drc news june 2009, 65th anniversary edition
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The Dominion Roller Canary News 65th Anniversary, June 2009 Summer Edition.TRANSCRIPT
The Dominion
Roller Canary News
~ Roller Canary ~ Bred for Song ~
June 200965th Anniversary Edition
Published by the Dominion Roller Canary Association Inc., 1934
Composed of affiliated Roller Canary Clubs of Canada
The DRC News is published in Canada four times per year. The intention is to advance, protect, andencourage the breeding and showing of Roller Canaries. The “News” is the main source ofinformation for Roller Canary enthusiasts. Opinions expressed in DRC News, might not alwaysreflect the spirit of the Dominion Roller Canary Association, its constitution, or its’ Executive.
~ DRC News Contact ~
DRC News Editor & Producer Kent Donnelly ~ 2009
~ DRC News Website ~ http://members.shaw.ca/drca/
Canada
The Dominion Roller Canary News 65th Year 1944 - 2009
The Dominion Roller Canary Association Executive
President,Sec./Treas./Editor
Kent Donnelly, 35244 McKee Road., Abbotsford, Can., V2P6K6Email: [email protected] (604) 557-1866
Eastern Vice-President
Fulvio C.DiStasio, 235 Westridge Drive, P.O. Box 639, Kleinburg, OntarioCanada L0J1C0 Email: [email protected] (905) 893-0367
Western Vice-President
Joe Pietrobon, 4468 Wildwood Cr., Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5G 2M5,Email: [email protected] (604) 435-7063
DRCA RingSecretary
Peter Jaehrling, RR4, Picton, Ontario, Can., K0K 2T0Email:[email protected] (613) 476-2553
DRC News EditorProducer/Webmaster
Kent Donnelly, 35244 McKee Road., Abbotsford, Can., V2P6K6Email: [email protected] (604) 557-1866
The DRCA Member Clubs and their Executive
Hamilton RollerCanary Club
President: Anton Schlott, RR3, 2049 - 4th Ave St., Catherines, Ontario,Can. L2R 6P9, [email protected] (905) 685-0638
Sec./Treas.: Peter Jaehrling, RR4, Picton, Ontario, CanadaK0K 2T0, Email: [email protected] (613) 476-2553
Vancouver RollerCanary Society
President: Kent Donnelly,35244 McKee Road., Abbotsford, Can., V2S6K6(604) 557-1866 [email protected]
Vice-President: Marvin Haynes, Unit 41, 3096 South Main St.,Penticton, B.C., Canada V2A 8C3 (250) 493-3103
Sec./Treas.: Joe Pietrobon, 4468 Wildwood Cr., Burnaby, B.C., CanadaV5G 2M5, Email: [email protected] (604) 435-7063
Club de CanarisHarz du Québec
Montréal
President: Humida Bouharira,860,rue Ponsard, Brossard Quebec,J4W 1W2, [email protected] Tel (514) 969-4818
Website: http://www.canariharz.comVice-President / Secretary Treasurer: Rachid Benaissa 5965, Honoré-Mercier, St-Léonard, Qc, H1P 1C1 tél: 514-830-9578
Canary NobleRoller Club of
Quebec
Président: Rejean Charland [email protected] Marie Victorin, Desshaillon-sur, St Laurent, QC G0S 1G0
Vice - President: Marcel St-Arnaud, phone (819) 377 9917Secretary/Treasurer: Richard Verret, phone (418) 527 7549
Trois RivièresGerman RollerCanary Club
Pending : ~ (Contacts ~ Réjean Lesage & Ron Vrolyk)[email protected]
*Note: Material produced for the DRC News cannot be copied or reproduced without written permission from the Dominion RollerCanary News Executive. Please Report any changes or correction to your contact information 1 month prior to publication.
DRC News Subscription FormNew Subscription Renewal
CANADA $ 25.00 (CDN) U.S.A. $ 25.00 (U.S.) All Other Countries $30.00 (U.S.)
Name…………………………………………Address…………………………………………………………….
Country………………………… Amount enclosed $................... $U.S. $CDN. # Year(s)Please make your Cheque “payable to the DRCA”, c/o Kent Donnelly, DRC News Editor, subscription35244 McKee Road., Abbotsford, Canada, V2S6K6 Phone (604) 557- 1866
DRC NEWS Editor and Producer: Kent Donnelly Updated: March 2009 File: executive2009.doc
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D.R.C. News 65th Year June 2009 Summer Edition
-The original four page Issue-
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This Back Page Advertisement was on the fourth page of our first edition.
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DOMINION ROLLER CANARY ASSOCIATION
First Executive Officers:
President: J. Black, Toronto, Ontario
Vice-President: W. Kneller
Secretary: William Smith, Toronto, Ontario
Treasurer: A. Smith, Hamilton, Ontario
Auditors: Mrs. J. Blaylock and W. Brown.
Our First Member Clubs
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OFFICERS OF THE DOMINION ROLLER CANARY ASSOCIATION INC.1944 -1961
YEAR PRESIDENTSECRETARYTREASURER
EDITORVICE-
PRESIDENTSSUB-
EDITORS
CORRESPONDENCESECRETARY
1944-45 B.F. Delsey Alex Ross Alex Ross H.Denike W. Grower
1945-47 B.F. Delsey Alex Ross Alex Ross R. Nixon W. Grower
1947-48 B.F. Delsey Alex Ross Alex Ross A.K.St.James W. Grower
1948-49 A.K.St.James Alex Ross Alex Ross T.RetallackJ.RentonH.Gill
J. Wallbridge
1949-50 A.K.St.James Alex Ross Alex Ross T.RetallackJ.Renton
L.Normandeau
J. Wallbridge
1950-51J.Renton
Alex Ross Alex Ross T.RetallackAdaBairstow
J.DHay
A.Gale
1951-52 J.Renton Alex Ross Alex Ross H.HoffmeisterAdaBairstow
J.DHay
A.Gale
1952-53 J.Renton Alex Ross AdaBairstow
H.HoffmeisterAdaBairstow
J.DHay
Ken SwannAlex Ross
A.Gale
1953-54 AdaBairstow Alex Ross AdaBairstow
T. OakleyG. Smith
Ken SwannAlex Ross
H.Hoffmeister
1954-55AdaBairstow Alex Ross Ada
BairstowT. OakleyG. Smith
Ken SwannAlex Ross
I. Skelton
1955-56 AdaBairstow Alex Ross AdaBairstow
T. OakleyG. Smith
A.Littlechild
Ken SwannAlex Ross
Ken Swann
1956-57 T. Oakley Alex Ross AdaBairstow
H. PrestonG. Weaver
J. Collis
Ken SwannAlex Ross
Ken Swann
1957-58 T. Oakley Alex Ross AdaBairstow
H. PrestonG. Weaver
J. Collis
Ken SwannAlex Ross
Ken Swann
1958-59 T. Oakley Alex Ross AdaBairstow
H. PrestonC. KnellerJ. Collis
Ken SwannAlex Ross
Ken Swann
1959-60 T. Oakley Alex Ross AdaBairstow
J. RentonC.Kneller
G. Wearver
J. RentonJ. Collis
1960-61 T. Oakley Alex Ross AdaBairstow
W. TuckerT. Retallack
J. RentonJ. Collis
Continued on page 8
