PODIUM SPOT IN 2011 FOR GEORGES-HENRY BODSON
OF MOMALLE IN ROYAL BELGIAN FLYING CLUB
by John David
Georges-Henry Bodson right with loft helper Bernard Ancia
After a very successful season in 2011 in National and International races Georges-Henry Bodson was delighted to gain a podium place in the Royal Belgian Flying Club for the very first time and by so doing achieved one of his life-long ambitions.
This is by no means an easy feat to achieve as only your first two nominated pigeons count in the points system over the whole series of races flown which comprises of ten Nationals of which six are International. Three points are gained if your nominated pigeons finish in the first third of the prizes in the race, two points in the second third and one point if you finish in the last third of the prizes.
The Royal Belgian Flying Club was founded 125 years ago and is the oldest and most prestigious club in the world. It works on the basis of “Academie francaise” and always has thirty members from all over Belgium who have to go through a very tough selection procedure before being allowed entry into the club. When someone dies or leaves for health reasons, his successor has to be proposed by two godfathers, which the club have to accept unanimously. The RBFC can boast among its members many of the most famous Belgian fanciers. We find in the club even today names such as Vereecke, Vanneste, Lietaer, Dr Gyselbrecht, Norman, Martens, Van den Broeke, De Scheemaecker, Aerens, Dr Smets etc
The members have regular get-togethers in their superb HQ in Brussels. Six meetings a year take place in the magnificent lounge of “La Maison du Cygne”. Four of these are for working meetings in March, April, September and October, then in July the summer buffet is held and in December the end of year banquet and prize-presentation takes place. The Championship is competed for in the six International races of Pau, Barcelona, Tarbes, Marseille, Narbonne and Perpignan as well as from four of the seven long distance national races like Montelimar, Cahors, Montauban, Bordeaux, Brive, Orange and Souillac. It's incredible to think that Roger Vereecke, the Godfather of Georges-Henry Bodson (Club Secretary) and Luc Van den Broecke (Club President), has participated in this championship on 34 occasions winning 26 podium positions during that time, and on 8 occasions finished in premier position on the top step. Georges-Henry has confided in me that much of his success this year is down to the excellent advice give to him over the years by Roger Vereecke.
So how did this friendship all begin?
They met in 1978 and since that time Georges-Henry and two friends travelled over 100 miles to visit Roger on a regular basis to see the birds return from National and International races such as Brive and Barcelona and to have a look at the pigeons during the winter period. It was not until 1981 that Georges-Henry signed Roger’s Golden book. However that same year George-Henry created and developed his own optician’s business. This proved to be not only hard work but very time consuming with very many visits abroad and coupled with family commitments meant Georges-Henry could not continue in the sport he loved.
During his time away on business trips when visiting countries Georges-Henry would always send Roger post cards to keep in touch.
When Georges-Henry re-commenced in the sport in his family home Waremme in 2001 Roger offered him a series of youngsters. That very same year Roger Vereecke and his friend Rene Brabant proposed the candidacy of Georges-Henry as trainee of the famous Royal Belgian Flying Club. In 2002 George-Henry made his entry into the Flying club and became the Secretary in 2005 under the Presidency of Luc Van den Broeke.
I first visited Georges-Henry in 2008 after I purchased the pigeon he bred in Sun City (Sauternes) for the million dollar race the previous year which repaid me handsomely as he scored high up in the final race in South Africa in 2007. His breeding was Vereecke x Imbrecht and his offspring have done well for Fred Scholtz of Welkom in South Africa where I left him for breeding purposes in Fred’s capable hands.
I remember when I rang Georges-Henry and asked would he sell some birds similarly bred, his reply was “I am secretary of the RBFC so I am unable to sell pigeons”. However later at the time of my visit to his farm he kindly offered me some later youngsters out of his Barcelona team that year free of charge to try out for which I am eternally grateful. Incidentally Georges-Henry sent 32 to Barcelona that year and clocked 16 on the winning day in a very hard race. I hope to try out some of their offspring in longer races in Wales in 2012.
