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Loft
Report for Richard Clingan Keeping pigeons began in the Eastern Melbournian suburb of East Burwood around 1977. The first pigeon is a stray king pigeon. A small loft was built and a second pigeon was added. Before too long, the East Burwood skies were filled with 'powerline sitters' until one Saturday afternoon, a mealy cock with a VHA life ring and race rubber was strayed. Not knowing anything about racing pigeons, the Nunawading library became the source of pigeon information. The first book read was "The Pigeon" by W.Levi. Soon more race pigeons were 'strayed' on a Saturday afternoon until these 'unknown pedigreed' champions soon replaced the 'powerline sitters'. Alf's grandfather, Mr Stan Doherty was the owner of Burwood Fuel and Fodder, a family produce business started at the turn of the century by Alf's great grandfather, J.W.Doherty. Feed was always cheaply available, and Alf can remember cycling his 10-speed racer on many a Saturday morning up Burwood Highway to obtain his week's feed. There was another reason for cycling a 20-kilometer round trip and that was to "pick the brain and experience" of racing pigeon enthusiast Mr Ian McKay, now the owner of Burwood Fuel and Fodder and the One Loft Stop Shop. A 4-kilometer move from central East Burwood to the outskirts of East Burwood saw a larger loft being erected. A supply of racing pigeons became available from the Nunawading Bird Supply on Springvale road, and soon the new loft at East Burwood became overcrowded! However, the new move saw Alf living within 100 metres of Les Fenton, and about half a kilometer from Alby Armstrong of the Box Hill club. Watching Les' birds returning from the VHA program became a weekly-awaited event. During these hours of waiting for the returning birds, pedigrees were discussed along with strains and families and the necessity to breed off proven stockbirds. The 'unknown' racing pigeons housed at the Del-Brocco lofts were soon sold back to the Nunawading Bird Supply, and a gift egg from Les Fenton's Electra Lass together with a few gift older stock birds became the foundation birds. Also on his journey's to and from the Nunawading Bird Supply, as the sold race birds kept returning from whomever had purchased them (this became quite a profitable enterprise, as these birds continued to home and were resold on several occasions over twelve months), a small loft housing a select team of stock birds owned by a Mr Gordon Lang was noticed and not long after a knock on the front door followed. A friendship was struck, and as Gordon Lang was ill with pigeon fancier's lung, soon his remaining stock birds were moved to East Burwood. These birds were of the Ward Wielman strain, along with a pair of Doug Ince's strain and a couple of odds and ends containing Jurion, Harrison, and Delmotte Jurion DuChateau from the Royal Lofts of Sandringham. Pedigrees were studied, and a very inbred family of pigeons developed over a three-year period. However, Alf's father was not supportive of his affinity with racing pigeons and it wasn't long after this that an add was placed in Saturday's Age, and the birds were all sold. During this period, Alf was also eagerly pursuing his love of the martial arts. Training in Taekwondo, then Kyokushin Karate and Western Boxing and Kickboxing, Alf's keenness to study the most logical and devastating street self-defence found him under the tutelage of Grandmaster William Cheung, of the Wing Chun Kung Fu Association in Chinatown, Melbourne. Pedigree was important, and the decision to pursue this art centered on several reasons. One, William Cheung was the inheritor of a devastatingly effective combat system. Two, was the childhood friend and surrogate teacher of the late Bruce Lee. Three, was the trainer of full-contact World Champions, himself an undefeated full-contact tournament fighter. Pigeon
racing was soon placed on the back burner, as 'birds' of the other
kind were now noticed, together with cars and his pursuit of the
martial arts. A chance opportunity to go to Sydney for a couple of
weeks in 1985, saw Alf continuing his Wing Chun training under
Master Rick Spain, the '82/'83 Middleweight Full-Contact World
Champion. Here he became a 'live-in disciple' living and trained in
the Sydney Kwoon for a period of 7 years. Sydney is where Alf met
his wife, Rachel (a Queenslander!). 1993 saw a move to Brisbane to
open a martial arts school, and today Alf, together with Rachel run
one of the largest Kung Fu and Kickboxing Schools in Brisbane,
teaching around 400 students. The day-to-day routine of running a
business saw Alf seeking a "stress relief" hobby. For some strange
reason, pigeon racing was again on the agenda and in 1995 a loft was
built in Browns Plains. Membership to the Greenbank District Pigeon