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OFFICERS OF THE DOMINION ROLLER CANARY ASSOCIATION INC.1961- 1974
YEAR PRESIDENTSECRETARYTREASURER
EDITORVICE-
PRESIDENTSSUB-
EDITORS
CORRESPONDENCESECRETARY
1961-62 G. Weaver Alex Ross AdaBairstow
W. TuckerT. RetallackH. Bolton
J. RentonJ. Collis
1962-63 G. Weaver Alex Ross AdaBairstow
W. TuckerT. RetallackH. Bolton
J. RentonJ. Collis
I. Farquhar
1963-64 J. Collis Alex Ross AdaBairstow
W. TuckerT. RetallackH. Bolton
J. RentonJ. Collis
I. Farquhar
1964-65 H. Bolton Alex Ross AdaBairstow
W. TuckerT. RetallackP. Ruppel
H. BarnesMrs. Mike
K. Swann
1965-66 H. Preston Alex Ross Alex Ross T. DummaH. BoltonP. Ruppel
T. OakleyMrs. Mike
G. Hamilton
1966-67 H. Preston Alex Ross Alex Ross J. RentonC. KnellerH. Bolton
J. RentonW. Duncan
G. Hamilton
1967-68 K. Swann G.Hamilton G.Hamilton J. RentonJ. CarpayMrs. Mike
W. FriendW. Duncan
1968-69 K. Swann G.Hamilton G.Hamilton T. OakleyA. Gurr
H. Bolton
W. FriendW. Duncan
1969-70 K. Swann J. Renton J. Renton A. GurrC. KnellerH. Bolton
J. GrahamW. Duncan
1970-71 H. Bolton J. Renton J. Renton W. SlocombeG. HamiltonC. Kneller
W. FriendW. Duncan
1971-72 G.Hamilton K. Swann J. Renton Mrs. E. GurrC. KnellerJ. Graham
W. FriendJ. Graham
1972-73 G.Hamilton K. Swann J. Renton W. FriendG. Weaver
R. Mills
W. FriendJ. Graham
1973-74 G.Hamilton K. Swann J. Renton W. TuckerR. DecksM. Jacobs
F. CookJ. Graham
Continued on page 9
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OFFICERS OF THE DOMINION ROLLER CANARY ASSOCIATION INC.1974 - 1989
YEAR PRESIDENTSECRETARYTREASURER
EDITOR VICE-PRESIDENTS SUB-EDITORS
1974-75 G.Hamilton K. Swann G.HamiltonW. TuckerR. DecksM. Jacobs
W. FriendJ. Collis
1975-76 J. Graham K. Swann K. SwannJ. Young
C. DeBoonE. Dennison
G.HamiltonJ. Collis
1976-77 J. Graham K. Swann K. SwannJ. Young
C. DeBoonE. Dennison
G.HamiltonJ. Collis
1977-78 J. Graham K. Swann K. SwannJ. Young
C. DeBoonE. Dennison
G.HamiltonJ. Collis
1978-79 G. Wells K. Swann K. SwannJ. Young
C. DeBoonE. Dennison
G.HamiltonJ. Collis
1979-80 R. Nemeth C. Tataryn K. SwannJ. Young
E. DeLaRieA. Durieux
G.HamiltonJ. Collis
1980-81 R. Nemeth J. L. Grygar K. SwannK. Bell
A. DurieuxN. Prataviera
J. & J. DickinsJ. Graham
1981-82 R. Nemeth J. L. Grygar K. SwannK. Bell
A. DurieuxN. Prataviera
G. QuelletJ. Graham
1982-83 R. Nemeth J. L. Grygar K. SwannK. Bell
A. DurieuxN. Prataviera
G. MarcouxJ. Graham
1983-85 G.Hamilton J. L. Grygar K. SwannK. Bell
A. DurieuxN. Prataviera
T. FanningJ. Collis
1985-87 G.Hamilton J. L. Grygar K. SwannEd MillikenA. DurieuxA. Schlott
V. SaxtonJ. Graham
1987-89 V. Saxton J. L. Grygar K. SwannEd MillikenA. DurieuxA. Schlott
H. GillG. Lundgren
Continued on page 10
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OFFICERS OF THE DOMINION ROLLER CANARY ASSOCIATION
In the New Millennium
YEAR 2000-2006 2006-2007 2007-2009 2009
PRESIDENT Fred Walcott Peter Jaehrling Kent Donnelly
VICE-PRESIDENTS A. SchlottJoe Pietrobon
Fulvio C. DiStasioKent Donnelly
Fulvio C. DiStasioJoe Pietrobon
SECRETARYTREASURER Fred Walcott
Peter JaehrlingKent DonnellyEDITOR
PRODUCER Bill Friend Kent Donnelly
RING SECRETARY Peter Jaehrling
WEBMASTER Ruben Garcia Kent Donnelly
OFFICERS OF THE DOMINION ROLLER CANARY ASSOCIATION INC.1989 - 2000
YEAR PRESIDENTSECRETARYTREASURER
EDITORVICE-
PRESIDENTSSUB-EDITORS
1989-91 V. Saxton J. L. Grygar K. SwannEd PardekA. Durieux
M. Nogueira
J. CorcoranG. Lundgren
1991-93 V. Saxton J. L. GrygarK. Swann
J. L. Grygar
Ed PardekA. DurieuxA. Schlott
J. CorcoranO. Troock
1993-95 Fred Walcott J. L. Grygar J. L. GrygarAl DeLeijerA. DurieuxA. Schlott
G. LundgrenJ. Graham
1995-97 Fred Walcott Fred Walcott Ken CromerA. DurieuxA. Schlott J. Graham
1997-2000 Fred Walcott Fred Walcott Fred WalcottA. Schlott
Joe Pietrobon
lex Ross became the first editor of the DRC NEWS in June of 1944.day of that month wasBritish and American troops
launch their massive assault against the German army.great uncertainty. It wasloss and human tragedy took place.survive the war; let alone think thatcould still be around sixty five years laterinformation about the first ten years in the DRCA was ever recorded.
he more you think about thewere living in, the more you appreciatejobs. In those days the News was not sent out to the Printer. The Editor
was the Printer as well as the Producer. Thedid all the proof reading before stapling theorder. Their carefully mainsubscriber would be mailed a copy of the newsdepth on them, let’s just take a break for a minute athat era. I hope you will enjoy the photos and commentsgive you a glimpse of life on
If you had a telephone, you eitheralways responded - “YOUR NUMBER
Radio was
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"Our First Editors”lex Ross became the first editor of the DRC NEWS in June of 1944.
was well remembered as “D DAY”. It was whenritish and American troops had landed on the beaches of Normandy to
launch their massive assault against the German army. It was agreat uncertainty. It was the height of World War II when soloss and human tragedy took place. Who would have known if the
let alone think that such a small newsletterould still be around sixty five years later? Until then, very
about the first ten years in the DRCA was ever recorded.
he more you think about the way their lives were, and the times that theyving in, the more you appreciate the first ones that did those
jobs. In those days the News was not sent out to the Printer. The Editorwas the Printer as well as the Producer. They wrote most of the a
the proof reading before stapling the news together in the cocarefully maintained mailing list helped to ensure that every
subscriber would be mailed a copy of the news. Before I get into a little morelet’s just take a break for a minute and open a
era. I hope you will enjoy the photos and comments I made. It’s meant toyou a glimpse of life on the day Alex published our first issue.
either had to rotate a dial to enter the number, or ask an operator“YOUR NUMBER PLEASE?”
