East Down Combine News
with Clifford Browne
East Down Combine gets in Gear for 2016 season
The East Down Combine held its AGM on Saturday January 9th January 2016 in the War Memorial Hall in Crossgar when there were a reasonable number of members in attendance and with the meeting being held in the smaller ,newer hall , at the back of the Main hall this was filled in what I can only describe as very comfortable surroundings indeed .
The Combine chairman Len McCavery got the proceedings underway just after 2pm and after welcoming all members present requested a minutes silence for those who had passed away since the previous years meeting .
Apologies were then received and recorded and the Financial Secretary Sam Duke was then requested to read the minutes of the previous AGM which were passed as a true record of that meeting .
The meeting then moved on to the first item on the Agenda which was the Chairmans Report from Len McCavery and in a very comprehensive report all the Officials ,Centre Officials and General Committee were thanked for all their hard work and support throughout the season. Colin Smyth (vice chairman) was thanked for his help and Len had a special word of thanks for Sam Duke who had put in a tremendous amount of work as Financial Secretary , and for Dorothy Smyth for all her tireless work and for her organisation if this years moot and breeder/buyer . The Outgoing President Mervyn Irvine was thanked for his contribution to the Combine throughout his year in office .
Len then thanked the PROs for all their work throughout the season keeping the Combine to the forefront in many areas , he also thanked the Transport Committee ,Race Controllers & Drivers & Auditors . .
The weather Committee were thanked for all the work they had put into making decisions regarding basketing days etc which although not always popular were made in the best interests of the membership based on the information available to them at the time and congratulated Roy Irwin who had done so well as Race Controller which from a weather aspect had been particularly difficult and also for the sponsorship which he had obtained .Len then informed the meeting that Roy was not standing for re election for the position of race Controller . Len went on to thank Marshall Feeds for once again supplying the On Board feeding throughout the season .
In Conclusion Len extended congratulations to all the 2015 prize winners . Once again the Chairmans report was well received by all those present .
The next two items were the Secretary and Treasurers reports and as Sam Duke combines both roles as Financial Secretary he combined his reports . Starting with the Secretarys report Sam reiterated all of what Len had said by way of thanking all those who worked so hard for the Combine and he had a special word of thanks for Len McCavery for his role as chairman of the Combine in 2015 and Mervyn Irvine for his year as President . He also had a special word of thanks for Dorothy Smyth for the outstanding amount of work she had put in over the year especially with the Organisation of the Breeder/Buyer , the Fund raiser for Cancer Research and the annual Dinner .He also thanked all the club Secretaries and Treasurers for their assistance throughout the past season and extended his congratulations to all the prize winners of 2015.
Moving on to look at the accounts and financially it had been another good year and the bottom line was an excess of Income over expenditure of £5250 .Sam then went through the various other items of income and expenditure as well as the Balance Sheet in detail and then invited questions or comments from the floor but as his explanations had been very detailed the Accounts were passed with no questions from the floor .
Brendan McLoughlin then spoke on behalf of the Combine Auditors and endorsed what Sam had explained to everyone. Stating that the Combine were very fortunate to have an excellent Treasurer with the books being prepared and kept in a very professional manner . This was further endorsed by the Combines other auditor Sean Milligan .
Under 2015 correspondence was a letter from The Friends of the Cancer Centre thanking the Combine for their Fundraising event and the donation of £2,560 .
The next item was the election of Office Bearers for 2016 and Len McCavery invited Wesley Robinson to conduct this part of the meeting . Wesley Congratulated the 2015 prize winners and drew the meetings attention to how fortunate the Combine was in having administrators of such quality and dedication .Moving to the office bearers for 2016
The principal Office Bearers elected for the 2016 season are as follows ;
PRESIDENT Francis Gilmore
VICE PRESIDENT John Albert
JUNIOR VICE PRESIDENT Sean Milligan
CHAIRMAN Len McCavery
V/CHAIRMAN Colin Smyth
FINANCIAL SECRETARY Sam Duke
RACE CONTROLLER Dolan Croskery
Assistant race Controller Mrs Dorothy Smyth
PROs Ronnie Johnston
Brendan McLoughlin
Mrs Dorothy Smyth
Clifford Browne
With the election of the Office Bearers complete it was then time to look at the new business of the afternoon which involved a number of propositions relating to updating of a number of rules and setting the race programme for the 2016 season from a number of proposals . Dealing with the rule changes first and these were as follows :
EXISTING RULE 10: That the general Committee in extreme circumstances have the authority to amend the Race Programme and the members be notified at any given time through their Club Secretary and Pigeon line .
PROPOSED NEW RULE 10: The General Committee in extreme circumstances have the authority to amend the Race Programme. The Members to be notified through the East Down Combine Web Site and Text Message .
THIS WAS PASSED
EXISTING RULE 11: That in the situation of extreme weather conditions General Committee has the authority to move the Transporter to a more favourable race point or alternatively bring the pigeons home .Club Secretaries to be informed and pigeon line updated .
