Born in 1915, and a lifelong resident of Kamloops, BC, Mr. George Farquharson was a distinguished international marksman and his resume as a Target Rifle shooter is quite notable.

In the late 1980s “Farky” as he was known, looked to find a way to continue shooting with his friends even though he could no longer use iron sights, or a sling. The solution he and a group of fellow shooters came up with was to add a bipod and a magnified optic to his existing target rifle. By the early 90’s Farky was competing regularly in local matches at the Kamloops Target Sports Association, and through the British Columbia Rifle Association. It was around this time that he sought, and was granted approval by the DCRA to compete in what was now known as “F-Class” at the annual matches in Ottawa. Several of Farky’s friends decided to join him, putting F-Class on the National stage for the first time. Several members of that original group are still shooting in what is known as F-F class, which includes the original limit on bullet weight.

While it is fair to say that  F-Class today has evolved significantly from what was originally conceptualized by Mr. Farquharson and the group of friends who joined him in this “new” form of long range shooting, what cannot be denied is the impact that the development of F-Class has had in helping to grow the sport of rifle shooting both in Canada and around the world. F-Class is now governed internationally by ICFRA, and has conducted five World Championships, beginning in 2002 in Ottawa. 2021 will be the second time South Africa hosts an F-Class World Championship.