Pigeon Network

NIPA Committee Report -

The second NIPA Committee meeting in a week took place in Dromore on Thursday 6th March, once again an almost complete attendance. Some items arising from the minutes, a question on the list of Carrick & Dist members requesting to use Larne & Dist Clubrooms as the Marking Centre in the Nat & Classic races. Larne & Dist are to be requested to attend a meeting regarding the use of the club in the Derby & Classic races, including some problems from last season. Some club accounts had been looked at prior to the AGM, bar one or two queries most have been sorted. Glenavy & Dist was raised again under Rule 27, the meeting confirmed a penalty of missing first three races.

Under application from new clubs both Harmony HPS and Mourne HPS representatives were invited to attend a meeting of the committee before a decision on membership was taken. Harmony are based in Ballynahinch where the NIPA no longer have a local club, 13 members are listed with a possibility of a few more. Less than half the member-ship, compete with the East Down Combine. Mourne are based in the North West around Sion Mills, they also have 13 members some returning to the sport and others from Derry and Donegal. They also hope to add a few more and become a top club in the area. Collections by the transporter were also considered with no problems raised. Both clubs were granted membership and we will be watching how they shape up racing in 2014.

Report from Terry Mulgrew was that most of the drivers were in place for the new season, there will probably be further discussion on collection time/route etc for each race including when we have two races on the one weekend. To help keep the costs down income is needed and its especially important when two races are on the go at the one time and the AGM decision was that clubs are collected locally when the easier choice was collection at Centres, or even an Area Collection. There was a bit of discussion on collecting with one lorry less, this might just come up again and that for sure will alter collection times. They intend to advertise for a pigeon man to operate as a Driver/Convoyer, any suggestions contact Fred Russell or Chairman Alan Darragh.

On charges it was left till the next meeting, the agreed programme is very hard to cost. Not counting France we have five cross channel races in a row, how many birds will go each week? Almost impossible to work that one out on how many crates will be needed, we will have a better idea after this season. We will liberate on our own in the Penzance Classic, 20 bird limit will apply this year.

Sect C Delegates have a meeting arranged for Saturday 9th March to complete some business, and Horseshoe will have their complaint dealt with by the Appeals Committee on Wednesday 12th March with a full Committee Meeting the next night. Sect C had asked for the representation to be looked at again regarding election to the Committee where they were reduced by one member down to five. Using the same criterion across the whole of the NIPA it would have worked out at an extra member for most Sections, don’t think we are ready for that yet. A letter of complaint was marked read regarding the selection of the NIPA Committee members for Sect E.

Meeting in Dromore 27/02/14

Following the AGM the NIPA would normally hold a meeting to sort out arrangements for the racing season and did so on Thursday 27th February with an almost complete attendance. One or two items of interest agreed was £1 increase in the membership fee and the £1 which has been usually added to the prize fund for the Old Bird National from France will now be retained. Race Controller for 2014 will be David Campbell (Eastway), Race Advisors are J Ramsey (Derry & Dist), A Darragh (Cullybackey), K Wilkinson (Antrim), W Seaton (Ligoniel), and K Byrne (Newry & Dist).
If required an advert will be placed for the post of Convoyer and/or Driver, this was not decided at the AGM. They also intend to fit tracker systems to the fleet of six lorries. Drug Testing and Club Visits will be carried out this season and the new ETS Committee is J Ramsey (Derry & Dist), K Kernohan (Harryville), G Magill (Muckamore), J Vage (Dromore) and D Mawhinney (Beechpark Social).

Weather permitting the OB Nat from St Malo (France) will be flown on Friday 27th June. Resignation from Cloughey was accepted, and applications for new clubs will be considered at a future meeting. Some members were cleared to race mark at different Marking Centres as is required by the rules and there was some discussion on club accounts.