PROPOSED NEW RULE 11: In a situation of extreme adverse weather conditions the General Committee has the authority to move the Transporter to a more favourable race point or alternatively bring the pigeons home . The Members to be notified through the East Down Combine Web Site and Text Message .
THIS WAS PASSED
EXISTING RULE 16: That the members shall at the Annual General Meeting elect from the members present a President, Senior Vice President , Junior Vice President , Chairman, Vice Chairman , Secretary, treasurer , General Committee, Press Officers , IHU Delegates , Auditors and Race Controllers . In this case of the paid officials only those individuals who have been interviewed and recommended by the General Committee can have their name put forward for approval.
PROPOSED NEW RULE 16: The members shall at the Annual General Meeting elect from the members president a President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President , Chairman, Vice Chairman, Financial Secretary, General Committee ,Press Officers, IHU Delegates , Auditors and Race Controllers . In this case of the paid officials only those individuals who have been interviewed and recommended by the General Committee can have their name put forward for approval .
THIS WAS PASSED
EXISTING RULE 21: When race marking birds for races at least five members must be present before race marking can commence (A partnership equals one member )
PROPOSED DELETE RULE 21:
THIS WAS PASSED
EXISTING RULE 22: For a club or the members of a club to compete for Combine honours at least five individual members must be present during race marking . When less than five of the members present are competing in any given race at least five of those members present must sign the attendance form provided confirming their presence for the duration of race marking (A partnership equals one member )
PROPOSED NEW RULE 22: For a club or the members of a club to compete for Combine honours at least five individual Combine Members must be present at all times for the duration of race marking and until such time as the crates have been loaded on the transporter . Five Combine members names must be listed on the front of the Race Entry Envelope to confirm their presence at the loading of the crates on the Transporter (A Partnership equals one member )
THIS WAS PASSED
EXISTING RACE RULE 6: In all Derby and Classic Races clocks /Electronic Timing Systems must be returned to their respective Centres within the time stated on the entry form for any such race unless otherwise determined by the general Committee or the Combine Secretary . Failure to comply with this rule may result in disqualification . In the event of change to the stated time Centre officials will be informed and lib line updated .
PROPOSED NEW RACE RULE 6: In all Derby and Classic Races clocks /Electronic Timing Systems must be returned to their respective Centres within the time stated on the entry form for any such race unless otherwise determined by the General Committee or the Combine Financial Secretary. Failure to comply with this rule may result in disqualification . In the event of change to the stated time Centre Officials will be informed , the Website Updated and a Text message sent to members .
THIS WAS PASSED
EXISTING RACE RULE 10:All master timers must be set via Speaking Clock for all races before any clocks can be set ,the same conditions apply to the run off. Clock officials must also ensure that they cross check with their nominated club before any clocks are run-off .For ETS at race marking and at run -off a time signal that must be obtained . ETS set by Radio Clock shall be deemed correct. Failure to comply with this rule will result in disqualification.
PROPOSED NEW RACE RULE 10: All Clocks must be set to a master Timer . The Master Timer must be set via the Speaking Clock or ETS Club System for all races before Clocks can be set . At Clock run off Master Timers must be checked against the Speaking Clock or ETS Club System before run off. ETS Club Systems must obtain a Radio Clock or GPS time signal prior to the commencement of Race Marking or the setting of Master Timers , ETS Club Systems set by Radio Clock or GPS shall be deemed correct . Failure to comply with this rule may result in disqualification.
THIS WAS PASSED
Moving on to the setting of the 2016 Race programme and there were three programmes on the table for both old and Young birds and these were as follows :
The 2015 East Down Combine Old Bird Race Programme automatically goes in the Agenda for 2016 and this was
1st Tullamore ,2nd Tullamore 1st Clonmel, 2nd Clonmel, 1st Pilmore Beach, Skibbereen Classic , 2nd Pilmore Beach , 1st Talbenny, 2nd Talbenny & Derek Wishart Memorial Classic Pilmore Beach 15 Bird limit (on the same day) Bude ,Penzance and Penzance Classic , St Malo Old Bird Derby.
Proposal (A ) submitted by Ballylesson HPS
1st Tullamore 2nd Tullamore ,1st Mount Charles , 2nd Mount Charles , 1st Fermoy , Skibbereen Classic , 2nd Fermoy, 1st Talbenny, 2nd Talbenny & Derek Wishart memorial Classic Fermoy 15 Bird Limit ( on The same day) 3rd Mount Charles , Penzance & Penzance Classic , St. Malo Old Bird Derby .
Proposal ( B ) submitted by The East Down Combine General Committee
1st Tullamore , 2nd Tullamore ,Thurles , 1st Fermoy, Mallow, Skibbereen Classic , 2nd Fermoy ,1st Talbenny, 2nd Talbenny & Derek Wishart Memorial Classic Mallow 15 Bird Limit (On the same Day) Bude , Penzance and Penzance Classic , St. Malo Old Bird Derby .