Radio was more popular than television.
lex Ross became the first editor of the DRC NEWS in June of 1944. The 6th
It was when Canadian,had landed on the beaches of Normandy to
It was also a time ofthe height of World War II when so much suffering,
they could evennewsletter such as ours
very littleabout the first ten years in the DRCA was ever recorded.
way their lives were, and the times that theythe first ones that did those
jobs. In those days the News was not sent out to the Printer. The Editorwrote most of the articles andnews together in the correct
tained mailing list helped to ensure that everyBefore I get into a little more
nd open a time capsule ofI made. It’s meant to
our first issue.
, or ask an operator, who
than television.
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American and British Governments banned public television broadcast during most of WW11.
Movies were called Picture Shows and only some were in colour. Most were either black and white or “Mono-Colour”.
he wringer washer saved many housewives fromdoing a lot of work. They were first in use atthe beginning of the century and by 1944 they
were in every household. Families were often large insize. Most household chores weredone by hand. Most Women stayed athome while their husbands went towork as the sole wage earner. Thebread man, the milk man, the mailman, and the ice man all madedeliveries to the house. The icebox (right) helped to keep foodfresh for longer periods of time,which meant fewer trips to thestore. There were few disposableitems. Most things could be repaired by hand and reused.
utomobile production for the public was halted in 1942when factories re-tooled to manufacture weapons ofwar. All vehicles prior to and shortly after the war
were made of very solid materials. They had no plastic partson them that would melt from heat. They had chrome bumpers,and a heavier gauge of metal all-around. People didn’ttolerate poor quality, poor service or Self-Serving gasstations. Back then, most gas stations had mechanics thatput down their wrench in order to fill up your gas tank. Atthe sound of a bell, “Ding Ding” caused by tires that rodeover an air hose; they checked your tire pressure, oil, putwater in the radiator, cleaned the windshield and wipers-allin the short time it took to fill the tank. Cars lookedbetter, were more comfortable, powerful, luxurious andstronger. One of the few cars produced in 1944 was thePackard Brown Bomber F, shown on the right.
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he three methods of correspondence in Canada were: Telephone, Telegraphand The Royal Mail. Yes, I said Royal. In Canada, we still had streetletter boxes with “ER” for Elizabeth Regina (The Queen) marked on them.
Very few of these stillexist. They were made ofvery solid metal, similar toa portable home vault. Thesephotos represent a few ofmany designs once used. Thephoto on the right shows the“ER” just under the Britishcrown. “Royal Mail” and“Canada” are clearly marked.They were all taken out ofservice during the mid1980’s. Today, Canada Postemployees no longer have toraise their right hand withthe left hand on the bibleand swear allegiance to theQueen before they are hired.
hey would lock you up and throw away the key if you told them there wouldbe men walking on the moon in twenty five years. It truly was a differentera. In the time that has passed since then, man has witnessed more
change than at any other time in recorded history. In fact, the recent trend byGovernment to censor things like the Lord’s Prayer, the bible, the holocaustand other sacred or royal objects from public display has me wondering if muchof what once occurred in our lives will be known to others in the future.
lex published our first four page edition only knowing that it was whatpeople had wanted at the time. The name DOMINION ROLLER CANARY NEWS issynonymous with the DOMINION ROLLER CANARY ASSOCIATION as well as the
DOMINION OF CANADA. The DRCA was still in its infancy; only coming intoexistence ten years previous. Many of North America’s first Roller Canary clubshad formed years before this. The Montreal and Hamilton clubs appeared during
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the mid 1920’s. In those days Canadians could only buy foreign publicationsthat specialized in the Canary. The earliest of these was “The Kanaria” fromGermany, which began publishing in the last part of the nineteenth century.Canary publications written in English weren’t available until the followingcentury. Many articles in the Kanaria were later translated into otherlanguages, which included English. The first to publish English translatedarticles from the Kanaria was the BRCC ROLLER CANARY JOURNAL. In the years thatfollowed, translated articles from the Kanaria appeared in many other canarypublications. By the time Alex Ross began writing the DRC News, there werealready three very popular Canary publications written in English.
(pictured left)
Cover of The Roller Canary Journal
(No.1 Vol.1 March 1911).
The first Canary Periodical writtenin English came from Great Britain.
It was published by the BritishRoller Canary Club (BRCC).
If you look closely, you can see
the date of March, 1911.
It could be had for the price of
one penny.
You might also notice that the
images of both Canaries closely
resemble the ones on the covers of
both the American Canary Journal,
and the Roller Canary Journal.
t wasn’t until November of 1918, before North Americans finally had theirown Canary publication with the “American Canary Journal”. Two yearslater, in 1923, a second publication called “The Roller Canary Journal”
was issued in America for Roller Canary enthusiasts.
(Early Cover Photos of both American Publications are shown on the next page)
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hile we are on the topic ofearly publications, there isone Canadian in particular that
should also be mentioned. He is onethat played an important role in thepublication of the Roller CanaryJournal some twenty years before theDRC News came out in Canada. He wasBreeder, Trainer and Judge C.C.Mulligan, who owned Premier Aviarylocated at 2022 Ontario Street,Vancouver B.C. His name and title asthe Associate Editor appears on thefirst page inside the Roller CanaryJournal’s April, 1926 edition. He isalso mentioned on page three of ourfirst issue. Mulligan handled all ofthe business correspondence fromEngland and Canada for the RollerCanary Journal. His strain of birdswere being bred and advertised as“Mulligan” by breeders all overNorth America at the time. One proudadvertiser of the Mulligan strainwas even a well known American
editor that wrote for The RollerCanary Journal by the name of Mrs.Junior F. Hayden. Only recently,when I began to read a few of themany articles I have of her, did Irealize how much was already knownabout the Roller in her day.
ne could wonder (with all hisexperience) why Mulligan wasn’tthe first one to establish a
Canadian publication years beforeAlex. I am certain he must havethought on it. As the only businesscontact for all the Canadian andBritish correspondence, he certainlywould have known who all theCanadian customers were. Perhaps theAmerican publications were so wellestablished that he felt it would befutile for him to compete with them.It’s possible that he might havealso developed a loyalty to those healready worked for. Canada hasalways been such a small market bycomparison. There may have been toofew fanciers in Canada to support athird Canary publication during
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those years. I suppose it also makessense that not many Americans wouldwant to drop their own publicationin favor of one from Canada.
don’t know the year when thosetwo American publicationsfolded but I am certain that
our publication benefited by fillingthe void that they left. Even today,our ability to stay afloat dependslargely on our American Subscribers.With that said, we come to the endof this episode in history and moveon to just a little more on thelives of our first editors…
lex must have been verydetermined and very dedicatedto venture as our first editor.
