Colin & Tim Hawkins

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THE FEDERATION TIP TOP FANCIER

This month is a short journey for me across Bristol to meet up with our next profile, It was also a very nostalgic meeting because Colin is someone that I have known ever since I knew what a pigeon looked like, so you can imagine we spent the first half hour talking about the days when we were both members of The Bristol T&T SS back in the late sixties when we had people like Tony Williams, Colin Monelle, Brian Higgins, Cliff Hole, Jim Waters and the Bradbeer’s to name but a few that were the members of the club alongside us both. In some ways time has stood still but in others it makes you wonder where the time has gone. When I first knew Colin his son Tim was only ten years old (now 43) and today Tim’s son is ten years old it all suddenly starts to make me feel old (yes old is the word).

Colin is in partnership with his son Tim and they are now keeping Tipplers but if you ask Colin he will admit that his first love is the West but he now has difficulty in keeping them clean so as he says I still love the birds and find keeping the Tipplers a lot easier then the West’s. Colin is married to Marion and next month (4^th August) they will be celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary (Marion you deserve a medal) they only have the one son Tim and he is married to Lynne giving Colin and Marion two Grandchildren Natalie (13) and Matthew (10). Like most young boys Matthew is football mad and plays for North Bristol Colts. Colin is now 72 years old and retired from his job as a fork lift driver with DRG but I know that if he had his way he would liked to have been a farm worker. Most summer evenings you will find Colin on his allotment, which he has had now for the last 46 years where he grows all his own vegetables. In the shooting season you will also find Colin out beating on the late Sir John Wills estate something he has done now for a very long time. I asked Colin where he spent his National Service which brought a very big smile to his face he said I started in Gloucester then went to Portsmouth, Tidworth, Blackdown and ended up at Aldershot never got out of the Country and I actually finished exactly two years to the day as I joined.

Unfortunately because of Tim’s occupation which is a glueing co-ordinator with a box making company where he has to work as he put it funny shift patterns Colin is restricted to the shows that he can now attend but I know he still gets a kick out of showing his birds. I would like to thank Bideford for making Colin their Vice President I think this was a great gesture to a man that has given such a lot to the flying breeds over the years.

A. I think it would be fair to say that I was born into pigeons. My mother’s brother (Percy Chandler) kept flying print tipplers and was a member of the Kingswood (suburb in Bristol) Tippler club. As I grew older he got married and moved away so it was then that I decided to keep pigeons myself about sixty years ago with four birds from my Uncle.

A. After getting the birds from my Uncle. I was invited over to his place because we were going to visit a gentleman called Cliff Guest. When we arrived at Cliff’s place I seen all these pigeons and I was just taken aback there was these beautiful birds which I later found out were West’s. Because I was so keen with my eyes popping out of my head Cliff let me have two black chequers a blue odd side Cock, which was odd, eyed and a Silver Hen. That was my introduction into West’s. After this I acquired some more birds from a gentleman whose name I cannot remember these were a pair of Black Balds, which I bought for 10 bob (that’s 50p to the younger one’s out there). I then bought two pairs of the legendary Jack Jones, a pair of Red beards and a pair of spangles. I kept these birds right up until my National Service when unfortunately I had to pack them up.

A. Basically I have kept the flying breeds Flying and Exhibition Tipplers and like everybody else I have had Garden Fantails.

Q. Colin I have known you a long time and have always thought of you as a West man. What made you give up the West’s?

A. It all started when I had a pair of Tipplers of Freddie Squires and I was keeping West’s and Tipplers. I was then using Shavings because I couldn’t get the sawdust but I found it increasingly difficult to keep the West’s clean so decided to have a change. This was about four years ago and I have had Tipplers ever since, using sand to keep them clean. Come on Colin I am dying to know would you ever consider going back to West’s? My heart is really in the West and the answer would obviously have to be yes and if there was an easy way of keeping them clean I would have them tomorrow if they could be kept clean on the sand I would not hesitate to get some more West’s

A. I have only got Exhibition Tipplers at the moment about 50 / 60 birds and I have got them in nearly all colours including prints

A. The trend today seems to be big birds. I don’t like my Tipplers too big. I look for good width of feather and feather quality. A pearl eye and it must feel right in the hand.

A. My main loft is twenty foot by eight foot which consists of two eight foot by eight foot sections and a four foot by eight foot utility section. I also have a small (six foot by four foot) breeding loft. I have had these lofts for about fourteen years now.

A. To make sure that the standard of the pigeons remain as they are today and even improve them if we can and to get as much enjoyment from my birds as they have given me over the past sixty years.

A. I feel very strong about novices being given second-rate pigeons. They are the future of the flying breeds and providing they are keen enough should be given the chance with some top quality pigeons not some of the rubbish that I see passed onto them today. If they have birds that produce odd eyed or coloured tail feathers they will soon get disheartened. They should always be prepared to listen and never be afraid to ask questions of the judges, but do remember that certain judges look for certain things in a bird so part of the showing game is to learn your judge and show the birds that you think he will like.

Q. What are your personal views on the fancy in general – Do you feel the quality of the bird has improved?

A. I certainly think since I started keeping birds that the quality of the flying pigeon has got a lot better. The memory of arriving at the Federation show last year and seeing all the quality birds from around the country was quite something. I really am looking forward to this years show. The one thing that saddens me is to see the number of people keeping pigeons declining for one reason or another I suppose this is another reason why I am sticking with the Tipplers.

A. Without any question I must thank my wife Marion without her I would not have the pigeons today, about four years ago I had Asthma and intended to stop keeping the pigeons because it was unfair on Tim working these shifts that he does to be able to feed the pigeons. Marion wouldn’t hear of it and she fed and cleaned the pigeons mind you she always feeds the birds when I am away beating. (Sorry Colin I am going to spill the milk as far as Marion is concerned she also paints your lofts both inside and out you really don’t know that you are born). While I am mentioning the family I must also thank Tim for his support and encouragement and his time taking me to all the shows. I would like to mention John Keepin for his friendship not only to myself but the whole family over the years. To yourself Dave it’s just a shame to think of all the years you missed out and to Trevor Dryden. A special thanks to Bert and Barry Shortridge. Bert made a promise to let me have some birds when he packed them up and Barry made sure I got them.

Can I just say that I think you and Ian Johnson have done a fantastic job as far as the Federation goes, you have not only got the fanciers talking about their birds with enthusiasm and pride but the quality at last years show was outstanding. I personally think that this year you will be scratching for pens, I don’t like seeing pens three high but I honestly think that to accommodate all the birds you won’t have much choice this year.

Thanks Colin another profile completed but I must apologise to Tim I never got to speak to much to him about the birds but that could be saved for another day. Arrangements are well under way for the summer show the members requested so I hope that it will be well supported details will appear in the Feathered World and members will receive a schedule in due course so please make a note of the date (6^th October 2001 – Idle, Bradford). This is later than we intended but what with holiday traffic and holiday commitments of certain peoples this is the date we have settled on. This show is in addition to the winter classic show to be held again in Bristol on December 8^th with all the arrangements now being finalised. To all affiliated clubs I would just like to assure you that the Certificates and Rosettes will be arriving in the next couple of weeks and will be posted soon afterwards. The yearbook is well on it’s way to completion and I would remind all members that if you don’t get your photograph in with the completed form then you will miss out, to late once it’s printed so I have extended the final date for their return to the end of August. Look forward to meeting you all around the show pens. Yours in Sport – DAVE WALTERS