The Callawadda Stawell Clay Target club member journeyed to Wagga Wagga two weeks ago to compete in the national down the line shooting championships before he went on to represent Australia for the third time at the International Clay Target Shooting Federation’s 13th world down the line championships.

Dunn, a gold medalist from the 2006 championships also held in Wagga Wagga, competed in the Super Veterans event for Australia’s second team, where he and his two teammates picked up bronze.

The medal win came as a surprise to Dunn.

“I was in Albury on the way home when I got a call to say we had won bronze,” he said.

“I was quite chuffed to hear we had won bronze because I thought we hadn’t shot particularly well.”

Ausrtralia’s first team took out gold while England finished second.

Conditions were difficult for shooting, with winds reaching speeds of 50 kilometres per hour. Dunn said it was “very tough” to shoot accurately in the windy and dusty conditions.

“It was hard to shoot good scores so what we shot we thought was not going to be good enough. All the other teams must have struggled with the weather too.”

The championships were held at a recently upgraded shooting facility in Wagga Wagga which has become the home of Australian shooting.

Dunn said the atmosphere at the championships was “amazing”.

“There was more than 800 people that competed at the worlds and everyone seemed to agree it was a very well run carnival,” he said.

Dunn said his passion for the sport burns even stronger after his experience.

“The fellowship of the sport is fantastic. You get to meet people from all over the country and the world,” he said.

“I would say to anyone who is interested to come down to the Callawadda gun club and give it a go. It is a great facility for people to learn how to handle and shoot guns.”