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Doug Mc Clary Jan14

 

 

NEWS FROM DOWN UNDER

by Doug McClary

January 2014

Happy New Year

I would like to commence by wishing all readers a happy 2014 and beyond. I am writing this on January 1st or at least starting it, as I always try to get an article over in time for the Blackpool edition of the BHW. I will not be at the show in person but will be there in spirit, wishing that I could enjoy again the experiences endowed by the Blackpool event. A good friend from Australia will be at the show this year and I look forward to hearing from him with an account of his impressions and experiences.

Christmas in Oz

On Christmas Eve Ann and I went down to Mornington and sat outside the only half reasonable pub and enjoyed a quiet drink while we watched the world go by in the sunshine. Christmas Day dawned with beautiful weather and we went to church in the morning before enjoying lunch with our daughter and her family. They came to us for tea, before which we enjoyed a swim in our pool with a cool glass. Life can be so good. Living by the beach it is interesting to see people coming down for the day, intent on enjoying their Christmas in this rather Australian way of BBQs and swims. The following day, Boxing Day, instead of going into the city for the cricket, I enjoyed a quiet day at home, although son Stephen and his family came down. The following afternoon I had a swim when the temperature was 35degrees. Suddenly the wind changed from the warm North to the south west and within a few minutes the outside temperature had dropped to 23 degrees. That perhaps illustrates the weather conditions down here in the extreme south east of the continent. I spoke to Murray Hayes of New South Wales over the Christmas and he told me that they were heartily sick and tired of the heat and longed for some decent rain.

Cricket and The Ashes

Australia is not the best place to be at the moment if one is English. The dreadful performance of the English team has provided the Aussies with new life and material to gloat about. I attended a Christmas luncheon recently and suddenly all the Aussies want to talk about the cricket and the woeful English team. For the last four years, three months and twenty five days, they have had no wish to mention the Ashes but now, they feel that they are on top of the world again. With Christmas approaching, I had thoughts of attending the Boxing Day test match at the MCG(Melbourne Cricket Ground) but can no longer face the displays of arrogance and gloating of the Australians. The gloating can be measured in the huge crowds attending with over 91k on day one and 78k on the second. Had the English won the Ashes, those crowd numbers would have been much lower as they can only stomach success at any cost.

Gordon Linley

When I travelled to Hull to visit Peter Kelsey I was able occasionally to get a visit in to see Gordon Linley and his immaculate and neat loft. Gordon and I have been in contact for many years so it was a real pleasure to speak to him recently. He had given up his show racers, having been diagnosed with Pigeon Lung but it has now been proved otherwise so he is patiently building another team. Gordon and Christine have recently celebrated their golden wedding so congratulations are sent. The New Year will be celebrated in Scotland. I am pleased to display the neat loft which is a credit to Gordon and Christine.

Gordon Linley's loft

Is it Captain Pugwash or Birdseye?

Word has it that Roland Thresher is now the proud owner of a boat so the fish in the Bristol Channel will have to look out. Can someone manage to get a photo of the doughty mariner in his new Captain’s cap I wonder?

Talking of the Captain

Roland and Julie have been enjoying a purple patch of late in Westcountry shows. At the penultimate show of the Devon and Cornwall SRS I hear that they won nine classes and most of the specials. In the Championship show they won BIS and BOSex when Nigel Rescorla and Ralph Howman were judges. They had the most numerical representation in the championship class which was judged by Keith Foley and won the top awards but a\it was good to see Peter Kendall back winning best young bird. The society has been using a new venue at Bampton and the entries have gone up accordingly in a more central location. Congratulations to Roland and Julie and I hope they continue their run of success at Blackpool. Also in the frame for the Society I note that Brian and Caroline Seward won BIS at the Duchy show under the specials judging of Tony Baugh. I haven’t mentioned the colours of the winning pigeons because they will be in the competition at Blackpool. Our weather out here has been ordinary but not quite like the experience of Brian Seward who fed his birds just after 3pm and had to use lights to do so.

Fanciers I have known Bill Meader

I have just heard of the death of Bill Meader of Leytonstone thanks to a message from Don Spedding. Don kept in touch with Bill as did Keith Foley but of late Bill has been too ill to speak. Don tells me that his first pair of show racers came from Bill and over the years they exchanged birds occasionally. I thought that as a tribute to Bill Meader as a top show fancier, I would include him as the subject of my monthly memory. I knew Bill for many years, mainly meeting up at the shows all over the country. I can remember Bill saying to me at one of the classics, one of these days Doug I will beat you and of course he did on so many occasions after that. In those days I was enjoying a purple patch of wins and in a number of classes which my bird won, Bill was just behind. I think I visited Bill and Iris on one occasion only and that was when I was on a soccer tour of East London playing for my police team. Bill came to my loft on a number of occasions when travelling down to the West Country and when staying with Keith Foley at Bideford. Bill travelled to the shows mainly with Tommy Jones of Hornchurch and occasionally with little Wal, Wally Williams of Tottenham. Wally almost worshipped Bill and his skills with his birds. Bill did not carry large numbers of birds for his loft was smallish but beautifully ordered, designed and always clean. His show preparation skills were always obvious for one never saw a poorly conditioned bird in Bill Meader’s pens.

