Bowmen of Melville is an archery club located in Perth, Western Australia. It was founded in 1965 and celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2015. It is registered with both Archery Western Australia (AWA) and Archery Australia (AA). The club's current location is behind the Melville Glades Golf Club, on Beasley Road in Leeming. The club maintains a membership of seventy to eighty members.
Bowmen of Melville is one of four archery clubs located south of the Swan River in Perth.
When the club was founded in 1965 it was known as Fremantle Y Bowmen. At the time it was located in Fremantle.
The club's facilities are well above average compared to other archery clubs in WA and Australia. Its best feature is a 45-metre awning, providing protection from the elements including rain, wind and sun, which can be dangerous in Perth. This provides enough space for four targets and over 60 archers to shoot undercover concurrently.
In recent years Bowmen of Melville has been one of the biggest archery clubs in Western Australia. Its membership has at times exceeded 100 members. Although its membership fees are on par with other clubs in WA, it is still higher than other clubs in the eastern states.
Members have regular club shoots at the grounds at 12.30pm every Saturday afternoon. The club shoots are regularly target events, however the disciplines of field, clout and even 3D are also shot. Typically archers are able to shoot any combination of distances they choose from a comprehensive variety of options presented every week, to cater for all abilities.
Beginners are also able to shoot at the club. There are beginner lessons held every Saturday morning from 9.30-11.00am. These cost $20 for the session, which includes all equipment hire, tuition and target fees, which is comparable to other clubs in the area. Six Archery Australia accredited coaches volunteer for these mornings and many members are encouraged to help out too. Beginner archers must be over ten years of age to be allowed to shoot, and after twelve weeks you can join the club.
Bowmen of Melville is the home club to many talented Australian archers. Three Australian Olympians, Scott Hunter-Russel (Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000), Joanne Galbraith (Athens 2004) and Taylor Worth (London 2012, Rio 2016), all shot at Bowmen of Melville. Many other Australian and State representatives have also come from Bowmen of Melville.
The club has a strong Junior membership. Frequently the club makes up a large portion of the Junior State Team, which is traditionally one of the stronger teams in the country for recurve archery.