Bilco - RP Column 21/05/10

The articles displayed within the Bilco's Bulletin area off the forum have been retyped by one of our pigeonnetwork.com editorial team in the interests of promoting the sport of pigeon racing in Ireland with the prior approval of late Bill Cowell, for the enjoyment of our many loyal members around the world who don't have access to the Racing Pigeon Weekly.
Post Reply
willie reynolds
Posts: 6785
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:44 pm

Bilco - RP Column 21/05/10

Post by willie reynolds »

Bilco's Bullentin

British Barcelona Club Are

Helping Our Heros.

The CSCFC and other Classic Clubs are promoting a Help our Heros Charity Race' from Fougeres on Saturday 10th July 2010, open to all members of the RPRA. You don't have to join the club to participate. Entry fee £3.50 per bird, all of which will be donated to the H4H Charity. Sections as per RPRA Regions.This race is being organised by the British Barcelona Club. The Central Southern Classic Flying Club have kindly offered admin support and the use of their transporter if required. The Alliance of Specialist Clubs has donated £500 to the prize fund. Should any other organisation, supplier or fancier wishing to sponsor this race or make a donation to the charity via the BBC then please contact the BBC secretary Richard Green on 01249 760198 or rbgbbcsecretary@aol.com. At a later date more detail with regard to marking stations and entry forms for this race will be published in the fancy press, and will be available to download from the BBC website, or can be obtained by sending a SAE to the secretary at 48 Compton Bassett, Nr Calne, Wilts, SN11 8RH.

The fancy's interest in this fund started when Baz Nicolls (Sgt, RAMC, now serving in Afghanistan), in cahoots with Jeanette Taylor's 'Pigeon Chat' internet forum ran a sale of birds for auction. This raised over £15,000 and a healthy £1,500 plus subs to the fancier's aid fund. Other fanciers and forums also contributed, and the donations now being collated will undoubtedly make a major talking point to the Nation when the dust settles. Make a note of it, Richard Green, the BBC FC secretary is also an ex serviceman, they look after their own. I would like to see out RPRA HQ match these donations, pound for pound, instead of giving all of Blackpool's funds away to other, annual gatherers. These lads pay with their lifeblood. Make a note of this race, and join it, there isn't a better cause anywhere and the pride in winning it will be immense.

Protecting Data?

I reported a bird to RPRA HQ via the phone, and the lady gave me the phone number of the owner, whom I tried to talk to, but the phone reply was "This phone does not accept incoming calls". OK, fine, so I rang the RPRA back and asked for his address so I could write, and was refused on the grounds of the Data Protection Act. Now the odd bit is this, I am refused the man's address when I phone, but if I write in and report the bird, I receive a written advice with his name and address in full. What Data Protection Act?

Maestro At Work

BBC Vire saw Mick Hayne of Weymouth in the driving seat with one three yards ahead of the maestro John Halstead, who continues to amaze with his cherry picking of top awards in top competition. When he moved down here to Dorset his avowed intention was "to win the big uns" and he is doing just that.

All the expertise he displays in his several videos and books is put into practice, and it all works just as he says it will. Ok, the wind and weather were in his favour last Saturday, but the 2yo widower that took 16th at Lamballe two years since was on the job to lift the plums of the pools at 2nd Open in no uncertain fashion. His loftmate was 14th Open too, just eight minutes later, but John only pooled one of his team of 12 birds. What a player!

One of the major factors (to my mind) for the continuing success of British Barcelona Club races is the fact that the birds still travel in wicker baskets and rest on a deep layer of nice clean white wood shavings. They travel in comfort, and one glance inside a basket on the transporter shows the birds lying down, usually asleep, looking contented, and they have a really top class convoyer in the shape of Nigel Rigiani, who has been in pigeons since he was a child. The club has acquired 100 plus new members this season, so bringing in extra marking stations is obviously paying dividends. All the signs are that more and more support is coming along as interest grows in the newly served areas. All of which makes my efforts last December in helping to secure the new stations well worth while.

The ETS Plague is Catching

Roughly 40% of the Fancy in Great Britain now have ETS of one system or another. In Germany the figure is nearer 94%, while in Belgium and Holland have roughly 77% each. France is fast catching up but still lags behind the UK. Far from killing off the Fancy the losses to all Unions have slowed dramatically in the last 12 months. The general feeling among users is one of pleasure, and 'how did we ever manage without it'. So much for the knockers and /or diehards who vowed they should never use it. When ring manufacturers get wise to the fact that there are only so many rings saleable per annum, those who manufacture the cheapest and best will survive. It isn't hard to envisage the Far East surfacing with something that will satisfy all the requirements quite soon, and those who try to screw every last cent out of the Fancy will perish in short order. Supply and Demand. The thieves who steal ETS rings from strays may smile as they do so, but the day may not be far off when birds so rung with stolen rings might well be reported by those same rings, and drop the thief in the cart. An old friend of mine nudged me last Sunday at the BBC YB Sale and confided that he now had a Bricon up and running. I smiled, for he was slow to make his mind up and gave every appearance at one time of being an 'anti'. Now he has joined us in the 'sit back and let them clock themselves brigade', and likes it. Good for him!
Post Reply

Return to “Bilco's Bulletin”