GC Meeting 25 April 2014 – Press Release – All photos by Mick Freakley
The General Council of the Budgerigar Society held a meeting on 25 April ahead of a weekend that hosted the Judges Meeting and AGM in the Northampton area.
A number of key decisions were made/ratified during the course of the meeting including:
- Pairs – the concept of exhibiting pairs will be trialled at the 2014 BS Club Show;
- Show Cage Floor Covers – the idea of the BS offering these for sale will be investigated further;
- Club Show – the proposals put forward by the Club Show committee following their recent meeting were ratified including:
- the date of the show be moved to week 39 (i.e. the September date previously utilised) for a minimum period of 3 years effective from and including 2015;
- section judges will be selected from the 15 appointed judges;
- fanciers bird sales tables be considered for the 2014 event; and
- Club Show Great – Arthur Dexter be unveiled as a new “Great” at this year’s show.;
- BS Rings – following a suitable manufacturer of plastic rings being identified, it was agreed that a sub-group enter into discussions with the company in order for a potential future option to be debated;
- Ring Issue Date – following feedback received from the fancy and the move forward of the Club Show date, the GC propose to bring the Ring Issue Date forward to 1 November with effect from the 2016 breeding season. This is open to full consultation with the fancy with members invited to write to the BS office with their thoughts on this proposal before it is formally submitted by the GC in time for the 2015 ballot whereby a 2/3 majority will be required in order to change the existing date;
- Natural History Museum – an invitation to donate specimens of modern show budgerigars for their “Scientific Bird Skin Collection” be accepted and supplied via members of the GC;
- Judges Training Scheme – following an appraisal of the current duration of the scheme, the GC propose to reduce the mandatory 3 years to that of 2 years. This will require a number of rule changes, which will be proposed by the GC in the 2015 ballot. In addition, the whole scheme will be subject to a detailed review by a GC sub-committee;
Chairman, Maurice Roberts commented:
“The results of our meeting demonstrate that the GC are committed to taking action in response to the members of the Society wanting change. In particular, the proposed alteration of the ring issue date is something that has been debated for some time now and finally, the membership will have a chance to vote on this fundamental issue”.
Publicity Officer for the Society referred to the Club Show date reverting to September:
“The move to November was in the hope of rekindling the support of members who had campaigned for this date. However, the breeding cycle of exhibition budgerigars has changed meaning that most breeders are paired up at that time which has impacted upon our benched figure in recent years. Our pinnacle exhibition held at the end of September and a ring issue date on 1 November should provide an optimum platform for show to receive maximum support from the fancy”.
BS Judges Meeting 2014 – Press ReleaseImage may be NSFW.
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The Budgerigar Society hosted a meeting for panel judges to attend with the focal point of this year’s event being the contentious issue of longflight budgerigars. The format of the day was based around 3 key speakers; Harry Hockaday, Phil Reaney and Richard Miller.
Under the BS guidelines for Judges and exhibitors “A bird carrying longflight characteristics, excessive length of flights and/or tail should be disqualified”. The application of this directive has caused considerable debate in recent times due to the fact that it is difficult to establish consistency across the board given the subjective nature of judging and the lack of information as to what constitutes a longlfight.
BS Vice-Chairman, Ghalib Al-Nasser thanked the speakers for their presentations and the manner in which they conducted the Q & A sessions during the course of the day:
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“All 3 gentleman showed that despite differing opinions on this topic, common threads could be drawn from their presentations thus creating a working platform for the Society to move forward in order to provide our members with clearer guidance on what should and should not be penalised on the show bench”.
Phil Reaney explained the characteristics inherent in longflight budgerigars referring to the history of these birds and how they were credited with the emergence of what is now credited as the modern budgerigar. Richard Miller focused on the rules and procedures involved in the disqualification of such birds and the reporting of show offences when it is suspected that tails are cut in order to disguise this type of bird on the bench. Harry Hockaday questioned whether the bird that has emerged in recent years is what can be historically quantified as a longlight and highlighted key flaws in the current guidance. All 3 agreed that an enhanced definition of what constitutes a longflight budgerigar is required in order provide judges and exhibitors with a more workable point of reference in the hope of providing consistency and clarity.
Further presentations by Gren Norris and Ghalib Al-Nasser discussed other issues for Judges to consider such as the emergence of “Misty” budgerigars, the criteria for judging a new concept of exhibiting “Pairs” and the key points of identification for rare varieties.
BS Chairman, Maurice Roberts commented following the meeting:
“This event was a tremendous success. In particular, the manner in which the speakers on the longflight debate conducted themselves was a credit to the hobby and testament to what can be achieved when sensible, open and intelligent debate is embraced.”
As a result of the meeting, the BS has formed a working group (incorporating the 3 speakers) in order to draft a provisional consultation paper on the definition of what will be penalised under the definition of longflights ahead of the 2014 show season. This will enable panel Judges to provide feedback to the GC throughout the year so that the future position can be finalised by the start of 2015.
Press Release: Budgerigar Society AGM
The Budgerigar Society held their AGM on 27th April in Northampton whereby Charlie Bowman was inaugurated as President for 2014/15.
Retiring President, Roy Aplin passed over the chain of office and praised Charlie’s service to the hobby. Chairman, Maurice Roberts commented:
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“Charlie epitomises everything that is great about our hobby. The presidency serves as just reward for the dedication that he and his wife Margaret have committed to the fancy over countless decades.”
Publicity officer for the Society and fellow Northern BS member, Richard Miller praised the new President for what he has done for the Northern area and the Society as a whole:
“There are few members who live and breathe the fancy in the way Charlie does. He serves as a constant reminder that win, lose or draw, breeding budgerigars is a hobby and should be embraced as such. His attendance at every show in the area and annual pilgrimage to the World Championship is an enviable record that if replicated by more members would ensure thriving exhibitions across the country”.
Eric Peake was voted as President for 2016/17 term, which will coincide with his 60th year as a BS member.
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The Society also announced during the course of the AGM the 2014 winners of the Silver Bird award. Rod and Sue Clarke were presented with the highest honour the society can bestow upon its membership in recognition of their meritorious service to the hobby.
Vice-Chairman, Ghalib Al-Nasser commented:
“When you look at the roles that Rod and Sue have held and continue to hold within countless affiliated clubs and societies, you begin to realise just how much they contribute to our favourite past time. I cannot think of a more worthy recipient of this honour”.
It was also announced that the cost of rings supplied to BS members will be frozen for 2015. Membership subscriptions are to rise by £1 for adults and all others increased pro-rata. Dave Hislop & Roger Carr were awarded Honorary Life Membership acknowledging their tremendous service to the Society.
A number of questions were put to the Chairman during the course of the meeting and he re-affirmed the commitment of the GC to continue as a “listening” Council.
Following the close of the AGM, Harry Hockaday, Phil Reaney and Richard Miller re-ran their presentations and debate on the issue of Longflight budgerigars, which had been the focal point of the Judges Meeting held the day prior to the AGM.