NEWS FROM DOWN UNDER
by Doug McClary
Showing fairness
A show was held recently at Sydney with 650 entries with two overseas judges, one from the USA and Andy Lowe of Nottingham. Unbelievably it transpires that the judging slips contained the names of the exhibitors. How crazy is this and it does tend to point out that in some ways Australian showing is many years behind the times and out of touch with reality. I queried this and received the following retort: ‘What is the problem if you show a dog you handle it in front of the judge so he knows the owner, overseas when you judge the birds are brought out by the owner, we have to have trust in our judges to do the right thing the names are there for the stewards to do the prize cards’. Despite the missing punctuation and lack of grammar, it seems that there is absolutely no acknowledgement that such an act is wrong in just about every aspect of pigeon showing. I could imagine the furore if this was to be done at Blackpool or just about any other show I know. I hardly need to say more on the subject as the act is so preposterous to warrant further words.
Our George is 80
George Borwick has reached the fine old age of 80 years and reckons that he is enjoying life with plenty of happy times. Congratulations George and keep looking to the future. I was pleased to hear from George recently when he stated that he had seen my photo of the group of mealies and stated that he would have liked to have been able to handle them. I told him that I would have been pleased for that to happen for it is rare to have loft visitors.
Showing Disqualification – Historical facts
This is a long shot but does anyone have knowledge of an incident which occurred at the 1959 December People show when an exhibitor called Millar was disqualified for showing a team of birds in his name, but which had been delivered to the show direct from the lofts of George Greenshields – who was one of the judges at the show. The birds were not properly transferred. Anyone with copies of old BHWs or R.P.s might be able to shed light on this matter. It was the subject of a hearing before the SHU in 1960 and reported in the Racing Pigeon News and Gazette editorial but there was no date. Perhaps even the SHU may have records of the incident and hearing. Down here in Australia the situation is much different where there is no ring registration scheme in fancy showing, no need to transfer and virtually no chance of finding ownership of found birds. The chaos which ensues is accepted as the norm down here but for someone who has been used to governing bodies and regulation of such matters, I find the position hard to accept – or believe. Ring buyers do not even have to belong to the Australian National Pigeon Association to be able to purchase their rings – which are sold to clubs and by the clubs to club members. As for showing, I have seen more cheating, more nefarious behaviour in show halls than I ever saw in Britain. It almost seems an accepted part of the scene here where fanciers value a ‘WIN’ however gained, above the pride of winning fairly. I believe that in general, the system in Britain is as fair as it can get and over so many years have seen sly acts and well hidden ploys to gain ‘success’ but these pale into insignificance compared to what can be seen going on in Australian shows.
Irish Memories
I am grateful to Gerard O’Sullivan of Cork for writing a most pleasant letter and enclosing some excellent photos taken at the 1992 Old Comrades show where he was judging. Included was a class of 106 show racers when his stewards were Bill Kitchen and grandson (he thinks). His class winner was a young mealy cock owned by Tony Williams of Bristol. He wrote to Tony congratulating him on the win and with all courtesy Tony replied stating that the cock had been 3rd at the National Young Bird Show and the following week after the Comrades, was best opposite sex at the Monmouth Show Society open show with 606 entries. Two photos taken at that show are included. One is of Gerard with the famous Irish showman and racer Harry Spratt, a former winner of the coveted Kings Cup and also the NIPA OB Derby, a rare achievement. The other is Gerard with a trio of ‘greats’ namely Billy Erwin, Jack Gilmore and John Lovell. Billy and Jack, being jokers had told Gerard that they would be unlikely to attend but surprised him by turning up with Jack Lovell to inspect the work of ‘the novice’. Gerard tells me that his daughter lives in Melbourne so when he is next across I will expect him with a warm welcome at Mount Eliza.
Harry Spratt and Gerard O'Sullivan.
Gerard O'Sullivan at the 1992 Old Comrades with Billy Erwin, John Lovell and Jack Gilmore.
News from the USA
Likewise gratitude to Dick Lipski for sending me some results and photos from their top shows but also an apology for hanging on to the news for so long – a fault of mine for trying to tidy up from time to time! However, the pigeon photos are well worth a look at to indicate that the show racer is alive and well at American showing. At the National Young Bird Show in Louisville , Kentucky with 18 exhibitors and 137 birds, there was a clean sweep of the awards by Stan Relinski winning champion with a red hen and also winning best cock in show with another red. At the Show Racing Homer Assn Wisconsin event it was again Stan Relinski taking out the top award but Dick and John Lipski came in with the next three positions – a ‘nearly’ show for them. The ‘Show Homers of the World’ 29th annual show saw success for Paul Anderson just ahead of Leonard Rusche, then Bobby Harmon, At the Midwest National Paul Anderson took top spot ahead of Bobby Harmon. Dick and John Lipski and Stan Relinski. Paul Anderson was recognised as the Showman of the Year just ahead by two points from Bobby Harmon, and Dick and John Lipski at third. My photos are of Paul Anderson’s champion blue cock and of a beautiful powder blue hen owned by Dick and John Lipski, the bird of the year. She would look very nice here at Kunyung Road!
