The Saturday evening function brought together BSSA members for plenty of conversation and what appeared to be an endless supply of pizza. George England and Chris Murphy led a question-and-answer session where members asked about Neale’s involvement in the hobby, his judging career, and his overseas visits to many of the world’s leading budgerigar breeders. There were some excellent questions covering topics such as feeding, show preparation, exhibition techniques, and general budgerigar wellbeing. Neale thoroughly enjoyed sharing his experiences and exchanging ideas with everyone present. It was an excellent evening that was both informative and enjoyable.

On Sunday, the Ron Norman Show kicked off, with Neale as the Major Awards Judge. Neale’s responsibility began once each of the five floor judges had selected their section winners. Those exhibits were then assembled for the final championship judging. The process involved carefully comparing and progressively reducing the field until the best birds in the Novice, Intermediate and Open sections had been identified. From there, the Grand Champion, Reserve Champion and major award winners were selected.

The Grand Champion was an outstanding Opaline AOSV Grey Green Hen exhibited by the Weidenhofer family. She immediately caught Neale’s eye with her exceptional condition, impressive size, superb deportment, excellent cap length and commanding cage presence. She was a quality budgerigar and a thoroughly deserving Grand Champion.

The Champion Opposite Sex was a powerful Normal Grey Green Normal exhibited by Marie and Kerry Murphy. He displayed excellent condition, outstanding head width, impressive frontal lift and strong lateral feathering. While an exceptional exhibit in his own right, he was unable to quite match the overall quality and finish of the Champion.

The Reserve Champion Hen, exhibited by George England, was a lovely feminine Clearbody Hen. She showed great condition, an impressive spot and mask, and was a true Clearbody of quality.

The Third Champion Cock, exhibited by Marie and Kerry Murphy, was a quality Recessive Pied Light Green Cock. This bird possessed excellent length, size, showmanship and first-class condition, together with terrific presence in the show cage. While perhaps lacking the shoulder development of the first two birds, he was nevertheless an outstanding example of his variety.

The Fourth Champion Cock, exhibited by Paul Wilton, was a strong-bodied Normal Blue Cock, showing lovely soft feather and head feather with direction over the cere.

The Fourth Champion Hen, exhibited by Marie and Kerry Murphy, was a solid, showy Cinnamonwing Light Green Hen. She was a good stand-up show bird in the cage, just lacking the feather quality that the birds before her possessed, but still a lovely bird in the show cage.

Overall, feather condition proved to be the deciding factor among many of the better exhibits. Several quality birds were carrying a few pin feathers, had shortened tails, or were entering the early stages of moult, and these factors inevitably influenced their final placings.

Neale was particularly impressed with the quality of the Novice and Intermediate exhibits. It was equally pleasing for him to witness the enthusiasm and friendly banter among exhibitors discussing their birds throughout the day. That level of enjoyment and camaraderie is one of the great strengths of the hobby.

The Ron Norman Any Age Show was extremely well conducted from start to finish. The venue was excellent, the staging was well presented, the catering provided by the ladies in the kitchen was outstanding, and the judging panel worked together professionally to ensure a fair and consistent outcome. The quality of the winning exhibits certainly justified their awards.

The evening provided a great opportunity for members to catch up away from the show bench and enjoy good company in a casual setting. A selection of bird-themed prizes added to the fun, with 10 prizes on offer, including small bird statues, bird socks, bird prints and other items.

Those who missed out on a prize were still treated, with everyone receiving either a bag of chocolates or liquorice. A few chocolates were left over and will be used as prizes at upcoming night meetings.

It was another enjoyable North East social event and a great reminder of the friendship and fellowship that sits alongside the bird side of the hobby.

Buyers can expect a broad selection of varieties including Normals, Cinnamonwings, Opalines, Spangles, Dominant Pieds, Recessive Pieds, Fallows, Lacewings, Lutinos, Clearwings, Crested varieties, White Caps, Greywings, Black Eyed Selfs and other sought-after varieties.