Harry Heal Part 2

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THE FEDERATION WESTERLY PROFILE

Last month we heard how Harry got started with pigeons and the breeds he has kept over the years and of course his recent marriage to Monica. This month we continue with Harry’s profile which some of you will find some very frank and interesting views of where Harry believes the fancy is today.

A. At present I only have 8 pairs of West’s which consist of 4 Spangles and disappointingly I have just discovered that my best Spangle cock has gone Baron so I am now crossing Bolds into Spangles to produce badges for breeding next year. I also have 5 pairs of Dutch Tumblers all whites, I did have shields and some colours but they are not of the type and quality of the whites. I also have two pairs of Colone Tumblers, which are excellent breeders, and feeders and I use them for rearing my West’s

A. I can’t really say much more than has already been said but I do not believe that the West’s of today are anything like the West’s of 30 years ago. For some reason everything has to be bigger and I don’t know for why. You see a bird through the wires and you think wow until you pick it up and it’s just a big bag of feathers. By going for size I believe they have lost the type, some of these birds have loose hackles, poor back cover, high on the leg and in my opinion could have better footings and the eyes have lost the near white clarity that they had years ago. When you handle a West it should fit in your hand and taper away with a lot of these big pigeons they tend to be shallow keeled and long cast. The first thing with any West is that it must fit in your hand, once they pass this first very important criteria I then look for expression and type, width of feather. Height of leg, length of bird and they must be balanced.

A. Most important is to decide what breed, type and colour you want to keep and try and acquire the type of bird you want today everybody is looking for different points. There are some decent fanciers that will help you, but in my experience over the years be careful what you are offered once you got some reasonable stock it’s down to you don’t expect success immediately it takes time and quite a few disappointments. If you ever acquire the birds you are after just strive to breed the best bird you can but you will never breed the perfect bird all the fanciers are still trying to do this but then the what makes it all so interesting. I have read all the profiles before and a lot of it has all been said before some sound advice has been given and always be prepared to listen.

A. The first person that comes to mind Dave is yourself because of the birds I had from you back in the seventies I have never looked back and when I passed them onto Terry Gerrish he also had a lot of success with them. My old friend Mel Brooker who sadly is no longer with us. Mike Moore and when I needed birds Pete Holland, Steve Carey and Barry Collins were helpful. I must mention Andy Lowe not only for his gift of 6 young West’s last year but I do believe Andy does more for the pigeon fancy than a lot of people give him credit for along with the Nottingham fanciers who are a really great bunch of lads. He has been a good friend over the years. Of course I would like to thank Monica for her friendship and understanding, she has always given me 100% support in everything I do and helped me on many an occasion even to cleaning out the birds and painting the lofts and she is the best thing that has happened in my life because I am not the easiest person to get along with (I agree – who said that?). I am bound to miss some people out but not intentionally but I must finish with a mention to all the Bristol Club members who supported me as Secretary for the last 30 years I will of course give my backing to the new Secretary, Chris Gerrish.

A. Like a lot of people I have had a lot of disappointments with the standard of judging and I believe there is too much of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours. For instance I had a Yellow hen, which three years ago had taken three NPA’s at three consecutive shows and yet ended up cardless at the Bradford Show. When I asked the judge from north of the border he said she was miss-marked because she a one yellow feather near her eye. This I find unacceptable either there is a standard or there is not. I would like someone to tell me what is a miss-marked Birmingham Roller? I do not like judges that have colour preferences when they are judging you should judge the bird not what colour it is. Some of the birds that I have seen winning over the past five years I have been very disappointed with, they were down faced, dark eyed pigeons winning classes that they should not have been winning. A few years ago I was asked to do best West at the Nottingham show and the birds that were put up in my opinion should not have been there.

If we are not careful we are going to ruin the West if we carry on crossing other pigeons into them with to much emphasis is being placed on size and back scull and we are missing out with back cover, eye and most importantly the type.

I have been asked several times how the Federation was formed perhaps this is as good a time as any through the Federation profile to put on paper my recollection of events. It was in the late 1960’s early 1970’s that Jeff Oldham approached Mel Brooker and Myself about forming a Federation. We all thought it was a good idea but Jeff got impatient and instead of approaching all the Flying Breed Clubs he went ahead and got printed headed paper. Jeff was a strong advocate for the Federation having their own rings something that Ron Connebear Secretary of Bideford at that time was dead against and there was some heated written exchanges, copies of which I still have today. Anyway a meeting was arranged and it was Bristol and Norwich clubs, which were the first to join the Federation and start issuing, certificates. In 1975 Bristol TTSS stopped issuing NPA certificates and issuing Federation Certificates only which they have done so right up to the present day. After leaving Luella World Richard Greenwood took up the reins as Secretary before Keith and Gill Robson acting as Secretary and Treasurer for three years doing an excellent job of keeping it all going. Jim Pearson then took over the position of Secretary for one season before Ian and yourself Dave, which I believe is some three years ago now. Ian and yourself have done an excellent job to make the Federation what it is today and I think Mel would be so pleased to see what is happening because I believe where you have got the Federation is what both Mel and I believed it should be and it’s stronger today than it’s ever been and hopefully will continue to be so. I personally would like to thank you and everyone that has made the effort to make it what it is, sometimes we don’t always agree with some of the decisions but our right to answer and voice an opinion is in place and I find it sad that some people think this should be done through Feathered World. The telephone is a wonderful invention try using it sometime because I can assure you running any club is not easy (speaking with a voice of experience) and the Federation is probably harder than most.

Q. I not sure if I should say this because you are on a flow but is there anything more you would like to add?

A. I do as much reading as I can about the West and recently I was reading about the origin of Black Spangles and they were around in Bristol and kept by H Bell and H Balsom in 1907 some were even exported to China (three months journey time) which survived and were flown successfully, they were also exported to Canada in the early 1900’s and still exist there today. Mel and Sid Cossey took up the revitalisation of the Black Spangle challenge putting Hamburg Schimmels and Tiger marked Croppers into the West’s they achieved some success but nowhere as good as they are today in Black Spangles. My friend Dave Frost of Ipswich also whet into breeding Black Spangles, at one stage breeding some decent birds. Since then it has been taken up by Pete Holland, Nick Jackson and a lot is owed to late Graham Beswick. I do have a supplement from 1907 which was printed in the Fur and Feather dedicated to the origin of the West and anyone wanting a copy please let me know.

Harry thanks for your time and what I think is a very good profile you have been very frank and honest with your answers. Can I just remind Federation members that have not paid their subs for 2002 that if payment is not received by the end of July then we will have no alternative but to take your name from the mailing list. It is impossible to keep writing reminders and chasing people for non-payment, thankfully it is only a few. The show season will soon be upon us once again and it seems the furthest thing from your minds when you see all those thousands of feathers each day when you open the loft door but rest assured the time will soon pass and I look forward to meeting a lot of your once again around the pens.