Author: Sally Walker

Celebrating Our Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

Archery volunteers week

Last week was National Volunteer Week, and Archery Australia took the opportunity to shine a light on the volunteers who are the heart of our sport. From the earliest come and try sessions through to national championships, volunteers are woven into every part of the archery experience. Coaches, officials, judges, club committee members, handy helpers, […]

This Mother’s Day Meet the Mum Who Has Given 19 Years to Archery

Plenty of mums drive their kids to sport on weekends. Fewer end up running the club. This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating one who did — and then some. When Lynette Rankin-Tyack’s son needed his bow tuned and his coach was away, she borrowed a library book and figured it out. That was 19 years ago. She never really stopped. Today she is one of only two Level 3 coaches at Sunshine Coast Archery (SQAS), a national judge of 19 years standing, and the woman who once stepped in to save her entire club from closure. From the library shelf to the coaching line Lynette came to archery through her son, the way many parents do. But where most stay on the sideline, she kept moving toward the centre. She trained as a coach, then as a judge. She kept going. The Level 3 coaching qualification (the highest available through Archery Australia) reflects years of formal development. But the archers who’ve trained under Lynette will tell you the more important education happened on the range, one session at a time. She watches. She listens. She adjusts her approach to the person in front of her, not a coaching template. As a national judge, her role operates at the other end of the process: quieter, but just as necessary. Behind every archer who has competed nationally and built the results needed to chase international selection, there are accredited officials ensuring everything is run correctly. Lynette has been one of those officials for nineteen years. The year she saved a club In 2010, the Sunshine Coast Archery Club was on the verge of losing its grounds. The land was set to be handed back to local council, and without a solution, the club faced collapse. Lynette put her hand up. She took on the administration of the club, reinvigorated its operations, and ensured that archers on the Sunshine Coast still had a home to train and compete in. It’s the kind of contribution that doesn’t make headlines, but shapes a sport for a generation. Without that decision, there is no club. No home ground. No pathway for the archers who’ve come through since. Most of them probably don’t know how close it came to disappearing. Making archers, keeping them What those who know Lynette describe most isn’t the credentials or the titles. It’s the way she coaches. Patient. Attentive to the individual. Genuinely invested in each person who picks up a bow. For archer Hannah, that investment has extended well beyond the range. Hannah’s parent describes it this way: “Lynette has played an integral part in Hannah’s journey as an archer, but also in shaping her into the resilient young woman she is today. She has not only coached Hannah to State, National and International events, but has supported her through challenges and personal accomplishments over the past five years. Her authenticity stands out and is widely admired — equally as much as her quick wit and infectious laugh. Lynette is our loved, guiding figure and matriarch of the Sunshine Coast Archery Club.” It’s a sentiment that runs through the club. Plenty of archers have arrived at Sunshine Coast Archery not knowing what to expect, and found under Lynette’s guidance not just a skill but a lasting passion. In a lot of cases, a mentor who sticks around long after the competition ends. This Mother’s Day Eighteen years of volunteering. Nineteen years of judging. A club rescued from closure. A generation of archers coached and guided. And it all started with a mum, a library book, and a broken bow. This Mother’s Day, the archery community on the Sunshine Coast and well beyond has every reason to be grateful that Lynette Rankin-Tyack showed up that day. She never really stopped.

Plenty of mums drive their kids to sport on weekends. Fewer end up running the club. This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating one who did…and then some! When Lynette Rankin-Tyack’s son needed his bow tuned and his coach was away, she borrowed a library book and figured it out. That was 19 years ago. She never […]

International Competition is Kicking into Gear for 2026

International competition kicks into gear in Bangkok

Asia Cup #1 Heading to the first Asia Cup of the year in Thailand, we had a team that needed the competition and had been training well in the lead up. With little match play competition in Australia is always good to test the nerves and see how we can translate training to competition. We […]

RGB Teams Locked In for the 2026 National Youth Championships

RGBs state teams locked in for the national youth championships

Recurve, Barebow and Compound squads confirmed from across the country. Here’s who’s heading to Launceston to represent their state. The 2026 National Youth Championships kick off in Launceston next week, and the RGB teams are locked in. Alongside the individual competition, the RGB team scores  will build some state vs state competitive excitement as the […]

Come and Experience Archery for Free This April in Launceston

Young archers competing at the Archery Australia National Youth Championships

The National Youth Championships are bringing the buzz of a major sporting event right to your doorstep and everyone’s invited. From 9–13 April 2026, some of Australia’s best young archers will be in Launceston competing for national titles and personal bests at the Archery Australia National Youth Championships. The competition runs across five action-packed days, […]

What Women Give, Archery Gains – Celebrating International Women’s Day

International Women's Day Archery Australia

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Give to Gain.” We see this every day in our archery community through contributions from women at all levels of the sport, and archery richly gains because of what they give. Whether behind the bow, behind the desk or behind the athletes, our passionate and hard-working female […]

World Cancer Day and the Archery Community

National Youth Champs Featured

World Cancer Day, held on 4th February, is a time to recognise the many ways cancer touches our communities, including within archery. In Australia, it’s estimated that 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. Our archery community is not immune to this. Yet when cancer affects individuals, […]

2026 Youth Nationals – 9th – 13th April. Launceston Tasmania

National Youth Champs Featured

Dates 9th – 13th April The Youth Nationals tournament is open to all archers in the U14 – U21 age Divisions (as at 1/1/26) and will cater to all bow types. Rounds to be included at the tournament are: Entries close 9 March 2026. Please register here For international visitor wanting to register, please use […]

2025 National Volunteer of the Year Award

AA Volunteer of the Year Award 2025

This year the Archery Australia Board introduced the National Volunteer of the Year Award to highlight and honour volunteers whose leadership, dedication, and service have made a significant impact on archery in Australia. Archery in Australia would not survive without the dedicated people who give their time, expertise, and passion to help our sport thrive. […]