Can
you imagine this scene? Well now think of 14 pigeons amongst
these 250 odd birds which belong to 5 Hobart flyers, yes that
is all the entries we could muster after a very hard year.
14 birds to fly the long sweeping arc from Mount Gambier past
Cape Otway, over the Southern ocean the Bass Strait, then
to hit the Tasmanian coast some where between Burnie and Devonport
and then on to Hobart. Talk about guts, if any of these birds
make it they will be champions.
My name is Bill Bailey and I have just set the scene for today's
race. My loft has already been cleaned, my birds have been
fed and watered, my race birds for next weeks Gold Ring Race
are boxed and ready for a toss, and I am preparing for the
most important day in any long distance Pigeon Flyers, year!
8am breakfast over, dogs taken for a walk, I will find out
at 8.30 what time the birds were up, my adrenalin is starting
to rise as my mind tries to locate my birds to help guide
them home.
At
this time I think of all my pigeons friends both here and in
the V.H.A. who are doing exactly the same things as I am doing,
because on this day(Victorian Derby Day) the V.H.A. is also
flying their 1st 500mile race for the year. John Van Beer, Grenville
Evans, Dieta Koenig, Les Koesis, Tommy Meehan, Jack Moody, John
Brislin, Doug Ince, godfrey stevens, george Vella, Jack Smith,
John Yeates will all be on edge. This is our Melbourne Cup,
even here in Hobart Dennis Wood, Bobby Stocks, Ross Hall all
great pigeon men will be on edge, hoping for a good race, a
bit of wind assistance and a bird home on the day. I rang our
liberator in Hobart (Daryl Parsons) at 8.30am and the weather
was bad in Mt. Gambier, strong winds and squally rain. The birds
were held over!! The weather up in N.S.W. was also rain so the
VHA also held their 3500 birds back. Sunday
6.30am, weather very bad in Hobart very strong S/W winds, rain
in South Australia & Victoria, birds held over. V.H.A. brought
their birds back to Nerrandra (240 miles) and released. Monday
morning 6.30am clear sky, gusty S/W winds, birds will be released
at 7am E.D.S time, weather fine, light S/W winds, weather in
Bass Strait S/West winds gusting to 25knots. For those flyers
who don't know Hobart, we have our Great Mount Wellington, whish
guards our beautiful capital, she towers over us 5000 feet up,
with a road all the way to the top. Well today she is covered
with snow!! Right down to the foot hills. This means cold weather
ahead. 
Oberon lake
11.30am
my adrenalin is now rising fast, I am with my birds, I'm urging
them on telling them to "Break", telling them not to "Follow"
but to lead and then they can perhaps save themselves many miles
of flying. South West winds have always been the best to find
a true winner, then you and the fittest, the best trained, the
best bred will always keep trying. Who know where they are,
what time will the best get home, 8 o'clock tonight? If they
don't get blown too far of course? Tomorrow (cup day) lunch
time if they do. 2pm there are absolutely no weeds to be seen
in my back garden, I have been working out there all morning
my loft is spotless, my 8 pair of stock birds are quietly sitting
on their first round of eggs and I am wandering around forever
looking sky wards. I
remember my first 500 mile federation position with the V.H.A
in 1958 V.H.A 56-22966B.B.H. I was racing in partnership with
Freddie Harrison in the Werribee Club. We clocked at 2.10pm
on the Sunday, there were only 14 birds home in race time (Bourke
Smash). I forget who won but Greg Westmore was 2nd Doug Ince,
Ricky Raynor, Martin O'Shannacy, Len Burns, Bobby Eaton(9th),
we were 11th. She became a great stock bird, she was a Tommy
Delaney Logan Jurion cross. Another time 1965 I clocked 20314B.C.H.
as a two year old. I bought her at our squeaker sale (Bayswater-Nunawading),
she was donated by Douglas Ince!! I clocked her a 7.08pm on
the day (almost dark), she brought a hen of Charlie Webb's with
her who won the Rosebud race next morning when I let her out
at daylight. Tommy Meehan clocked on the same minute as me but
I just beat him (14th fed). We were flying from Carrieton (S.A).
I still have this hens blood in my loft.I'm
reminissing at this time, I hope you understand, but the 500
mile pigeon race is what I live for. I can still recall most
of my first birds arriving, ican till see them circle the loft,
stagger onto the landing board, their legs so cramped they can's
walk, some of them covered in blood. True guts, I remember one
cock bird VHA-78-29640b.chec, he had 3 weeks before finished
30th fed 440 miles, it was my youngest daughters 21st birthday
(30th October), I was hanging light along the facia board of
our house and I looked up across the tiles and there he was
he had come home to me, not the loft, or a hen, but me!! He
came 8th fed Coonamble. Great birds 500 mile birds. Another
time (1980) no birds on the day, 5-57am Sunday morning a flash
of blue and my very late bred VHA-79-33259 B.C.H. landed, staggered
across the landing board with her wings still flapping, and
I clocked her to obtain 2nd fed Bourke Vel-993M.P.M. Johnny
Yeates beat me by I metre and he lived 20k North of me I clocked
my 2nd bird ( a cock) at 8.20am, 2 hrs 23 min. later and finished
26th VEL-853M.P.M. Great birds 500 mile birds. During the period
1977-1981, I had 9 500 mile ferderation positions, I can remember
them all, that is why to me the 500 mile pigeon race, is the
greatest thrill of all.5pm
birds have been flying 10hrs, I'm getting very edgy, even though
I don't think they can possibly make it home today. 6pm the
wind has dropped right away, the sun is whining, the air clear
and clean, just the way is should be to get a bird on the day.
Sunset is at 7.54 so I have 3 hours of light left yet. (We have
a long twilight in Hobart). My lawn does not have a broad leaf
weed left in it!!7pm Seagulls, Crows, Blackbirds, Starlings all lood like pigeons how, and there are thousands of "them", to get a bird now they would have to be flying at a velocity of 1100M.P.M (not possible)
9pm no birds nearly dark but still hopeful. Phone rings it is a friend at Burnie (150 miles away) he clocked at 7.30 Vel 751M.P.M
He told me that Devonport flyers(5) clocked about the same time. Dale Pentland, in Launceston rang to say that he clocked at 8.10pm
This means with the race closing in Hobart at 8.24pm and opening again at 5.24am we still have till 8am Tuesday to be very competitive, is it any wonder I get a little excited.
5.15am
Tuesday (cup day). Beautiful morning, a little crisp around
3 degrees!! Adrenalin rising rapidly. Race birds hunted out
of loft to see if a bird is around but they don't want to fly,
I wonder why?6am Breakfast over, now starts the serious stuff, pacing up and down the cack garden(240ft), willing my birds to get up and come on home, this is truly pigeon racing at its best.
Tasmany Devil