The palatial home of the race team (converted farm buildings)
When you drive into Momalle you cannot fail to be impressed by the magnificent farm buildings where the birds are housed. Prior to moving to Momalle space was very limited in Waremme where the pigeons were kept, and then one day Georges-Henry’s uncle suggested that he settle his pigeons in a wing of the magnificent spacious farm in Momalle. Georges-Henry was very ambitious in his desire to compete successfully at International level so was very grateful for this opportunity. So it came to pass that from 2005 a team of youngsters were flying out from the farm at Momalle. More recently the pigeons have been settled on two sides of the farm. On one side there are six compartments for the widowers as well as two aviaries for the hens and two sections for the young birds.
A close up of part of the breeding loft interior of Georges-Henry
The approach road showing the magnificent farm buildings in the district of Momalle of Georges-Henry Bodson
On the other side you will find 22 breeding boxes for the stock birds along with an aviary and four dovecotes with outside aviaries. Some fantastic stock birds are housed in these lofts including a magnificent mealy cock who was the last son of the Ace “Espoir” of Germain Imbrecht. Another superb hen I handled was a daughter of 1st International Dax 2006 for Hilaire Verhellen.
However 80% of the stock comes direct from Roger Vereecke of Deerlijk and it was offspring of these that proved such a great success for Georges-Henry in 2011.
Found in the dovecotes of the breeding loft are descendents of “The Invalied”, “The Baron”, “The Little Barcelona”, “The Feniks”, “The Derby”, “The Cahors”, and The “Tarbes” etc., all famous Aces of the Roger Vereecke dynasty. So fanciers can see the crème de la crème of the Deerlijk loft are housed at Momalle. In fact many people say it is a branch house of the Roger Vereecke colony! Other birds have been introduced from his friends in the RBFC and outside including Imbrechts and Verhellen mentioned above, Henry VanNeste, Silvere Toye and more recently some pigeons of the highly reputable strain of Dieter Ballmann from Amel.
So what made 2011 such a good one for the Momalle loft with great performances put up such as 1st Provincial, 15th National, 36th International Tarbes(Agen)(10,695 birds); 37th national Brive(10,089) birds; 62nd National Orange(4,865 birds); 210th & 223rd National Tarbes; 244th & 277th National Marseilles(3,179 birds) etc.
Because of Georges-Henry`s business commitments, from the middle of February 2011 help has been forthcoming from Bernard Ancia who has an excellent record within the Province for previous successes in middle distance races. After pairing up, the birds could not be given their freedom before Mid-April because of attacks from birds of prey. Then when training from 300 and 400 km returns were not as good as expected so veterinarians were consulted and treatment carried out. From mid June the loft came good and a purple patch for performances happened during the period 18th June until 23rd July when 18 top prizes were achieved from a team of 36 racers. Georges-Henry attributes this success to the quality and origin of his pigeons, the excellent dry and airy conditions in which the birds are housed, the health of the birds and in particular due in no small way to the great care and observation of Bernard Ancia who holds the view is that this exceptional family of birds are capable of much more in 2012 given the correct preparation.
So at the end of 2011 the approximate thirty old birds and forty yearlings will be paired at the beginning of December and will be allowed to rear a single young bird. They will then be separated and coupled again at the end of March and will be allowed to sit for a few days until the widowhood system starts.
The young birds have about ten tosses between 5 and 50 Km, then they go to five or six training races with the club from 100 to 200 km.
As yearlings they race every week from 100 to 350 km, then participate in three or four races around 500km. The least successful yearlings are tested from Narbonne a distance of 850km.
