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I
started with Budgerigars in 1950 when I was given a pair as a 7th birthday present. These
were initially kept in the porch of the house. Later more birds were added and they were
moved into a small flight and cages in a shed in which my father kept Border canaries. I
also kept a few pairs in an outside aviary breeding on the colony system. I kept my birds
like this for about nine years, showing them on a number of occasions at the Skegness CBS
members shows. Having settled down and got married, I moved to Scunthorpe in 1969 and started to get a collection of birds together again. |
The
hobby has changed during these years, mainly in the quality of birds that are now being
shown at our shows. Perhaps the greatest change has come in the amount of additives that
we are now being bombarded with. Almost monthly new products are being marketed, advising
us that this product is now the answer to all our problems. This I feel is perhaps some of
the cause of our present day problems. Possibly we should get back to feeding a good
quality diet and leave the “chemicals” where they originated, in the laboratory. The fancier that
had the greatest influence on me in my early years in the fancy was a little known fancier
from near Scunthorpe called Gordon Clowes. |
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Gordon supplied
me with all my birds of quality in those early days and gave me many pieces of very good,
sound advice. Two of these have been re-counted to many fanciers visiting my aviary during
the years. One was that “you will only get out of the fancy what you are prepared to
put into it” and the other was “treat every fellow fancier just as you would
like to be treated yourself”. I will never forget Gordon’s advice and I hope
that my involvement and standing in the fancy today is very much because of that help and
advice. |