Bill Meader

His occupation as a van driver allowed for this regularity in that most days he was able to finish in good time and therefore to be able to spend good time with his birds. Bill Meader was an affable character who enjoyed the company of other fanciers and enjoyed selling his birds to good fanciers, many of whom made names for themselves with Meader pigeons. His birds were small to medium in size and by their nature, always carried good body condition which provided balance to the top judges of the day. His top pigeons seemed to suit most judges because their compactness and quality on top of top show preparation and presentation seemed to register with both racing and show judges alike. I recall a brilliant mealy hen called Western Choice named because when judging John Robilliard and I could never pass her by. His colours were mainly red and mealy, reminiscent of the top red and mealy family of Gerald Pugh. I am sure that other fanciers would be able to name Bill’s other champions such as Asti but I cannot do so with any great authority. Bill was at the top when the London Show Racer Society was at its peak. I can recall Bill laughing about the fact that he was one of the young members which proved to be prophetic because one by one members died or went out of the showing side of the sport and eventually the Society had to fold. The sport of showing has lost one of its top exponents. I wrote about Bill in the Racing Pigeon Pictorials 103 and 104 an indication that his success and standing could not be fitted into one article. He is also listed in my latest book. I include two photos of Bill, one from his younger days in front of his loft and the other taken at a Louella show, receiving his haul of trophies from Roy Ryalls.

Bill Meader & Roy Ryalls

Legends of the showing side

Myrtle Henshaw has passed on and was one of those unsung heroes of the Blackpool show and of the sport in general. David Trippett’s comprehensive obituary notice did more than I can in recognising her work, for which she was given the 40year medal for her long service to the show as a steward and as a committee member following the death of husband Les. Both Les and Myrtle were great workers for the racing pigeon sport especially I the Derbyshire and South Yorkshire region. I doubt that I ever met the lady but her contribution is considerable and should be recognised by us all. So, when attending Blackpool this year, think of Myrtle and the rest who perform such valuable service in making the show probably the best racing pigeon show in the world. Dennis Johnson has stepped down from the secretaryship of the Northern Counties SRS after a proud record of 35years in that role. Dennis is another of those quiet, yet dedicated and conscientious workers who do so much for their hobby. Melvyn Shaw will have large boots to fill but I wish him and the Society well. I note that Dennis was presented with the OAP Trophy by another OAP, Stan Wheatley who seems to look younger with the years. I wonder what he is taking!. If it is Newcastle Brown I must get myself some! Good on you Dennis, you can now enjoy your showing in a more relaxed mode. Good to see Alistair Tankard back living in civilisation and doing so well with his birds at the Northern Counties although on the day the top award went to the Lynn partnership.

Scottish SRS

The Second show of the season was held at the Hill of Beath Ex-Servicemens Club on Sunday 15th December. Judges for the day were Stuart Donaldson of Blairgowrie & Brian Kinnear of Pitlessie Fife who had 260 birds to sort out. The partnership of John and Alice Bell fresh from winning the Scottish HU Trust show at Lanark, won best in show with their young dark chequer hen, a double winner at the show, following her best in show award at the first event of the season. It is believed that this is a unique feat. The Bells won six of the ten classes leaving two for Struan Ferguson with a double winning mealy, and two classes with reds for the old timers Wallace and Ferguson. John and Alice also won reserve best in show with a dark chequer.

Likeliest Old Cock - judge B Kinnear 1st J & A Bell - Dark Cheq 2nd J & A Bell 3rd S Ferguson 4th J & A Bell 5th Wallace & Ferguson 6th C Miller

Likeliest Old Hen - judge S Donaldson 1st S Ferguson   -Mealy 2nd J & A Bell 3rd C Winter 4th Wallace & Ferguson 5th J & A Bell 6th C Winter

Looking Thru Pen Old Cock - judge S Donaldson 1st Wallace & Ferguson - Red Cheq 2nd C Winter 3rd C Miller 4th S Ferguson 5th S Ferguson 6th S Ferguson

Looking Thru Pen Old Hen - judge B Kinnear 1st S Ferguson -Mealy (double winner) 2nd Wallace & Ferguson 3rd C Miller 4th Wallace & Ferguson 5th S Ferguson 6th Wallace & Ferguson

