HISTORY

THE HISTORY OF THE BORDER FANCY CANARY CLUB OF VICTORIA INC.

Written by Paul Stephens.

The Border Fancy Canary Club of Victoria Incorporated was formed in 1955. Not much is currently known about the club’s early years from formation to the mid 1970s as the club’s records for those years have been lost. However, the club’s first Annual Show was held in 1956 and was won by Mrs I. Woodall. Subsequent winners of note in those twenty odd years include:

Mr David Mold (1959 and 1970);
Mrs Judy Caulfield (1961);
Mr Bill Tape (1962 and 1965);
Mr Norm Rastall (1963);
Mr Harry Oddy (1967);
Bill and Judy Caulfield (1968, 1971 and 1976);
Mr Jim Grace (1969);
Mr Charlie Frigo (1972);
Mr “Dick” Archer (1973);
Mr Bill Day (1974, 1978 and 1979);
Mrs Jean Lees (1975);
Mr Bob Doran (1977);
Mr Merv Jessup (1980);
Mr Tom Ricardo (1981).

At that time, the Standard of Perfection for the Border Fancy Canary of Victoria was the British Standard or “Thomas Model” and the club was affiliated with the British Border Fancy Canary Club. The Standard of Perfection was subsequently revised and updated by the Border Fancy Canary Club of Victoria in the early 1990s and this aspect will be covered later on in this article.

It is reasonable to suggest that members such as Mr W.J. Caulfield (senior), Mr Jim Grace, Mr Les Gough, Mr Bill Tape and Mr Tom Ricardo, to name a few, guided the club in those early years.

1974

One of the first pieces of history that has come to light (thanks John Duke) is a newsletter dated April 1974, which was on A4 paper, typed and folded to give four pages. There were 50 newsletters distributed each month. The newsletter editors at the time were Bill and Judy Caulfield who were to give the lecture that April evening (Thursday 11th) on, “Preparing Your Birds for the Show Bench”. They were not able to fulfil their commitment as they were going away on holidays and Mr Harold Heath had kindly agreed to stand in for them. The club met at St Bartholomew’s Hall, 290 Burnley St, Burnley.

The results of the Young Stock Show Aggregate points were announced and Mr Charlie Frigo won the Open Section comfortably. The Novice was hotly contested with I.A. & I.J. Reilly and John Mannering drawing on 14 points with Tom Mathieson and Mrs & Mr Bird right behind them. It was also announced that the club was elevating four members into the Open Section:

I.A & I.J. Reilly;

John Mannering;

Tom Mathieson; and

Doug Thomas.

The Judge for the 1974 Annual Show was Mr Stan Rust. Mr Gordon Coulter had been invited, but was unable to attend.

It is interesting to note that the club was seeking to make up a dinner setting for 50 people and was asking each member to donate one set (1 dinner plate, 1 soup bowl, 1 bread and butter plate and 1 cup and saucer). This 50 piece set was required for the club’s Annual Show dinner. The hosts of the dinner were not mentioned. It is reasonable to deduce from this request that the club’s membership at the time was around the 50 mark and this corresponds with the number of monthly newsletters produced.

A Show Cage and drinker cost $5.55 and were available from the Secretary, Mr Les Gough. The cages were made by the Tasmanian Border Fancy Club. The member was required to pay the freight costs. Room nominations were being taken for the Derby And Oaks that was being held on Sunday 3rd June. The nomination fee was $1.00 per “room” and had to be paid by the May meeting. Phone entries were permitted up until the evening of Saturday 2nd June. The Show Secretary was Mrs Judy Caulfield.

The club was also seeking a donated bird from each member for the annual Bird Sale in July. It was amusing to read the request, “The bird doesn’t have to be a Champion. It can be any type of Border Fancy, just as long as it has feathers and hops from perch to perch”.

There was a list of Clubs that cater for Borders and their Annual Shows were coming up. These were:

May 11 – ACA Annual Show;
May 18 – CBA Annual Show;
May 19 – MCIS Annual Show;
May 25 – Federation Young Bird Championships;
June 3 – The Border Fancy Canary Club’s own Derby and Oaks;
July 8 – Southern Canary Club Annual Show;
June 15 – Northern Districts Annual Show;
June 22 – The Border Fancy Canary Club’s own Annual Show; and
July 6 – Victorian Canary Club Annual Show.

The club produced in that year copies of the “Thomas Model” Standard of Perfection and was charging 20 cents each. The club also produced an “Illustrated Faults of the Border Fancy Canary”, which illustrated, one fault at a time, the various faults found in the Borders. The booklet was priced at 40 cents per copy.

1977

September 8 – Lecture ( Mr Eic Maddison – Starting Up with Canaries)

October 13 – Lecture (Mr John Mannering – Management and Care of Young Border Fancy)

November 10 – First Young Stock Show Plus Lecture (Mrs Jean Lees – Schooling Young Border Fancy)

December 8 – Second Young Stock Show Plus Lecture (Mr Harold Heath – Open Discussion).

1978

There is a gap of a couple of years and the next piece of documentation related to 1978 when Mr Bill Day was President. The club’s monthly meetings were then held at St. Theodore’s Church Hall in Surrey Hills Victoria on the second Thursday of each month, so some time in the intervening four years, the club moved from Richmond. The long standing Secretary, Treasurer and Ring Registrar was still Mr Les Gough. Les often hosted meetings and Committee meetings at his house in Richmond in the club’s early years.

In 1978, the club’s Annual Subscription was $2.50. Show cages had risen in cost to $12.50. The format of the monthly meetings for the 1977/78 syllabus had remained largely unchanged through the years. It has been a very successful format.

1978 Syllabus 

January 12 – Combined Invitation Night

February 9 – Third Young Stock Show Plus Lecture (Mr Harry Oddy – Your Border Fancy During the Moult)

March 9 – Fourth Young Stock Show Plus Lecture (Panel Discussion – Breeding Season Results)

April 13 – Any Age Show Plus Classification of Your Birds

May 11 – Young Stock Show Championship Stakes Plus Lecture

June 4 – (Sunday). Derby and Oaks (Entries 30 cents a bird)

June 8 – Lecture (Mr Joe Bracegirdle – The Border Fancy Canary)

June 24 – (Saturday) 23rd Annual Show and Bird Sale

July 13 – Pairs Night Plus Lecture ( Dr Ian Staff – Cinnamon Expectations)

August 10 – Annual General Meeting -Election of Office Bearers

The May 1978 meeting saw 27 members present, despite it being a very cold and wet night. That night was the Young Stock Show Championship and there were 43 birds entered (25 Open and 18 Novice). Don Patterson won the Open Classes with a White Border and John Kilgour won the Novice. It was noted at that meeting that 11 members of the club journeyed up to Ballarat to attend Ballarat club’s Annual Show. The show was a great success with 380 birds benched, of which 104 were Border Fancy.

Paul and Christine Stephens were welcomed to the club as new members.

In June 1978, the club welcomed Mr Joe Bracegirdle to lecture on the Border Fancy.  Joe was the then Chairman of the U.K. Border Fancy Canary Club. The lecture was very well received. The club’s 23rd Annual Show was held in June of that year and was officially opened by Councillor E.H. (Jim) James. Border Fancy were sent to the show and were “shipped” to Melbourne via train on the Bairnsdale line, arriving in Melbourne at 3pm on Thursday 22nd June. The hall was set up on that Thursday evening and Mr Joe Bracegirdle was the guest judge. Grand Champion Border Fancy canary was won by Mr Bill Day. Reserve Champion was won by Mr Charlie Frigo and Best White Border of the show was won by Christine and Paul Stephens.

1979

Bill Day remained as President through 1978 and in August 1979, Mr Don Patterson took over as President. Mr Les Gough remained as Secretary. The 1979 Annual Show was a 2 day event, being held on 23rd and 24th June. The Treasurer and Ring Registrar at the time was Mr Jim Dickson and the club’s auditor was Mr Harold Heath.

1980

In the early 1980s, Mr Frank Holzigal became President. Club rings were $1.60 per 10 and the meeting venue moved to Richmond Central State School.

1981

At the club’s 1981 prestigious show for young Borders (its Derby and Oaks), Mr Bill Day won both the Open Derby and Oaks. The Novice Derby and Oaks was won my Norm and Barbara Coyne, with the Novice bird taking out the honour of the Best Bird in Show. There were 122 Border Fancy exhibited and the Judge was Mrs Jean Lees.

1982

In 1982, Mr Harold Heath took on the role of President and Mr Norm Coyne became Secretary. Throughout the early 1980s, attendance at the monthly meetings was around 30 plus members. In June 1982, the club commenced a School of Instruction for prospective Border Fancy Canary judges. The senior Judges Panel at the time comprised Mr Harold Heath (Chairman), Mr Jim Dickson, Mr Bill Day, Mr John Kilgour, Mr Tom Ricardo, Mr Les Gough and Mr Don Patterson.

1983

During 1983 there was considerable discussion on the current Standard of Perfection (the Thomas Model). Discussion revolved around a perceived inconsistency of judging relating to the length of the Border Fancy. The Standard stipulated a length of 5 1/2 inches. There were a lot of quality Borders on the bench that exceeded this length. Another contentious issue related to the angle of 60 degrees that the bird was to stand at and it was accepted at the time that the birds being exhibited stood at around 50 degrees.

1984
Les Burke won Grand Champion.
1985

The Annual Show in 1985 was held in Richmond. There was a large entry of almost 400 Borders and Paul And Christine Stephens won Champion Border Fancy. Les Burke won Reserve Champion and almost repeated his feat the previous year (1984) when he won Grand Champion.

At the Annual General Meeting in 1985, Harold Heath retained the position as President and Mr Terry Walsh took over as Secretary. Annual Membership Subscription was $15.

1987

Harold Heath stepped down in 1987 after 5 years as President and Mr Tom Ricardo assumed the role. In November 1987, Mr John Duke was welcomed as a new member and Mr Frank Kemp in December 1987. The price of a show cage was $16 and the club’s annual membership subscription rose to $20.

At the December 1987 Young Stock Show, 140 Borders were exhibited (69 Open and 71 Novice) for Harold Heath and Bill Day to judge. This was the last meeting at the Richmond Central State School. 

1988

In January 1988, the club moved to the North Richmond State School. The number of birds at the Young Stock Shows was strong (Feb 1988 – 119 birds – 36 Open and 83 Novice; Mar 1988 – 118 birds – 31 Open and 87 Novice).

In April 1988, the club introduced a new night show to cater for Green and Cinnamon Borders. The Derby and Oaks in 1988 was judged by Mr Harold Heath and Mrs Christine Stephens. There were 216 birds entered (147 Open and 69 Novice). Paul and Christine Stephens won both the Open Derby and Oaks. Also in June 1988, Mr John Kilgour donated perpetual trophy for the Border Cup. The inaugural winners that year were Paul and Christine Stephens. That trophy is still in existence today.

The Annual Show in 1988 was held at St Theodore’s Church Hall in Surrey Hills with Mr Ben Merlino from South Australia taking out Grand Champion. Reserve Champion was won by Mr Cliff Falla. There were 391 Borders exhibited (207 Open and 184 Novice). In August 1988, the club welcomed Mrs Julie Sargeant as a new member and Mr George Poulos in September of that year.

In August 1988, Mr Ron Balnaves became President and Mr Terry Walsh remained as Secretary. (The cash at bank was $5354). During the years of Ron’s Presidency, Ron and Betsy hosted a number of very successful Garden Shows at their residence in Frankston. The first Young Stock Show in November 1988 saw 70 entries. December had 160 entries (71 Open and 89 Novice).

1989

In January 1989 there were 123 entries and March had 143 entries.

