Army Reserves from Bunbury, Rockingham and Albany take aim for practice shoot at Coolilup defence range

Sharp ears may have heard some sharpshooting last weekend as a local reserve infantry battalion honed their skills. Alpha Company of the 11/28 Battalion Royal WA Regiment — which includes reserve soldiers from Bunbury, Rockingham and Albany — held their range practice to prepare for their required qualification shoot. Members of the infantry regiment practice firing EF88 rifles as well as F89 light support weapons, with the goal to fire rounds within a selected area of the target with all shots remaining close together. Sergeant Tony Robertson said it was good for reserve soldiers to get out and practice, firing at the Coolilup defence rifle range to ensure they were fully proficient as infantry soldiers. “We come together regularly to train as a company so we can provide operational capability when required on deployments and training exercises,” he said. “We need to remain current with our weapons and that’s why we’ve held this range practice so we can do our required qualification shoot.” Private Emily Matthews said the training helps instil confidence and is not as scary as people might think. “For females it’s great because it actually gives you variety in your life, I’m a hairdresser so it doesn’t get much more varied than cutting hair during the day then shooting on the weekends and working with great people,” she said. Ms Matthews said she encouraged more females to get involved.