He pioneered the news for eightyears not knowing if anyone wouldever step in to succeed him until itsuddenly just happened. I supposeit’s been that way with most thingsthroughout our history. We havealways operated a little on the edgewhen it came to planning ahead.Every time it looked hopeless and wethought we weren’t able to continue,someone with an interest always camealong and we were right back inbusiness.
t wasn’t until 1952 before wehad our second editor. This waswhen Alex asked (36 year old)
Ada Bairstow to take over the joband she accepted.Between 1953 and 1956, she served adouble role in the DRCA executive,by filling the positions of Editorand President.Roller Canaries were a familyaffair long before Ada began towrite the News. In the 1920’s herfather (Watson (Jim) Bairstow) wasalready well established in theMONTREAL ROLLER CANARY CLUB. Alexpicked the right girl for the job.She started pulling strings to getthings up and running as soon asshe took over as editor.
da worked at Martin SenourPaints in Montreal where shewas lucky to have a gestetner
press at hand.This is whatshe used toprint copies ofthe News. Afterthe printingwas done, shetook home thestacks of paperto collate andstaple the news
together for mailing. She kept ondoing this once every month for afull thirteen years, right up tothe end of 1964. In the years thatfollowed, Ada remained an activesupporter of the News by donatingher time, money and written articlesto help keep our publication alive.In 1974 she obtained and donated thegestetner from her workplace toreplace the one that DRCA PresidentGordon Hamilton used after it brokedown. She once mentioned in anarticle how she enjoyed writingher bits for the News even thoughshe was not actively engaged inraising Rollers.
ne who remembers Ada well isAgnes (Scotty) Walcot. I spoketo Scotty about Ada just after
her husband (past DRC NEWS Editor)Fred Walcot passed away. Ada was herown lady. She was a Baptist thatattended every Sunday mass in aRoman Catholic Church. She wasalways there to help us. Every timeit looked like things were about tocrumble, she always came throughwith a donation to put us back inbusiness. Her generosity was like ashining light to Roller Canaryfanciers everywhere. Although Inever met Ada in person, I feel thatI owe her my debt of gratitude forall that she gave to the fancy.Ada recently passed away on June 9,2008 at the age of 92.
(Continued pg.30-Faces…)
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Back to the Beginning
In many ways, we have now come full
circle to where we first began with
the news. The jobs of Editor and of
Producer are once again combined
into one. We now use a commercial
printer but they no longer do the
collation and binding. All of the
writing, editing, proof reading,
collation, binding, mailing lists,
subscriptions, postage and envelopes
are jobs of the same yours truly
that also maintains your website.
From the desk of the President
Right from its humble beginning, the
DRC News was destined to mature as
one of the most magnificent
publications ever written for Roller
Canary enthusiasts. This is largely
due to our having editors that based
news content primarily on the Roller
Canary and on the song from which it
became famous. They understood that
we are amongst a select group of
songbird lovers in a specialized
fancy and they knew that our readers
did not want to fish through a
publication filled with a lot of
irreverent material that does not
meet their needs.
Whenever I try to define what makes
the distinct difference of our fancy
unique to the others, I always
remember the explanation given to me
by the late Vancouver Roller Judge
Gordon Lundgren.
“The Roller expresses his song in a
regimental fashion”. “When I say
“regimental”, I mean that he sings
twelve different tours with such
discipline that each sound is
distinctively different from the
other”. For this reason, the Roller
Regular Meeting of the
Oakland International
Roller Canary Club
Date:
Sunday June 28, 2009
Time:
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
All Regular Meetings are
scheduled to take place on
the last Sunday of every
month.
All are welcome. Bring a
friend and introduce them
to the wonderful world of
Rollerdom.
Plan on attending and let
your opinion be known.
Address:
448 Dowling Boulevard
San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 914-2525
Contact: (510) 449-3881
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Canary is unlike any other songbird
or other “Type” Canary.
t wasn’t until years later
that I began to better
understand the meaning of his
explanation. The more I heard the
other songbirds sing, the more I
realized that each “Type” had an
overtone that dominated their tours.
Song Canaries such as the Belgian
Waterslager certainly have a melodic
song alright, and they also sing
different tours but there is an
overtone of water in every one of
them. Similarly, all the Choppers
have song but their overtone has the
characteristic chop in all their
tours; bearing a strong resemblance
to the song found in wild canaries.
Eventually, I was able to identify
each song “Type”, by the major
overtone characteristic to each
breed. I also found that the
stronger the overtone was, the less
clearly I could determine which tour
was being sung. This is largely due
to the combination of both TOUR and
OVERTONE merging into ONE VOLUME of
sound, making each of the tours
sound less distinct. To pick out one
distinctive tour when this happens
is sort of like trying to pick out
one person singing in a choir when
the organ is humming. The sound of a
choir and organ can also be very
nice but the sound of each unique
voice is not as clearly defined as
the sound coming from a solo opera
singer like the great Pavarotti or
the great Roller.
For reasons such as these, each
songbird fancier has their own
preference. Some prefer a Type
canary song, while others do not.
It’s all a matter of taste.
There is no disagreement amongst
Roller fanciers about what they want
when it comes to song quality. They
want their birds to sing their song
without any foreign sound in it at
all. They want each and every tour
to be clearly rendered. They want
their birds to switch gears easily
when they change from one tour to
the next, and they want that change
to come often. They want to hear
their birds sing as many tours as
they were bred to sing. They want
each tour to be easily recognized by
the strictly unique sound it makes.
They want as much tonal depth and
clarity as possible and they want
this in every tour, every time they
sing. If a breeder finds one that
sings with an open beak, it is
culled from the flock along with its
parents; the bands are removed and
they are all disposed of as pets.
It’s usually very easy for Roller
breeders to know if they have
quality. They don’t have to examine
the colour of its feathers, measure
his size or even see the bird at
all. All it takes is listening. When
you hear him sing, you know if you
like what you hear. It’s largely a
personal choice. It’s even easier to
determine what type of songbird one
has by following some basic rules.
If you hear chop then it’s a Chopper
- plain and simple. If your Roller
has overtones of “Water” in any of
his tours other that Water Roll,
DBWT and Water Glucke, then your
Roller is not a Roller;-it’s a
Waterslager.
think Gordon explained it
well enough but it still took
me a while to compare song
before I really understood why he
chose to use the word “regimental”.
It was a long time ago (1982) when
we had that chat. I was very new to
the hobby with more questions than
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answers. I would remember all the
important questions that I forgot to
ask, right after I got off the
phone. Back then, I didn’t even have
a clue about what makes a Roller a
Roller. Can you imagine that? I
really and truly had no idea! I
really think there is a God in
heaven because I now realize if I
ever asked a question as dumb as
that, Gordon would have had his
heart attack much earlier than he
did.
was a newbie. Newbies had to
learn the basics from someone
with great patience. You would
never ask a question like that at
the meetings in those days. Newbies
were supposed to just sit there and
listen. I always sat next to Joe
Burchack. Whenever I was about to
stand up and say something, he would
nudge me and say-just listen first.
I suppose he felt that I would
likely embarrass myself by asking a
stupid question when others had more
important things to say. I hadn’t
yet been baptised and confirmed into
Rollerdom. It would have been
improper. Not unlike someone
standing up to question a Roman
Catholic Priest during the sermon.
It just wasn’t done. Like the
Priest, our experts also seemed to
speak in tongues but instead of
reciting scriptures in Latin, they
spoke on things like “tours”. It was
a whole new language. Before then I
always thought tours were something
that tourists took. I guess this is
why it took me years just to get the
basics. I was supposed to figure out
pretty much everything on my own by
listening and not by asking.