In February 1989, the club had available for the first time a new three dimensional model and had revised and produced a new Standard of Perfection. Mr Ben Merlino from South Australia was credited with the production of the initial model with Mr Bill Day credited with the finalisation of that initial model design and then producing the model from a mould that the club had produced. Bill continued with this role for many years. The Derby and Oaks of that year had 207 birds. Paul and Christine Stephens won both the Derby and the Oaks

The Annual General Meeting in August 1989 saw Mr Alex Peter take over as President and Mr Norm Coyne take over as Secretary. The club had $3513 in the bank. At this meeting, the Committee recommended that the “Clear” Class at all shows be amended to “Clear and Ticked”; ticked being one mark only, to be covered by a one cent coin. The recommendation was adopted by the members. The reason for the change was to avoid an increasing frequency of birds being wrong-classed by judges with difficult-to-see marks, especially on the thighs, and these not being detected by the exhibitors when entering their birds for a show.

The Young Stock Show series commenced in November 1989 with 38 entries (9 Open and 29 Novice). The newly promoted Judges from the club’s recent training program commenced their judging careers. The senior judges that conducted the program included Mr Bill Day, Mr Harold Heath, Mr Jim Dickson and Mr Paul Stephens.

Mr David Manhire

Mr Bob Painter

Mrs Trish Brooks

Master Mathew Brooks

Mr Maurie Hunt

Mr John Duke

Mr Norm Coyne

Mr Alex Peter

Mr Tony Kerry

It was with great sadness that the club announced the passing of Mr Tom Ricardo on 22nd December 1989. Tom was a foundation member of the club, a past President and Life Member of the club.

In December 1989, the Young Stock Show had 132 entries (42 Open and 90 Novice). 

1990

In January 1990 there were 84 entries, February had 84 entries and March had 149 entries (48 Open and 101 Novice). As can be seen from the above, the Novice section was hotly contested and extremely well supported. The April 1990 meeting was the Any Age Show (135 entries). Best Bird was won by Paul and Christine Stephens and the May meeting hosted the Young Bird Championship (150 entries). This was also won by Paul and Christine Stephens.

In July 1990, the club welcomed Mrs Margaret Bridgeman as a new member. The Annual Show of that year saw Mrs Julie Sargeant win her first of many subsequent Grand Champions. The 1990 win was a great feat for a relatively new member. The sale of the new three dimensional model was very successful and the club had cash at bank of $9,771.

The Annual General Meeting in August 1990 saw Ron Balnaves remain as President and John Kilgour took on the role of Secretary. Mrs Julie Sargeant took on the role of Assistant Show Secretary to Mr Bob Campbell. The 1990 Derby and Oaks was very successful with 254 exhibits (178 Open and 76 Novice). Best Open was Mrs Nancy McPherson and Best Novice was M & T Brooks.

The club welcomed Mr Peter Kalageropoulos as a new member in October 1990. At this time, the floor covering on the show cages was changed from fine shell grit to white paper towelling. In December 1990, the club welcomed Mr Frank Always as a new member.

1991

With effect January 1991, the club changed its monthly meeting night from the second Thursday to the second Wednesday of each month and remains the meeting night till today. The April 1991 Any Age Show was won by Don and Audrey Bruce (113 birds) and the May Young Bird Championship was won by Mr Bill Day (145 entries). The 1991 Derby and Oaks had a near record entry of 236 birds (109 Open and 127 Novice). The Open Derby and the Oaks was won by Paul and Christine Stephens. The Annual Show saw another large entry of over 400 birds with Grand Champion being won by Bill Saunderson and Reserve Champion by Paul and Christine Stephens. The Best Novice Bird was won by Mr Peter Kalogeropoulos.

In August 1991, the new Pictorial Standard appeared on the front cover of the club’s monthly newsletter and show schedules. Ron Balnaves continued as President (cash at bank $9924). The Classification Committee was announced comprising Mr Bill Day, Mr Paul Stephens, Mr John Kilgour and Mr Jim Dickson. The Young Stock Show series continued to have large entries around 100 birds.

1992

The club welcomed Mr Graeme Kendrick in March 1992 as a new member. Large entries again characterised the Derby and Oaks. Open Derby Paul and Christine Stephens. Open Oaks George Poulos. Best Novice Bird Graeme Kendrick. The 1992 Annual Show had a record entry of 554 Borders. Judges were Mr Ray Mellor (Tasmania) and Mr Graeme Neville also from Tasmania. Grand Champion was won by Julie Sargeant. and Reserve Champion was won by Graeme Neville. The AGM saw Ron stay on as President and Margaret Bridgeman as Secretary. (Cash at Bank $10,225).

1993
The 1993 Annual Show had 496 entries and Grand Champion was won by J & H Simpson. Reserve Champion was won by Paul and Christine Stephens. The judges were Mr Alex Kovacevic, Mr Bob Moore, and Mr John Kennett; all from NSW. Ron continued as President as did Margaret as Secretary. The position of Show Secretary continued to be filled by Bob Campbell who continued to perform this role for many years. Julie Sargeant continued as Assistant Show Secretary. In September of 1993, the club sought a registration of interest in running another Judges School. The new Committee introduced the Sweepstakes competition.

1994

The first Sweepstakes was held in July 1994. The Best Bird of the Night at the Young Stock Show competitions was spread around – George Poulos in November, Bill Day in January, Julie Sargeant in February and Trish and Roy Brooks in March.

The Committee amended the ruling in April 1994 relating to the requirements for a Novice member to qualify for Open status. The Novice member was now required to win three major awards before being elevated into Open. The Committee determined that the only major awards to be considered by the club were the Best Novice Bird at the Derby and Oaks and the Best Novice Bird at the club’s Annual Show. This ruling remains until today. However, if a mixed club elevated a Novice exhibitor to Open separately from the Border Fancy Canary Club of Victoria, then the Border Club would have to recognise the breeder as an Open exhibitor.

In May 1994, the club recognised the sad passing of a leading canary identity and past member, Mr Phil Stevenson. At the AGM in 1994, Julie sergeant takes over as Ring Registrar, a position she still holds till today. In December 1994, it was recorded that the Border Fancy Canary Club of Tasmania had adopted the current 3 dimensional model and the Standard of perfection. Three States now shared a common Standard – Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The club also noted the passing of Dick Reynolds, a long time canary fancier. All night shows continued to be well supported. The Any Age Show winner – George Poulos; Open Derby – Julie Sargeant; Open Oaks – George Poulos; Novice Derby and Oaks – Vangel Curtis.

1995

The new Judges School commenced in April 1995.

The Judges for the 1995 Annual Show were Mary East (Tasmania) and Jim Williams (NSW). Grand Champion was won by George Poulos and Reserve Champion Vangel Curtis.

Ron Balnaves stepped down as President at the August 1995 AGM and Paul Stephens took on the role. Margaret Bridgeman continued as Secretary. Thirty five members attended the AGM.

1996
The club’s Garden Show in 1996 was held at the home of Paul and Christine Stephens and Vangel Curtis won Best Border (106 entries). The 1996 Annual Show judge was Clem Page (Tasmania) with Grand Champion Border being won by Paul and Christine Stephens. The club also ran a Border Fancy canary auction at the show. The club commenced its 5 minute talks in November 1996. Entries remained strong at the Young Stock Show series. Nov – 16 entries; Dec – 74 entries and 35 members present; Jan 97 – 61 entries; Feb – 61 entries and March – 119 entries. There were 130 entries at the Garden Show and the Young Bird Championship had 108 entries.

1997

In January 1997, the club welcomed Mr Joseph Yardin as a new member. The 1997 Derby and Oaks had 280 entries (192 Open and 88 Novice). Open Derby and Open Oaks winner was Mr George Poulos and the Novice Derby and Novice Oaks winner was Joseph Yardin. Mr Bill Christansen (NSW), Mr John Duke and Mr David Manhire officiated at the Annual Show that year. Grand Champion Border was won by George Poulos.

At the 1997 AGM, Paul and Margaret remained as President and Secretary respectively. At that meeting the results of the Judging School were announced with the following being promoted as Trainee Judges.

Mrs Margaret Bridgeman

Mr George Poulos

Mr Bill Saunderson

Mr Vangel Curtis

Mr Frank Kemp

Mr Roy Brooks

Mr Steven McArdle

Mr Joe Saunderson

Mr Ross McDonald

Mr Steve Simeon

The club also increased its Annual Subscriptions to $25.

1998

The major shows in 1998 were again hotly contested. Garden Show at  Paul and Christine Stephens (110 entries) – Best Bird Paul and Christine Stephens; Young Bird Championships (118 entries) – Best Bird Julie Sergeant; Open Derby – Paul and Christine Stephens; Open Oaks – Maurie Hunt; Novice Derby and Novice Oaks – Graeme Kendrick. The Judges for the 1998 Annual Show were Mr John Penprase (Tasmania); Maurie Hunt and Christine Stephens. Grand Champion Border was Julie Sargeant and Reserve Champion Border was George Poulos. The bird sale was held in conjunction with the Annual Show and raised $350 for the club.

At the AGM in 1998, Maurie Hunt took over as President and Margaret Bridgeman remained as Secretary.

1999

The ensuing 12 months was a difficult period for the club as it was forced to move the venue for its monthly meetings to Clyde St Thornbury in January 1999 at relatively short notice. The Garden Show was again held at Paul and Christine Stephens. There were 126 entries and Best Bird was won by Mr Jack Devlin. The 1999 Derby and Oaks was held at Merrilands Community Centre in Reservoir. There were 232 entries. Open Derby was won by George Poulos and Open Oaks was won by Trish and Roy Brooks. The Novice Derby was won by Mr Colin Blain and the Novice Oaks was won by Mr Michael Mazza. The Annual Show that year was held for the first time in the club’s current venue – The Burwood Uniting Church Hall. This venue remains as the club’s current venue. Grand Champion Border was won by W.&N. Weightman and Reserve Champion was won by Mr Bob Doran (Tasmania).

The club decided to move its meeting venue once again at the 1999 AGM to the Burwood Uniting Church Hall and the club moved in November 1999. Maurie Hunt remained as President and Margaret Bridgeman continued as Secretary. After more than 10 years as Show Secretary, Mr Bob Campbell decided to step down and Julie Sargeant accepted the role.

2000

The 2000 Garden Show was held for the first time at the home of Julie and Dennis Sargeant. The Annual Show had 450 entries and Judges were Mrs Mary East (Tasmania); Mr Steve Simeon and Mr Steven McArdle. Grand Champion was won by Mr Bill Saunderson and Reserve Champion was won by W&N Weightman. The Best Novice bird was won by Mr Bill Hains.

The club’s membership suffered with the changes to its meeting venue from Richmond to Thornbury and then to Burwood in a relatively short space of time.

2001

In January 2001, the club welcomed Mr Keith Muller as a new member. The 2001 Annual Show had 460 entries. Grand Champion Border was won by Mr Bill Saunderson and Reserve Champion Mr John Duncan. The donated bird sale that was held in conjunction with the Annual Show raised $400 for the club. The club’s fund raisers were Mr George Thomas and Mr Graeme Kendrick.

2002

In January 2002, the club welcomed Mr Bill Hains as a new member. In February, it was sadly announced that Mr Harold Heath had passed away (25th January 1910 to 1st February 2002). Harold was a Life Member of the club; a senior Panel Judge; Past President and long time supporter. His loss was sadly missed. The Garden Show was held at Julie and Dennis Sargeant’s and George Poulos won Best Bird. In July 2002, the club welcomed Mr Chris Koufos as a new member.

