Poultry Association Centennial Show

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31383, 31 May 1967, Page 7

Poultry Association Centennial Show

The Canterbury Poultry Association has held shows without a break since 1868. Its three-day event in the Poultry Club Hall in Selwyn street later this week will mark its show centenary.

An entry erf 1498 birds has been received for the show, which will begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow and continue until Saturday. Of the 160 entries in the first show, many were in classes now discontinued. Turkeys, small cage birds such as canaries and budgerigars, and rabbits have been dropped from the schedule. Other birds such as dorkings, cochins, brahmas, Polands and French fowls are no longer bred in New Zealand. The Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon and Cage Bird Club now has 182 members. The first show of the Canterbury association, held in the new Town Hall in Cashel street on August 1, 1868, was visited by 600 people that day. In its report, “The Press” wrote that the show had “proved a decided success, and this augured well for the prosperity of the newly formed association under whose auspices it was got up. “The association has, indeed, an ample field before it, in the encouragement of the breeding of poultry, since this is a branch of farming which, by judicious management, might be made capable of very great expansion.” The best patronised class was for game birds, with 40 entries, of which 16 were in the section for black-breasted red birds. There were only six entries in the rabbit class, and Mr G. A. Reade won the prize for the best show pen. The judges for the first show were Messrs J. Ladbrooke, J. O. Gilchrist, W. Lunn, J. Bennett, J. Shand, F. Hepworth, W. D. Car-

ruthers, J. E. Graham, T. 'Williams, J. Williams, and J. C. St Quentin. Fire almost destroyed the Poultry Club Hall in 1959 and that year the show had to be held at Mannings Brewery on Ferry road. The hall was rebuilt and additions within the last six months have almost doubled its space. Because the dub has spent so much time and money on additions there will he no centennial celebrations, but several hundred special prizes have been given by the member clubs. Entries in the different sections are:—Poultry (321), ducks (30), eggs (7), bantams (290), and pigeons (850). Entries have been received from all parts of New Zealand and three judges have been invited from Australia for the pigeon section. The entry is the largest since small cage birds were dropped from the show in 1962. The show will be opened to the public from tomorrow afternoon.