Royle Hutton (1938-2004) was an integral figure in Archery New Zealand. At first, when he attended Greenwood Archery Club in New Plymouth with his wife Alison and his daughter Kylee, there was no such thing as JAMA or Youth Archery. There was only an U18 class and no provision for children under the age of 10. Juniors were left to their own devices.
Working hard and starting with his own club, Greenwood, Royle started to work with what he called the “midgets”. His goal was to obtain recognition for the children and develop a system that would include them. He and Alison developed a structure for junior archery, which became JAMA (Juniors and Midget Archers, which was later changed to Junior Archery Member Association), and later, Youth Archery. Thanks to his tireless hard work, Youth Archery has specific age groups, its own medal structure, and a national monthly postal competition with awards and certificates. He was also integral in establishing the biennial international competition, the Trans-Tasman Junior Test. These days, it’s easy to think that Youth Archery has always been there, but it took years of work by Alison and Royle, dedication, and Royle’s vision to get to this point.
Royle was also a level three archery coach who was keen on developing juniors in the sport. He was also a National Judge, as became one of only three New Zealanders to attain International WA Judge status, from 1997-2003. He served at the Oceania Championships in Fiji in 2000, South Pacific Mini-Games in Norfolk Island in 2001 and the World Field Championships in Canberra in 2002. Royle was not only an experienced Judge but he also trained Judges. He ran the course to train National Judges in Fiji in the late 1990s and most of the successful candidates of that course are still officiating in Fiji.
Royle acted as Director of Shooting at National Tournaments, where his firm but courteous manner was much appreciated by all competitors. He also served on the Board of ANZ for many years, and had an archery store where if you needed something, he would be able to get it for you. His archery achievements are many, but Junior Archery will always be his legacy.
In memory of his hard work, the Royle Hutton Memorial tournament is shot every year on Waitangi Day.
This summary of Royle’s life was published in issue 503, March – April 2011
