Anderson (66) grew up on a high-country farm in the Wanaka region.
''I've been shooting since I was big enough to hold a gun for rabbits, quail, deer and ducks,'' he said.
''When I was 20 some of my older mates decided it was time for me to join the Wanaka Gun Club.''
He keeps himself fit by walking up and down the steep Wanaka hills in his job and it has been reflected in his shooting scores.
''Shooting depends on your eyes,'' he said.
''I suppose my reflexes slow down a bit when I get older.''
This was not evident during the Masters Games clay target shooting on the rifle range at Waldronville on Saturday.
He won the gold medal in the skeet in convincing fashion in the over-65 grade.
Anderson stands out on the rifle range. He is the sharpshooter with the long white beard.
He has an aura about him as he prepares for a shoot. He is meticulous and thorough and his eyesight and quick reactions have not declined with the years.
The sheep and beef farmer has several badges on his shooting jacket. Two of them commemorate the time when the Wanaka Gun Club won big events.
One badge celebrates the Wanaka Gun Club's win in the Bodkin Shield competition two years in a row. It is one of the most prestigious trophies in New Zealand shooting.
Anderson has won medals at every Masters Games he has contested in Dunedin since 1992.
Anderson enjoys the camaraderie of gun club events.
''You have people from all walks of life in the sport,'' he said.
''We all have something in common.''
There are doctors, lawyers, accountants and farmers. Most of the members used to be farm-oriented, on rabbit boards or married couples.
''There is only a sprinkling of farmers now.''
he said.''
Anderson believes shooters who want to excel at the sport should start early.
''The sooner they start the better,'' he said.
''We have some school pupils in our club at Wanaka. They have the sharp eyes that we lose a bit later on.
''We sometimes lose them for a few years when they get a car, a girlfriend and a mortgage. But some come back.''
Anderson feels lay target shooting is a great sport to develop self discipline.
''It is one of the sports that can be done when you are young and can still be done when you are old,'' he said.
''It is a lifetime sport and I've seen people in wheelchairs doing it.''
There are 30 members in the Wanaka Gun Club''We own our own ground and the clubrooms,'' he said.
''That is a luxury that a lot of clubs don't have. We worked pretty hard to get it.''
He likes to do many of the adventure things that Wanaka is noted for.
''But I don't ski much now,'' he said.
''I did when the kids were growing up.''