Proposal B passed with a large Majority
YOUNG BIRDS
The 2015 East Down Combine Young Bird Race Programme automatically goes on the Agenda for 2016
1st Navan , 2nd Navan, 1st Tullamore , 2nd Tullamore , 1st Clonmel, Pilmore Beach, 1st Skibbereen Young Bird Derby & Talbenny Young Bird Derby (on the same day) 2nd Clonmel 2nd Skibbereen Young Bird Derby.
Proposal (A) submitted by Ballylesson Hps
1st Navan, 2nd navan, 1st Tullamore , 2nd Tullamore ,1st Mount Charles , Fermoy, 2nd Mount Charles & Talbenny Young Bird Derby, 2nd Skibbereen Young Bird Derby.
Proposal (B) submitted by The East Down Combine General Committee
1st Navan, 2nd Navan, 1st Tullamore, 2nd Tullamore , 1st Thurles , Fermoy, 1st Skibbereen Young bird Derby & Talbenny Young Bird Derby ( On the same day ) 1st Skibbereen Young Bird Derby, 2nd Skibbereen Young Bird Derby
And again it was proposal B which was passed and again it was by a large majority
The final item of business under 2016 Correspondence was a letter from the newly formed Downpatrick Premier club seeking membership of the East Down Combine which was passed . As this was all the business of the afternoon the chairman closed the meeting after thanking everyone for their attendance .
2Bird Dinner and AGM
Just a reminder that the 2 bird Dinner will be held in Magees in Crossgar on Friday 12th February followed by the clubs AGM also in Crossgar on Monday 15th February further details will follow .
************************************
BALLYNAHINCH SHOW RESULTS
My thanks to Robert Topping of Ballynahinch for the following Show results ;
Monday 9th November 2015
Old cocks
1st, 2nd & 3rd J&V Abernethy , 4th & Res E McLaughlin, VHC S&P Logan, HC & Com D&R Topping
Young Cocks
1st,2nd, 3rd & HC D&R Topping, 4th C Lavery & Son, Res & VHC Burns & O'Loan, Com S&P Logan
Both classes Judged by Gerald Adair (Crossgar)
Monday 16th November 2015
Old Hens
1st & Res C Lavery & Son, 2nd & HC E Mclaughlin, 3rd J&V Abernethy, 4th & Com S&P Logan, VHC D&R Topping
Young Hens
1st & VHC C Lavery & Son, 2nd S&P Logan, 3rd Burns & O'Loan, 4th & Com D&R Topping, Res & HC E McLaughlin,
Both classes Judged by T McKinstry & S West
Monday 23rd November 2015
Any Age Cock
1st, HC & C D&R Topping, 2nd & VHC Burns & O'Loan, 3rd & 4th S&P Logan, Res E McLaughlin
Judge P Brown Annsborough
Any Age Pieds and Grizzles
1st, 2nd & Res D&R Topping, 3rd, 4th, VHC & HC C Lavery & Son, Com J&V Abernethy
Judge C Brown Annsborough
Monday 30th November 2015
Any Age Matched Pairs
1st E McLaughlin, 2nd & VHC D&R Topping, 3rd Burns & O'Loan,4th, Res & Com J&V Abernethy, HC S&P Logan
Judge B Wallace
Monday 14th December 2015
Any Age Hen
1st & 3rd S&P Logan, 2nd & Res C Lavery & Son, 4th Burns & O'Loan, VHC & Com D&R Topping and HC E Mclaughlin
Any Age Mealies and Reds
1st,3rd & Com Burns & O'Loan, 2nd & 4th E Mclaughlin, Res & HC J&V Abernethy and VHC D&R Topping
Judges Telford Bros (Downpatrick)
The Christmas Show 3 in 1 held on the Tuesday 29th December 2015
Best in Show: D&R Topping
Best Opposite sex: J & V Abernethy
Best Young Bird: E McLaughlin
D&R Topping's Blue Hartog cock was BIS winning the handling class, second in through the wires and VHC in the Eyesign class. This Hartog was 14th Open EDC 1st Skibbereen YB Derby, He was previously second in the matched pairs class earlier this year when matched with the Blue Hen that won the Eyesign class, third in through the wires and was Second in the handling class in the Christmas show this hen has now won 7 classes in the show pen.
John and Viv Abernethy's Dark chequer the winner of through the wires class was Best opposite sex.
Through the Wires
1st & Res J&V Abernethy, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & HC D&R Topping, VHC & Com C Lavery & Son
Handled
1st, 2nd, 4th & VHC D&R Topping, 3rd & Com E McLaughlin, Res S&P Logan and HC J&V Abernethy
Eyesign
1st, 4th, Res, VHC, HC D&R Topping, 2nd E Mclaughlin, 3rd C Lavery & Son and Com S&P Logan
The Judges were Gerald Delaney and Tommy Knox (Dromore)
The club would like to thank all who judged throughout the show season who donated specials and their time, also the members would like to give an extra big thanks to Stephen and Pearl Logan for the Spread of food put on.