UkPigeonRacing

Since we are on the subject of various places, I might explain a little of what we have to contend with.
Running sort of across the state of Victoria is what is called the Great Dividing Range. Melbourne is a sea level, then the hills rise up to the great plateau, which goes more or less all the way to the other side of the continent.
Bendigo is at the edge of the plateau, so is quite high, and St Arnaud is high enough again that some days your ears pop coming up from town. .
Now, The Bendigo boys are linked up with the Central Highlands Combine. based in Ballarat. Ballarat is below the great Divide. So, on a day with an easterly wind, or a lot of northerly in it, our pigeons go down the other side of the divide, never to be seen again. Our 200 or 300 birds happily drift down with their 2000 or 3000.
So on a day with too much easterly, the Invitation club use their own trailer and race a similar distance from a different point. There is a program in theory, but it's a tough old game here, thinking on your feet is standard.
Being in the top place getters is always nice. Down here just getting them home is good too.

My background is very different. I came from a small town that at its peak had 75+ members in it

For the last say 20 years of my racing career there were always 10 or 15 pigeon men stood at the school gates opposite our lofts watching our pigeons arrive.



In my experience there's 3 types of pigeon men

Those who talk the talk

Those who can walk the walk

And those with hugely impressive displays of deflection



I know which category I fell into

The racing pigeon sport is very much different in Austrailia, compared to the UK. After my trip over to see Murray and Cathrine, I would have to say. The sport over there is far much tougher for the birds, my own thoughts are. If I was living over there, I would only race the way Murray is going to be racing. Olr and some money ring racing, the place is so open for miles and miles. The trip I took from Melbourne to Bendingo to meet Murray, opened my eyes. To be honest I thought that was some train journey, Then the drive from Bendingo to St Arnauds, it just went on and on of open space. A trip I really enjoyed.

MIL wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 1:30 pm My background is very different. I came from a small town that at its peak had 75+ members in it

For the last say 20 years of my racing career there were always 10 or 15 pigeon men stood at the school gates opposite our lofts watching our pigeons arrive.



In my experience there's 3 types of pigeon men

Those who talk the talk

Those who can walk the walk

And those with hugely impressive displays of deflection



I know which category I fell into

Mike I've read you have said this before having other fanciers watching your birds arrive, may have been the RPRA centenary race? But my question is why weren't they waiting for their own birds to arrive?

king wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:36 pm
Mike I've read you have said this before having other fanciers watching your birds arrive, may have been the RPRA centenary race? But my question is why weren't they waiting for their own birds to arrive?

Typically Dave there were 3 types of person who'd watch our birds come

In no particular order

1. Fanciers who no longer had their own birds but still liked to watch the birds race

2. In Rugeley you might get say 4 different races on 1 day. If ours were due home first guys would watch ours come before heading to their own loft (lets say they were due an hour later) and they had a "marker" at what time to expect

3. Fanciers where there were 3 or 4 in the partnership might send 1 up to ours to watch ours come before reporting back what time we'd done.


I never used to mind. Quite the opposite really, it was a token of how good we were that they wanted to know exactly what we were on as soon as possible.

Good luck and good returns all racing this weekend

Good luck all, I hope there is some decent racing today.

Devo1956 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:31 pm The racing pigeon sport is very much different in Austrailia, compared to the UK. After my trip over to see Murray and Cathrine, I would have to say. The sport over there is far much tougher for the birds, my own thoughts are. If I was living over there, I would only race the way Murray is going to be racing. Olr and some money ring racing, the place is so open for miles and miles. The trip I took from Melbourne to Bendingo to meet Murray, opened my eyes. To be honest I thought that was some train journey, Then the drive from Bendingo to St Arnauds, it just went on and on of open space. A trip I really enjoyed.

He is right, the sport here is very tough. It is a tough country.
Devo and I have partnered to breed and send pigeons to the One Loft races and money races. They have the One Loft Races well sorted out down here. You need very athletic youngsters, off very good pigeons. The OLR managers train them hard and to a schedule. The pigeons are given every chance if they are good enough.
We hope ours are.
I am still going to keep and train a handful of youngsters to give myself something to do.