Eventually I stopped going to those
meetings because I felt I didn’t
understand enough about the fancy. I
would never learn either, because I
wasn’t allowed to interrupt all the
experts that had complete control
over what was said on the floor.
Well, today’s Newby might find
meetings a little different. They
might even feel welcome. After all
the old wise men had passed away,
only the meek remained to inherit
Rollerdom. No longer do “Priests”
bask in the glory of having the
whole floor to themselves. No longer
are you banished from Rollerdom for
sinning with stupid questions. No
longer do you have to live your
lives suffering through the eternal
guilt and shame of a Newbie. The
rules that condemned all the many
souls that came before you in the
Old Testament no longer apply. We
can all be healed.
Those that have already died with
sin are also forgiven, for they knew
not what they were doing. We are
children of a New Testament. Only
non believers are banished from the
gates of Rollerdom. I say to you, be
away with you all non-believers.
f you ever come across a
Newbie as ignorant as I was in
a meeting, I hope you will not
discourage him from speaking. Rather
than allowing him to just listen in
silence, try to encourage him to ask
questions. Tell him “There is no
such thing as a stupid question-
there are only a stupid answers”.
If you have to explain to someone
what makes a Roller a Roller, then
it’s time to listen up because the
answer has always been very simple.
It’s in the “rrrooouu” of our
Rrrrooouuuller Canary.
....It Rolls.
I
I
20
Songbirds on the Net
One of the best places to hear all
the different strains of various
birds sing is on the internet. Each
strain you hear is unique. You can
study each of their distinctively
different sounds from the next. In
the past, it took a lot of time and
dedication for someone to hear all
the different sounds that these
different strains produced. One had
to pack a suitcase and travel to all
the different shows that were out
there. Well, that is no longer the
case because today we can accomplish
the same task, right from a chair
while sitting at home. In the last
year alone, the explosion of new
sites (such as YouTube) with videos
of Roller Canaries from all over the
world has grown enormously.
We owe our thanks largely to David
Godman for holding the World’s first
Internet Roller Canary contest. He
was the first one to bring out all
the birds from hiding “down under”
and put them in the eye of the
world. Because of the import
restrictions in Australia and New
Zealand, few outsiders have ever
seen or heard birds from those
countries before this. His work to
change all of that opened the eyes
of many that followed.
Today, there are hundreds of other
“Type” canaries and songbird videos.
It’s easy for us to hear and learn
all their different sounds. Birds
such as the Belgian Waterslager,
American Singer, Russian Singer,
American Harz (chopper), European
Harz Rollers, Wild Canary, and Red
Factor Choppers are only some of the
many birds shown.
There are also videos of every other
kind of animal out there. There is
even a talking Parrot by the name of
Einstein on YouTube that recently
become a television celebrity.
Internet technology has come a long
way in the last few years. We can
now interact in live chat rooms on
any topic. Actually, I am surprised
that our government leaders haven’t
yet picked up on this. Think of the
cost savings that tax payers could
have with online school systems.
With the paid version of the chat
program that I use, you can enter a
room and view an unlimited number of
participant cams –simultaneously.
You can resize each window, chat
privately, or interact with everyone
in the chat room all at once. You
can do this live on camera while
speaking and listening to verbal
messages. You can also send files
and type messages. Teachers could
use program this to teach students
without either of them ever having
to leave their home.
No bus! Less traffic at 7 am and 3
pm., fewer fill-ups, less vehicle
mileage, less pollution, fewer
buildings to build and maintain with
fewer janitors, fewer flu epidemics,
and we haven’t even mentioned the
savings this could bring to other
institutions like Universities.
The more these technologies improve,
and the more readily they become
available, the easier it becomes for
all of us to communicate the way we
want. Right now, we could even use
21
the internet to hold live Roller
canary contests. They could be held
and judged from any country in the
world in multi-lingual chat rooms.
In rooms such as these, an operator
can control which participants he
wants to allow into the room. He can
control the number of participants,
the microphone, camera size, the
chat board, and monitor all the
cameras. He can also boot those that
cause disturbances. Admission can
also be granted with the use of a
password. Passwords could either be
given free or paid for. Sponsoring
clubs could still collect admission
fees and team entry fees if they
wanted to. It’s easy to collect and
send money these days with PayPal.
No longer do clubs have to pay a
Judge for his air fare, restaurant
meals or motel room. All the expense
of holding a show becomes minimal.
In fact, we could have multiple
judges from all around the world
attending the same show. The paid
version of the chat program that I
use is called CAMFROG. It already
has the capability of doing all the
things mentioned above.
Unfortunately, the free version only
allows you to view one cam at one
time. I am hoping that in the near
future, technology such as this will
be free to all.
When I wrote in the news, a short
time before the recent crash, I was
the only one around that used the
word “recession”. Then the news came
out with an article about the H1N1
bird flu virus. Many had not even
heard of H1N1 before that but in the
following weeks the first cases of
H1N1 began to appear in animals,
which later transferred to people
travelling from Mexico. I don’t want
to scare anyone like that again, so
the only “earth shattering” thing I
will announce in this issue is that;
One day, nearly all communication
will be done on the internet.
The DRC News might still exist, but
it will not be on paper that you
take with you to read in the
bathroom. Instead, you will read it
from your computer.
-Kent
“Just For birds”
- The perfect place for bird lovers-
We process PayPal orders for shipment to
anywhere in Canada, USA and the World.
E-mail: [email protected]
View a sampling of our products online:
http://www.justforbirds.net
Located in the Cloverdale Shoppers Plaza:
5730 175 Street Surrey, B.C.Canada V3S 4T7
Call Jerry or Siriwan at: 604-574-5119
Open: 10am to 6pm every day – except:
Sundays and Statutory Holidays
22
Photos of The World’s First Roller
Canary Contest held on YouTube by
David Godman (Daveyg06).
Email: [email protected]
Username: “rollermandaveyg”.
The Roller Canary Journals
-Two Valued Testimonials:
Kent, Bill, and Paul,
May I genuinely thank you on behalf of the Song
Canary hobby! Outstanding work! I received
them today, and can't put them down. Too little
has been written about our hobby and too much
lost.
My heartfelt respect and gratitude.
Richard Rolloff
Western Waterslager Club Newsletter Editor
Western Waterslager Club
Promoting the Breeding,
Training and Showing of the
Belgian Waterslager Song Canary
Visit us online at:
www.westernwaterslager.com
Email: [email protected]
Roller Canaries by Paul
Telephone: (503) 357-7253
Main Website:
rollercanary.com
Northwest Roller Canary Club
website:
northwestrollercanaryclub.com
Southern California RollerCanary Club
Website:
southerncaliforniarollercanaryclub.com
Western Roller Canary Association
Website:
westernrollercanaryassociation.org
I received the six journals
yesterday.
Thanks so much. They are
absolutely wonderful and will be a
wonderful contribution to the
Roller Canary Hobby. The printing,
binding and everything was done in
such a professional manner.
I sent a message to Bill Friend
today as follows:
Bill,
I received my set of the Roller
Canary Journals yesterday. Wow!
You have done an amazing job in
producing these. They are
absolutely great.
