2014 Activities

Victoria

SSAA Shot Expo Perth – 6th & 7th December 2014

The WGAA Vic Demonstration Team recently travelled over to Perth for the inaugural SSAA Shot Expo in the west. This was a first for us as the dogs had to be flown over but they all took it in their stride. Previously the dogs have performed successfully at the Melbourne and Sydney Shot Expos.

This time the team consisted of Kevin & Aussie, Shane & Angus, Angie & Farli, Steve & Meg and Barry & Kio.

SSAA WA, Exhibitions Group, SSAA National and SSAA Vic were all very generous with their help and financial support. Even the dogs had excellent accommodation in a very large dog trailer and travelled in style.

The pressure was on to put on a great show and deliver we did – the team members and their dogs were awesome, four shows in two days under the very hot West Australian sun. As well as large crowds we even had the WA Police Minister at one of our performances as well as Ron and Michelle Bryant from SSAA WA and National, Geoff Jones, National President and Kaye McIntyre, National Secretary.

The Perth Shot Expo was judged to be a huge success with heaps of exhibitors and overwhelming support from shooters in the west. The place was packed with close to 10,000 people passing through the door and was a testament to all those who had planned this event over many months.

Congratulations to everyone, even the muzzleloaders who really put the frighteners up the dogs and us as well.

Field Assessment Day – 5th October 2014

On a fantastic spring day WGAA Vic’s Field Assessment Day was held at the Daylesford property that has hosted the event for many years. This ideal property is perfect for the family friendly event with several members camping overnight to help set up runs.

Each of the 25 dogs was given 3 runs – a land retrieve, a water retrieve and a pigeon run and was scored in 5 categories in each run, categories that related closely to actual field work.

Certificates were awarded to all participants.

WGAA Vic Retrieving Trial – 14th September 2014

The WGAA Vic Intermediate and Advanced Retrieving trial was held at Nagambie in a picture perfect location in ideal conditions. The judges were David Blacker (Intermediate – 15 entries) and Andrew Yeomans (Advanced – 8 entries).

The trial managers were Luke Warner and Kevin Phelps with Norm Cloke handling the throwers.

We were all set for a great day – what could possibly go wrong? Well guess what, nothing went wrong and the day was a fantastic success. We even started on time, there was some excellent dog work, good camaraderie and the lunch was enjoyed by all – even those who were over charged!

It was encouraging to see a number of newcomers graduating from the Training day program into trials for the first time.

At the end of the day the judges awarded their placings and the lucky winners were:

Intermediate Stake

1^st Henry Foster’s Pointer F Ch(CS) & Nat FT Ch RIPRAP MARKSMAN NFTW(CS) CM (154)

2^nd Nick Guida’s Pointer RIPRAP ROXY (140 points)

3^rd Shane Emond’s Labrador PETITRAPPORT MCANGUS (139 points)

The Encouragement award for a very high standard retrieve went to:

Sandra Lesniauskas’ Golden Retriever BELBUN DAILY COMPANY DC

The highest score for a run in the Intermediate stake went to

Sam Heyes’ Labrador CONINGSBURGH MADDIE MAY (53 points)

Advanced Stake

1^st Sam Heyes’ Labrador CONINGSBURGH TASHA GIRL (173 points)

2^nd Sam Heyes’ Labrador CONINGSBURGH MADDIE MAY (126 points)

3^rd Luc Tomasino’s Brittany BRITTNIKI GUNSMOKE GUS (124 points)

WGAA NSW Pointer & Setter Trial (CS)) – 11th August 2014

NSW P&S Field Trial (CS) – 28th July 2014

Duck Opening Water Practice Day – March 2014

The traditional WGAA Duck Opening Water Practice Day, held on the weekend before duck opening, once again proved a highly popular event for tuning up before the big day. 40 people and 30 dogs once again enjoyed perfect weather and the opportunity to give their dogs some training over a variety of runs, some challenging and some straightforward, on both land and water. L’Epagnuel Bretons, German Shorthairs, Labradors, Viszlas, Springers and Pointers all participated.

Responsible, sustainable hunting requires that all shot game be retrieved and the handlers in attendance were making certain that their gundogs were ready to fulfil this requirement