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SAHPA 2016 Year Book Page 17
Rob Graham of Broken Hill
My father raced pigeons in Broken Hill for nearly
40 years and also raced one season in Adelaide in
the early Seventies. I guess the birds were always
part of my childhood and I became attached to the
birds at a very young age.
My partner does assist me as my work often takes
me interstate for lengthy periods. During my
absence Donna feeds and waters my pigeons as
well as letting the birds out for loft exercise.
Obviously my father assisted me greatly and
would to the detriment of his own racing, train
and wait for my returning pigeons opposed to his
own when I had been working out of town. Trevor
Grillett has and continues to gift me quality
pigeons and also I would like to thank Brian
Ashwood for his assistance and allowing me to
use his clock. I have been racing since 2000.
Favourite distance is over 400 km.
Very concerned about the future of pigeon racing
as no new members coming into the sport
The Birds
My favourite bird (and most memorable) is without doubt a blue bar hen BH14 351, which
won three of her six races and in turn has produced a winner.
The Delungra (930km) Championship winner (blue bar hen BH14 1299) is bred directly from
two previous 700 km winners. The sire winning for myself from Portland in 2006 and the
dam winning from the same race point in 2007 for long time flyer Trevor Grillett. Trevor
gifted me this pigeon the day after its win. My strain of birds is a direct result of selective
breeding for distance performance over a number of years with the main influences being five
pigeons. The two Portland winners, two pigeons from the now passed Bob Warren and a
pigeon that was equal winner of The Silver City Classic in 2010 (bred by Manfred Fruse of
the VHA). Manfred’s equal winner was paired to a Bob Warren pigeon which than produced
a daughter that was also an equal winner of The Silver City Classic in 2011. This hen was
than mated to a son of the two Portland winners and this mating has consistently produced
top distance pigeons, including a pigeon I consider my best ever racing bird. The blue bar hen
BH14 351 has only been raced lightly over two years, competing in six races of which she
has won three of them. She has now proved herself as a racer and a breeder. Wins were from
Cobar (418km), Kyancutta (575 km) and Nyngan (546 km). 351 has already had a positive
influence as a breeder with a daughter BH15 472, bred in the flying loft winning this year
from Cobar (418 km) and also placing third from Gilgandra (682km). She homed with
another two of my pigeons from Gilgandra which were placed first and second. BH15 498)
which won this Gilgandra race is a full sister to the Delungra Championship winner noted
earlier. All of my seven winners from this season are related.
In General
Broken Hill has had a fixed installment package now for many years and as a Treasurer I can
vouch for its effectiveness in not only easing the work load but also you know early in the
season the minimum income generated from race nominations.
In Broken Hill there is ample help for anyone wishing to participate. Most flyers are more
than happy to assist in any way, from gifting quality birds to assisting with advice.