Manawatu Homing Club

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 279, 25 November 1939, Page 8

Manawatu Homing Club

TROPHIES PRESENTED For the annual race between Palmerston North and Invercargill, Mr. G. VVatchorn has presented a handsome cup valued at 20gns., to the Manawatu Homing Pigeon Club. The club’s officials consider that no other club in New Zealand has a better trophy than this. The distance between Invercargill and Palmerston North as the crow flies is 560 miles, but owing to bad weather conditions the birds have often to fly between 100 and 150 miles more. An anonymous donor has presented a cup for the race from the Threo -Kings Islands to Palmerston North. The birds in the race are liberated from an Auck-land-Sydney boat. Another anonymous donor has presented a cup for the annual young bird race from Hamilton to Palmerston North. The birds to be eligible for the event must be seven months old. The local club owns over 400 birds, and one member is reported to havo the best long-distance birds in Australia or New Zealand. His birds arc of an imported strain, some coming from England and America. In the former country as much as £6OO is paifl for a pair. Recently this member paid £l4 for a pair in New Zealand. A number of local birds have been sold, and when they have competed in their new localities they havo nearly always been sue cessful. One local fancier recently wrote to the Minister of Defence (Hon. F. Jones) suggesting the establishment of a loft at Ohakea for defence purposes. The Miinster, who is also a pigeon fancier and whose bird won the Derby race between Palmerston North and Dunedin some years ago, replied that if the Government decided to use carrier pigeons all owners of these would be approached.