Shooting

Gwen Spencer Hethey (2021)

Gwen Spencer

The trailblazer for women in Canadian shooting over a 22-year career from 1930 to 1952, Gwen Spencer Hethey began shooting at age 22 under the tutelage of her neighbour and GVSHOF 2001 inductee Maj. Fred Richardson. She had such a natural eye that Fred introduced her to military fullbore rifle at Heals Range. She joined the James Island Rifle Club and BC Rifle Association (BCRA) in 1930 and became the first female ever to compete in the annual Fullbore Championships.

Just two years later, in 1932, Gwen won the provincial Weiler Trophy against seasoned male military and police shooters and went to Bisley as the first and, at that time, only female ever to represent Canada, paying her own way as only military men were funded. She won 1st place in the Non-Military Open Class and became the first Canadian ever to win the Amazon Trophy.

In 1936, Gwen won the BC Lieutenant Governor’s J. Dunsmuir Trophy – the highest award in BC – and is still the only woman to have won this trophy. She shot 15 bullseyes from 900 yards – setting the women’s world record - and was carried on a chair on the shoulders of her fellow competitors to collect her prize. In 1937, she won the BC Douglas Cup Trophy and, in 1938, Gwen returned to Bisley at her own expense. She placed 6th of 1200 competitors in the All-Comers Aggregate and was presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace as the top ranking woman shot in the Empire. She was not allowed to compete for the King’s Cup because she was a civilian.

For that same reason, by 1937, Gwen had three times earned a place on the provincial team to the Governor General’s Cup but was not allowed to compete. At the urging of her admirers, the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA) changed the rules and Gwen competed in 1938. She won the first stage with a perfect score (a feat only twice before accomplished by men) and tied for first place in the final. With the first four places reserved for the military, Gwen was dropped to fifth. However, in 1939, the regulations changed, reserving the first two places for the military, and Gwen received a letter of regret from the DCRA, saluting her for having achieved the highest overall score in the 1938 competition and including the bronze medal, retroactively.

All competition was suspended from 1940 through 1946. In 1947, Gwen was inducted as a Life Member of the BCRA and in 1948, won the BC Grand Aggregate Silver Badge - the first female to be placed in the BC Scroll of Marksmanship since its inception in 1874.

Widowed at 39 with two young boys, Gwen withdrew from competition in 1949 but continued her involvement at the local level into the 1950s. Seen in the context of her times and the culture in which she had to compete, Gwen’s achievements were truly amazing.

Sandy Peden (2015)

Sandy Peden

Sandy was born in Edmonton in 1934. From a young age he was a competitor and he was the Alberta junior cycling road racing champion from 1949 to 1952. He later competed in the Canadian cycling team trials for the 1954 Empire Games in Vancouver, and the 1958 BC Centenary 100 mile bicycle race from Qualicum to Victoria. Sandy played basketball and football while a young man in the Canadian Navy until a knee injury in 1960 sent him on the path to what would become his lifelong sport: full bore target shooting.

Sandy enjoyed success as a marksman, representing the Royal Canadian Navy in the Canadian service rifle championships in the early '60s, representing British Columbia at the Canadian national championships 26 times, and qualifying and participating 19 times as a member of the Canadian national team to Bisley, England. Sandy won the Lt. Governor's Prize at the British Columbia Rifle Association's annual meeting three times, and, amongst many other Canadian shooting achievements, was Canadian Champion in 1981 and winner of ten Governor General of Canada medals.

On the international stage, Sandy represented Canada in full bore shooting at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia in 1982 and in Auckland, New Zealand in 1990. He was a shooter or coach in ten World Champion team events. Sandy served for seven years as a volunteer for the XV Commonwealth Games Society on the sports committee and lobbying committee, and finally acted as chairman of all shooting sports during the XV Commonwealth Games in Victoria.

Sandy has also contributed to the organization of shooting over the past almost 50 years. He is a life governor of the British Columbia Rifle Association, which is the oldest sporting association in British Columbia, having an inception date of 1874. He is also a life governor of the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association, and a Vice-president of the National Rifle Association of Great Britain. He was elected to the DCRA hall of fame in 2000 and the Honour Roll of Canadian Forces Hall of Fame.

Sandy's real contribution to the sport of full bore target rifle shooting has been as a coach, where his achievements are many and illustrious. Sandy coached the Canadian full bore rifle team in the 1986, 1998 and 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the Malaysian team at the 2006 Games. He has been coach to many Canadian rifle teams at shooting competitions worldwide. He was the chief coach of the Canadian Army Cadet full bore rifle team to Bisley in 1981 and '82. For many years, he coached the 676 Air Cadets in Sidney, BC winning two national championships and runner-up twice. Sandy's shooters have won many Commonwealth Games medals, world championship medals, and provincial and national awards.

He has enjoyed the unconditional support of his wife, Margaret and family throughout the years of his shooting career.
SPONSORED BY LITTLE & DAVIES / INSURANCE | FINANCIAL PLANNING

Shooting

Gwen Spencer Hethey (2021)

Sandy Peden (2015)

Search For an Inductee

Others In Category

ABOUT THE GREATER VICTORIA
SPORTS HALL OF FAME

FOLLOW US