Keith Mott

Writes about winning fanciers past and present

THE SHOW RACERS OF GREAT BRITAIN

- PART 4

JOHN ROBILLIARD

OF BODMIN

In my 35 years as a pigeon scribe, a fancier I have admired is, John Robilliard of Cornwall, for his high level of success with his birds and the great work he has puts in to our sport, over many years. John first started keeping pigeons in the early 1950’s, about the time he met his wife, Pam, and was doing National Service in the R.A.F.  John raced pigeons up to 1958 and in those early days enjoyed showing his race birds at all the local events including the Bodmin November Show. He saw the show birds at these events and obtained his first Show Racers in the late 1950’s, but these were not very good quality, so in 1959 got some better stock from the late Trevor Parker of Treherbert and Edgar Griffiths, who were two of the premier showmen at that time. The three birds obtained from these fanciers won well for John and were a good foundation for his new Show Racer loft. Right from the outset these birds produced stock to win premier prizes at all the National shows for the Robilliard loft, including the People Show held at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London, the Old Comrades Show, Show of the West held at Swindon and the Royal Cornwall Show. The Robilliard loft has been built up over the years with the very best stock obtained from the premier Show Racer lofts in the U.K. John and Pam’s second hobby is dancing and have regular social dance evenings at Luxulyan Village Hall, which they enjoy very much. Through the nearly 50 years that John has been in the sport he has given a 100% commitment, being a founder member of the Bodmin R.P.C., serving over 20 years as secretary, also a founder member of the Mid Cornwall Federation, serving as President of the Federation and Cornish Combine. On the Show Racer scene he has had a 40 year commitment to the Royal Cornwall Show, serving as secretary and chairman, and has a big involvement with the British Show Racer Federation, the Stithians Show and a founder member of both the Devon & Cornwall Show Racer Society and South West Show Racer Society. John had quite a full pigeon life, when did Pam get to see him! He has a big involvement with the R.P.R.A. spanning over many years and was a founder member of the Devon and Cornwall Region. He was elected President of the R.P.R.A. in 1996, serving his three year term and before that was vice-president for four years. John said, ‘ It was an honour to be President for the year the R.P.R.A. celebrated it’s Centenary in 1996 and again in 1998 when it hosted the Olympiad in Blackpool’.

In his 40 odd years on the Show Racer scene, John, has one just about every honour in the National show arena, but the 2004 season saw him set a record at the B.H.W. Blackpool ‘Show of the Year’. He won Best in Show (2,400 birds) and Reserve Supreme Champion of Great Britain with his wonderful Mosaic hen, ‘Rocquaine Cathrina’, and she has plenty of previous good form, including B.I.S. South West Show Racer Society in 2003. ‘Cathrina’ went on to win Reserve Supreme Champion of Great Britain at the ‘Show of the Year’ again in 2005. A fantastic hen! Also at the 2004 B.H.W. Blackpool Show, the Robilliard loft, won the premier honour of Supreme Champion of Great Britain with John’s champion Mosaic hen, ‘Rocquaine Dream Girl’. John and Pam won the three premier prizes and £1,250 at the 2004 Blackpool ‘Show of the Year’, and lifted nine major trophies. A fantastic performance and a record that will take some beating! The Robilliard’s champion hen, ‘Rocquaine Dream Girl’, was bred by Austen Runnals of St. Austell in Cornwall and John purchased this hen in 2003 when Austen had his clearance sale. This great hen is a champion in the truest sense of the word, having won: B.I.S. Royal Cornwall, B.I.S. Stithians, 1st. Royal Welsh, 1st. Cornwall Fancy Pigeon Society, B.I.S. Duchy R.P.C. Show and Supreme Champion of Great Britain at Blackpool in 2004. A once in a life time hen!

John Robilliard has owned and shown many champion Show Racers in his time in the sport and some of them are: CH. ‘Rocquaine Supreme’ winner of B.I.S. and B.Y.B. at the 1981 Old Comrades Show, B.I.S. Old Comrades Show in 1983 and was the first bird ever to win B.I.S. twice at the Old Comrades. This Mosaic cock went on to win, B.I.S. Royal Cornwall (twice), B.I.S. Devon & Cornwall S.R.S. (twice) and won 25 times first position: ‘Rocquaine Richard’, a full brother to ‘Supreme’ and winner of 1st. B.H.W. Blackpool Show, 1st. Old Comrades Show and was Supreme Champion at the Devon & Cornwall S.R. Society Show: ‘Rocquaine Westward’, winner of Champion Young Bird at the Old Comrades, 8 times B.I.S., 20 times first, including 1st. Old Comrades, 1st. Birmingham Mail, 1st. Royal Dairy, 1st. Welsh Charity Show and twice Championship winner at the Cornwall S.R. Society Show: ‘Rocquaine Hat Trick’, won first at the B.H.W. Blackpool Show three years on the trot, lifting the ‘Gordon Richards Trophy’ and the ‘Bas Carbonite Trophy’: ‘Rocquaine Miss Silver’, Best Young Bird at the B.H.W. Blackpool show in 1976: ‘Rocquaine Princess’, won 17 times first, twice B.I.S. and seven times B.O.S.: ‘Rocquaine Lucy’ won several premier prizes including B.I.S. British Show Racer Federation Championship Show at Louella Pigeon World in 1988: ‘Rocquaine Duchess’ winner of 1st. Plympton. 1st. Holmans and 1st. Old Comrades Show, lifting the ‘Silver Jubilee Trophy’. One of the best lofts of Show Racers in the world today!

John keeps his loft management very basic and simple, and is not a user of supplements in the water or on the feeding. He is a great believer in natural immunity and likes to keeps his birds clean of chemicals as much as possible, only doing usual yearly jab. The Robilliard team are treated with Ivomec to prevent parasites and are given a preventative treatment for ‘cocci’.  The birds are cleaned out and given a water change daily, and are kept on a strict balance diet, with a little hemp seed added for the moult. When John was asked about pairing up, his reply was, ‘Usually around the middle of February. There is no set number of pairs which I put together, but I do like to breed about 25 to 30 youngsters per year. I’ve only four actual breeding pairs which are past their showing years, but still produce the winners. I also tend to breed off the birds that are winning for me as well as the stock birds’. The Robilliard set up is made up with two lofts, one 16ft.x 8ft. and the other 8ft. x8ft, joined by a nice roomy flight. John is not a lover of deep little and only gives the birds the odd handful of sawdust in the nest boxes. The Show Racers build up for the big shows is a bath on the Monday and are fed on Buckton’s conditioning mixture, in the week before the show. Their feet and rings are cleaned and are basketed the night before travelling to the show. The day of the show there are taken out of the basket and checked fore soil marks on their feathering, and the saw dust is changed in the show baskets, before travelling off to the show arena.

John maintains that the United Kingdom is the envy of the Show Racer world, as it has some of the best Show Racers and is the home of some the finest shows in the world. He is always in great demand to judge at all the premier National shows and when he was asked what he looks for, his reply was, ‘In a nut shell, I prefer a medium sized Show Racer, well balanced and not too deep. It’s got to have a good head, with the correct eye and colour to match. At the end of the day all I looking for basically is what I would like to take home’. He has no favourite colour when judging, but picks out the winners on type, condition and all the other qualities that a good Show Racer must have. If any one knows what to look for in a Show Racer, it’s John Robilliard!

I’ve really enjoyed the week’s “ON THE ROAD”, as John really is one the very best on the show scene. Next time it will be having another Show Racer special, but will be a bit of a surprise fancier, who you all know very well! I can be contacted on Telephone: 01372 463480. See yer!