At the 2002 Annual Show, the club introduced 2 new trophies – The Tom Ricardo Memorial Trophy for the Best Novice Bird and the Harold Heath Memorial Trophy for the Reserve Champion Border in Show. The winner of the Grand Champion Border was Don and Audrey Bruce and Reserve Champion was Mr John Farr (NSW). At the AGM, Margaret Bridgeman took over as President and the role of Secretary was taken on by Mr Paul Stephens, but only for a twelve month period as the pressures of work and interstate travel were too onerous.

The club acquired new staging due to the generous support of Mr Ron Balnaves, Mr George Thomas and Mr Graeme Kendrick. This staging remains in use today.

2003

Alex Kovacevic (NSW) was invited to judge the 2003 Annual Show with fellow judges Trish and Roy Brooks. J&K O’Shea took out Grand Champion Border.

An Invitation Night to all Novice breeders who were not members of the club to come and show their birds proved successful. It was held in March 2003 and Best Bird was won by Keith Muller. At the AGM of that year, Margaret remained President and Joseph Yardin accepted the role of Secretary; a position he still holds today. All night shows were again hotly contested.

2004

The Judges for the 2004 Annual Show were John Duke, Maurie Hunt and David Manhire. Both Grand Champion and Reserve Champion Borders were won by George Poulos. At the AGM of that year there was no change to office bearers. In September 2004, the club welcomed Mr Frank Greco as a new member.

Nov 2004 YSS – 32 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Dec YSS – 81 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

2005

It was announced at that meeting that John Kennett (NSW) would judge the 2005 Annual Show, together with Paul Stephens and Margaret Bridgeman. Nominations were also sought to participate in a new Judging School. There were 11 nominations received. The School commenced in May 2005.

2005 marked the club’s Jubilee (50 years). Framed Diplomas were issued to members to celebrate this milestone. The results of the shows were as follows:

Jan 2005 YSS – 59 entries; Best Bird Peter Barry;

Feb YSS – 25 entries; Best Bird Peter Kalogeropoulos;

Mar YSS – 73 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos

Garden Show (Sargeant’s residence) – 111 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Young Bird Championship – 73 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Sweepstakes – Best Bird Chris Koufos;

Derby & Oaks – Open Derby George Poulos; Open Oaks Julie Sargeant; Novice Derby Frank Greco; Novice Oaks Haddon & Houston.

Prior to the 2005 Annual Show, the Committee proposed to the membership that the judging procedure for the Annual Show be amended for the 2 Open Judges so that 1 judges Any Age Cocks and Young Hens and the other judges Any Age Hens and Young Cocks. The rationale being that it would give exhibitors, who were also Judges, the opportunity to still show their birds, provided they were not judging Champion, Reserve Champion and other major awards. The Judge that was to judge Greens, Cinnamon and White Borders would be the delegated Senior Judge on the day and would be responsible for the major awards. This was adopted by the members and this system still operates today and has been very successful.

The 2005 Annual Show (50th year) was won by Bill Day and George Poulos exhibited Reserve Champion. There were 435 exhibits. The AGM of that year saw no changes to Office Bearers. It was announced with deep sadness that Don Bruce had passed away. Don was a very strong supporter of the club and a great club man. The major winners of the shows were:

Nov 2005 YSS – 16 entries; Best Bird Frank Greco;

Dec YSS – 39 entries; Best Bird Frank Greco;

2006

Jan 2006 YSS – 36 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

Feb YSS – 19 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

Mar YSS – 39 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

At the March meeting, the club welcomed Martin Sammut as a new member.

Garden Show (Sargeant’s residence) – 100 entries; Best Bird Peter Kalogeropoulos.

Young Bird Championship – 68 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Derby & Oaks – Open Derby Julie Sargeant; Open Oak George Poulos; Novice Derby and Novice Oaks Frank Greco.

Annual Show (Judges Alex Kovacevic (NSW), George Poulos and Steven McArdle) Champion and Reserve Champion Julie Sargeant.

In July 2006, it was with sadness that the club announced the passing of Les Gough. Les was a foundation member of the club, a long serving Secretary and Life Member. Les often hosted meetings at his place in Richmond in the club’s early days.

The following members were presented to the club as Trainee Judges following the successful conclusion of the Judges School.

Adam Roy

David Daff

Joseph Yardin

Ray Houston

Chris Koufos

Frank Greco

Bill Hains

Gerald Rogers

These “young” judges commenced their judging careers by judging at the club’s monthly meetings.

Julie and Dennis Sargeant once again kindly hosted the Garden Show. Best Bird Julie Sargeant.

2007

Gary Clark takes on the role of Newsletter Editor in July 2007; a role he performs till today. The 2007 AGM saw no change to Office Bearers. Show results were:

Nov 07 YSS – 40 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Dec YSS – 34 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

2007 Annual Show (Judges Mary East (Tasmania), Bill Day & John Duke) – 400 entries. Champion Border Julie Sargeant. Reserve Champion Border George Poulos.

2008

Jan 08 YSS – 32 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Feb YSS – 47 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Garden Show (Sargeant’s residence) – 99 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

At the AGM of 2008, the club warmly congratulated George Thomas, who was awarded Life Membership. George has been a long standing supporter of the club and has enriched the club in many ways. He was a long time Assistant Newsletter Editor for 20 years and also acted as the club’s major fund raising Manager. He attends all meetings.

In late 2008, the following Trainee Judges were elevated to the Senior Panel:

Adam Roy;

David Daff;

Joseph Yardin;

Chris Koufos;

Frank Greco; and

Bill Hains.

The major show winners were as follows:

Nov 08 YSS – 42 entries; Best Bird Joe Abraham;

Dec YSS – 47 entries; Best Bird Joe Abraham;

2009

Jan 09 YSS – 35 entries; Best Bird Keith Muller;

Feb YSS – 33 entries; Best Bird Peter Kalogeropoulos;

Mar YSS – 85 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Garden Show (Sargeant’s residence) – 119 entries; Best Bird George Poulos;

Derby & Oaks; Open Derby W&M Day; Open Oaks Julie Sargeant; Novice Derby Joe Abraham; Novice Oaks Peter Barry

2009 Annual Show – 489 entries (Judges, John Duke, Maurie Hunt and David Daff); Champion Border George Poulos; Reserve Champion Border Frank Alway.

At the 2009/10 Young Stock Show series, Julie Sargeant and Chris Koufos shared the honours.

2010

The 2010 Garden Show was, once again, kindly hosted by Julie and Dennis Sargeant and Julie won the Best Bird. In April of that year, the club welcomed Don Carbone as a new member. The 2010 Open Derby was won by Julie Sargeant. George Poulos won the Open Oaks. The Novice Derby and the Novice Oaks was won by Gary Clark.

It was decided to appoint 4 Judges for the 2010 Annual Show. (This practice continues till today.) They were Paul Stephens (Senior Judge), George Poulos, Steven McArdle, and Joseph Yardin. Grand Champion Border was won by Julie Sargeant and Reserve Champion Border was won by Martin Sammut.

The 2010/11 Young Stock Show series was again well supported and hotly contested. The winners included Julie Sargeant, Joseph Yardin and Chris Koufos.

2011

The 2011 Open Derby was won by Julie Sargeant with Joe Abraham winning the Open Oaks.The Novice Derby and Oaks was both won by Gary Clarke. The Judges for the Annual Show of that year were John Duke, Frank Greco, Bill Hains and Frank Kemp. Grand Champion Border was won by Julie Sargeant and Joe Abraham won Reserve Champion.

At the 2011 Annual General Meeting, Gary Clark took on the role of President and Joseph Yardin remained as Secretary. The Show winners for that season were:

Nov YSS- 32 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

Dec YSS- 64 entries; Best Bird Keith Muller;

2012

Jan 2012 YSS- 49 entries; Best Bird George Poulos;

Feb YSS- 31 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

Mar YSS- 78 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

Garden Show (Sargeant’s residence) – 96 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

Young Bird Championship – 58 entries; Best Bird Keith Muller;

Derby and Oaks – Open Derby Julie Sargeant; Open Oaks Steven McArdle; Novice Derby and Oks Gary Clark.

The club distributed a member survey to illicit member’s views on how to improve the club’s services to its members. There was a very good feedback and a number of new initiatives are being implemented. The club undertook another major initiative directed to new Novice members who joined the club. It offered a matched pair of Borders at no cost to each member.

The 2012 Annual Show was judged by Clem Page (Qld), Paul Stephens, Chris Koufos and Adam Roy. Grand Champion and Reserve Champion Borders were both owned by George Poulos.

The President briefed members on the development of a new Pictorial drawing for the Border. The current written Standard of Perfection is not expected to change. It had been discovered that there were some inconsistencies between the Standard of Perfection and the current Pictorial drawing which has been in place for over 20 years. Chris Koufos developed a revised set of Pictorial drawings and these have been under consideration of the Judges Panel for over 12 months. The Committee and the Judges Panel thought it was appropriate to brief the members on these developments and therefore an interim copy of the proposed Pictorial drawing had been distributed. Several members provided written feedback and this was initially referred to the Judges Panel for consideration and then a recommendation to the Committee. Several of these suggested improvements were incorporated into a new set of Pictorial drawings. These drawings are currently being finalised and will be presented to the members for ratification. Paul Stephens reported that the new Pictorial drawings had been presented to representatives of the Border Fancy Canary Clubs of Tasmania and South Australia and the feedback had been positive.

The Show winners for the 2102/13 season were:

Nov YSS – 21 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

2013

In January 2013, the club welcomed Kevin Horrigan as a new member.

Jan 2012 YSS – 24 entries; Best Bird GGG Partnership;

Feb YSS – 34 entries; Best Bird Julie Sargeant;

Mar YSS – 59 entries; Best Bird Chris Koufos;

The Garden Show was kindly hosted by George and Pat Poulos. There were 92 entries and the Best Border was won by Julie Sargeant.

Young Bird Championship – 69 entries; Best Bird Keith Muller.

Derby and Oaks – Open Derby George Poulos; Open Oaks Chris Koufos; Novice Derby Pero Naumovski; Novice Oaks Kevin Horrigan.

The 2013 Annual Show had 400 exhibits. Judges were Maurie Hunt (Senior Judge), Adam Roy, Chris Koufos and Joseph Yardin. Grand Champion Border was won by Julie Sargeant and Reserve Champion Border was won by Chris Koufos.

The club resurrected its Annual Bird Sale. The second Bird Sale was held in July 2013 and was very successful. The Bird Sale will continue as an annual event.

At the Annual General Meeting held in August 2013, Gary Clark remained as President and Joseph Yardin remained as Secretary.

2014

January. The club hosted its 3rd Young Stock Show. Judge was George Poulos. There were 33 exhibits (23 Open and 10 Novice). Best bird of the night, plus Best Open was won by Julie Sargeant. Reserve Open was won by GGG partnership and Best Novice, Charlie Attard. It was reported that Martin Sammut represented the club at the City of Booroondara function for the successful applicants for Council grants (website).

February. The club’s 4th Young Stock Show was held (16 Open 16 Novice). Best bird of the night and Best Open was won by Chris Koufos. Best Novice was won by Charlie Attard.

March. The 5th Young Stock Show was won by Chris Koufos, plus Best Open. Reserve Open was won by Peter Kalogeropoulos and Best and Reserve Novice, Charlie Attard. 69 entries (49 Open 20 Novice). Thirteen members indicated that they would attend the Garden Show at George And Pat Poulos place in Mount Eliza. There were 119 exhibits (89 Open and 30 Novice). Best bird of the day and Best Open was won by Chris Koufos. Reserve Open was won by Keith Muller and Best and Reserve Novice was won by Charlie Attard.

April. The April meeting was held on the morning of Saturday, 26th April in lieu of its normal meeting night on the second Wednesday. The club hosted its Young Bird Championship with 87 entries (80 Open and 7 Novice). Champion Young Bird and Best Open was won by Keith Muller. Reserve Open was won by Julie Sargeant. Best Novice was won by Kevin Hourigan. The Border Cup was also held that day. George Poulos was the winner.

