From time to time I receive phone calls from readers who have booked their holidays overseas. They wish to know whether there are Budgerigar fanciers in the area where they intend staying who they could visit and discuss their hobby.
Many of the destinations selected by readers are somewhere around the Mediterranean and as far as I know; Budgerigar breeders on the Spanish or Greek Islands are few and far between. I have visited a few of these islands and can scarcely remember seeing a bird, let alone a Budgerigar. Your chance of meeting fanciers is certainly increased as you move away from the seaside resorts, but here again contacting people is certainly not easy. A few overseas fanciers do advertise in Budgerigar World. Usually they are amongst the top breeders in their area and if contacted, are found to be most helpful.
Years ago, Budgerigar World organised trips to the United States of America and in the early years were very popular. Lasting friendships have been formed through those visits and many a judge was invited to participate in shows following those first contacts. Following these trips, American fanciers arranged similar visits to the U.K. and they were very well supported. Unfortunately, difficulties arose in the host countries when trying to arrange contacts due to the fanciers being so far apart.
It is difficult for us here in the U.K. to appreciate the distances between towns and cities in the U.S. The mileage is so great that it is unbelievable breeders go to such trouble to attend shows, which are literally thousands of miles away. But they do it.
Looking back, I would say that the majority of those who joined the trips were exhibitors and their wives and they were keen on visiting fanciers in the U.S. of similar standing. Admittedly, they visited a Show, but apart from that, the remainder of their stay was anything but Budgie material. In Southern California we attended the B.R.A. Show, were well hosted and there was the added appeal of famed attractions such as Disney, the Queen Mary at Long Beach, Hollywood, etc. Those trips together with the visit to Las Vegas were highly successful. Maybe the time has come for a repeat visit.
What I have just written about is linked to my column published last month - namely that we have to make our hobby more interesting and attractive to not only exhibitors, but also those who enjoy breeding budgerigars but never show.
It is quite possible that many who are interested in Budgerigars spend their holidays abroad, whether they are in the U.S., Europe, Australia or the U.K. We need fun in our hobby and people are the ones who create it. We have to mix more socially. Maybe the time has come for Area Societies in the U.K. to consider arranging something other than aviary visits down the road, which would appeal to their ordinary members. The focal point could either be an overseas show or a visit to fanciers, but the greater part could be spent as the annual holiday.
I can guess immediately the reaction of some people to this suggestion, but let us face facts, we must offer something other than a show or a bird preacher at a club meeting if we want to keep and attract those non-exhibitors who form the vast majority of our hobby, Maybe those who read this column have other ideas. We believe we know what keen breeders and exhibitors want, and we have been catering to their needs (I believe successfully) for years. We have to make our hobby attractive to new people and once in, we must discover the secret of keeping them in the fold. If the Budgerigar Society here in the U.K. had an answer to those last few words, then it would be the strongest in the world.
Some of you who read this column must have some ideas of how to make our hobby more attractive to newcomers and how to keep them, so why not put pen to paper and send your ideas to Budgerigar World. The hobby needs your help. We need new ideas.
At the last A.G.M. of the Budgerigar Society the question was asked what do we get for our money out of the World Budgerigar Organisation. This is a question you can ask about everything. You can ask it about your local club, the B.S. or whatever your country’s national body. "Do we get value for money?" is a question not easily answered.
If you feel strongly that any appointed body is not giving good value for the money they get, then tell them, and give them ideas on how to improve. I think that’s the only was to progress.
© Gwyn Evans 1999
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