Field Assessment Day 2010

WGAA's annual Field Assessment Day was held on Sunday 24th October. This is the fifth year we have conducted this event which requires dogs to complete three basic tasks - a field run, a land retrieve and a water retrieve. The retrieving assessment was under the guidance of Wayne Phelps and Barry Oliver took care of the field assessment.
Once again the event was held on an excellent property at Daylesford due to the efforts of Wayne Phelps. The club is indebted to landowners who kindly make their properties available for our use.
The Field Assessment Day is an interesting and enjoyable activity open to all breeds of gundogs of all abilities, young or old. A large and enthusiastic group of handlers and their dogs took part in the day’s activities. The field and retrieving runs bear a direct relationship to real life hunting over your gundog and are a worthwhile way of assessing your dog’s training to date. Every encouragement is given by experienced trainers to help you and your dog improve even more.
This event has become established as a highlight of the club’s calendar and a total of 20 gundogs undertook the field run and retrieves. The weather was perfect, the location ideal and it was a happy group of people that eventually gathered around the campsite for lunch. Soon after lunch all runs were completed and certificates were handed out. This day is part of the Hunt, Point & Retrieve (HPR) sub discipline program and is organized by the WGAA Vice President, Kevin Phelps.

For more photos click here and wait for the slideshow to load.

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SSAA National Retrieving Trial 2010

Second placegetter Laurelle & Tanner

First placegetter Rob & Gundi

The SSAA Queensland United Field & Retrieving Branch (UFR) conducted its inaugural National Retrieving Trial Championship on the 9th & 10th of October at Jimna, Queensland.

The judges for the event were Ron Jackson (Qld) & Paul Littlejohn (Tas) and the Trial Manager was Greg Mitchell.

The major sponsor was Winchester Australia who donated a Winchester Lanber 2087 Hunter 30 inch under/over shotgun for the first placegetter as well as 150 years Commemorative Knife sets, shotgun cleaning kits & product packs for the other placegetters. Other trophies included a National Perpetual trophy, Royal Doulton Crystal and sashes - a truly outstanding trophy table.
15 Speciality trophies were also awarded eg. 'Youngest dog to complete the trial'.

There were 24 entries which included the following breeds: Labrador Retrievers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Flat Coated Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Short Haired Pointer & a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

SSAA National through its National sub discipline, Working Gundogs and SSAA Queensland gave generous financial assistance and support to ensure a successful National event.

The profile of Working Gundogs has been lifted to another level in Queensland with the running of a National event and augurs well for the future.

The placegetters were as follows:
1. Rob Boodnikoff's RT Ch Lidriva Onyx (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) 326 points
2. Laurelle Draper's WGAA RT CD RT Ch Lydstep Tanner (Lab. Retriever) 321 points
3. Bryan Pritchard's Copperbirch Capella WGAA ARD (Labrador Retriever) 310 points
4. Bryan Pritchard's WGAA RT CD RT Ch Kadnook Drop'O'Blak Magic (Lab) 295 points
5. Di Lynch's Lowther Highland Molly (Labrador Retriever) 273 points
6. Helen Cattermole's Springhi Princess Leia (Flat Coated Retriever) 214 points

For more pics click on the link to the United Field and Retrieving Club under WGAA links.

Next Training Day

The next training day will be held on Sunday 17th October at Tullidge Reserve, Melton, Melways Ref 337 D 10. Training commences at 9am and finishes with a BBQ lunch at around 12pm. Anyone with a gundog is welcome. Please contact the Training Officer, Graham Hayes on 9743 7402.