Blue hen owned by Dick and John Lipski - American pigeon of the year.
An American blue champion owned by Paul Anderson.
Photos Coincidences
I keep an up to date list of all the birds in my loft. Recently I have found it difficult to reconcile my list with numbers of birds and have just found the reason! I have three lovely adult chequer hens and two of them have identical ring numbers – but for different years. So, when I am checking birds, I find C3236 but one is a 2006 bird and the other was bred in 2009. Hopefully a photo I have taken of the trio will be suitable for publication with this edition.
I love good chequers and always have had a regard for them. The colour always seems to blend well with my powder blues. I think back to ‘Harry’ that great cock of Harry Spratt’s which help the Spedding dynasty of chequers and following on there were some cracking chequers about in the hands of the likes of Keith Foley, Chris Padgham and Mick Conroy. Before that I recall the wonderful chequer cock owned by Ray Clive which saw its days out with Roland Thresher, Mr T from the Speddings and also a chequer cock owned by Danny Ferguson which won its class under me at the Edinburgh show.
Feeding
Since getting back from England I have decided to vary my feeding system and have taken away the cafeteria style feeding vessels and now feed on a tray every afternoon. The amount given has been reduced so that the birds are sharper and always looking forward to being fed. The young birds have lost weight quite well but I am puzzled because some of the old birds are still carrying too much body. It proves to me that we can be said to feeding our birds too well and too much. Of course my birds are not being shown as this tends to strip weight and condition from them, and this may be allowing them an easy and relaxed life. I believe I mentioned that when I got back I was impressed because my daughter who had been feeding the birds had obviously got it right and there was little or no waste. The cafeteria feeders were in place and could have lasted when full for days, but it was heartening to me to know that she did it so well.
Rugby
I have been glued to the T.V. at weekends with England in South Africa and Wales and Scotland in Australia . A great performance by the Scots saw off the Aussies – but I didn’t hear a thing about it until well after the event as I hadn’t known it was being played.. They go very shy on reporting things when they fail to win but a week later there was a full report on the news and in the papers following their first defeat of Wales . In the third match of the series, I though the Welsh were robbed by having a try awarded against them for what had to be a knock-on following loss of control of the ball. Needless to say the Australian press made no mention of it. Had it been the other way around, the squealing would have been heard for ever.
RJR
Good friend Bob Reeves rang with the dreadful news that his son – young Bob had died suddenly while at his loft. Bob was dreadfully cut up about his loss and I know that the fancy in Devon will regret his passing as a long-time scribe for this magazine and a tireless worker for the sport. The Reeves families have a long tradition in the racing sport and I know that it will continue with Bob’s son down there in Exmouth.
Confinement again
Having recovered from our colds post England, I have been supplied with another dose which is keeping me indoors. The day outside is bitterly cold with cold southerly winds bringing the cold stuff up from Antarctica. The birds will have to do without me except for very brief visits. Our daughter has been in Italy and Greece for a choir festival so we have had her two dogs, budgies and two bantams here as an extra chore. Three young dogs in one house are difficult to handle but in a few days there will be the grand reunion and we will get back to some sort of normality.
Paramyxovirus
Fanciers are at last getting around to vaccinating their birds so there is a chance of showing in Victoria in July or August. However, there has been another outbreak in New South Wales in a Sydney racing loft, following birds competing in a race there. One can imagine that the chances of the virus spreading are now considerable and all racing, showing and gatherings of pigeon fanciers have been stopped. It has taken New South Wales a long time to face up to reality and the suspicion has been that outbreaks are being covered up owing to the fear of all birds being culled. On the other hand, the authorities in South Australia have taken a more realistic attitude urging all fanciers to vaccinate as soon as possible so that restrictions on movement, even to and from neighbouring Victoria, can be ended. There now seems a chance that we will be able to obtain our vaccines in smaller lots and can then shape our purchases to numbers of birds kept. The situation of having separate governments in each State is proving to be a problem to us with signs at the moment that Tasmania and Western Australia will refuse vaccination and are applying the ‘head in the sand’ attitude to a virus problem. Tasmanian racing fanciers will be a real predicament as their only chance of long distance racing is from the Australian mainland.
In Conclusion
That seems to have brought matters up to date so next time I will hopefully get back to some old photos of fanciers and birds. It is always surprising to me that they provoke so much interest. So, from a cold and unpleasant Victoria, from a sniffly scribe and pigeon fancier, I remind you that I am still at 3 Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza, Victoria 3930, and that my email is
