Year Book 2016

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SAHPA 2016 Year Book Page 36
East line preparation
John Kokalakis: Every race season starts pretty well the same. The usual early training to the north followed by
a change of direction. Aldinga a couple of times before heading over the hills with the group. As the season
progresses they don’t need as much over the hills as most would have raced that way. We have enough
problems when we train on the line of flight but our problems are compounded when people put their birds in
without any hills training (it’s a different world over the hills). If the birds hesitate on release and if they haven’t
trained there the most certainly hesitate. John has roughly four tosses north then south and east to Silver Sands,
Nairne and “Rosie’s Paddock”. Also half way to Lameroo and Milang and Wellington for toss points.
Russell Somerville: Williamstown is 472 m above sea level surrounded by forest and national parks in all
directions. Initially training from Mannum / Murray Bridge direction on my own proved a disaster so for nearly all
the 30 years since I only train north/west and north/east. My toss points are north of Wallaroo, east of Locheil and
Nuriootpa to Kapunda area. My east family ONLY race east even though they toss north. Our club is building a
transporter to club toss next year from I hope Tailem Bend hope this will improve our birds confidence
when always wind direction is unfavourable.
Nenad Stojakovic: For racing on the east line my birds will get three from Mt. Barker and a Milang before a race.
Usually they get a north-line race before I send them east or south. They will continue to get east line tosses
through the race season.
Bob Huff: As my birds range far and wide over the hills when they are loft flying, I don’t feel the need to train
them in any particular direction. I usually fly my young and a number of my old birds north to say Hawker,
Parachilna or Lyndhurst and switch them east. My Association winner for example had a Hawker and then
Moulamein. I think the early races on the east are far too short and hence I don’t fly them. I prefer the longer early
north races to start the birds off in. I also strongly believe that you have to have the right bloodlines to fly the east
line successfully. It is also my view that you need to send your best birds east if you wish to succeed on this line.
Final I really enjoy flying the eastline.
Graham Watson: When I race my birds on the South East line, I select pigeons that are off parents that have
flown that line with success. I have found that the old South Australian families perform the best. I have out
crossed with imported birds such as Busschaerts, Jan Arden, Vanloons and Gabies with reasonable results.
Training of these birds involves tossing to Snowtown a least three times before educating them over the hills
which I think is an absolute must. Before I send them to a south east race they must have a short race north to
build up their confidence. So in essence I am racing my south east birds first to the short north race points. I
strongly believe we need three Carrietons to start the season as we did in the past. Mt Barker, Callington, Strath.
and Silver Sands are toss points I would use.
Viv Allan: Viv begins tossing around Anzac week, and first tosses from Outer Harbour. If the birds get home in
40 mins or less, he moves to Pt Parham. Otherwise he returns to Outer Harbour for another two or three tosses.
All race birds do these initial tosses. Once the birds are tossing well from the north he starts tossing east –
initially Milang then Tailem Bend and Meningie.
David Walker: All toss training for all my birds in 2016 was done for David by Philip Redhead – he took the birds
weekly to KiKi – a distance of 100kms from the loft. This is in addition to the normal loft training done during the
week. No north training was done in 2016 apart from the early pre racing tosses.
Gavin Harris – First couple of Tosses mid April from Morphetville Race Course (20km), Followed by Globe
Derby, Port Gawler, then on SAHPA Hino Truck to Lower Light, Dublin, Port Wakefield. North team toss twice a
week on SAHPA Hino. South East team start after having flown Snowtown, will start at Milang at least 5 times,
then Meningie most weeks or at least fortnightly, may have a Port Wakefield toss mid week. I like Milang as very
little raptor activity and Meningie is safe as birds fly their first 20km over water and rarely get attacked so they are
on track before they might encounter raptor attacks, they learn to navigate the hills and hopefully learn to break
from the main race convoy.
Paul Springett: The birds should be ranging for at least one hour and working hard before I will take them on a
toss which could be around 30 kms. All birds are tossed together as a team at first until they have two
Snowtowns then I will mix in with the training units and friends for two or three tosses a week but this all depends
on what is happening with them. The east tossing will start with the old birds once they have had a couple of
Snowtowns to get then moving then straight to Tailem Bend, when I am happy with the young bird north training I
will select the young bird east team and they will go to Tailem Bend with the old bird east team mixed with club
mate birds. East tossing for the 2017 season will probably be Milang then Meningie due to the change in the
south east lines. If you toss from Sellicks beach thinking you are tossing east then you are greatly mistaken and
Sellicks will not teach your birds anything about flying the hills.
Ross Chapman: Tossing starts at West Beach for 1 or 2 tosses. Then Webb Beach near Pt. Parham. First east
line toss is Mt. Barker (in partnership with Terry Underdown). Tossing continues with a unit following the “cartel”
into the hills. However, once the birds are educated to Ross’s satisfaction he says he then “pulls the pin” on east
line tossing as the risks are greater than the benefits. He says he doesn’t lose any more birds on the east than
the north following this plan.