Looking Thru Pen Young Cock - judge B Kinnear 1st Wallace & Ferguson - Red 2nd S Ferguson 3rd S Ferguson 4th C Miller 5th C Miller 6th S Ferguson

Looking Thru Pen Young Hen - judge S Donaldson 1st J & A Bell - Dark Cheq (Double Winner) Best In Show, Best Young Bird 2nd J & A Bell 3rd S Ferguson 4th S Ferguson 5th S Ferguson 6th Wallace & Ferguson

Likeliest Young Cock - judge S Donaldson 1st J & A Bell - Dark Cheq (Reserve Champion) 2nd J & A Bell 3rd J & A Bell 4th Wallace & Ferguson 5th C Miller 6th C Miller

Likeliest Young Hen - judge B Kinnear 1st - J & A Bell -Dark cheq (double winner) (Best in Show) 2nd S Ferguson 3rd J & A Bell 4th S Ferguson 5th C Winter 6th C Miller

The third Scottish SRS show was held at the Hill of Beath Ex-servicemens club on the 29th December 2013. The judges for the 272 birds were Malcolm Mathieson and Andrew Suckle who win regularly with their top team of racers nationally at Open Shows including Blackpool. It was an unprecedented third show best in show for John and Alice Bell with a yearling Dark Cheq Old Cock put to top table by A Suckle and they were also reserve champion with a Yearling Blue hen that won Likeliest Old Hen again by A Suckle. The other members put up a stronger fight with Charlie Miller Blackburn winning two young bird classes and his Dark cheq Young Cock winning Best Young Bird. Struan Ferguson won three classes with his team of Mealies. Wallace & Ferguson won Young Hen Handled with young Red Chequer and a winner also in the Medley Class with a two year old Mealy in the Old Hen two years and over with John & Alice Bell winning The Medley Old cock with a four year old Dark chequer.

Likeliest Old cock - judge M Mathieson 1st S Ferguson - Mealy 2nd ,3rd ,4th ,5th J & A Bell 6th C Miller

Likeliest Old Hen judge A Suckle 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th J & A Bell - winner Blue Hen Reserve Champion 4th Mrs A Ferguson 6th C Miller

Looking Thru Wires Old Cock - judge A Suckle 1st J & A Bell - Dark Cheq - Best in Show 2nd C Miller 3rd ,4th 6th C Winter

Looking Thru Pen Old Hen - judge M Mathieson 1st, 5th S Ferguson - winner Mealy fourth win of the society season 2nd, 3rd Wallace & Ferguson 4th, 6th Mrs A Ferguson

Looking Thru pen Young Cock - judge M Mathieson 1st, 3rd, 5th S Ferguson - Mealy winner 2nd, 6th Wallace & Ferguson 4th J & A Bell

Looking Thru pen Young Hen - judge A Suckle 1st, 4th C Miller Dark Cheq winner 2nd, 6th J & A Bell 5th Wallace & Ferguson

Likeliest Young Cock -M Mathieson 1st C Miller - Dark Cheq (Best Young Bird) 2nd, 4th Wallace & Ferguson 3rd C Winter 5th J & A Bell 6th Mrs A Ferguson

Likeliest Young Hen - judge A Suckle 1st Wallace & Ferguson - Red Cheq 2nd Mrs A Ferguson 3rd C Miller 4th J & A Bell 5th, 6th S Ferguson Medley Old cock (No Yearlings) - judge M Mathieson 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th J & A Bell 3rd Wallace & Ferguson 5th C Winter

Medley Old Hen - (No Yearlings) - judge A Suckle 1st Wallace & Ferguson - Mealy 2nd, 3rd, 6th J & A Bell 4th, 5th S Ferguson

Not surprisingly the points totals are led by John and Alice Bell on 190, ahead of Struan Ferguson on 113. They also lead the young bird points on 89 from Struan on 56. In the four bird team, Struan leads them by 41 to 33. The competition to find the bird to represent the Society at Blackpool isstill being hotly contested and will be revealed after the final show on January the 4th 2014. I include photos of a young Charlie Miller enjoying his moment and a general group of judges, officials and friends at a Scottish SRS show.

Scottish SRS 2013

Charlie Miller

And so to Blackpool

I will be there in spirit and would like to think that I will be able to return for another Blackpool in due course. I sincerely hope that the show is a successful one and that there is enjoyment and friendship throughout. Such an event can only be delivered by those dedicated people who give freely of their time and who know their roles within the show to enable show chairman David Trippett to deliver an event for so many to enjoy. Instead of enjoying Blackpool

I shall be here at 3 Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza, Victoria 3930 and email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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