There was a complaint in writing from Horseshoe in Larne and after some discussion it was passed for the case to be considered by the Rules and Disciplinary Committee which was later selected from the General Purposes Management Committee as in General Rule 3. This Committee will deal with the case on Wednesday 12th March, those attending will include Sect A - J Hanson (Coleraine Prem), Sect B – K Wilkinson (Antrim), Sect C – W Seaton (Ligoniel), Sect D – J Vage (Dromore), Sect E – K Henderson (Lurgan Soc), Sect F – B Smyth (Kircubbin), Sect G – G Delaney (Ashfield), Sect H – P McLaughlin (Maiden City). Chairman is Ken Wilkinson. The complaint is about the failure of the NIPA Committee to include the Resolution from Horseshoe regarding the Introduction of a 50 Bird limit on to the AGM Agenda.

Because of the amount of outstanding business it has been necessary to arrange 3 further NIPA Committee Meetings which will take place in Dromore on Thursday 6th, 13th and 20th March.

On the subject of publicity it will be as last year Steve McGarry covering Sect C, D, F & G and Homer covering Sect A, B, E & H, there has been some complaints regarding my area of coverage. Firstly I will say if this helps almost the first report I get weekly is from Blackwatertown, I also know for a fact most clubs are covered weekly. How do I know that, well I work from a Master List of all clubs that I fill in for each race. I can easily see if any, or those that are missing. If the result is not delivered to me I have on occasions obtained it from other sites, and as a last resort I check the NIPA Club Results on their site where they publish 4 places. It is a rare occasion we run without a club result, if it would turn up late the editorial copy could already be away. Dead simple I would have thought. Members will have noticed I have been trying to list the Top 10 from each Marking Centre in the big races, not just Ballymena where I usually attend and help. This season I hope to list the early details from all Marking Centres, I will be chasing these up.

Over and above that I would appreciate any news reports or photos, might not be possible to have everything published everywhere but we will do our best. Best results are obtained through a local club Press Officer and more and more are going that way including Ballymena, and it’s not me! It is dead simple with a little bit of effort.

The agreed NIPA race programme for 2014:
Old Birds - April 12th Tullamore, April 19th Roscrea, April 26th Roscrea, May 3rd Clonmel, May 10th Mallow, May 17th Rosscarbery Inland Nat, May 24th Talbenny, May 31st Bude, May 31st Rosscarbery Yearling Cock/Hen Nat, June 7th Truro, June 7th Mallow 5 Bird Championship, June 14th Mallow, June 14th Penzance Classic, June 21st Penzance, June 21st Roscrea Comeback, June 27th St Malo (France) National.
Young Birds - July 19th Area Liberations, July 26th Area Liberations, August 2nd Mass Liberation, August 9th Roscrea, August 16th Clonmel, August 23rd Fermoy, August 30th Talbenny National, August 30th Comeback Race, September 6th Fermoy, September 6th Fermoy 5 Bird Championship, September 13th Rosscarbery Inland National.

NIPA Committee – Busy period of meetings

Two further meetings took place on the 12th and 13th March, for some that was four in a period of just three weeks, although a lot of business was completed the next full meeting for the following week is not now required. This event will be replaced with further sub-meetings covering Drug Testing and ETS Clock procedures, and no doubt other items. In recent times I don’t remember so much going on, some of the new members had asked me how many meetings are usually held over the year and I was thinking three or maybe four. We made that total a month before racing starts and I hope they are not put off, you have to be really dedicated to be involved here.

In this report I will do my best to give a flavour of the business discussed, it may not be everything but just as I seen it from the back row. We had some discussion on the Rules and I will return to this, for the last number of years they have been listed in the Race Season Booklet along with Race Entry forms, ring lists, contact numbers and other items of interest. In my time a small Rule Book was published in 1977and I have been looking through it – how times have changed. Two small adverts were at the back of the book, one for Pacemaker Pigeon Grain when Samuel McCausland Ltd was based at Mallusk Road in Newtownabbey. The other was Ty-Rock the building stone company owned by B Fletcher & Sons at Tandragee Road in Portadown. At the front of the book were had the list of officials.