The winner of Tarbes (Agen) known as “The Cahors”
During the week of basketing for the Tarbes International “The Cahors”, a mealy cock, showed many signs of being in great form. During the daily training flights he tried to take a box in another dovecote. When the occupant of the dovecote went out he followed him closely in the same way as a cock and hen that are paired together. The cock that he followed for a few days was none other than “The 113”, the 62nd National from Orange who was a full brother and certified copy and colour of the female originally paired to “The Cahors”. Although Georges-Henry does not normally show the hens before basketing for long distance flights on this occasion on the advice of Roger Vereecke he showed the hen for a few seconds. The international birds at Tarbes were released at Agen on the Wednesday after 8 days in the basket. Bernard and Georges-Henry knew that if they clocked before 6.45pm it would be a formidable time to beat in the area so you can imagine their absolute joy and emotion when “The Cahors” (who incidentally finished 235th Cahors National 8,105 birds earlier in the season) dived like a rocket into the loft at 6.39.09pm to be the first home In the Liege club and 1st Provincial to boot! They then realised this was a truly great performance for “The Cahors” who finished 15th Nat and 37th International (10,695) birds.
The” Cahors” winner of 1st Prov Tarbes, 15th Nat, and 37th International for Georges-Henry Bodson picture above with his father pictured below
A son of the famous “Cahors” of Roger Vereecke. Sire of G H Bodson`s “Cahors”
You can see that the winner from Tarbes (2011)067/2008 is a G/son of both “The Cahors” and “Kleine Barcelona” of Roger Vereecke.
Winner of 1st RBFC, 37th National Brive 2011(10,089) birds for Georges-Henry Bodson
As I compiled these notes Georges-Henry rang and gave me the final listings of points gained for 2011 in the Royal Belgian Flying Club which is as follows:
1st Tony Martens Lummen 27 pts
2nd Henri Van Neste Feluy 25 pts
3rd Georges-Henry Bodson Momalle 23 pts
4th Filip Norman Westkapelle 22 pts
5th Dr Gyselbrecht Ruiselde 21 pts
Roger Vereecke being presented by Hubert Vanacker at RBFC presentaion banquet in 2008. RHS Luc Van Den Broeke President
It is an interesting fact that Roger has participated in the championship of the RBFC on 34 occasions and has won 28 podium positions over this time with 8 x in first place.
There is also a championship in the RBFC for the 13 National and International races flown in 2011 with the fanciers honoured who clock the first pigeon home in each race.
The following fanciers are the winners in 2011
T Martens won Souillac 46th National (5,667 birds); 22nd Perpignan (5,591) birds
Henri Van Neste won Marseille 48th National (3,179) birds
Georges-Henry Bodson won Brive 37th National (10,089) birds and Tarbes 15th National (4,818) birds
Filip Norman won Pau 59th National (2,283) birds and Narbonne 68th National (6,428) birds
S Haex won Montelimar 62nd National (8,040) birds and Barcelona 291st National (12,170) birds
R Pirlot won Orange 32nd National (4,865) birds
H Vanacker won Bordeaux 37th National (4,866) birds
J Peters won Cahors 47th National (8,105) birds
A Lietaer won Montauban 236th National (9,091) birds
Georges-Henry with one of the true legends of the Belgian sport (the late Emile Materne)
Georges-Henry has felt very privileged to be Secretary of this famous club over the last six years when he has rubbed shoulders with many of the real greats of the sport including the late EMILE MATERNE.
Before finishing Georges Henry would like to dedicate the above series of results in his loft to his great friend and mentor Roger Vereecke who underwent a difficult surgical operation in January of this year and due to these unfortunate circumstances was unable to manage his colony as he would have wished this season.
Georges-Henry’s final lifetime ambition now is to top the Royal Belgian Flying club and knowing Georges-Henry as I do am quite sure this will happen in the not too distant future.
Georges-Henry with his mentor and great friend Roger Vereecke at the Royal Belgian Flying Club HQ in Brussels
John David Havachat Bungalow, Mwyndy, Pontyclun RCT CF728PN
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