2017 Activities

Victoria

Retrieving Trial – 29th October 2017

Summer is almost here! WGAA’s retrieving trial on Sunday 31st of October was … warm. Byron Kendall, our Advanced judge on the day, gave some sage advice in his opening remarks when he said to bring dogs to the starting pegs wet and to keep an eye out for snakes and grass seeds. Both Byron and Intermediate judge, Bill Allen, toiled manfully all day under difficult conditions, conditions that made thing very difficult for dogs and handlers. A good sized brown snake necessitated changing the first run in the advanced stake, while logs and low water levels combined with thick vegetation made things interesting for dogs in both stakes.

At the end of an intense day both judges made reference to the difficult conditions and the handling errors that confounded dogs and handlers alike. Trials are always tricky affairs, and runs that appear to be simple can suddenly throw up problems resulting in frustration for handlers and confusion for dogs. This was certainly the case in the Advanced stake and Byron was unable to award any placings, However, in the Intermediate stake Bill filled the podium with Sam Hayes’ lab, Samirya Field Scout (Scout) in first place, Angie Bloomer’s GSP Kobidan Justice Endures (Ishtar) as runner-up and Shane Emond’s lab Samirya Slim Jim (Slim) in third place.

Many thanks go to the committee who laboured away on the Saturday, Sunday, and in the weeks preceding the trial to make the event happen. To our judges Byron and Bill, who, as always, blended diplomacy, knowledge and application to the task, to the property owner and to everyone else who pitched in on the day to ensure a successful and memorable event.

Field Assessment Day – 17th September 2017

What a day! Sunny, nice breeze for the dogs – weatherwise this was one out of the box. Participating dogs seemed to enjoy it also with some excellent work in the field run, water retrieve and land retrieve. Overall the handlers were pleased, very pleased, with their dogs. The venue looked a picture after recent rains, and seemed to add to the relaxed atmosphere.

Handlers were presented with certificates covering all aspects of the retrieves and field work – style, obedience, marking, eagerness, staunchness, game finding and steadiness. This was the tenth year that WGAA has conducted a Field Assessment Day at this site and Sunday’s event was probably one of the best.

The judges Kevin Phelps – Water retrieve, Angie Bloomer – Land Retrieve and Barry Oliver- Field, were all unanimous in their assessments, all three praising the dogs, especially the big improvers. There is no doubt that if handlers put in the work in a dedicated manner their dogs can and do improve markedly.

Another top WGAA event.

SSAA Vic Shot Expo – 20th & 21st May 2017

Well folks, the 2017 SSAA Shot Expo is all done and dusted, and what a great success it was.

The State office reports that over 17,000 people attended over the weekend, a stunning number by any measure.

The Gundog demonstrations were a real highlight and showed the very large and appreciative crowds what WGAA is all about. The boat (Aussie) and the beer (Nellie) segments went over extremely well.

Many thanks to the following members and their dogs – Sam with Nellie & Scout, Shane with Slim and also for his outstanding PA commentary, Steve & Meg, Kevin & Aussie, Henry & Riley, Rebecca & Levi, Andrew & Bass and myself with Kio. Thanks also to Jason (equipment organizer extraordinaire) and Richard, his roadie on Sunday, Tom (Gun steward), Angie (Angie for being Angie) Lyn, Kathy & Garry with Kiri for their sterling work manning the booth and talking to hundreds of people about WGAA. Kiri took heaps of pats for the team, what a limelight stealer she was!

Thanks also to Liz & John for all their help and support and especially for Liz’ efforts with the bbq in providing breakfast and lunch.

Another thankyou to the many members who called in to say hello.

The club had extremely positive feedback from State and National bodies including the SSAA National President, Geoff Jones, the Victorian President, Denis Moroney and the National Secretary, Kaye McIntyre.

National Weekend Pointer & Setter Field Trials – 27 & 28 May

The National WGAA Pointer and Setter field trial turned out to be the sort of trial that we all like to see. Fast dogs, some spectacular finds, great ground coverage – all played out on a Mallee stubble with a cold w ind that brought tears to the galleries’ eyes but provided scenting conditions as good as they can be. There is nothing in field sports quite like a bird dog running impossibly fast then, in an instant, tearing up the earth in its elemental urge to point, transfixed by the scent of game as every taut sinew and muscle screams to its distant, hurrying handler, “It’s here!”

A smallish field competed for National honours this year with judges Denis Everard (Vic) and Tony Connor (New Zealand) set the task of finding the best dogs on the day. These two judges brought a wealth of experience to their roles, both having competed with and titled many of their own dogs. Judging gundogs requires a blend of experience, savvy and the ability to see beyond merely ticking boxes. A good judge knows almost instinctively that a great piece of work, one that gets the blood racing, is what class bird dogs can do. Sometimes they might fall short, but when they are on song, they are unforgettable.

The first round set the tone with some beautiful work that saw 4 dogs brought through to the second round. These dogs impressed the judges and were again put through their paces and again produced a very high standard of work.

The final placings were:-

1^st Henry Foster’s pointer dog, Riley, F Ch, F Ch(CS), FT Ch RIPRAP MARKSMAN NFTW, NFTW(CS)

2^nd Nick Guida’s pointer bitch, Marley, RIPRAP ROXY NRD IRTD

Best Novice Dog: Michael Zandona’s pointer dog Bob, SUREFIND BOB

The second trial of the National Weekend was the ‘John Nash Memorial’ field trial. This is an important trial to add to a dog’s winning list as John Nash from Ireland judged in Australia many years ago and was instrumental in bringing about an appreciation and an understanding of quality dog work.

This trial was run in different conditions to the previous day with heavy rain overnight. Roads became impassable and judges, handlers and dogs had to make the long, long trek to the paddock on foot – you have to be ready for everything in dog trials!

The winner on the day was Nick Guida’s pointer bitch, Marley, RIPRAP ROXY NRD IRTD.

If you are interested in competing in field trials contact Barry Oliver – 0403 380 092

Duck Opening Training Day – 5th March 2017

This eagerly anticipated event in the WGAA calendar is always popular with members. With only two weeks until the annual duck opening season this WGAA event is ideally placed to help polish member’s gundog’s retrieving skills.

Many thanks to the landowners and all the helpers who set up realistic retrieves for the real thing in two weeks.

This WGAA event slots in neatly with sustainable hunting as promoted in the Game Management Authority’s manual – Game Hunting in Victoria.

Duck opening has always been a red-letter day for duck hunters. Heralding the start of the 3-month season, it has over the decades been seen as the spiritual commencement of the hunter’s year. Many an old, seen it all duck hunter, was introduced to hunting by his father or grandfather at duck opening, and over the years it has become one of the great Australian outdoor traditions.