GOSA Girls from Bronkhorstspruit teach women how to protect themselves
Girls on Fire from Bronkhorstspruit held their popular introduction to handguns courses at the Cecil Payne Shooting Range in Roodepoort.
Girls on Fire from Bronkhorstspruit held their popular introduction to handguns courses on November 11 at the Cecil Payne Shooting Range in Roodepoort.
This powerful team comprises volunteers who give freely of their time and skills to enrich the lives of other women.
This course saw a team of 12 women instructors and about 24 participants. Two of the original Girls On Fire members contributed to the course.
Belinda Goldswain and Montenique Booley have been with the team since its inception in 2015. Booley is also a director of their parent organisation, Gun Owners South Africa (GOSA) NPC.
Lynette Oxley, the founder and CEO of GOSA Girls On Fire, said, “I was extremely proud to see how these ladies stood back and oversaw a new crop of range officers and staff, allowing even the range officers to develop their skills.”
Goldswain, an experienced IPSC range officer, sport shooter and firearm owner, introduced new recruit Elgerea de Waal to the basics of handling handguns.
“We have been doing these basic courses for about eight years throughout SA, and we start with a classroom session. We always start with all the women introducing themselves and the reason why they are there.
“When introducing herself, one participant burst into tears as repressed trauma bubbled to the surface,” said Oxley.
The winner of the Christa Swart Fighting Spirit Award, Keshna Schoeman (a survivor of a brutal home invasion last year), from the Ribbons of Justice and Justice for Chad movements, helped for the first time, not as a participant but as part of the Girls On Fire team.
Keshna helped a lady who burst into tears (also a survivor of a home invasion) to shoot some of the firearms.
The classroom session concentrated on various topics, including situational awareness, the legal requirements for owning a firearm in SA, safety precautions, the fundamentals of shooting a handgun and much more.
After the classroom session, they moved to the range, where the range officers took the participants through shooting six different handguns – three Caniks and three Glocks.
Most of the participants were apprehensive at first, but under the guidance of the range officers, they soon got the hang of things, and apprehension transformed into smiles.
“I am extremely proud of my team of range officers and staff. These empowered women set an example to others that every woman can be a warrior and step out of the darkness into the bright light. There was a great feeling of sisterhood between all the participants and staff,” said Oxley.
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