EERSTE IN SUID AFRIKA (A first in South Africa)
By Henri Stiglingh - February 2008
Henri Stiglingh writes about the problems of getting new fanciers involved in the sport,
and describes the innovative idea of a shared loft (hence ... a first in South Africa). He has set up one of these lofts in Jeffreys Bay.
In the interests of the sport, Medpet provides a sponsorship for the loft.
Die Duiwesport in Suid Afrika is vinnig aan die kwyn met vele duiweboere wat die Sport vaarwel toeroep, omdat hulle dit nie meer kan bekostig nie of aftree en dan nie meer plek vir ‘n duiwehok het nie, maar tog sou hulle almal graag nog ‘n deel wou hê aan die Sport. Die algemene gevoel is dat ons Nasionale Organisasie moet kyk na ‘n bemarkingstrategie in Suid Afrika – veral op grondvlak. Ons is besig om baie duiweboere onnodig te verloor.
Erens moet ‘n plan gemaak word om hierdie duiweboere te akkommodeer en hulle vir die Sport te behou. Van Nasionale vlak is daar geen inisiatief of geldelike hulp nie en daarom is dit belangrik dat ons uit eie geledere planne moet beraam om die Sport te bevorder en aan die lewe te probeer hou, asook om lede te probeer behou wat nog soveel vir die Sport kan beteken.
Ons het ons maar weereens gewend na MEDPET om ons te help met die projek! Soos menige male in die verlede, was hulle bereid om te luister en ons het saam begin beplan. In Jeffreysbaai en omgewing tree daar vele duiweboere af wat nie spasie het vir ‘n hok op hulle nuwe perseel nie en daarom het ons besluit om ‘n gesamentlike hok te bou. Hierdie hok is gebou op die perseel van Jan Bekker in Paradysstrand en ons het tans plek vir ses duiweboere se duiwe in hierdie hok.
Elke duiweboer kan 25 kleintjies in die hok plaas wat dan meeding teen mekaar en teen Jeffreysbaai Wedvlugduiwe Klub. Hulle kan dan 5 duiwe elke Saterdag vlieg tussen die twee roetes wat gevlieg word in die Oos Kaap, nl Noord en Oos. Elkeen betaal dus net een sesde van die totale koste om te vlieg en gesamentlik vir die versorging van die duiwe sowel as hulle afrigting.
Elke Saterdag kan die manne dan kom kyk hoe hulle duifies inkom en gesellig saam verkeer. Dit is ‘n eerste vir Suid Afrika, ‘n hok wat deur die boere gedeel word en wedvlugte waaraan die inwoners van die hok saam deelneem! Die aanvraag het nou so groot geword, aangesien manne van buite ook wil deelneem en die hok het net eenvoudig te klein geword om almal te akkommodeer. Ons sal weldra dalk moet kyk na ‘n groter hok.
Die versorging van die duiwe word gedoen deur ‘n hokversorger en weereens moet ons dankie sê vir MEDPET wat aan ons al die medikasie en vitamine-aanvullings verskaf. Die duiwe word net met MEDPET PRODUKTE behandel en ons het uitstekende resultate daarmee.
The Pigeon Sport in South Africa is getting smaller with a lot of pigeon fanciers that leave, because they cannot afford to participate anymore, or they retire and do not have space for a loft, although they would all still like to be part of the sport. A plan must be made somewhere to accommodate and retain these fanciers for the sport. The general feeling is that our National Organisation must look at a marketing strategy in South Africa – especially at ground level. We are losing many breeders unnecessarily.
Somewhere a plan must be made to accommodate these breeders to retain them for the sport. There is no assistance or initiative from the National side, and it is therefore important that we make our own plans to promote the sport to try and keep it alive, as well as to try and retain members that can still contribute so much for the sport.
We asked MEDPET once again for assistance with the project! As many times previously, they were willing to listen and we started planning together. In the Jeffreys Bay and surrounding areas there are many fanciers who retire and do not have the space for a loft on their new property, and we therefore decided to build a communal loft. This loft is built on the stand of Jan Bekker in Paradise beach and we currently have space for the birds of six fanciers.
Every fancier can keep 25 youngsters in the loft that can compete against each other and against Jeffreys Bay Racing Pigeon Club. Every fancier then has the opportunity to fly 5 birds every Saturday between the two routes that are flown in the Eastern Cape, namely North and East. Every pigeon fancier therefore pays only one sixth of the total cost to fly and shares the cost of keeping the birds as well as their training.
Every Saturday the men can then come and watch how their birds come in and can visit with each other. The demand has now become so big, because fanciers from outside also want to take part and the loft has just become too small to accommodate everyone. We will soon have to look at a bigger loft.
The loft keeper looks after the birds and we must once again say thank you to MEDPET that supplies us with all the medication and vitamin supplements. The birds are only treated with MEDPET PRODUCTS and we have excellent results with them.