SOUTH BUCKS CANARY BREEDERS ASSOCIATION
2007 NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 2
It was a great disappointment to everyone that our 2007 show had to be cancelled at short notice. But the dreaded bird flu struck us once again.
The committee members made every effort to contact all the exhibitors who had entered the 2007 show. The show was look like being one of the best for a few years with over 650 birds entered. So we are now looking forward to 2008 and hoping to surpass this figure. The show date will the 15th of November at the Rose Avenue community centre Hazlemere High Wycombe.
Your cheque has been returned with this newsletter, if you would like to donate to club funds if would be very much appreciated. As the club has had expenditures to pay out for the 2007 show with out any income.
We are only a small association who put the show on for you the exhibitor, it‘s your show not ours.
But lets look forward to a brighter future for the hobby, I personally am looking forward to the All Variety Canary show on Sunday the 6th of January at the Scare farm & Country Centre Peterborough which will be on fingers crossed, so lets support this show with our birds and show that the hobby can not be beaten.
I personally am looking forward to my first attempt at showing at the world Show which again will hopefully go ahead.
By David Allen.
Copy of our Chairman Brian Hogg’s letter to
Kim Forrester editor of Cage & Aviary Birds.
Hello Kim,
I wonder if you could publish this letter in relation to our show cancellation ,defras views and togetherness "in the fancy"
At our monthly meeting on Tuesday 13th of November I was met by a very disappointed bunch of committee members. The person I at first felt sorry for was are hard working Show Secretary Dave Allen. Dave had worked all through the year with his
plans and arrangement for the show. The show schedule was put on the WEB and entry forms were being used by some of our
members. Other members who had shown the previous year had their schedule sent to them. In all some 170 schedule were sent out. Saviour Camilleri our patronage secretary have all his paperwork in place and a record entry of his beloved NORWICH
CANARIES was an achievement for his encouragement he gave other exhibitors of the Norwich canary section. Over 200 Norwich exhibits had been entered. I made all the show hall arrangement DFRA contact and on call vetenairy details. BUT THE SHOW WAS CALLED OFF BY DEFRA.
I believe they need to look at this "blanket ban" for the reasons I have stated.
Having worked all year to put on the SOUTH BUCKS ALL CANARY SHOW I like many other show organizers and exhibitors are deeply disappointed at the cancellation imposed by DEFRA. I always abide by the rules and terms of the licence governing bird gatherings(defras term for bird shows)as public health is so very important. However is a canary ever going to contract bird flu ? I know you have a small paragraph used in the Cage Birds from time to time which basically says almost everything that moves can contract bird flu and pass it on. I wonder how much research has gone into this statement?
A canary or budgerigar for instance weighs about 1 to 1 1/2 oz and I have no doubt if a small bird like this was to contact this illness it would die within a few minuets or several hours, Mines used canaries to be a early warning for the escape of gas and so protect the lives of the miners because they are very frail when it comes to a gas leak of any other illness they have very little resistance.
So we have a small bird (canary/budgerigar) which spends its life in a birdroom or house room which in effect is like isolation. When it comes to the bird being put on display in an exhibition hall the following procedure takes place.
1.-- The bird is taken from its cage which is isolated from the wild birds -put in a clean show cage with fresh seed and put in a carrying case with a lid and transported to the show generally by car.
2.-- Arriving at the show hall the carrying case is taken from the car with the lid still firmly closed until the exhibits are inside the hall.
3. -- The birds are then taken out of the carrying box given fresh water ,checked in by the show staff ,cages disinfected and put on the stageing. They stay there for the duration of the show which is normally one or two days. There is no contact with wild birds what ever during their time at the exhibition/show venue. All show hall are away from wild birds.
4. -- Returning home is the same process in reverse. All used seed or food is disposed of before the next show and the cages are re-cleaned before they are use again.
I believe the exhibition of canaries /budgerigars etc is NOT a risk to HUMANS and that DEFRA should look again at their guidelines before they put a blanket ban on all bird gatherings. The populations health is of paramount importance and hobbies such as bird keeping help to simulate the fanciers minds and keep them busy in their chosen hobby. Bird keepers are happy and contented people with a purpose in life outside the gadget world For the reasons stated I believe DFRA should draw up a plan which excludes bird shows of varieties which cause NO health risks. DFRA’s present stance of ALL bird gatherings being band "at the drop of a hat" is a nonsense in my opinion and I believe and another million bird keeper would also share my views. Let us never forget we also have over 1 million votes in the next parliament elections.
TOGETHERNESS IN THE HOBBY OF BIRD KEEPING
As I have said it was a great disappointment to have our ALL CANARY EXHIBITION cancelled by DEFRA. When our show secretary DAVE ALLEN started to call people it was very rewarding to hear many of the disappointed exhibitors donate their entry fees to help pay for the monies already spent. The SBCBA would like to thank all these people and echo some of the exhibitors comments like THIS SHOW WAS PUT ON FOR US SO WE MUST SUPPORT IT so it can carry on in the future!
The show hall is booked for next year and all the South Bucks team look forward to seeing you there.