May. Chris Koufos judged the club’s Heavily Variegated and Self Bird Championship, plus the White Night. The best bird of the night and best Open was won by George Poulos. Best Novice was won by Joe Spiteri. There were 55 exhibits (39 Open and 16 Novice). For the White Night, there were 25 exhibits (18 Open and 7 Novice). Charlie Attard won best bird. Julie Sargeant was re-appointed as the club’s Ring registrar for the 14/15 season.

June. Paul Stephens briefed the members on the development of the new Standard of Excellence and new Pictorial. The members will be asked to endorse the new Standard at the forthcoming AGM. The club also wrote to the BFCC of Tasmania and BFCC of South Australia seeking their approval to the new Standard of Excellence and new Pictorial and expected positive responses. The club has commenced advertising its July bird sale. On the website development, Martin Sammut reported that the club had obtained a grant of $800 from the City of Boroondara. The actual cost is $1131.00 and the club will pay the difference. The Derby and Oaks was held on 7th June. Open Derby winner was George Poulos. Open Oaks winner was Julie Sargeant. Novice Derby winner was Peter Ilic and Novice Oaks winner was Charlie Attard.
The club’s annual Show was held on 28th June. Grand Champion was won by George Poulos and Bill Day won Reserve Champion.

July. A relatively quiet meeting. Club subscriptions are now due. At the bird sale, 31 birds were sold, slightly down on the previous year (42).

August. The club’s AGM was held with no substantial changes to Office Bearers. Gary Clark continued as President and Joseph Yardin continued as Secretary/Treasurer. John Duke was awarded Life membership of the club for his outstanding contribution over many years. The members resoundingly endorsed the club’s new Standard of Perfection and new Pictorial. Printing of the new Standard will now proceed.

September. George Poulos presented a lecture on Feeding for the Breeding Season. It was noted that Chris Koufos had tendered his resignation from the club and its Judging Panel. It was reported that the local ring supplier could not guarantee supply and the club decided to order the rings from overseas, but through Federation. Martin Sammut reported that the website was nearing completion.

October. Paul Stephens presented on Judging Procedure and Stewarding to the members. It was noted that the club would hold its Border Cup and Young Bird Championship on Easter Monday from 9am to 12 noon. Members of the Judges Panel were reminded that the next meeting was to be held on 15th October.

November. Letters and emails were sent to all clubs advising of judging appointments. George Poulos has been appointed as the senior judge for the 2015 Annual Show. Bill Hains, Frank Greco and David Daff complete the judging panel for the show. John Duke is to judge the Garden Show and the judges for the Derby and Oaks are John Duke, Joseph Yardin and Bill Hains.
John Duke judged the 1st Young Stock Show. There were 22 exhibits (21 Open; 1 Novice). Best bird of the night and Best Open was won by Joseph Yardin. Reserve Open was won by Julie Sargeant. Best Novice was Peter Ilic.

December. George Poulos judged the club’s 2nd Young Stock Show. There were 46 exhibits (31 Open and 15 Novice). Best bird of the night and Best Open was won by Joseph Yardin. Reserve Open was Julie Sargeant and Best Novice was Charlie Attard. Christmas greetings were received from Maurie Hunt. An email had been received from the local supplier of ring (Chapman), advising that rings were available, but no indication of price. The club has proceeded to order the rings from overseas.
The President thanked Don Carbone and his wife for organising the Christmas Hamper. Matin Sammut reported that the website was to go “live” and the club should be very proud of the result.

2015

January. It was the club’s 3rd Young Stock Show with 36 entries for the night (23 Open and 13 Novice). Judge was Frank Greco. Best Bird of the Night and Best and Reserve Open birds were won by George Poulos. Best Novice was Charlie Attard. Martin Sammut reported on the progress of the Club’s website. It is ready to go live and will be handed over to the club. It was also reported that the Border Fancy Canary Club of Tasmania had provided very favourable comment on the new Standard of Excellence and requested 20 copies of the new Standard.

February. Pero Naumovski agreed to act as the Border Fancy section manager for the upcoming Combined show. The president, Gary Clark, reported that the club’s new website was up and running. It was agreed that the Club write to all clubs, advising them of the launch of our new website. The Ring Registrar, Julie Sargeant, reported that the 2015 rings had been received. The Judge for the 4th Young Stock Show was David Daff. There were only 13 Novice entries for the night. Best bird was won by Peter Ilic.

March. The March meeting was the club’s 5th Young Stock Show. There were 86 exhibits (47 Open and 39 Novice) Best Bird of the Night and Best Novice bird was won by Pero Naumovski. Reserve Novice bird was won by Charlie Attard. Best and Reserve Open birds were won by Julie Sargeant. Members were reminded that the club’s Garden Show was to be held at the home of George and Pat Poulos on Sunday 29th March. There was an excellent turn out of members and birds for that show. 108 exhibits (66 Open and 42 Novice). Best Bird of the Day and Best Open was won by Joseph Yardin. Reserve Open was won by George Poulos and Best Novice was won by Pero Naumovski.

April. The April meeting hosted the club’s Young Bird Championship. The meeting was held on 6th April during the day; a departure from the club’s usual meeting date of the night of the second Wednesday. There were 72 exhibits (42 Open and 30 Novice). The judge was Paul Stephens. Champion Young Bird, Best and Reserve Open birds were won by George Poulos. Best and Reserve Novice birds were won by Joe Spiteri. The day also hosted the Border Cup; the winner being Charlie Attard.

May. The May meeting hosted the Heavily Variegated and Self Bird Championship (judge Joseph Yardin) , plus the White Night (judge Paul Stephens).

June. The Derby and Oaks was held on 6th June. Open Derby winner was Martin Sammut. Open Oaks winner was George Poulos. Novice Derby and Oaks winners was Pero Naumovski. At the monthly meeting, David Daff tendered his resignation from the Judges Panel. Julie Sargeant was re-appointed as the club’s Ring Registrar.
The club held its Annual Show on 27th June. Major award winners were Grand Champion, Julie Sargeant. Reserve Champion, Pero Naumovski.

July. There were no birds at the July meeting. Members were advised that annual subscriptions were due. The meeting adjourned relatively early and John Duke, as usual, served supper.

August. The club held its AGM and all major positions remained the same. Gary Clark continued as President and Joseph Yardin continued as Secretary and Treasurer. As a form of fund raising, the club proposed running a “Border Lotto” and were seeking members to participate. Martin Sammut reported that the club’s website had 3,400 “hits” for the July/August period.

September. Correspondence was released advising all clubs of the office bearers for 15/16 and inviting requests for judging appointments. Pero Naumovski and Charlie Attard were advised of their promotions into Open status. The club is actively encouraging members to receive their monthly newsletters by email in order to defray postage and printing costs. Peter Ilic gave a lecture on Preparation for the Breeding Season.

October. Letter was sent to Bunnings, applying to run a “sausage sizzle” in order to raise funds for the club. Graeme Kendrick briefed the members on this initiative, noting that the club could raise around $1000. Paul Stephens addressed the members on the proposed judging procedure for the 2016 Annual Show and sought members’ participation in the 2016 Sweepstakes competition.

November. The President advised that John Penprase and Frank Alway had accepted the club’s invitation to judge at the 2016 Annual Show. John Duke and Steve McArdle will join them to complete the Judges appointments. It was also advised that John Duke and Pero Naumovski will both judge at the Garden Show. The Derby and Oaks judges are to be Paul Stephens, Bill Hains and Pero Naumovski. Graeme Kendrick advised the club that Bunnings had allocated Sunday 15th May for the sausage sizzle. The club ran its first Young Stock Show. Best bird of the night, plus Best and Reserve Open birds was won by Julie Sargeant. There were no Novice birds. 25 exhibits in total. Julie Sargeant advised the club that her entire stock, breeding cages and show cages were for sale.

December. There was a good turnout of members for the Christmas meeting, which incorporated the Christmas Hamper and other prizes for the club’s raffle. The President thanked Don Carbone and his wife for organising the Christmas Hamper. Julie Sargeant advised the members that, after 30 years of keeping, breeding and exhibiting Border Fancy, she will be disposing of all her stock, cages and equipment as her house is being sold and downsizing. George Poulos judged the 2nd Young Stock Show. There were 34 exhibits (28 Open and 6 Novice). Best bird of the night and Best and Reserve Open birds was won by Julie Sargeant. Best Novice was Peter Ilic.

2016

January. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.16pm. Martin Sammut, Pero Naumovski, Frank Greco, Kevin Horrigan, and Joe and Margaret Spiteri were apologies. Joseph Yardin presented the Treasurer’s Report- total funds; $5113.93. Julie Sargeant reported that Federation (NSW) asked if the club was going to order rings from overseas, through them. The local ring supplier had ceased production and the new local supplier had yet to gear up production. The quality of the overseas rings is very good and unit cost is 32 cents, compared to the local rings once they are produced at 55 cents per unit. John Duke moved that the Club order from overseas. The motion was carried. Bill Hains gave the 5-minute talk. Due to the heat, there was no Young Stock Show. Julie Sargeant remains in the Aggregate points lead, comfortably, on 66 points. The meeting closed at 8.25pm and a lovely supper was enjoyed by all.

February. The meeting opened at 8.13pm. Joseph Yardin and Don Carbone were apologies for the night. The club funds stand at $4965.51. Members were advised that the club’s Garden Show was to be held on 20th March. The meeting closed at 8.21pm for the 4th Young Stock Show. From 12 Open entries, Julie Sargeant won Best Open with a Lightly Variegated bird and then went on to win Best Bird of the Night. There were 12 Novice entries and Kevin Horrigan won the Best Novice with a Lightly Variegated bird. After the evening, Julie Sargeant led the Open Aggregate points with 85 points and Peter Ilic led the Novice with 24 points.

March. Gary Clark opened the meeting at 8.13pm. Martin Sammut, Don Carbone, John Impey and Paul Stephens were apologies. Club funds stand at $4717.75. Members were invited to donate trophies for the Annual Show. Some 12 members indicated that they would be attending the Garden Show. Graeme Kendrick advised that the club would run a “sausage sizzle” at Bunnings on 15th May and volunteers were sought. The meeting closed at 8.39pm and was followed by the 5th Young Stock Show. There were 6 Open birds and Charlie Attard won the Best Bird of the Night with a Lightly Variegated bird. Julie Sargeant won the Open Aggregate points with 85 points and Peter Ilic won the Novice Aggregate with 24 points. The results of the Garden Show were as follows. There were 61 entries. George Poulos won Best and Reserve Open. There were no Novice entries.

April. The meeting opened at 8.20pm and the club welcomed two visitors; Brendan and Dennis Turley. There were apologies from Gary Clark, George Thomas, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, John Duke and Kevin Horrigan. Club funds stand at $4057.25. It was advised with sadness that Bill Watson passed away. A condolence card was sent. It was further advised that Kevin Horrigan was not well. A get-well card was sent. Paul Stephens judged the Young Bird Championships. There were 39 entries. Joseph Yardin won Best Open bird and Best Bird of the Night with a Heavily Variegated bird. Reserve Open was won by GGG Partnership and Best Novice bird was won by Peter Ilic. The new Aggregate points commenced and GGG Partnership led the Open Aggregate with 17 points. Peter Ilic led the Novice with 17 points. Bill Hains and John Duke then judged the Border Cup and Don Carbone and GGG Partnership were the joint winners.