Office Bearers 1977 – President T Harper, Ballymena, Vice-President J W McAllister , Carrickfergus, Chairman L Boyle, Dromore, Vice-Chairman D Campbell, Ballymena, Finacnial Secretary S Halliday Lenaderg Banbridge, Assistant Secretary J Vage Greendyke Walk Dromore.

Committee: H A Montgomery, Coleraine; J Vage, Dromore; H McVeigh, Killyleagh; G A Willis, Portadown; J Savage, Crumlin; R McCracken, Banbridge; M Donnelly, Larne; R Serplus, Lurgan; B Fox, Lisburn; V Thom, Cookstown; T Harper, Ballymena.
Transport Committee: T Harper, Ballymena: G Gibson, Comber; F Russell, Dromore; N Girvan, Newry; W Patterson, Dromore; S Quigley, Londonderry; J O’Reilly, Glengormley; B McCandless, Ashfield; S Halliday, Milltown.

Race Controller and Committee: A M Brown, Crumlin; A McDonnell, Coleraine; S Halliday, Milltown.

The new book had 18 General Rules, 12 Race Rules and 8 Championship Club Rules. Some of the members above still race, others are retired and probably the majority have passed away. The main man is still listed, long time Secretary Fred Russell in those days was involved in the Transport Committee.

It must have been around this time when I attended the NIPA Committee for the first time, don’t remember that much about it, was upstairs in the Muckamore Clubrooms, Secretary Sam Halliday was at the top table and it was the late Jimmy Savage from Crumlin who ensured I got a good seat.

Back to the most recent meeting and items coming out of the minutes of the previous meeting took a bit of time to sort. We had a bit of discussion on the merits of the trackers system on the fleet of lorrys, it was passed at a previous meeting, and will be going ahead. A small team have been put in place to control the system from HQ. Once again attention was drawn to the problems with the trapping systems for ETS, having dual members who are flying under different rules. I think it could only happen in Ireland, it will have to be operated as it stands at present and something that will probably have to be sorted in some way before the big AGM meeting of 2015. I have not seen it in writing but the IHU have a new rule regarding trapping and do not involve themselves in any complication like where the pad should be fitted. That should stop a lot of disputes since this problem has been raging since ETS was introduced. I will just quickly mention the Drug Testing with the IHU who are working on their own published list of banned substances, a big long one. The RPRA members in the BHW of last week got some guidance on where we stand now. Council of the RPRA would like to remind all fanciers that all prohibitive substances come under the headings listed in Appendix G of the RPRA Rules. The potential substances list is not wholly definitive. It remains the responsibility of the owner to check the contents of any product being given to pigeons. When not known the fancier should check with their Vet/Pharmacist/Supplier. In an advert in the same book it said “It is the responsibility of all fanciers to ensure that no banned substances, as laid down in Appendix G of the current RPRA Rules, are administered to their racing pigeons in any form. Fanciers are strongly advised to check with the manufacturer or seller of all ingredients of any products used”.
One good thing is that both the IHU and NIPA will be using Randox based in Crumlin, County Antrim for help and support as we go through the racing programme. I will come back to this.

We continue to make progress with the Driver/Convoyer arrangements, suggestions are welcome to be made to either Fred Russell or Chairman Alan Darragh. Glenavy & Dist were discussed again and a letter read out from the club regarding the problem with the arrears and asking we recind the decision made earlier to ban racing for the first three old bird races. All payments that had been asked for had been paid. A vote to recind the ban carried on a small majority so racing can be done from the first week. Because a part of the debt related to an earlier season, that amount doubled so £334.10 remains outstanding.

