Meet our 2011 Show Judges
28/01/2011 11:29ROBBY WALSH
Judging on the 12th March 2011
Our judge of the Wynyard Agricultural show to be held on the 12th March 2011 needs no introduction at all! It’s our very own Robby Walsh!
His involvement in poultry stems back to when he was a small child, a fascination with a Rhode Island Red hen that he was given, setting a few eggs under her when she went broody has started a wonderful journey of many years of enjoyment in poultry. The many wonderful people and friendships Robby has made and the many different places judging poultry has taken him have been fantastic.
As a youngster Robby fell in love with a pair of white Wyandotte bantams that were for sale at the Royal Launceston Show, he did not dare to leave the poultry pavilion until he brought them. At his very first show he set off with his old Gladstone bag packed with his lunch and his Wyandotte hen, where at the show there were 32 white Wyandotte hens in the class and he won it with his own hen!
Robby married his wife Lyn and started to set up his poultry from their home. He has been breeding Large White Leghorns for forty years starting with birds from top breeders of the time Ron Langley and Wally Ellis, back then the quality and the competition of the white leghorns was excellent. His Line of Large White Leghorns is very well renowned here in Tasmania. Back in the Early 1980`s Robby decided to showcase his white Leghorns and organised a trip to the Royal Melbourne Show! He had especially bred a team of six pullets and six hens for the show.
Now in those days because of strict quarantine laws you could take birds out of the state but couldn’t bring them back into Tasmania. Robby’s white Leghorns won first, second and third in each class! Also taking out Champion Leghorn in show and Champion Standard Light Breed. These were the days when the Royal Melbourne Show would attract 2800 poultry entries! Because he couldn’t bring them back he gave all of these white Leghorn females to an old friend who was very grateful indeed.
Not long after he started with his White Leghorns he obtained some large Old English Game Black-Reds. Robbie said that back in the early days the large Black Reds were the cream of the cream, the competition was fierce and the quality and quantity of the birds were excellent. The large Black-reds would take out Champion Bird of the show week after week after week! Robby started breeding and then very soon started winning and taking out championships with them. Now he breeds Old English large and bantam in a variety of colours and is still winning Champion Bird of Show!
Over the years Robbie has been a great supporter of the Royal Melbourne Show, taking over a team of Large OEG Game males for selling and giving a few away to his friends, many of these birds have gone on to win many Champion Bird of the Shows throughout Victoria!
His judging career started off in Devonport and has judged many times all over our wondrous State. He has judged in Bendigo for the specialist Wyandotte show, Melbourne Royal, Warragul, several times in Echuca and Geelong and keeps a diary of all the states of Australia and places that he has judged to look back over.
High lights of his judging career have been judging the Canberra National twice in 2004 and again in 2008 where he was the judge of the Minorca’s and Rhode Island Reds.
He is a foundation member of the North Western Poultry Society which started in 1963. The Burnie and Wynyard poultry clubs were once combined, but it was decided to form separate clubs so our poultry pavilion was built by a local builder.
As Robby is the person who puts together all of our shows, our committee is looking forward to organising the poultry show and hopes that he has an enjoyable day with his judging!
BRIAN MORGAN
Judging on the 30th April 2011
We would like to welcome the judge of our Open Show on the 30th April 2011, Mr Brian Morgan from Stratford in Victoria. Brian has had an interest in fowls since he was a small child. Over the years Brian has bred and exhibited a large range of Soft feather and hard feather fowls to his credit, these breeds include:
Australorps in large and bantams, Leghorns, Pekins, Rose-Combs and Indian-Game.
Brian has bred large and bantam Old English Game for more than fifty years in a wide variety of colours namely; Pile, Blue-red, Black-red, Brown-red and Birchen. Only last year because of health reasons, Brian now only specialises in Langshans, large and bantams.
Brian’s judging career started back in 1975 with his first official judging role in Melbourne, since then he has judged in many parts of Australia including all over Victoria and New South Wales including Lismore. Brian said that judging at the second Canberra National Show where he judged the Old English Game Dark Legged and bantams was a highlight of his career.
Brian has visited Tasmania previously judging the poultry in Burnie, Wynyard and Launceston. Brian is really looking forward to judging at our Club’s Show again.
BOB FOWLER
Judging on the 9th July 2011
We would like to welcome our Soft feather judge for the Annual Show, Mr Bob Fowler from Wardell N.SW.
Bob has been breeding poultry all his life and it all started with his mothers Family the Lindsay’s, who maintained a White Leghorn Stud back in the 1930`s. The Lindsay Stud would breed and sell exhibition white Leghorns and white females for the egg production, with many of the top Leghorn exhibitors of the time buying birds from the stud, but the family would show a few birds at some of the local shows. Bob joined “Young farmers’ in his younger years and came second in the State Championships with his poultry.
He has been breeding Large and bantam Leghorns for around fifty years, recreating and improving some of the rarer colours with great success winning awards at the many major Leghorn shows around Queensland and New South Wales. At the Queensland Annual Leghorn Show at Rosewood, Bobs White Leghorn bantam pullet won “Champion Leghorn of the Show”, twice! Bob is also a keen breeder of Australorp Bantams and was successful in winning both the male and female classes at the Royal Brisbane Show last year.
In 2010, Bob judged 450 Leghorn Bantams at the Annual Leghorn Club Show at Wyong, the photo’s and results of this event is shown on the Leghorn club of Australia’s web site. Bob has also judged the Soft feather fowls at the Wauchope Poultry Club.
While in Tassie, Bob and his wife are taking time out from work to spend a week touring around our wondrous State. We hope that they enjoy their visit and have a fantastic time!
KEN SCOTT
Judging on the 9th July 2011
We would like to Welcome Mr Ken Scott from Portland, the judge of the Hard feather and Waterfowl feature at our Annual Show on the 9th July 2011.
Ken has been involved within the Poultry business for more than 55 years, specialising in Old English Game and Waterfowl. Old English Game birds that Ken has bred, won Champion Bird of the Show in Sydney and three times in Melbourne.
Ken has judged at every Royal Show in Australia except Brisbane Royal, we hope that he has the chance to add that one to his list as well!
A highlight of Kens career has been judging at the Canberra National Show. Ken has judged our poultry in Tasmania nine times and is looking forward to judging our Waterfowl feature and hard feather at our show this year. It will only be a short stay in Tasmania due to other judging commitments, but we hope that he might join us at our Clubs Annual Dinner.
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