaide and Hong Kong.
Hamish at the SRA USA Tour in 2014
He featured in many Scotland Touring teams over the years, visiting Canada first in 1976 with Alistair Munro in BC then again in BC in 1981 with Jack Anderson and ultimately 1995 and 2005 at Connaught, the last being under Bill Sharman’s (Womble’s) captaincy. He travelled to South Africa with the unofficial Tartan Target Team led by John Glen in the days of Apartheid and again in 2009 when Allan Mabon took an official Scotland Team, followed by tours to Australia twice, the second time in David Hossack’s Team and New Zealand in 1992 when he himself captained the Scotland Team when Scotland competed (under special NRA dispensation) in international matches against NZ, Aus and GB. He was also one of a small team of privileged firers who visited the Falkland Islands after the cessation of hostilities with Argentina.
His TR successes in individual competitions include Scottish Championship wins at Barry, the Grand Aggregate at the Altcar Meeting in the early ‘80s where his prize was a gold watch which he wore for years afterwards, Queen’s Prize finalist on 10 occasions, culminating as Runner-up in the 1992 Final.
In MR he finished 8th as a Tyro in his first Hopton. He went on from there to represent Scotland as a shooter and later coach in many Elcho Teams, including several which won. In 2004 he was a member of the GB MR tour to Australia.
Through his association with STSF, he became heavily involved with Commonwealth Games Fullbore-Rifle shooting at both the administrative and managerial levels, being overall Shooting Team Manager for the Manchester Games (held at Bisley) in 2002, and thereafter helping run Scotland House, the base for all Scottish CWG athletes, Team PR matters and visitors, at the Melbourne Games in 2006.
He will be sorely missed on many ranges in the world, with his striking appearance, bubbly personality and bonhomie leaving a lasting impression on all that he met.
Our thoughts are with his family and many friends at this time.
The funeral will take place at 15:00 on Tuesday 24th January at the Hurlet Crematorium, Glasgow Road, Glasgow, G53 7TH and afterwards a reception will be held at the Dalmeny Park House Hotel in nearby Barrhead.
Article from the NRA website