WGAA Retrieving Challenge 2010

On Sunday 3rd October, the club ran the 3rd WGAA Retrieving Challenge Event, although we are still ironing out some of the bugs, overall we are getting better. The event was held at Nagambie on a bright, sunny day, and the club would like to thank Ray Waldron for providing this great site.
A number of members, some with dogs and kids in tow, travelled up on Saturday and camped overnight making a great weekend of it. However, there was no getting away from the AFL Grand Final as the Collingwood win was celebrated long into the night in a nearby farm house.
On Sunday entry fees were paid, teams were selected and the event began. Some of the dog work and handling work was of a high standard, with plenty of encouragement and advice being offered by handlers to each other. At the end of the day it was agreed that a great time was had by all.
An extremely good job was done by Angie Bloomer and Farli, in the open section, Alex Jervic with Ellie and Tim Cloke with Chopper in the Advanced Section, Sam Heyes with Nellie and Bill Allen with Buck, in the Intermediate Section.
Bill Allen received a collar as this was the second time he had been successful – congratulations to Bill.
The team event was won by Angie Bloomer – Farli, Alex Jervic – Ellie, Kevin Phelps – Bullet & Dean Watts – Purdy. It was pleasing to see some young and exciting dogs competing, and this should augur well for the future.
The club was pleased to see newcomers, the ‘Heyes brigade’ as well as a number of spectators from the Lépagneul Breton club.
No club event would happen without diligent, hard working members and no club anywhere has a better loyal troup - Norm Cloke, Kevin Phelps, Denis Maher, Angie Bloomer, Dean Watts and Alex Jervic who prepared the trial site for the activities, set the runs, arranged the location for placing dummies, erected tents and toilets, organised the food and drinks for lunch and cooked a well earnt lunch.
The shot of the day would have to be on the duck run, where some ‘idiot’ threw the retrieving dummy into a dead, hollowed out, 30’ high gum tree, in the middle of the swamp! The club is looking for someone who has a trained swimming possum to retrieve it, as Knuckles could not do it.
Graham Hayes
WGAA (Vic) Training Officer

For more pictures please click here and wait for the slideshow to load.

New South Wales Pointer & Setter (CS) Field Trials – August 2010

Andrew Melisi & Similax Conte

The final Pointer & Setter trials of the year were hosted by the NSW WGAA Branch on the weekend of the 28th & 29th August. With no game bird shooting allowed in NSW, this was a Closed Season (CS) event. 13 dogs (all pointers) lined up for Judge Vince Guastella in a wet paddock of new crop about 40cm high.
Not a lot went right for Vince in this trial, dogs were inexplicably difficult to handle and the game was scarce. Two weeks earlier over 80 birds were seen when the paddocks were checked. To make matters even more unpleasant everyone was soon saturated from the knees down.
Around midday the only remaining dogs were Andrew Melisi’s Similax Conte, who went on to win the event, and the runner up, Joe Camilleri’s Walteela More Gold.
Sunday’s event (12 dogs) was something of a turnaround with some good work being produced. Dogs were suddenly more responsive in the flukey wind conditions and some solid finding, hard running, backing and productions were seen.
After two rounds 3 dogs were called up for the retrieve, Andrew Melisi’s Similax Conte, Joe Camilleri’s Walteela Lite Field and Barry Oliver’s Rip Rap Veeda, with Conte being given the nod and Lite Field and Veeda filling the runner up and third place positions respectively. Andrew’s win was especially meritorious with Conte qualifying for the title of WGAA Field Champion (CS).
The award ceremony marked the end of a long season that saw 9 Pointer & Setter field trials conducted in two States – WA & NSW. All South Australian and Victorian events were cancelled because of lack of game. Hopefully recent good rains will see the game situation return to normal next year.

For more photos click HERE.

Upcoming WGAA (Vic) events

Retrieving Challenge
Sunday 3rd October at Nagambie.
Vetting 8.30am for a 9.00am start. Entry fee $15.00 (enter on the day)
BBQ lunch will be available.
Contact Graham Hayes if you are able to attend on 9743 7402 or jeddah@alphalink.com.au

Field Assessment Day
Sunday 24th October (please note change of date)
Contact Kevin Phelps on 0407 091 221 for more details

Come along to both these events for a fun day for all the family and help support your club.