And, thanks so much for your kind
words in the next to last
23
paragraph on Page 2 in Journal #6
as well as the links to the Roller
clubs on page 3 of that same
article.
This is definitely a great
contribution to the Roller Canary
Hobby and you are to be
congratulated for doing all that
work.
Again, thanks so much.
Paul R. Scandlyn
Judging Your own Birds
This article is usually written with
a lot of technical information on
phonetics that describe parts of the
song. Up until now, all I gave was
some in depth description on a few
of the most basic tours. Many that
first come to learn the song can
quickly become bored with a little
too much overkill of this method.
Before I continue using that method
any further, I want everyone to
close their eyes for a moment and
take a few minutes to identify what
your own reasons are for learning
the song. Go ahead now, close them.
You should now have opened your eyes
as well as your mind to what those
reasons are. Hold on to all thought
of them throughout the rest of this
article. This is your purpose to
learn the song. Let me now guess
what some of those reasons might be.
Is it purely because of the personal
satisfaction you have when you hear
the song? Do you want to talk about
your bird’s song with others? Do you
want to identify certain sounds from
a particular strain of Rollers? Do
you want to know if your birds have
faults? Do you want to know if you
have good breeding stock? Do you
want to understand the Judge’s
appraisal from a show? These are
only some of many reasons for having
an interest in learning the song.
First of all, it is important for
each one of us to recognise our own
level. No two people have identical
knowledge or an equal ability to
comprehend. We have different ears;
different brains and we interpret
things differently than others. Some
of us describe the song by making
comparisons with other sounds. Not
everyone will agree with these
comparisons. This is partly due to
our different levels of hearing
ability and partly due to different
variations in sound being produced
from those examples. For reasons
such as this, it is best to have a
look at the many various ways that
this song can be described in order
to better develop an understanding
that is common to others.
Perhaps your motivation to learn was
stirred by your curiosity of the
different strains. To identify these
birds purely through hearing their
song, requires a great deal of skill
and knowledge. In order to just
recognise the most common variations
of their tours, you must compare
examples of each tour sung with each
different strain of birds you hear.
You must also have an ability to
carry their song in your mind well
enough to use it later on when
24
making comparisons with other birds.
Few amongst us have reached this
level. They are the ones who will go
to shows to really have a good look
at all the other birds out there.
You will see them moving about the
hall, carefully listening to all the
different songs they can. When it
comes to song quality, these people
already know what they like. They
will carry the sound of their own
strain in their mind while making
comparisons. The nature of their
quest is specialized by their
listening to only a certain range of
tours that possess the quality they
want. They will ask about in order
to find out who the owners are of
the different teams. They have an
eternal desire within to seek out
birds that they can use to either
maintain or improve the quality of
song in their own flock. They will
be seen gathering amongst some of
our most serious birders in all of
Rollerdom.
The sad truth is that many of us are
not that serious about the song. We
want our birds to do well at shows
but we are handicapped by our lack
of understanding the song well
enough to succeed. Without knowing
their song, we can’t even know if we
guessed it right when we made our
selections for pairing. Now that
they have grown, we again have
difficulty by not knowing which ones
are best to choose for cabinet
training before the show. The best
candidate for the judging table
might never be known unless someone
with experience steps in to help. By
gambling in the dark, these breeders
can cause a lot of permanent damage
to the quality of their Roller
stock. Thank God it won’t have much
chance of affecting the quality of
Rollers elsewhere though. It’s
pretty hard to fool a Master Breeder
or a Judge with junk birds like
that. Who would want to take a low
scoring junk bird home with them
after a show to breed with theirs?
And if they did, the results would
likely be so worthless that it would
only hurt the reputation of that
breeder. Marvin Haynes of Penticton
once gave me an accurate description
of what should be done with junk
birds that are nothing more than a
waste of one’s time. It’s called
“WRING THEIR NECKS”.
We are most fortunate when those
with some knowledge of the song get
together to share opinions on what
they hear. All it takes for them to
do this is to make some phone calls
and gather up some birds. If you can
ever find a way attend this kind of
meeting, you will be sure to benefit
from all the discussion that takes
place. Such meetings will always
produce many differing opinions. One
should go to them with the intent of
enjoying some good argument. This
can be a lot more fun than you ever
imagined -especially when you know
you might be wrong but others don’t.
At first, everyone will try to
identify the different tours, then
as things heat up, they will start
chipping away at the different ways
that each different bird sings the
same tour. Few will get everything
right. Some might think that the
Hollow Bell is a Shockel, while
others think that the Bass Roll is
Hollow Roll-or vice versa, and so
on-and so on.
25
Some of you would never attend such
a meeting. You know who you are. You
are the ones that easily become
embarrassed when asked questions.
You would rather die and go to hell
before letting others discover how
little you know. If this is you,
then please be assured that YOU are
not alone. Many of the people at
these meetings are also lacking
something. I don’t mean to say that
they are missing all their nuts and
bolts but there are many that do
often lack at trusting their own
ability. All you need to break the
spell is to admit that you just
don’t know. Nobody will blame you
for not knowing. You might even be
surprised by how many new friends
you will have once they gain a
better idea of your needs. Nobody
knows everything, even if they act
like they do. Our purpose has always
been to help each other-regardless
of one’s level of experience. I
still ask questions. I am not an
Ornithologist or a Veterinarian with
dozens of degrees posted on the
wall. If anyone knows of someone
like this in the fancy please tell
me their name and number because I
am one that has to pay for
everything that my Vet tells me. If
you need any kind of assistance at
all, then always be sure to ask.
Just remember this though; we
wouldn’t be asking you for your own
opinions in the first place if we
already had a pretty keen idea of
what all the answers were.
-Kent
Thoughts of my
First Roller
The first time I heard a Roller
sing, I could tell right away that
certain parts of his song sounded
different than others. I was
immediately delighted by the way
this tiny little bird could vary his
song by switching from one to sound
the next. Every time he sang, I
would listen to him until he ran out
of steam. Afterwards, I would just
sit there waiting in hopes of
hearing him sing once more. In time,
I realized that he would sing more
often in the mornings and the
evenings. I would often sit near the
cage reading, just waiting for him
to start singing again. When my
mother discovered that he sang soon
after the night cover was removed
from his cage, I decided to get up
earlier, just to hear him sing.
I had six siblings in my family. The
only time our home was silent was
just before the sun rose. In those
days we lived in a cedar post and
beam house that had large windows on
Hollyburn Mountain. We were well
above the clouds that usually hung
over Vancouver harbour, so the
morning sunsets were often a very
beautiful sight. I would get up
early just to enjoy the peace and
quiet of the morning. I always
waited and watched, as the morning
sunrise woke our bird into song.
This experience was so beautiful,
that it soon became a treasured part
26
of my daily life.
We praised our first Roller. It was
hard to believe that someone could
just give him away. He was a gift to
our family that came without
instructions. Someone might have
told one of us that he was a Roller
in the beginning but nobody could
remember later on. It took ages for
him to sing his first song but once
he started, he didn’t stop until the
lights went out. I thought it was so
cool that I didn’t even have to wind
him up or replace any batteries. His
little motor just kept purring and
rolling with no need of special
maintenance at all.
The more he sang, the more thrilled
I was and the more curious I became
about his amazing ability for song.
