Hardy, an avid outdoorsman, was disappointed on 
     
     arrival to find that there was not an organized 
     
     shooting club, especially since he had heard that 
     
     Prince Edward Island was a veritable gold-mine for 
     
     shotgunners, with an abundance of wildfowl, ruffed 
     
     grouse, and crow; and those who remembered the 
     
     boardroom table at Montreal Trust, black with bounty- 
     
     earning crows' feet, recall that he loved crow 
     
     shooting. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In April of 1936 George Hardy attempted to 
     
     organize a new gun club, but was somewhat stymied in 
     
     that he was not familiar with either the local people 
     
     or their shooting habits. Undaunted, he hit on the 
     
     rifle association, deducting that, if he could find 
     
     some shooting enthusiasts who were used to 
     
     competition, and also avid wingshooters, he could 
     
     convince them of the merits of organized clay target 
     
     shooting, and form the nucleus of a new moving target 
     
     club. He also had heard of the Newstead Gun Club, 
     
     many years before, and discussed the matter witha 
     
     number of the old members who were still in 
     
     Circulation. Harry Tidmarsh had been one of the later 
     
     members to join the Newstead Club, had only developed 
     
     a brief taste of clay bird sports, and indicated his 
     
     desire to help in any way possible. 
     
    
   
   
    
     A number of potential members were approached, 
     
     and all expressed an interest in hearing more about 
     
     skeet shooting. An organizational meeting was held in 
     
     the board room of Montreal Trust on May 20th, and 
     
     George Hardy showed the assembled group clay target 
     
     action pictures he had taken over the years, described 
     
     the game by drawing a layout on the blackboard, and 
     
     generally conveyed his enthusiasm to the extent that, 
     
     before the meeting closed, they agreed to bring 
     
     organized clay target shooting back to the Island. 
     
    
   
   
    
     There is no complete record of all of the 
     
     individuals attending that first meeting, but some of 
     
     the first to pay a $5.00 membership, apart from George 
     
     Hardy and Harry Tidmarsh, were E. D. (Ed) Nicholson, 
     
     who will be remembered for his chewing tobacco 
     
    
   
   
    
     ~-142--