SHOW DATE 15th NOVEMBER 2008
SBCBA CHAIRMAN/SECRETARY Brian Hogg.
CRESTS IN TH BLOOD
By Domic Franz.
In the late 1800’s Crests had a large following, one of whom was John Franz a founding member of the Crested Canary Club (“CCC“) and Committee member of The London Cage Bird Association.. Among his successes on the show bench was in 1903 at Crystal Palace and a published picture of his winning Crest-bred still hangs on my birdroom wall.
In the 1920’s his son Len Franz was given his first Crest by a friend of his father’s after a pair they had jointly bred from produced only one youngster, a variegated Crest cock. Unable to share this progeny Len was invited to the friend’s birdroom and challenged to judge all of the birds, his reward for doing this correctly was the Crest cock which he kept for many years.
At the time he lived in the West End of London, met many of fanciers of the day and was a frequent visitor to ‘Club Row’ street market where almost any type of bird or animal could be purchased. It was where Crest breeders would buy a ‘stick’ of (12) Roller canary hens to use as feeders, which paired to spare Crest cocks produced the origins of the Gloster.
With the outbreak of WW2 most of the best Crests were sent to Australia, but a few fanciers kept some in England. Len was one of these and as Secretary/Treasurer of the CCC kept Crests and the club going through the war. He was a Jeweller by trade and being a skilled craftsman worked during the war at Vickers making specialist weapons and equipment. He was also a member of the Civil Defence, as well as his birds he kept rabbits and chickens and grew vegetables to supplement rations. The birds were fed on crushed oats as canary seed was not available.
He was a regular exhibitor of Crests and in the 1950/60’s was also showing Lancashire’s at the National, these having been produced by pairing Crests to Yorkshires which he obtained from his friend Jim Dawson. Birds were either sent to shows by rail or if local on the chassis of an old pram.
The highlight of his Crest exhibiting was taking Best Canary at the National.
He was an avid supporter of the Crest and eagerly provided advice, support and birds to others wanting to breed Crests. Despite numerous frequent offers from Europe , Middle East, Far East and the Americas, he refused to sell birds overseas as he believed stock had to be kept here and made available to UK breeders if the Crests were to thrive. He was instrumental in driving up the number of birds on the show bench and would be very disappointed to see the levels to which they have dropped to today. As commented on recently by Mr Dix in Cage & Aviary Birds, it is extremely difficult for anyone to start to develop a stud of Crests as good birds are not available to them at affordable prices.
Len loved a good discussion and at one show he joined a group of fanciers debating the origin of the Gloster. One gentleman who insisted that he knew it all and it was not Crest/Roller as his final argument said that he had purchased his first Glosters from “a little German in Bexleyheath”, to which Len replied “That was me” QED.
Other fanciers frequently visited and met Len, and went on to becoming household names like: Cowans, Dix, Ledsham, Munday, Newsham, Plumb, Sissons, Tee, West, Winser, Wooldridge.
A regular visitor was Albert Newsham with birds moving freely from one birdroom to the other. If any of Len’s sons expressed an interest in a particular variety of bird, Albert would on his next visit bring some with him.
Len was a founding member of the OVCA and donated a perpetual shield to the CCC to be awarded annually for the best unlighted Crest/Crestbred.
Four of Len’s sons followed him in to bird keeping; John started with British and moved on to Zebras and foreign, Andrew started with Norwich, Zebras and foreign and moved on to Crests, Joe started with British and moved on to Parisian Frills, Bill went for Glosters.
When Len died it was decided that his grandson Dominic, who was breeding Budgies, should take on the remaining Crests. Unfortunately there was only one hen remaining of breeding age and a few elderly cocks. Dominic was unable to obtain any new stock until he went to the South Bucks show and there were some Crests in the sales class from Matthew Hedge who was giving up. Although he is breeding birds each year he has yet to develop the required quality as he has been unable to get the necessary good birds to improve the standard.
ALL VARIETY CANARY SHOW.
Will be held on Sunday the 6th of January at Sacrewell Farm Country Centre, Peterborough PE8 6HJ.
Due to the South Bucks show having to be cancelled the Lancashire Canary Club have decided to hold their club show at this show, for one year only. It will return to the South Bucks for the 2008 show season.
So for 2008 there will be in-effect 2 LCC club shows!
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMITTEE.
The committee would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Christmas & new year and prosperous 2008 breeding season. And we look forward to see you at our 2008 show.
MEETINGS DATES FOR 2008
JANUARY 15TH--------MY SET-UP DAVID ALLEN
FEBUARY 19TH ------ AGM
MARCH 18TH ------- PAIRS SHOW
APRIL 15TH --------
MAY 20TH ----------
JUNE17TH ---------
JULY 15TH -------YOUNG STOCK show
AUGUST 19TH ---REVIEW SCHEDULE
SEPT 16TH-------
OCTOBER 21ST ----
NOVEMBER11TH ----SHOW PREPARATION
NOVEMBER 15TH --- SHOW
DECEMBER 16TH --- XMAS PARTY
MEETINGS ARE HELD ON THE THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH AT 8PM
FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT
DAVID 01865-452476 or
BRIAN 01494-815360
