The Big Game Rifle Club was founded in the early 80's ( 22nd November 1983 to be exact - I have the original committee minutes!) in the wake of Julian Knights' contretemps in Hoddle Street Melbourne, by a group of collectors of fine - mainly English heavy double rifles as a means of - should the excreta hit the legislative fan - justifying their ownership. Afterall - you don't need a 600NE to hunt in Victoria. Throught the 80's and most of the 90's the club flourished as doubles flooded into the country from India due to the commercial enterprise of a small band of dealers. Most of those doubles have now been re-exported - mainly due to the extremely advantageous situation for US buyers currency-wise - and the complicity of some nervous nellies who decided to get out of guns for fear having to see them go into the crusher after the Port Arthur massacre - and - dare I say - aided and abetted by the same band of dealers that originally imported them. Most of those original collectors lost interest in the club - and a great body of expertise on loading for, and shooting doubles was lost, possibly forever. Needless to say - classic doubles are pretty thin on the ground at Club shoots now. The Club is now- it seems to me - to be in the hands of a group of anglophobic, anti-elitists who are more interested in shooting blackpowder lever-action Winchesters, converted military Mausers and running 22RF events for women and children! To quote Ned Kelly - "Such is Life"!