Frank Godfrey

Frank Godfrey represented New Zealand in two Commonwealth Games.

At Christchurch in 1974, the Te Puke shooter competed in the fullbore rifle Queens Prize and finished a competitive 5th of the 29 competitors. Godfrey shot 100.8 in the first stage, to find himself in 15th place. The pressure was on Godfrey going into the second stage, with only 16 shooters to go through to the final. He had a better second stage and climbed to 10th.

In the final stage, the shooters’ targets were at 900 yards and 1000 yards. New Zealander Maurie Gordon grabbed all the headlines, shooting a bullseye on his last shot to secure the gold medal in an extremely tight finish. But Godfrey had a good final day, too, lifting himself to 5th with some very assured long-range shooting. His final score was 378.5. Gordon won with 387.26.

Godfrey had to wait 12 years for another crack at the Commonwealth Games. At Edinburgh in 1986, pistol shooter Greg Yelavich spearheaded the New Zealand efforts with two gold medals and a bronze. Godfrey competed in the fullbore rifle Queens Prize again, and also the fullbore rifle Queens Prize pair with Chester Burt.

He struggled in the individual fullbore rifle event, and could finish only 14th, well behind the winner, Stan Golinski of Australia with 396. However, Godfrey and Burt were much more competitive in the fullbore pair and eventually secured 5th placing. The event was won by Bill Baldwin and Alain Marion of Canada with 583.

Godfrey gained attention later in his career, which stretched into the 2000s, when he, Robin Mayston and Jack Cook, known as the Wise Men, would travel the country together, advising shooters with humour and generosity.