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Past Service and Future Prospects : NCA Awards
While the coronavirus
pandemic has forced most clubs and organisations to abandon annual
shows and put their programmes on hold until 2021 others have broken
new ground and staged exhibitions on-line and held their meetings on
Zoom or other platforms. Many club secretaries have been working
overtime keeping the communications going with their members mainly
through telephone or email. Some have used the lockdown and
subsequent periods of restricted activity to take stock of their
clubs’ situation and reflect on their past achievements or perhaps
even plan for the future when we aviculturists along with the rest
of the world can return to something closer to our normal routines.
One organisation which has
taken a good hard look at itself is the North Eastern Lizard Canary
Club. In so doing it has come to realise the considerable
achievements of four of its long-serving members which it rightly
wishes to see acknowledged via the National Council for Aviculture’s
Awards Scheme. NELCC Secretary Keith Barker and Treasurer John
Barker applied to the NCA Awards Panel early in October 2020 for
long service badges (25 years or more) and, because of the
distinguished achievements of these senior club members, for entry
into the NCA’s Roll of Honour.
The first nominee was
Alan Jordan who has kept birds for over forty years starting
with Crest Canaries with which he had great success as an exhibitor.
Later he ventured into Florino Frills and Lizards. Alan’s initial
stock of Lizards were from Stan Bolton’s stud. Ill-health in recent
years has restricted Alan’s attendance at shows but this has not
prevented him from moving his club and the Lizard fraternity forward
in the cyber world. He was a founder member of the Facebook site
“The International Lizard Canary Forum” which has generated over
1000 members in the past twelve months and aims to reunite the
Lizard fraternity.
Another long-standing
stalwart of the Lizard fancy is Joe Coakley who started with
his favourite breed back in 1972. After years of successful
exhibiting Joe joined the LCA panel of judges in the 1980s and in
recent years has judged several major shows abroad. In 2016 he
became Chairman of the East Anglia Lizard Canary Association and
helped greatly in the formation of the NELCC itself.
Ron Hill has been a
bird man for more than half a century. His main breeds of interest
are Red Factor Canaries and Lizards and he has been a dedicated
breeder, exhibiter and judge of both. He has loyally supported
several local clubs over the years including the NELCC and was until
recently the treasurer of the North East Red Canary Association.
Colin Patterson has
been a keen fancier for over fifty years and has kept most varieties
in that time. His support of local clubs including the NELCC is
exemplary whether exhibiting or judging or helping out in any way,
particularly in encouraging new starters to the hobby. His generous
contribution to the hobby has already been acknowledged by an award
from the IOA of which he is justifiably proud.
The NCA Awards Panel is
pleased to recognise the service, dedication and expertise of these
gentlemen. Having served the hobby for so many years they each in
their own way are still contributing to its future development.
Has your club got members of
this calibre who deserve recognition for years of service to the
fancy? There are NCA long service badges available for 15, 25 or 25
years (or more) and entry into the Roll of Honour for those who have
achieved something exceptional within the fancy whether through
outstanding expertise in breeding, exhibiting or promoting a breed
or breeds or through any other activity benefiting the fancy. See
the NCA website
www.nca.uk.net for details of how to apply. |