My curiosity led me to seek more
information. I visited all the local
pet stores and spoke to many people
asking questions about canaries. I
wanted to know why some cost more
than others and if there were
different kinds to chose from. I
noticed that some canaries had a
different appearance, and a
different sound to other ones.
Nobody I asked in those pet stores
seemed to know much about canaries.
The only thing they knew was that
males cost more than females because
they sang more. They couldn’t tell
males from females by looking at
them, so they always welcomed me to
listen all I wanted for any that
sang. Well, it didn’t take much
listening for me to tell that their
canaries sang nothing like the one
we had. After talking with them I
would always turn away disgusted
with how little they knew. In no
time at all, I would be on my way to
another pet store, to use the same
questions on someone else. Everyone
I spoke with gave the same answers
though. It always felt really good
to open the door afterwards and...
GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!
In time, I began to think that only
our bird had such an ability to sing
that nice. His song was special. He
sang in ways that that all the other
canaries couldn’t. We loved all the
different sounds he could make. We
had no idea that each and every
sound it made had been identified
and named many years before.
Many, who visited our home in those
days, would also marvel at our
birds’ song but not one of them knew
that he was a Roller. -Not until
young John Good showed up one
morning, that is.
John was a buddy of mine that used
to sometimes stop by on his way to
school. His dad (Bill Good) and his
brother (Bill Good Jr.) were both in
radio and television. John always
had tons of free cigarettes because
of the royalties his dad had from
advertising for Rothman’s. That
morning we decided to skip school
and smoke a carton of cigarettes
that he stole from his dad. It was
one of those rare mornings when we
were the only ones in the house.
What a good time to just sit and
puff cigarettes all day. While we
were puffing, we decided to turn up
the stereo and chat. Just as you can
imagine, our little Roller started
to sing as soon as the sound got
loud, and that is when John stopped
27
talking, looked up at him and just
stared.
After a long silence, he turned to
me and asked; Do you know what kind
of bird that is? I said sure-it’s a
canary. His response “That’s not
just a canary” truly insulted me.
His courage to challenge me was a
real surprise too -considering how
much bigger I was than he. Being
bigger meant that I was supposed to
be right about everything, even when
I was wrong. I answered again. Of
course it is John; It’s a canary.
Haven’t you ever seen one of those?
I couldn’t believe it! He opened his
mouth for more with “I meant to say
that it’s not just any canary-it’s a
special kind of canary”. I thought
“special”? Well now, maybe I’ll just
let his jaws flap a while longer. He
must know something after all. If
not, then I can throw him out later.
Well, I swear, that is when I got
the biggest lecture that John ever
gave me. For some reason, this kid
turned into a child progeny on
Roller canaries. It wasn’t just a
canary- it was a German Roller. He
said there are lots of ordinary
canaries, but a Roller comes from
Germany and that’s why they call it
a German Roller. It doesn’t just
chirp or tweet-it rolls different
sounds. John told me everything I
wanted to know about our little bird
and more. He knew even more than the
people in pet stores! He spoke of
the shows, clubs, and prizes that
can be had by entering birds in
competitions. He even mentioned that
his grandfather knew a lot more than
he did about rollers.
It didn’t take a pet store employee,
a teacher, or a relative to clue me
in. All it took was one long smoke
break with thirteen year old little
John to open my eyes.
All the smoke had cleared by the
time everyone in our family returned
home that day and I couldn’t wait to
make my special announcement at the
dinner table. After telling them all
that John told me, everyone in our
family felt we were very fortunate
to have been given something of such
great value. My mom went out and
bought all the best food and
nutrients she could find. We wanted
our bird to be in good health for
him to sing well. Mom did a good job
taking care of him too, because the
older he got the more he sang. More
than fifteen years passed before he
finally sang his last song. He sang
right up until the day he died.
In the silent aftermath, everyone in
our family noticed how much the
atmosphere of our home had changed
without him. As each day went on in
silence, the hopeless feeling of
losing something that precious to us
only intensified. We wanted to get
things back to the way they once
were but we didn’t know how. Where
could we find another bird like
that? It was the only one that we
ever knew of. We felt like we lost a
close member of the family that
would be impossible to replace. We
wished that we could have him back.
Soon afterward, I went looking for a
substitute hoping that I might find
28
one good enough to replace him. I
searched high and low. I looked in
every Pet store and Newspaper that I
could find. I remembered his song
while comparing with every canary I
came across but I never heard one of
them sing anything like our little
Billy. There just wasn’t anything.
After several months of searching;
it still looked as hopeless as the
day I first started. The only thing
that I learned from searching was
that I would never settle for a
plain canary. It was too late. I had
already been spoiled too much to
even consider that. I decided if I
can’t find a roller, I just won’t
have anything. I prefer the memory
of a roller’s sweet melody to the
live sound of anything else. I
finally reached the point where I
had to give up looking altogether. I
had truly run out of places to look.
After this, our family would never
again experience the joy of another
roller while living under the same
roof. The void he left behind stayed
with us long after my siblings and I
had moved from home to make new
lives of our own.
By 1981, I was long-gone from there.
I was raising a family of my own in
Chilliwack after having moved
several times previous.
One evening, I decided to check the
newspaper ads to see what things I
could buy for a Mother’s day gift. I
began to think of my dad also. He
passed away on Mother’s day, 1956.
Because of this, I always tried to
find something special for mom on
that day. I flipped through all the
pages but I could only find the same
junk decorations that mom had
already filled every room in her
house with from Church bazaars. I
flipped a few more pages and my then
my eyes fell on the pet section…
Roller Canaries!
I couldn’t believe it! Real Rollers?
What a perfect gift for Mothers Day!
OK, I’d better slow down and take a
closer look at that ad. After all
the trouble I went through and all
the time I spent looking, there must
be something wrong. I know from
experience that these birds are not
something you find in the daily
newspaper. I already tried that
route, and look where it got me
after years of searching. There has
got to be a catch somewhere. Ahah! I
knew it-just as I thought; the ad
only says “Roller Canaries”. It
didn’t say German Rollers. I knew
there must be something, and that’s
probably it right there in print.
They almost fooled me into buying a
Roller Canary instead of a German
Roller. He thought that nobody who
reads his ad would notice. Being
that the German Roller was extinct
ever since ours died he thought he
could advertise his canaries as
Rollers and nobody would remember or
even notice the difference. Thank
God I still knew the difference. I
still remembered. I know from John
Good that they are called German
Rollers; not Roller Canaries. I’ll
bet the guy selling them just wants
to pawn off a regular cheap canary
by giving them a special name. He
might not even know that “Rollers”
came from Germany. If he actually
29
had the real thing, then why
wouldn’t he advertise them as German
Rollers? I really had to call this
guy. If he was a cheat, then I would
really give him an earful. I doubt
that I could have misunderstood John
Good. After all, he did risk getting
a black eye, to tell me about them.
I thought there would have to be a
piece of the puzzle missing if both
John and the advertiser were right.
I wanted to find out, but I would
first have to carefully plan a
series of questions for the
interrogation. I didn’t want to mess
this one up by accusing someone I
didn’t know of being a cheat if it
prevents me from buying a German
Roller. Also, I wanted to make the
call when wifey wasn’t around. She
was another story that words can’t
describe- so I won’t even try. I
cleared my mind of everything but
the questions I would ask I had to
either catch a cheat lying or learn
more about the German Roller. I
would let him talk a while first.
