The Spangled Budgerigar Breeders’ Association
SPANGLE WINNERS SPECIALIST & RARE VARIETY OPEN SHOW - 2005

reported by Ghalib Al-Nasser, Show Organiser

A phenomenal success for the 17th Show of the Specialist & Rare Variety Open Show. What a comeback! Although there was no Convention to support the event, fanciers gave this show tremendous support. There was a terrific atmosphere with a real buzz to the weekend. The show received an increase in total entry to 1000, which was up by 51% from last year's entry (663) of which a total of 802 birds were benched from 82 exhibitors.

The atmosphere was vibrant on the Sunday, with everyone socialising as well as appreciating the quality of the exhibits staged at this national event. The sponsorship list as published in the catalogue read like who’s who! The Budgerigar Society donated £250 towards running the show and printed all the schedules as their gesture of good will following the cancellation of the Convention due to the fire at Stoke Rochford Hall. The show also received its usual sponsorship from Rosettes R Russ, for all the open rosettes for the show as well as from Les & Pat Martin who sponsored the cost of all the ceramic awards to the judges and Best of Colours, which are much appreciated and sought after by exhibitors. This year both the B.S. President George Booth and Pat Norris donated quality birds for the most benched birds in the novice and beginner sections. It was Mick Anzara who benched the most with 28 birds and made the first selection followed by the beginner Paul Cheatley who benched 26 birds. Their donors presented both birds at the Trophy Presentation time on Sunday afternoon. Norman Cox sponsored the show with the cost of printing the coloured covers for the schedules and catalogues and Roy Aplin gave a pencil sketch of a budgerigar. The Fanciers Sales Stand donated a show cage for the raffle as well. Other sponsorship came from Mick Anzara and Ghalib & Janice Al-Nasser. The following fanciers were generous with their donation of birds for the raffle; Amos & Thumwood, S & R Clarke, L. Cutler, J. Donovan, Mrs. J. Hill, B & M Hough, M. Mitchinson, M. & H. Richard, C. Thorne and Wells & Chilvers.

It was the overseas awards that were most sought after, with the Australian judge Jean Painter presenting her own award of an Aboriginal hand painted plate to John Grubb for winning Best Any Other Colour; the section that she judged. The Z.E.W.A. (B.S. of Switzerland) have always sponsored the B.S. Club Show with their annual trophy for BIS and they supported this show with 20 rosettes for the various Best of Variety awards. The Budgerigar Rare & Specialist Exhibitors of Australasia (BRASEA) gave tremendous support to the B.S. last year with so many rosettes and financial donations and they sponsored this show with rosettes for all the BOC, medals, ribbons but the most fabulous of all their awards was the wooden clock, hand painted with a crest which was awarded to Cliff & Darren Jones for winning Best Crest in Show. They also picked up the painting for Best Spangle in Show. Another BRASEA award went to Dave Guppy & Dave Barnes for winning Best Clearwing in Show. Jean Painter presented the BRASEA awards in her capacity as Vice President of B.S. of New South Wales.

The Show Committee extends its sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the above sponsors as well as the Budgerigar Society, the six specialist societies, the ten area societies and Budgerigar World who all gave splendid support in granting their highest patronage to the show. Gratitude is also extended to all the workers, exhibitors and donors for making this year’s show such a great success.

Apart from our regular fanciers from Scotland, Wales and Jersey, who travelled long distances to be with us, we also had the pleasure of our regular overseas visitors from Holland & Germany as well as visitors from France, Portugal and South Africa.

Sunday afternoon was the time for ceremonial chains of office, with our Guest of Honour George Booth wearing his Budgerigar Society Presidential Chain of Office, whom we were delighted to welcome to present trophies to the respective winners. The Mayor of Lillemer in Brittany, France Ms. Alex wearing his official regalia ably assisted George with the presentation. Another official present was Geoff Capes wearing the Presidential Chain of Office of his area society the Lincolnshire & East Anglia B&FBS.

As in previous years at this show, partnerships did well in gaining 12 of the 22 CCs on offer and 18 of the CCs were awarded to the champion section.

Next year's show will be staged on 1st & 2nd July (week 26) and we are looking forward to the Spangle variety having two challenge certificates at this show for the green and blue series separately.

HIGHEST ENTRY IN SPANGLES

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Best any age and best Spangle in Show
Cliff & Darren Jones

The highest entered variety at the show was the Spangles with 164 entered for Robbie Keeber to judge and the Jones partnership scored their second win. The best any age and best Spangle in Show award went to Cliff & Darren Jones’ with their green cock of good marking and good face. Bill & Malcolm Hough were second with a solid grey cock of good shoulders. The third spot was occupied by another partnership in Gren & Pat Norris’s tremendous double factor white cock but showing too much body colour. Best hen, a green, was benched by the Eatwell family. It was nice to see the melenistic spangles benched by Jeff Attwood. Best junior spangle any age was Aimee Mahony.
Alec & Dave Woan won the young bird award with a beautiful full bodied blue hen of good width in the face, good mask and spangle spots. Jerry Donovan occupied the next two spots with a cinnamon green and cinnamon grey cocks. The second was a stylish cock with good head quality but slightly out of condition while the third placing was another stylish cock but again suffering from condition. Best young double factor and best double factor spangle in show was a white cock benched by Jerry Donovan.

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Alec & Dave Woan won the young bird award

Place Any Age C.C. Line Up Young Bird C.C. Line Up
1 C & D Jones  A & D Woan
2 HW & M Hough J. Donovan
3 G & P Norris J. Donovan
4 M. Anzara D. Critchlow
5 FS & K Eatwell J. Donovan
6 D. Critchlow M.A. Handley
7 M. Anzara M. Anzara
8 G & J Al-Nasser N & J East
9 R. Bray C & D Jones
10 R. Bray G. Sutton

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