Club was accepted and the 1996 QPF South West route was flown. 1997 saw the North route being attacked. A win from Bundaberg (317klm) 13th Section, 24th Open with a Louella Janssen was the highlight of the year. A full season was not completed as the birth of Alf and Rachel's first son, Vincent, took priority. 1998 and the West route was flown. Club wins from both Chinchilla's (261klm), Jackson (358klm) a 14th Open and 5th & 7th Section, and Roma (439klm), along with 5 x 2nd club places, 4 x 3rd club places and 2 x 4th club places, and a 7th Section in the Morven (605klm) National. A Combine wins from Roma along with a 5th Combine from Chinchilla saw Alf's best season. 1999 and the South West route. 2 club wins from Thane, and club wins from Inglewood (210klm), Goondiwindi (285klm), and Bollon (551klm), with one club second and third, and 3 x 4th clubs, and a 6th Section 30th Open Cunnamulla (733klm), completed another good season. The 2000 season hasn't started out too great, admits Alf. A club win from Maryborough (238klm) and a 4th club from Miriamvale, and heavy losses every week seems to be the general conversation with a lot, if not all flyers too date. However, the birth of Alf and Rachel's second child, a daughter, Riki Ann Isabelle, only 2 weeks ago, has shadowed the disappointing start to this season. The birds housed at Spring Mountain Lofts are of 2 primary strains. These are Janssens and Janssen based birds coming from Richard Clingan (Marilyn, DeHaan, Meuleman), Ian Daniel (Superman, Stamvader), John Hoffman (Eikerkamp Janssens), John Hanson (DeKlak, Smeulders, Houben), Steve Lucas (Van Loon), Des Sippetts (Hofkens). The Janssens are crossed amongst each other with some very good results and some not so. The second family housed is Busschaerts. These originate from Ian Daniel (Horn, Palmer, and Fletcher), Des Sippetts (Red Rum), Phillip Bouffler (Crowder), and Keith Saggers (Clapper). These birds again are crossed amongst themselves. A few new introductions have been added. These are Van Breeman from Ponderosa, Houben from John Hanson and Mattheus from Ian Daniel. The next couple of seasons will see whether these birds will stay or not. Alf also has a Louella Jan Aarden Cock that is leaving his mark when crossed with Silvere Toye (R.Clingan) birds or Doug Ince (Colin Walker) birds. This Cock together with his Doug Ince family is the mainstay of his distance family. Birds are fed Dupurative on returning from the race and over the week this is phased out and full race mix is given. Medication is only given to individual birds showing signs of illness. Unnecessary flock treatment is not done unless under veterinary supervision. The lofts are cleaned daily and probiotics and electrolytes are given twice weekly. To returning race birds, and during the middle of the week. Widowhood is on the agenda, and new lofts are currently being planned to incorporate this system. Alf would like to see the acceptance of electronic timing devices as with a young family and a busy 7-day a week business; there has been the odd occasion when returning race birds have been missed. Alf also donates his ARPJ to the Greenbank local library (after thoroughly reading it) as his little bit for another keen young potential newcomer to the sport to find out a little bit more about this great "eccentric" hobby as he calls it. Alf sits on the QPF committee as Vice President. He is a little dismayed at the direction pigeon racing is going in Brisbane, and the lack of concern taken by a majority of flyers who are forever whining, but never ready to put their hand up to try and constructively help solve problems that may exist. If the flyers don't start to actively and systematically put into precedent common sense strategies to take pigeon racing into the new millenium, and not just sit in their comfort zones and reapply the same strategy over and over again, pigeon racing in Brisbane will just be a large club consisting of a very large boundary (no boundary), with a dozen meets a year. A lot of individuals say they have this amount or that amount of experience. I have seen people say they have x amount years experience, or have they only had the one experience x amount of times? Alf's
short-term goal is to win that elusive 1st Federation position. His
long-term goal is to develop his own family of birds and to make
sure that the sport of pigeon racing will be alive and well for the
next generation. Alf would like to take this opportunity to thank a
few individuals: Ian Daniel, Ian McKay, Colin Walker & Rob
Marshall, the members of the Greenbank Racing Pigeon Club, and Mr
Richard Clingan for all the advice and patience, and the supplying
of quality race and stock birds. Also a special thanks to my wife,
Rachel, for putting up with all the "pigeon related matter" that
keeps me sane! Thanks!.
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