May. The meeting was opened at 9pm. Charlie Attard, Frank Greco, Peter Ilic, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, Pero Naumovski, Martin Sammut, Michael Tabone were apologies. Club funds stand at $4162.10. Julie Sargeant was elected Ring Registrar for 2016-17. The meeting closed at 9.24pm. Don Carbone gave the 5-minute talk. Don also judged the Heavily Variegated and Self Bird Championship. GGG Partnership won Best Open and Best bird of the Night with a Heavily Variegated Cinnamon bird. Best Novice was won by Kevin Horrigan with a heavily Variegated Green bird. There were 25 exhibits. Ray Buttigieg judged the White Night. Best Novice bird and Best Bird of the Night was won by Kevin Horrigan. There were 10 exhibits.

June. The meeting opened at 8.13pm and the President welcomed Dennis Turley as a visitor. Two new members were also welcomed; Wayne Hesline and Brendan Turley. Apologies were received from Graeme Kendrick, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, Pero Naumovski and Julie Sargeant. Thank you, letters were sent to Ray Gerada, Max Gambin and Joe and Margaret Spiteri for running the club’s “sausage sizzle” at Bunnings. It generated $1380.47 for the club. Total funds stand at $4858.47. The meeting closed at 8.25pm. Don Carbone judged the Sweepstakes competition. Best and Reserve birds belonged to Joseph Yardin.
The Derby and Oaks results are as follows: Open Derby winner. George Poulos with Heavily Variegated Cinnamon Buff Cock. Open Oaks winner. GGG Partnership with a Lightly Variegated Yellow Hen. The Novice Derby was won by Kevin Horrigan with a Lightly Variegated Buff Cock. Novice Oaks was won by Peter Ilic with a Lightly Variegated Yellow Hen. The Grand Novice winner was Kevin Horrigan.
Results of the Annual Show are as follows: Grand Champion bird was won by Martin Sammut with a Cinnamon Variegated Buff cock. Reserve Champion exhibit was won by Frank Alway. Best Type Green of the Show was won by Joseph Yardin. Best Type Cinnamon in the Show was won by Martin Sammut. Best White Type bird in the Show was won by GGG Partnership. Best Opposite Sex to the Grand Champion was won by GGG Partnership. Best Open bird was won by Martin Sammut as was the Best Young Bird in the Show. Best Novice bird was won by Michael Tabone.

July. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.08pm. Apologies were received by Joseph Yardin, Don Carbone, Pero Naumovski, Frank Greco, Martin Sammut, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, Kevin Hourigan, Julie Sargeant, and John Impey. Club funds stand at $6185.72. A review of the Annual Show judging procedure, that was proposed by Paul Stephens was rated as being very successful. It was with extreme sadness that we noted the sudden passing of one of our Life Members, John Duke (10 August 1939 – 20 July 2016). An application for membership was received from Mario Vujovich.

August. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.52pm. Apologies were received from George Poulos, Charlie Attard, Kevin Hourigan, Frank Greco, and Bill Hains. Club funds stand at $5830.96. Gary Clark presented his President’s Report for the previous financial year. He reported that all major shows went very smoothly. A special thanks to Julie Sargeant, Joseph Yardin, and the late John Duke. He thanked George and Pat Poulos for putting on the Garden Show. Gary also thanked Graeme Kendrick for organising the Bunnings “sausage sizzle”. In addition, Gary thanked Paul Stephens for devising the new Judging Procedure at our Annual Show. All Office Bearers were re-elected, unopposed, for the ensuing year.

September. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.05pm. Apologies were received from Martin Sammut, and Don Carbone. Club funds stand at $5962.21. Members discussed whether the Club should continue to be a part of the Combined Canary Exhibition. It was decided that the Club should continue this association. It was agreed that the Club should change the date of it’s Derby and Oaks to 3rd June, in order to avoid a clash with the Combined. It was also noted that the Borderlotto was very successful in raising club funds. Meeting closed at 8.20pm and was followed by an Information Night for our Novice members. Joseph Yardin presented.

October. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.14pm. Apologies were received from Julie Sargeant, Frank Greco, and Joe and Margaret Spiteri. Club funds stand at $6056.26. It was announced that a Memorial Trophy has been created in the memory of the late John Duke. It will be awarded to the Best Bird at our Derby and Oaks. Judges for the forthcoming Annual Show were announced. Open Any Age Cocks and Young Hen – Maurie Hunt; Open Any Age Hens and Young Cocks – Bill Hains; Novice Birds, Grand Champion and all Major Awards – Paul Stephens; Special Awards (Greens, Cinnamons and Whites) – Joseph Yardin. The lecture for the evening was presented by Martin Sammut on Training Young Birds. At the conclusion, a lovely supper was enjoyed by the members.

November. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.20pm. Apologies were received from John Impey, Don Carbone, and Ray Buttigieg. Club funds stand at $6518.21. Julie Sargeant, as Ring Registrar, reported that she has only 30 rings left, and it was decided that the club would not order any more. Tonight, was the last night for the nomination of Sweepstakes entries. A new Borderlotto will commence once all numbers were sold. Members were encouraged to purchase the spare numbers. It was reported that Mary East (BFCC of Tasmania) had a fall and was in hospital. A Get-Well card was sent. George Poulos judged the First Young Stock Show. There were 14 exhibits. Peter Ilic won Best Bird of the Night.

December. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.15pm. Apologies were received from Charlie Attard, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, and Bill Hains. The President welcomed all members to our Christmas meeting. Club funds stand at $6686.26. Gary thanked Don Carbone and his wife for preparing the Christmas Hampers. Meeting closed at 8.33pm, followed by a 5-minute talk on weaning young birds. The talk was presented by Frank Greco. There were 28 exhibits for our second Young Stock Show. Best Open and Best Bird of the Night was won by Joseph Yardin. Best Novice bird was won by Brendan Turley. The meeting was concluded with our Christmas Supper.

2017

January. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.22pm. Apologies were received from Don Carbone, Frank Greco, George Thomas, Paul Stephens and Martin Sammut. Club funds stand at $6910.32. Wayne Hesline gave the 5-minute talk on his first breeding season. Meeting closed at 8.27pm and the judging of the Third Young Stock Show commenced. Ray Buttigieg was the Judge. There were 28 entries. Best Open and Best Bird of the Night was won by Joseph Yardin. Best Novice was won by Kevin Hourigan. Joseph leads the Open Aggregate Points with 52 points. Kevin leads the Novice Aggregate with 15 points.

February. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.08pm. Apologies were received from Don Carbone, George Poulos, Julie Sargeant, Pero Naumovski, Frank Greco, Jim Anderson, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, and Charlie Attard. Julie Sargeant was re-appointed the Ring Registrar for 2017-2018. Members confirmed that the club should continue to purchase rings from overseas. Paul Stephens gave the 5-minute talk on the moult. Meeting closed at 8.18pm. There was no Young Stock Show due to the heat.

March. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.15pm. Apologies were received from Martin Sammut, John Impey, George Thomas, and Emmanuel Buttigieg. Club funds stand at $6762.92. The meeting decided to transfer $5,000 into a Term Deposit account. The club was running the Border Fancy section at the forthcoming Combined Canary Exhibition. Volunteers were sought. Some 16 members indicated that they would attend the Garden Show. Members settled on the design of the John Duke Memorial Trophy for the forthcoming Derby and Oaks. Peter Ilic gave the 5-minute talk and the meeting closed at 8.35pm for the Judging of the 5th Young Stock Show. 33 entries were received, and John Impey officiated as the Judge for the evening. Joseph Yardin won Best Open and Best Bird of the Night. Maurice Iudica won the Best Novice exhibit. Joseph leads the Open Aggregate with 75 points and Maurice leads the Novice with 20 points.
23 people attended the Garden Show. There were 115 entries. George Poulos won Best Open Exhibit and Kevin Hourigan won Best Novice exhibit.

April. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.25pm and welcomed all present. Apologies were received from George Thomas, Graeme Kendrick, and Don Carbone. A new member, Paul Zammit, was welcomed. Club funds stand at $6642.11. The meeting closed at 8.40pm. B Gillespie and B Sullivan updated the members on the State Government regulations regarding Bird Sale Regulations. John Impey was thew judge for the night. Best White Bird of the Night was won by Joseph Yardin.

May. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.30pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Peter Ilic, and Joe and Margaret Spiteri. Club funds stand at $6086.44. Volunteers were sought to run the Border Fancy section at the forthcoming Combined Canary Exhibition. The Committee sought member feedback as to how the club might improve its services to the members. Paul Stephens judged the Young Bird Championship. There were 50 entries. Best Open Bird and Best Bird of the Night was won by Martin Sammut. Best Novice Exhibit was won by Maurice Iudica. Martin leads the Open Aggregate with 28 points, and Maurice leads the Novice Aggregate with 22 points.

June. The club held its annual Derby and Oaks on 3rd June. Don Carbone, Pero Naumovski and George Poulos were the judges. The Open Derby winner was exhibited by GGG Partnership with a White Cock bird, and the Open Oaks winner was exhibited by Bill Hains with a White Hen. The Novice Derby winner was exhibited by Brendan Turley and the Novice Oaks winner was exhibited by Gary Clark. George Poulos leads the Open Aggregate with 73 points and Gary Clark lead the Novice Aggregate with 49 points.
The June meeting was opened by our President, Gary Clark at 8.32pm. John Georgeopoulos was welcomed as a new member. Apologies were received from John Impey, Michael Tabone, and Joe and Margaret Spiteri. Mr Steve Borg applied for club membership. Club funds stand at $6043.29. Meeting closed at 8.41pm and was followed by a presentation by Paul Stephens on Preparation of Your Birds for the forthcoming Annual Show.
Results of the 62nd Annual Show were as follows. Grand Champion and Reserve Champion of the Show were both won by George Poulos. Best Novice Bird and Best Young Bird of the Show was won by Emmanuel Buttigieg. Champion Opposite Sex was also won by George Poulos. Aggregate points; George Poulos (Open) 105; Gary Clark (Novice) 58.

July. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.03pm and welcomed all members. Steve Borg and D de Santis were welcomed as new members. Apologies were received from Julie Sargeant, Bill Hains, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, and Emmanuel Buttigieg. Club funds stand at $6578.74. Gary advised members that the 2017-2018 membership were now due. Meeting closed at 8.12pm. Ray Buttigieg judged the Sweepstakes.

August. August is the club’s Annual General Meeting. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.39pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Paul Stephens, George Poulos, Graeme Kendrick, Kevin Hourigan, and Joe and Margaret Spiteri. Club funds stand at $6706.96. All Executive positions were declared vacant and nominations were sought. All the Executive was returned to office. The President noted that the past year was very successful for the Club. All major shows were well attended and ran smoothly. The Annual Show had an extra 114 entries on the previous year. What was especially pleasing was the increased number of Novice members. Special thanks went to Julie Sargeant, Joseph Yardin, Charlie Attard, and George and Pat Poulos.

September. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.10pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Don Carbone, Julie Sargeant, George Thomas, Graeme Kendrick, Ray Buttigieg, Martin Sammut, and Kevin Hourigan. Club funds stand at $7043.73. Paul Stephens briefed the members on the development of the new 3D Model. It was moved that the Model be adopted as the new 3D Standard of Excellence and that 3D copies are to be produced for sale to the members. Paul Stephens also gave the presentation on; “The Art of pairing our Birds”. The meeting closed at 8.45pm.

October. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.10pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Don Carbone, Julie Sargeant, Pero Naumovski, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, Kevin Hourigan, and Jim Anderson. An application for membership was received from Athol Fenton (from N.Z.). Club funds stand at $7307.31. Paul Stephens briefed the members on the club’s Sweepstakes and encouraged all members to participate. Martin Sammut presented on the A to Z of Breeding our birds. The meeting closed at 8.18pm.

November. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.30pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Joseph Yardin, Don Carbone, Bill Hains, and Frank Greco. Club funds stand at $7370.65. The Club members voted to continue its membership and participation of the Combined Canary Exhibition and agreed to pay the Affiliation Fee. John Impey judged the First Young Stock Show. There were 13 entries. Meeting closed at 8.55pm. Peter Ilic won Best Open bird and Best Bird of the Night. Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich won Best Novice.

December. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.20pm and welcomed all members to the club’s Christmas function. Chris Maven was welcomed as a new member. Apologies were received from Peter Ilic, Margaret and Joe Spiteri, P Zammit, Emmanuel Buttigieg, Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich, and Bill Hains. Clubs funds stand at $7499.70. President thanked Don Carbone and his wife for their efforts in preparing the Christmas Hampers. Meeting closed at 8.29pm for our Christmas celebrations. The second Young Stock Show was not held due to the heat.

2018

January. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.15pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to our two visitors, Charlie Turley, and Kosta Georgopoulos. Apologies were received from Julie Sargeant, Paul Stephens, Frank Greco, Emmanuel Buttigieg, Charlie Attard, and Brendan Turley. Club funds stand at $7744.06. George Poulos reported that the Melbourne Border Fancy Club has indicated that it is prepared to supply Judges for the forthcoming Combined Canary Exhibition but will not provide volunteers to assist in the running of the Show. Our club will decide whether to provide volunteers if, and when asked by the Combined. Graeme Kendrick reported that the legislation concerning bird sales has passed through the Parliament. Details of the Legislation should be available soon. The raffle prize for the night was donated by Julie Sargeant and was won by Martin Sammut. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.27pm and was followed by a five-minute talk by Graeme Kendrick. On conclusion of the talk, the Third Young Stock Show was held. The Judge was Emmanuel Buttigieg. There were 24 entries, 15 Open and 9 Novice. Best Open Bird was a Lightly Variegated, won by GGG Partnership. Reserve Open Bird was a Self-Green, also won by GGG Partnership, who went on to win the Best Bird of the Night. Best Novice Bird was a Clear and Ticked, won by Mario Vujovich. The Young Stock Show Aggregate points were: Peter Ilic 20 (Open), and Mario Vujovich 33 (Novice). Many thanks to Joseph Yardin for the cup of tea at the conclusion of the evening.

February. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.17pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to our two visitors, Charlie Turley and Kosta Georgopoulos. Apologies were received from Paul Stephens, Julie Sargeant, Don Carbone, Graeme Kendrick, Martin Sammut, Chris Maver, Frank Greco, John Impey, and Brendan Turley. The apologies were accepted on the motion of George Poulos and seconded by Wayne Hesline. The club has received advice from the Gloster Club that they are holding a bird sale on 10th March. Club funds stand at $7359.57. Don Carbone has kindly donated the raffle prize for the night. Committee members were reminded of the forthcoming meeting. The club noted with sadness, the passing of our long-term member, Keith Muller. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.23pm and members viewed the judging of the 4th Young Stock Show. There were 24 entries – 15 Open and 9 Novice. Best Open Exhibit and Best Bird of the Night was a Lightly Variegated bird won by Joseph Yardin. Best Novice Exhibit was a Heavily Variegated bird won by Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich.

March. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.12pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to a visitor, Chris Borg. Apologies were received from Martin Sammut, Emmanuel Buttigieg, Frank Greco, Brendan Turley, Julie Sargeant, and Michael Tabone. The apologies were moved by Peter Ilic and seconded by Paul Stephens and carried. It was noted with sadness, the passing of John (Jack) Watson. The club has received show schedules from Dandenong Canary Club. Club funds stand at $7252.67. The Combined Canary Exhibition had held its meeting and there was nothing significant to report. Members were invited to contribute trophies for our forthcoming Annual Show. There is a Judges meeting and workshop on 19th March. Some twelve members indicated that they would attend the Garden Show and some 100 birds would be expected. Raffle prize for the night was donated by Jim Anderson. The President reported that Julie Sargeant is happy to continue as the club’s Ring Registrar. Graeme Kendrick moved the motion to appoint Julie and it was seconded by Charlie Attard. Graeme Kendrick reported that the Bunnings sausage sizzle was to be held on Sunday 13th May and sought volunteers. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.30pm for the 5th Young Stock Show. Joseph Yardin is the Judge and there were 61 exhibits – 26 Open and 35 Novice. Ray Buttigieg won Best Open Exhibit with Self Cinnamon bird. Reserve Open bird was won by Don Carbone with a Heavily Variegated bird. Best Novice Bird and Best Bird of the Night was won by Maurice Iudica with a Heavily Variegated White bird. Reserve Novice Exhibit was won by Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich with a Self Cinnamon. Aggregate points after the night – Joseph Yardin (Open) 32 points and Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich (Novice) with 75 points. There were 90 exhibits at the Garden Show – 67 Open and 23 Novice. Best Open Cock was won by George Poulos and Best Open Hen and Best Open Bird was won by Joseph Yardin, who also won the Reserve Open bird. Wayne Hesline won the Best and Reserve Novice birds and then took out the Best Bird of the Show. Reserve Bird in the Show was won by Joseph Yardin.

April. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.11pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to Teresa Turley, a visitor. Apologies were received from Graeme Kendrick, Don Carbone, Julie Sargeant, Peter Ilic, Brendan Turley and Chris Maver. The apologies were moved by John Impey and seconded by Wayne Hesline and carried. Club funds stand at $6929.22. Show schedules have been received from VICS, The Combined Canary Exhibition, and ACA. Members noted that the Combined was holding a bird sale on the day of the show. Unfortunately, the sausage sizzle cannot go ahead this year. Members noted that rings are now available and can be ordered from Julie Sargeant. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Joseph Yardin. There being no further business, the meeting was closed at 8.22pm to view the judging of the Heavily Variegated and Self Bird Championship, and the White Night. The judge for the Heavily Variegated and Self Bird Championship was Paul Stephens. There were 35 entries – 23 Open and 12 Novice. Best open exhibit and Best Bird of the Night was won by George Poulos with a Heavily Variegated Green bird. There were 7 entries for the White Night – 3 Open and 4 Novice and John Impey judged. Best bird was Joseph Yardin.

May. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.24pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to our visitors, Kosta Georgopoulos and Chris Borg. Apologies were received from Paul Stephens, John Impey, Pero Naumovski, Julie sargeant and P Zammit. The apologies were moved by Peter Ilic and seconded by George Poulos and carried. Club funds stand at $6321.17. Members noted that contributions were still required for our Annual Show trophies. Members were reminded to enter their birds in our forthcoming Derby and Oaks. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by GGG Partnership. The members noted that the club’s website was being updated. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.32pm to view the 2018 Young Bird Championship, plus the Border Cup. The judges for the Young Bird Championship was Pero Naumovski (Open) and Frank Greco (Novice). There were 25 exhibits – 24 Open and 1 Novice. Best Open bird and Best Bird of the Night was won by Ray Buttigieg with a Heavily Variegated bird. Reserve Open Bird was won by Charlie Attard with a Self-Green bird. Best Novice bird was won by John Georgopoulos with a Lightly Variegated bird. The Aggregate points after the night were Ray Buttigieg – 18 points and John Georgopoulos – 1 point. There were 13 entries in the Border Cup and the judges were Don Carbone and Ray Buttigieg. GGG Partnership won the Cup with 15 points.

June. The Derby and Oaks was held on 2nd June. Judges were – Paul Stephens (Open Cocks), Joseph Yardin (Open Hens) and Novice – Don Carbone. Best Open Cock (Derby winner) was won by George Poulos with a Heavily Variegated White Cock bird. Best Open Hen (Oaks winner) was won by George Poulos with a Heavily Variegated Buff hen. Best Novice Cock (Derby winner) was exhibited by Maurice Iudica with a Heavily Variegated White Cock and Maurice went on to win the Grand Novice Derby and Oaks. The best Novice Hen (Oaks winner) was exhibited by Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich. The John Duke Memorial Trophy for the Best Bird in the Show was won by George Poulos. The Aggregate points after the Derby and Oaks were Open – George Poulos with 99 points and Novice – Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich with 44 points.

President, Gary Clark, opened the June meeting at 8.15pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to Chris Borg, a visitor. Apologies were received from Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich, Graeme Kendrick, Julie Sargeant, Chris Maver, Brendan Turley, Peter Ilic, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, P Zammit, and Emmanuel Buttigieg. The apologies were moved by Paul Stephens and seconded by George Poulos and carried. A get-well card was sent to Peter Kalogeropoulos. Club funds stand at $6455.45. Members were asked to help set up the hall for the Annual Show. Twelve members indicated that they were attending the Annual Show dinner. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Paul Stephens and George Poulos. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.27pm to view the judging of the Sweepstakes. The judge for the night was Frank Greco. There were 33 entries – 29 Open and 4 Novice. Best and Reserve Open birds were exhibited by George Poulos. Best and Reserve Novice birds were exhibited by John Georgopoulos.
George Poulos, Ray Buttigieg, Frank Greco and Steve McArdle officiated as the judges at the club’s Annual Show.

The major awards were as follows:

Best Green Bird in Show – GGG Partnership;

Best Cinnamon Bird in Show – Michael Tabone;

Best White Bird in Show – Peter Barry;

Best Open Any Age Cock – Ray Buttigieg;

Best Open Any Age Hen – Michael Tabone;

Best Open Young Cock – GGG Partnership;

Best Open Young Hen – Martin Sammut;

Best Novice Bird – Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich;

Grand Champion Bird of the Show – GGG Partnership;

Reserve Champion Bird of the Show – GGG Partnership.

July. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.05pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to Peter Pirnat and Jeffrey Borg who were visitors and Marta Pirnat, who was attending her first meeting as a member. Apologies were received from Paul Stephens, Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich, Don Carbone, Julie Sargeant, Chris Maver, Wayne Hesline, Martin Sammut, and Frank Greco. Apologies were moved by Graeme Kendrick and seconded by Peter Ilic and carried. Club funds stand at $7516.99. Members were reminded that membership fees are now due and only financial members can vote at the forthcoming AGM. Members noted that the Annual Show was a great success, and everything went very smoothly. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Frank Greco and Martin Sammut. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.17pm. The lecture for the night was presented by George Poulos who spoke on bringing birds into breeding condition. The Aggregate points after the Annual Show are Open – George Poulos with 99 points and Novice – Maurice Iudica with 75 points.

August. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.05pm and welcomed all members to the Annual General Meeting. A special welcome was extended to Jeffrey Borg as a visitor. Apologies were received from Anne Marie Vujovich, Don Carbone, Chris Maver, Julie Sargeant, Frank Greco, Brendan Turley, John Impey, John Georgopoulos, and Joe and Margaret Spiteri. The apologies were moved by Paul Stephens and seconded by Peter Ilic and carried. Club funds stand at $7471.71. The incoming Committee was reminded of the forthcoming Committee meeting on 13th August to set the 2018-19 syllabus. Members were invited to suggest topics for the syllabus. Members were informed that the proposed Derby and Oaks was to be held on the Queens Birthday long weekend. The President presented trophies to the Most Successful Open Exhibitor, the Most Successful Novice Exhibitor and the Novice Encouragement Award. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by gary Clark. Members noted with sadness, the passing of Joan Manhire. The club sent a sympathy card. George Poulos circulated a Fife 3D model. Members noted that the material used was not of a good quality resulting in the legs of the model being weak and breakable. The club needs to be selective in the choice of material for the Border 3D model. Election of Office Bearers proceeded with all Executive positions being filled. The President gave his annual report and noted that it had been a good year but entries at the major shows were down on previous years. A special thanks went to Julie Sargeant, Joseph Yardin, Charlie Attard. The meeting adjourned for a cuppa and a chat. The August raffle winner was Wayne Hesline.

September. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.10pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to Lucky Xidis, a visitor. Apologies were received from Julie Sargeant, Don Carbone, Chris Maver, Steve Borg, John Borg, Paul Stephens, and Frank Greco. Apologies were moved by George Poulos and seconded by John Impey and carried. The club noted with sadness, the passing of Betsy Balnaves. The nightly raffle prize was kindly donated by John Impey. There were rquests for Judges from VICS, Ballarat, and ACA. The club wrote to all mixed clubs advising them of our office bearers and inviting requests for judging appointments. Club funds stand at $7572.75. Members were encouraged to purchase number or two in the club’s forthcoming lotto game. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.17pm. Graeme Kendrick, Joseph Yardin, and Wayne Hesline presented to the meeting on breeding season preparation. Joseph Yardin won the nightly raffle. After a very interesting lecture, the members adjourned for a cuppa and a chat.

October. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.12pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to Lucky Xidis, a visitor. Apologies were received from J Borg, Julie Sargeant, Pero Naumovski, Frank Greco, Peter Ilic, Anne Marie Vujovich, Joe and Margaret Spiteri, and Martin Sammut. The apologies were moved by George Poulos, seconded by Graeme Kendrick and carried. A sympathy card was sent to Ron Balnaves. There is a request for judges from MCIS. The club made application to be registered as a Declared Bird Organisation. Club funds stand at $7226.34. Members were reminded again to purchase a ticket or two in the club’s lotto game. The prize for tonight’s raffle was kindly donated by Peter Ilic. Members were encouraged to purchase rings in the Sweepstakes. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.20pm and was followed by a talk by Paul Stephens on what colours to expect from your pairings. On conclusion, the members enjoyed a cuppa and a chat. George Poulos won the nightly raffle.

November. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.17pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Paul Stephens, Peter Ilic, Julie Sargeant, and Martin Sammut. Apologies were moved by George Poulos, seconded by Brendan Turley and carried. An invoice has been received from Federation for next year’s insurance. It will be paid. A letter has been received from the Minister for Agriculture that the Club has been registered as a declared bird organisation for five years. Club funds stand at $7037.09. There is a Combined Canary Exhibition committee meeting on 16th November. Members were reminded that tonight was the deadline to nominate for the Sweepstakes competition, on 12th June. Members were encouraged to purchase lotto numbers. There are only 8 remaining. The raffle prize was kindly donated by Wayne Hesline. Christmas Hamper donations were sought. Members were informed that the Club’s Derby and Oaks will clash with the Geelong Club’s annual show as the latter had changed its date. The members agreed to reschedule our Derby and Oaks to the 1st June. There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.37pm. The club’s raffle prize was kindly donated by Wayne Hesline. Don Carbone was the judge for the 1st Young Stock Show. There were 25 entries- 11 Open and 14 Novice. Best (a Lightly Variegated) and Reserve (a Self-Green) Open birds were exhibited by the GGG Partnership, who went on to also win the Best Bird of the Night. Best Novice bird was exhibited by John Georgopoulos with a Heavily Variegated bird. Reserve Novice was exhibited by Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich with a Self-Green bird. Don Carbone won the nightly raffle prize. The Aggregate points following the night were as follows: Open – GGG Partnership, 19 points. Novice – John Georgopoulos, 17 points.

December. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.10pm and welcomed all members to our Christmas meeting. Apologies were received from John Impey, Graeme Kendrick, Julie Sargeant, Pero Naumovski, Ray Buttigieg, and Martin Sammut. Apologies were moved by Steve Borg, seconded by Joe Spiteri and carried. A certificate of insurance has been received. A Christmas card and greeting weas received from Maurie Hunt. A SMS message was received from Pero Naumovski wishing the members Christmas greetings. Club funds stand at $7275.18. President thanked Don Carbone and his wife for preparing the Christmas Hampers. The lotto game will commence on 15th December. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.15pm and was followed by the Christmas raffle draw and the Christmas celebration. The 2nd Young Stock Show was cancelled due to the heat rule. The Christmas raffle winner was Gary Clark.

2019

January. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.15pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to visitors, Pat Poulos and Linda Ilic. Apologies were received from Joseph Yardin, Frank Greco, Paul Stephens, J Borg, and Steve Borg. Apologies were moved by George Poulos, seconded by Martin Sammut and carried. Inward correspondence included Minutes of the Combined Canary Exhibition, dated 16th November 2018, plus an invitation from the Combined Canary Exhibition for the Club to stage/host the Border Fancy Canary Section at the forthcoming 2019 show. The correspondence was moved by Peter Ilic, seconded by Don Carbone and carried. Club funds stand at $7417.53. Re the Combined Canary Exhibition, Graeme Kendrick reported that hall hire would be $600, plus a cleaning fee of $200, which is a 50% increase. Martin Sammut requested that the Secretary (Joseph Yardin) write to the Church and request that the windows be cleaned, particularly prior to our Annual Show in June. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Julie Sargeant. The President made mention of how pleasing it was to see Peter Ilic at the meeting and wished him a continuing and speedy recovery. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.32pm and was followed by the 3rd Young Stock Show. The judge for the evening was John Impey. There were 20 entries – 5 Open and 15 Novice. Best Open Bird and Best Bird of the Night was exhibited by GGG Partnership with a Self-Cinnamon bird. Best Novice Bird was exhibited by John Georgopoulos with a Heavily Variegated bird. Reserve Novice bird was exhibited by Brendan Turley with a Lightly Variegated bird. The Aggregate points after the 3rd Young Stock Show are as follows; Open – GGG Partnership with 33 points, and Novice – John Georgopoulos with 34 points. Martin Sammut won the raffle.

February. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.24pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to visitors, George Louras and Ruben Impey. Apologies were received from Peter Ilic, Chris Maver, and Julie Sargeant. Apologies were moved by Paul Stephens, seconded by George Poulos and carried. Inward correspondence included an email from the Gloster Club, advising of an early bird sale on Saturday, 9th March. The sale will start at 9.30am and finish at 1pm. Club funds stand at $7524.79. An election of the Ring Registrar took place. George Poulos moved that Wayne Hesline be appointed to the position. It was seconded by Paul Stephens and carried. Graeme Kendrick moved that the Club order its rings from overseas. The motion was seconded by Paul Stephens and carried. Julie Sargeant will order the rings and hand them over to thew newly appointed Ring Registrar. Members noted that the raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Don Carbone. The President made mention of how pleasing it was to see Peter Ilic at the meeting and wished him a continuing and speedy recovery. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.37pm and was followed by the 4th Young Stock Show. The judge for the evening was George Poulos. There were 58 entries – 18 Open and 40 Novice. Best Open Bird and Best Bird of the Night was exhibited by GGG Partnership with Lightly Variegated White bird. Reserve Open Bird was exhibited by Joseph Yardin with a Lightly Variegated White bird. Best Novice Bird was exhibited by Steve Borg with a Clear and Ticked bird, who also won the Reserve Novice Bird with a Heavily Variegated bird. The Aggregate points after the 4th Young Stock Show were as follows; Open – GGG Partnership with 49 points and Novice – John Georgopoulos with 40 points. Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich won the raffle.

March. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.32pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to three visitors, L Ilic, F Borg, and T Turley. Apologies were received on Martin Sammut, Emmanuel Buttigieg, Brendan Turley, Julie Sargeant, and D De Santis. The apologies were moved by Paul Stephens, seconded by Wayne Hesline and carried. ACA Show Schedules have been received. Club funds stand at $7456.71. Members were invited to contribute to trophies for the forthcoming Annual Show as in previous years. Judges were reminded that a meeting and workshop are scheduled for Monday 18th March. Some 15 members indicated that they would be attending the Garden Show and some 100 birds would be benched. The raffle for the night was kindly donated by John Georgopoulos. The Derby and Oaks is set for the 1st June. Paul Stephens urged Club’s members to support the forthcoming ACA Annual Show. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.42pm and was followed by the 5th Young Stock Show. The Judge for the night is Paul Stephens. There were 75 entries; 31 Open and 44 Novice. Best Open and Best Bird of the Night was won by GGG Partnership with a Heavily Variegated bird, who also won the Reserve Open Bird with another Heavily Variegated bird. Best Novice Bird was exhibited by Chris Maver with a Heavily Variegated bird. Reserve Novice bird was exhibited by Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich with another Heavily Variegated bird. The Aggregate points sfter the 5th Young Stock Show are as follows: Open – GGG Partnership with 76 points; and Novice John Georgopoulos with 51 points. John Georgopoulos won the raffle.
Garden Show. There were 77 entries – 53 Open and 24 Novice. Emmanuel Buttigieg was the Judge. Best Open Bird and Best Bird of the Show was exhibited by George Poulos with a White Cock, who also won the Reserve Open Bird with a Yellow Cock. Best Novice Bird was exhibited by John Georgopoulos with a Buff Hen. Reserve Novice Bird was exhibited by Steve Borg with a Yellow Cock.

April. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.12pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Graeme Kendrick, Julie Sargeant, Peter Ilic, Frank Greco, Paul Stephens, and Martin Sammut. Apologies were moved by Chris Maver, seconded by Don Carbone and carried. Club funds stand at $7356.03. Volunteers were sought to act as stewards, etc for the forthcoming Combined Canary Exhibition. Members noted that rings for the 2019 breeding season have been paid for and will be available from our Ring Registrar, Wayne Hesline. Members were invited to contribute to the trophies at the forthcoming Annual Show. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Joseph Yardin. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.17pm and was followed by the judging of the Heavily Variegated and Self Bird Championship; plus the White Night. The Judge for the night was Don Carbone. There were 16 exhibits for the Heavily Variegated and Self Bird Championship – 3 Open and 13 Novice. Best Open Green and Best Bird of the Night was exhibited by Joseph Yardin. Best Novice Green was won by Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich. Best Cinnamon bird was exhibited by John Georgopoulos, and Best White bird was exhibited by Mario and Ann Marie Vujovich. There were 2 entries for the White Night. Best Bird was exhibited by Joseph Yardin. The raffle prize was won by Charlie Attard.

May. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.27pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from John Impey, D De Santis, Julie Sargeant, Chris Maver, Don Carbone, and Martin Sammut. Apologies were moved by George Poulos, seconded by Paul Stephens, and carried. Club funds stand at $6907.44. Members were reminded that any contributions for trophies for the forthcoming Annual Show would be most welcome. Members noted that our forthcoming Derby and Oaks clashed with the Geelong Canary Society show unfortunately. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by GGG Partnership. The members noted that the overseas and local rings differ slightly in colour. The Club will accept both rings at its shows. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Paul Stephens and George Poulos. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.36pm and was followed by the judging of the Young Bird Championship, plus the Border Cup. Gary Clark won the raffle. The Judge for the Young Bird Championship was Paul Stephens. There were 28 entries for the Young Bird Championship – 10 Open and 18 Novice. Best Open bird and Best Bird of the Night was exhibited by GGG Partnership with a Clear and Ticked bird. Best Novice bird was exhibited by John Georgopoulos with a Self-Cinnamon bird. Aggregate points after the Young Bird Championship are as follows: Open – GGG Partnership with 18 points. Novice – John Georgopoulos with 21 points. There were 9 entries in the Border Cup. GGG partnership won with 15 points.

June. The club’s Derby and Oaks was held on 1st June. The Judges were as follows: Open Cocks – Paul Stephens, Open Hens – Joseph Yardin, Novice Cocks and Hens – Don Carbone. The major winners were:
Best Open Yellow Cock – Joseph Yardin;

Best Open Buff Cock – George Poulos;

Best Open White Cock – George Poulos;

Open Derby Winner- George Poulos with a Heavily Variegated Buff Cock.