It took the rest of that morning
before wifey was out the door.
I called immediately.
I guess some ancestral luck of the
Irish was with me that day because
none other than Roller Judge Gordon
Lundgren answered the phone.
Soon afterward, I found myself
tucked under his wing, with flight
plans to Rollerdom. He dispelled all
the myths I had about “Rollers”. I
learned their history from Germany,
Great Britain, Europe, and other
countries of the world. He explained
that “Rollers” is a nickname we use
in countries other than Germany.
Gordon was a wonderful mentor. He
always asked a lot of questions and
gave advice on all I needed. In
fact, his advice was so good; I
always forgot what my reason for
calling him was as soon as he
started talking. I guess that’s why
some things just never got asked.
Gordon left us many years ago. There
are still a few that remember him
and how much activity there was in
the fancy during those years.
We have since moved on to a new era
in a new millennium. Memberships are
down, subscriptions have fallen, and
our faces have aged. Our desire to
share the experiences we have with
Rollers has not changed. Seldom do
our new members hear of the glorious
times that we once enjoyed. Members
like Kathy Newman and Farid Djouder
now walk in our tracks. I swear –
they were planted here by God to
remind us of the way we once were.
So eager to learn and so willing to
try. I sometimes feel that I have
failed to give enough to them.
Once in a while I am prompted by
things they say or do, to make me
remember. -Like when Kathy, bought a
roller from me to replace her mom’s
after it died.
It was a gift to her mom for
Mother’s day.
-Kent
30
A little Irish humour
Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside
with only a roller canary for company. One
day the canary died, and Muldoon went to the
parish priest to ask- ‘Father, my canary is
dead. Could ya be sayin a Mass for ‘is poor
little soul?”
Father Patrick replied, “Oh dear, I think not
Muldoon. We cannot be havin’ a church service
for the canary now. Have ya tried the
Baptists down the lane? There's no tellin'
what they will do. They might say a few holy
words over the little creature.”
Muldoon said, “God bless ya father, I'll go
right away. Should €5,000 be plenty enough
for a Baptist to pray for his wee catholic soul
then?”
Father Patrick exclaimed, 'Sweet Mary,
Mother of Jesus! Why’d’ ya not tell me it was
Roman Catholic canary service ya wanted?
Faces from the past
Continuing on the heels of Ada
Bairstow, the three DRC News
Editors (pictured lower left)
covered the next twenty eight
years of our history.
Master Breeder and DRCA Judge,
Gordon Hamilton (left)served as
DRCA Secretary-Treasurer while his
wife (Kae) served as Secretary
Treasurer of the Saskatchewan
Roller Canary Club (don’t confuse
this with the Saskatoon Roller
Canary Club) in the late 1960’s.
Gordon later moved to Vancouver,
where he served as President of
the Vancouver Roller Canary
Society. He would swap birds (and
executive titles) over the years
with his long time friend Ken
Swann.
Ken Swann served as DRC NEWS
Western Sub Editor and as
Treasurer of the Edmonton Roller
Canary Society when he lived in
Edmonton in the early 1950’s. He
later moved to Regina where he
continued to serve as Western sub
editor of the News during the late
1950’s and early 1960’s. Later in
the 1960’s, Ken was back, living
in Edmonton, serving as DRCA
President. He held this position
numerous times during his last 30
years with us. Ken spent his last
years living in the Okanagan town
of Westbank B.C. with his wife
Jean. He remained very active in
the DRCA until his resignation as
editor in October of 1991.
Joe (and his wife Marlene) Grygar
were both with the Calgary Roller
Canary Club, when he served as
editor between 1991 and 1995.
The Dominion Roller Canary News Breeder Cards
Breeder Cards: You can advertise your Card in the News for as little as $5.00 per year. You canalso purchase additional seven line segments at $5.00 each if a larger card is required.For additional advertising that can include photos, you can purchase ¼ page, ½ page or fullpage ads. The annual cost for “page” ads is $25.00 CDN for each ¼ page segment. All ads willbecome due for renewal in January of each year. To advertise, please send your cheque to:
Kent Donnelly,35244 McKee Road.,
Abbotsford, B.C., Canada,V2S 6K6
Make your cheque payable to the “DRCA” or “The DRC News Editor”. All advertisements in TheNews will appear in this publication as well as online at our DRC News Websitehttp://members.shaw.ca/drca/ Updated: May 2009 File: Breeder cards.doc
Narciso PratavieraGood Stock of RollersEnquiries Welcome7266 Delaport Drive
Mississauga, Ont., Canada,L4T 2Y3
Phone: (905) 677-9978
Joe Pietrobon, Sec. VRCSMaster Breeder
4468 Wildwood CrescentBurnaby, B.C., Canada,
V5G 2M4Phone: (604) 435-7063
Email: [email protected]
Peter JaehrlingDRCA Ring Secretary
HRCC Secretary Treasurer1071 County Rd. 8, RR#4, Picton,
Ontario, Canada, K0K 2T0Phone: (613) 476-2553
Email: [email protected]
Bill Friend,Master Breeder(New Address)
Canterbury Court, #508 -3011 Gateby Place,
Vernon, B.C., V1T 9S4.Email: [email protected]
Richard SmithQuality German Rollers
6359 Hargitt St.Abbotsford B.C.
V3G1M8(604) 820 8522
Email: [email protected]
Richard VerretÉleveurs de Canaris
Roller Allemand (Harz)104 Ave Proulx Québec
G1M1W4(418) 527-7549
Agnes (Scotty) WalcotPromoter of the Fancy
104-1426 Penticton Ave.Penticton, B.C., Canada,
V2A 8C7,Phone: (250) 770-8789
Anton Schlott, MasterBreeder of Champion Rollers
2049 4th Ave.St. Catharines, Ont.,
Canada, L2R 6P9Phone: (905) [email protected]
Paul R. ScandlynPresident: SCRCC/NWRCC/WRCABreeder/Fancier of German Rollers
449 South 12th Ave., Cornelius,Oregon, USA, 97113-6815.
Phone: (503) 357-7253Email: [email protected]
Hamida BouhariraÉleveurs de canaris Harz
(514)[email protected]
www.canariharz.com
Claredot AviaryChuck & Dorothy Vardy
Breeders of Show Stock Rollers16 Cedar Creek Road,
MidhurstOntario,Can.,L0L1X1Phone: (705) 721 5395
Email [email protected]
Kent Donnelly, President DRCA,VRCS. Editor/Producer of DRC News
35244 McKee Road.,Abbotsford, B.C., Canada, V2S 6K6
Phone: (604) 557-1866http://members.shaw.ca/rollercanary
Email: [email protected]
Alex Meindertsma10825 139 St. NWEdmonton, Alberta
T5M 1P6(780) 454-6824
Ron Rowden411 Dianne DriveOshawa Ontario,
O1H 7L8Quality Rollers
Phone 705 489 4184
Ken CampbellRoller Canaries
598 Niagara St. Box 447Wyoming, Ont. Canada N0N 1T0
Phone: (519) 845 3298E-mail [email protected]
HARI-AD-v2 8/2/07 8:23 AM Page 1
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