Sect C asked again about getting the extra Committee Member who would run the Larne Centre, Vice President Owen Donnelly who done the job before over a long period agreed to be Centre Manager for 2014. Next up we had the report on the meeting held the previous night with Horseshoe HPS. Chairman of the meeting Ken Wilkinson was congratulated on how he handled the event, very orderly and no noise. No part was looked at in detail regarding the complaint, either the conduct at the meeting that the Chairman refused a vote or how the Resolution came from Horseshoe. It was put to the Appeal/Discipline Committee that they seek a compromise position. They accepted it should have proceeded to the AGM Agenda and accepted that the club had placed in through the proper procedure and the wording was perfect. The compromise deal included that for 2015 AGM Agenda it be brought forward from the club again and no reason could be seen why there would be any problems. The further three of four complaints raised by the club will be looked at in conjunction with a Review of the Rule Book. I don’t think a vote was took, most generally agreed and no member was against. What was the big fuss all about, the introduction of a 50 Bird Limit. My thought on this has been any member who can afford to fly 50 plus birds weekly could afford to join a different club and send extra birds there. When B Fletcher & Son were so successful did they not have to fly in three clubs because of limits, what difference as far as the NIPA were concerned did it make?

Unlike the old days a lot of Clubs are now run by Committees and I feel a line needs to be drawn on how much they should control. I was amazed to hear that some recent AGM Resolutions had come forward from Management Committees. I do believe they should only be dealing with internal business, when items such as Resolutions going forward external, then the whole club needs to be involved. My own club have been going that way for a number of years, its much handier. They deal with all items inside the club, recently when an AGM Resolution and correspondence regarding ETS was brought to the NIPA it was after it had gone through a proper constituted meeting of the whole club. That’s the way it works with us and as far as we are concerned the way it should be done.

The members had been sent away from the previous week’s meeting to give some thought and consideration to charges for 2014. The members from Newry & District had prepared an Audit of costs and charges, looking at, what was produced in the Financial Statements of 2013 and the likely costs/savings for 2014. They could see no justification for any increase in charges for 2014. The cost of crates was immediately put to the vote, 22 for and none against so they remain at £9 Inland and Cross Channel. We had a discussion on collections lifting with either 5 or 6 lorry’s and if and when crates need changed at Dromore, before going to the race-point. Costs will be kept in mind but they will collect with the 6 Transporters as usual. Charges were worked out for other Organisations using the NIPA Transporter, they will be kept in line with what the costs are for NIPA Members.

Before the meeting closed we had discussion on the Drug Testing and a Committee was set up to include G Delaney, J Vage, K Wilkinson, D Mawhinney, K Henderson, P McLaughlin, D Simpson, G Robinson with a meeting to be arranged with Randox. As more meetings are held I hope to have more news, as we stand the test to be carried out are on dropings. ETS Race Marking Sheets at Basketing need to go on the transporter or the club don’t compete in that race, birds get marked on the opposite side of the table like at the INFC. Clock not returned for any race must be brought back the next week and a print-out took. Club Results to be in a HQ on night of liberation either by Fax or ask about getting a Result Form to send back via E-mail. Inland Races deadline 10.00pm and cross channel set for 11.00pm. This should cover most circumstances.

Another letter of complaint from Ballymena & Dist was on the table but surprising not dealt with, might have to make progress with the items raised by Horseshoe. Ballymena had requested the Unikon Agent (NIPA) to meet their officials regarding the non-supply of System Codes for the Basketing Unit from the last three years. NIPA don’t think they can do any more, I think since this was the only system adopted and approved by the NIPA they need to be involved with getting us a solution. I would also encourage Horseshoe HPS and other’s who follow the Rule Book closely, give a few suggestions of where you see problems and what items need added to what we have got. A start needs made somewhere and it might be a bit of a journey to get the Rule Book updated, but we will get there in the end.

The ETS Committee was put in place previously, Drug Testing and Club Visits will be carried out this season and the new ETS Clock Committee is - J Ramsey (Derry & Dist), K Kernohan (Harryville), G Magill (Muckamore), J Vage (Dromore) and D Mawhinney (Beechpark Social). With many various Committees being put in place, I would be of the opinion that any Chairman could only chair one Committee, that will spread the business around, and also decisions taken must be ratified by the full Committee. That’s as I see it, but then I don’t have a vote.