Best Open Yellow Hen – Ray Buttigieg;

Best Open Buff Hen – George Poulos;

Best Open White Hen -George Poulos;

Open Oaks Winner – Ray Buttigieg with a Lightly Variegated Cinnamon Yellow Hen.

Best Novice Yellow Cock – Wayne Hesline;

Best Novice Buff Cock – Brendan Turley;

Best Novice White Cock – Wayne Hesline;

Novice Derby Winner – Brendan Turley with a Lightly Variegated Buff Cock.

Best Novice Yellow Hen – Wayne Hesline;

Best Novice Buff Hen – Wayne Hesline;

Best Novice White Hen – Wayne Hesline;

Novice Oaks Winner – Wayne Hesline with a Self-Green Cock.

The Grand Novice Derby and Oaks Winner was Wayne Hesline with a Self-Green Cock.

The John Duke Memorial Trophy for Best Bird in the Show was won by George Poulos.

Aggregate points after the Derby and Oaks is as follows: Open – George Poulos with 79 points. Novice – Wayne Hesline with 45 points.

June Meeting. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.28pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Graeme Kendrick, Julie Sargeant, Chris Maver, Don Carbone, and George Poulos. Apologies were moved by Paul Stephens, seconded by Mario Vujovich and carried. Club funds stans at $7660.83. Members noted that help is needed to set up the hall on Friday night before the Annual Show. 16 members indicated that they would attend the Annual Show dinner. A Membership Application was received from Mr Chris Koufos. The President briefed the meeting on action taken by the Committee as part of the Koufos and Stephens partnership. Paul Stephens briefed the members on the 3D model which can be purchased from the Club at $100. The raffle for the night was kindly donated by George Poulos and Paul Stephens. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.43pm and was followed by the judging of the Sweepstakes. The winner of the raffle was Dino De Santis. The Judge for the Sweepstakes was Frank Greco. There were 28 entries – 26 Open and 2 Novice. Joseph Yardin won the Open Sweepstakes with a Buff Hen, and John Georgopoulos won the Novice Sweepstakes with a Yellow Hen.

The Club held its Annual Show on 22nd June. The Judges were as follows: Open Age Cocks and Young Hens – Emmanuel Buttigieg; Open Any Age Hens and Young Cocks – Don Carbone; Greens, Cinnamons and Whites – Joseph Yardin; and Novice Birds and all Major Awards – Paul Stephens. There were 425 birds.

The major awards were as follows:

Best Open Any Age Cock – Michael Tabone;

Best Open Any Age Hen – Bill Hains;

Best Open Young Cock – Michael Tabone;

Best Open Young Hen – Michael Tabone;

Best Green in Show – Wayne Hesline;

Best Cinnamon in Show – George Poulos;

Best White in Show – George Poulos;

Best Novice Any Age Bird – Joe Spiteri;

Best Novice Young Bird – Frank Sawyer;

Best Novice Bird – Joe Spiteri;

Best Young Bird in Show – Michael Tabone;

Champion Opposite Sex – Michael Tabone;

Grand Champion Bird in Show – Bill Hains;

Reserve Champion Bird in Show – Michael Tabone.

Sybil Yardin won the Annual Show raffle, and Julie Sargeant won second prize, and Brendan Turley won the 3rd prize.

July. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.17pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Paul Stephens, Frank Greco, Martin Sammut, Joseph Yardin, Don Carbone, Peter Ilic, John Impey, Julie Sargeant, and George Poulos. The apologies were moved by Wayne Hesline, and seconded by John Georgopoulos, and carried. Club funds stand at $6071.82. It was noted that the Combined Canary Exhibition had over 700 birds benched, which was very pleasing. It was also pleasing to note that the numbers at our Annual Show reached 425 exhibits, especially the increased numbers in the Novice sections. It augers well for the club. The raffle prize for the night was kindly donated by Frank Greco and Martin Sammut. There being no further business, the meting was adjourned at 8.37pm to proceed with the night’s presentation on Bringing Birds into Breeding Condition by Gary Clark. A further presentation on The Breeding Room – A Sanity Check was presented by Graeme Kendrick. The raffle winner for the night was GGG partnership. The Aggregate points after the Annual Show are as follows: Open – George Poulos with 149 points, and Novice – Wayne Hesline with 80 points. The members enjoyed a cuppa and a chat.

August. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.38pm and welcomed all members to the Club’s Annual General Meeting. Apologies were received from Paul Stephens, Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich, Chris Maver, Julie Sargeant, Frank Greco, Bill Hains, J Borg, Peter Ilic, and George Poulos. Apologies were moved by John Georgopoulos, seconded by John Impey and carried. Club funds stand at $6978.42. New Committee was advised that the first meeting would take place on 19th August. Members were asked to nominate suggested topics for discussion at future meetings and the following were submitted; Pairing Birds, System to Assemble a Show Team for the Shows, and a Novice night. President presented trophies for Most Successful Novice Exhibitor (Wayne Hesline), and Novice Encouragement Award. Raffle prize was kindly donated by Gary Clark. Election of Office Bearers took place and the Executive remained unchanged. The President gave his Annual Report and noted that the Club’s three big shows, Garden Show, Derby and Oaks, and Annual Show were well run and well supported. In addition, the standard of the Novice exhibits was very high, and this section had been very well supported by the Novice members. A special thanks was extended to Julie Sargeant for her continued assistance, Joseph Yardin for his untiring efforts, George and Pat Poulos for extending their hospitality for the Garden Show, and Charlie Attard for running the raffles, plus his continued support at our Shows. It was also pleasing to note that the club’s membership continues to grow. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8.58pm to a Presentation by George Poulos and Joseph Yardin on Assembling Your Show Team prior to Leaving for the Show, and the members enjoyed a cuppa and a chat.

September. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.05pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Don Carbone, Chris Maver, Julie Sargeant, J Borg, Paul Stephens, Frank Greco, Wayne Hesline, Anne Marie Vujovich, and B Sarvanis. Apologies were moved by Graeme Kendrick, and seconded by Mario Vujovich, and carried. The Secretary wrote to all mixed clubs inviting them to submit requests for Judges. Requests for Judges had been received from VICS, Ballarat, and Melbourne Border Club. They will be referred to the forthcoming Judges meeting. A letter has been sent to the Church booking the hall for the ensuing 12 months. A get-well card was sent to Wayne Hesline. Club funds stand at $7936.97. A decision on whether the Club will continue to support the Combined Canary Exhibition was deferred to next month. Raffle prize was kindly donated by John Impey and the Club. Mario Vujovich kindly volunteered to share the purchase of a raffle prize with John Impey in the future. Joseph Yardin won the nightly raffle. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.17pm and was followed by a presentation by George Poulos and Joseph Yardin on Assembling Your Show Team Prior to Leaving for the Show.

October. President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.12pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to John Arthur, who has joined the Club. Apologies were received from D De Santis, Julie Sargeant, and Martin Sammut. The apologies were moved on the motion of Peter Ilic, seconded by George Poulos, and carried. A request for Judges has been received from Melbourne Canary Improvement Society and was referred to the Judges meeting. Club funds stand at $8139.72. Judges were reminded that a meeting is scheduled for Monday 14th October at the home of Joseph and Sybil Yardin. The members discussed the pros and cons of remaining with the Combined Canary Exhibition. Graeme Kendrick spoke in support of the Club remaining, while George Poulos spoke to the Club leaving. The members voted to discontinue its involvement. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8.44pm, and was followed by a discussion on Breeding Problems, led by Frank Greco and Graeme Kendrick. The winner of the raffle was John Arthur. The members enjoyed a cuppa and a chat.

November. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.19pm and welcomed all members. Apologies were received from Wayne Hesline, Mario and Anne Marie Vujovich, Don Carbone, and Joe and Margaret Spiteri. Apologies were moved on the motion of Brendan Turley, seconded by Paul Stephens, and carried. A thank you card was received from Roy Brooks. The members noted that Combined Canary Exhibition Committee acknowledged the Club’s resignation from the Combined and that we will continue to supply Judges on request. Club funds stand at $8244.84. Graeme Kendrick reported that the Club’s two Life Members, Audrey Bruce will celebrate her 90th birthday and George Thomas will celebrate his 100th birthday respectively on 17th November. Members were reminded that tonight was the deadline for the nomination of Sweepstakes rings. Paul Stephens presented to the Club on the old, outdated 3D model and the new wooden 3D model, that has been adopted by the Club. He discussed the improvements and differences between the two models and explained in detail the reasons why the Club had previously adopted the new model. He also pointed out that a computer-generated model has now been produced and is identical in measurement to the original wooden model. He went over how the wooden model was produced and why its measurements were slightly larger than what is defined in the current Standard of Excellence. At the time of construction, the plan was to produce copies using a plaster-based material and there had to be allowance for shrinkage. If the wooden model was produced at the precise measurements, there was a real risk that shrinkage would leave any copies under the required measurements as had happened when copies were made of the old, outdated model. Now that the plan is to produce copies through 3D printing, the Club should seek to reduce the measurements of the copies to what is defined in the Standard of Excellence, if at all possible. Bill Hains indicated that he might be able to source 3D printing through the University of Melbourne. George Poulos indicated that he had contacted 2 firms re 3D scanning of the original and the cost is approximately $400. The companies were not prepared to submit a quote for the subsequent 3D printing. He proposed that the Club reimburse Paul Stephens for the costs incurred in the production of the 3D scanned model. Members voted to further develop the model, using Bill Hains contact at Melbourne University. Paul Stephens was thanked for his work to date. The nightly raffle was kindly donated by Wayne Hesline. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.47pm and was followed by the Judging of the First Young Stock Show. The Judge for the evening was George Poulos. There were 43 entries – 33 Open, and 10 Novice. Best Open Bird and Best Bird of the Night was exhibited by Joseph Yardin with a Lightly Variegated bird. Reserve Open Bird was exhibited by Koufos and Stephens partnership with a heavily Variegated White bird. Best Novice Bird was exhibited by John Georgopoulos with a Self-Cinnamon bird. Advice has been received that drinkers with 3 mm of water should be provided at all night shows. Members are to ensure this practice is adopted. Aggregate points at the conclusion of the 1st Young Stock Show are as follows: Open – Koufos and Stephens Partnership 20 points; Novice – John Georgopoulos with 12 points. Donations were sought for the Christmas Hampers. George Poulos won the raffle.

December. The President, Gary Clark, opened the meeting at 8.27pm and welcomed all members. A special welcome was extended to Kosta Georgopoulos, who has joined the Club, and a visitor, J Borg. Apologies were received from Graeme Kendrick, Pero Naumovski. Apologies were moved on the motion of Paul Stephens and seconded by Brendan Turley. The President thanked Belinda and Don Carbone for their assistance in organising the Christmas Hampers for the night. The President also extended the best of Seasons Greetings to all members. The members noted that the Combined Canary Exhibition has folded. Members were also requested to note that drinkers might be required at all Shows, including the night Shows. More information is to be provided. There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.36pm and the Second Young Stock Show got underway. The Judge for the night was Ray Buttigieg. There were 46 entries; Open 31, and Novice 15. Best Open Bird and Best Bird of the Night was exhibited by Joseph Yardin with a Clear and Ticked bird. Reserve Open bird was exhibited by Peter Ilic with a Heavily Variegated bird. Best Novice Bird was exhibited by John and Kosta Georgopoulos with a Self-Cinnamon bird. The Christmas hamper winner was Audrey Bruce. The Aggregate points following the 2nd Young Stock Show are as follows: Open – Joseph Yardin with 44 points, and Novice – John and Kosta Georgopoulos with 39 points. The members enjoyed a cuppa and a chat.

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