25 years of persistence pays off
Taking flight
Taking flight
Warrnambool pigeon racer Bill Hocking is finally getting an opportunity to celebrate a major win after a quarter of a century in the sport. It is an as yet unnamed youngster that has brought Hocking much deserved success after he took out the Milparinka 600 mile race, the final and longest race of the Warrnambool Racing Pigeon Club’s season.
The win is a sweet reward for Hocking, who is also a breeder, after years of dedication to the hobby he loves. He said he had been surprised at how well the pigeon had flown when it arrived back at his home just 24 hours after starting the race. “On the Saturday night I closed the (pen) door and I usually get up to check at daylight,” he said. “When I looked through the window first thing in the morning, I could see him sitting there.
“He’s only a young one. He was bred in probably December last year, he’s only about eight to 10 months old. It’s taken me 25 years to win this race, it’s good when you do win it, that’s for sure.
“On a hard day it’s usually the stronger pigeons, the two or three-year-olds, that win a race such as this, but this was a bit easier to fly this year.” The races gradually increase their lengths during the year.
“It’s the final race of the year which is the 600 miles Milparinka which is about 100 miles past Broken Hill,” Hocking said. “We start at 80 miles and build up throughout the year.” Hocking, who has a solid pen of youngsters in his Warrnambool home, said he didn’t usually name his birds, but he said he would perhaps make an exception with his big winner.
“I don’t name them, but I might have to name this one Little Beauty or Champ or something like that,” he joked. Hocking said pigeon racing was time consuming, but it was a hobby he has enjoyed over more than 25 years. He added that pigeons were naturally bred to find their way home.
“It’s a good hobby to have it certainly keeps an interest,” he said. “We train them by taking them out about 50 miles and just race them back. There’s no special formula to them, it’s just naturally bred in them.
“They are naturally homing. We start them off at five miles and as they get a bit older take them out to 20 miles,30, 50 and so on.” He said the Warrnambool club was currently in one of its strongest positions ever.
“It’s very viable at the minuite, it’s the best the club has ever been with 22 members,” he said. “We’ve got about 10 juniors which is very good for the future of the club.”
Source: The Standard, Thursday, October 21, 2004. Author, Greg Gliddon. Reproduced with the kind permission of The Warrnambool Standard.
The win is a sweet reward for Hocking, who is also a breeder, after years of dedication to the hobby he loves. He said he had been surprised at how well the pigeon had flown when it arrived back at his home just 24 hours after starting the race. “On the Saturday night I closed the (pen) door and I usually get up to check at daylight,” he said. “When I looked through the window first thing in the morning, I could see him sitting there.
“He’s only a young one. He was bred in probably December last year, he’s only about eight to 10 months old. It’s taken me 25 years to win this race, it’s good when you do win it, that’s for sure.
“On a hard day it’s usually the stronger pigeons, the two or three-year-olds, that win a race such as this, but this was a bit easier to fly this year.” The races gradually increase their lengths during the year.
“It’s the final race of the year which is the 600 miles Milparinka which is about 100 miles past Broken Hill,” Hocking said. “We start at 80 miles and build up throughout the year.” Hocking, who has a solid pen of youngsters in his Warrnambool home, said he didn’t usually name his birds, but he said he would perhaps make an exception with his big winner.
“I don’t name them, but I might have to name this one Little Beauty or Champ or something like that,” he joked. Hocking said pigeon racing was time consuming, but it was a hobby he has enjoyed over more than 25 years. He added that pigeons were naturally bred to find their way home.
“It’s a good hobby to have it certainly keeps an interest,” he said. “We train them by taking them out about 50 miles and just race them back. There’s no special formula to them, it’s just naturally bred in them.
“They are naturally homing. We start them off at five miles and as they get a bit older take them out to 20 miles,30, 50 and so on.” He said the Warrnambool club was currently in one of its strongest positions ever.
“It’s very viable at the minuite, it’s the best the club has ever been with 22 members,” he said. “We’ve got about 10 juniors which is very good for the future of the club.”
Source: The Standard, Thursday, October 21, 2004. Author, Greg Gliddon. Reproduced with the kind permission of The Warrnambool Standard.
Homing pigeon opts for long way around
If pigeons could talk, then a mystery surrounding Warrnambool Pigeon Club members Tom and Bill Hocking may just be solved. A racing pigeon believed to be from the other side of the globe in Belgium has strayed and landed in Tom’s backyard. Tom, a pigeon racer for almost 40 years, said yesterday the bird strayed and was found sitting on top of one of his pigeon cages in desperate need of food.
“It has strayed all the way from we don’t know where,” he joked. The bird had a Belgian marking ring and flight stamped wings, indicating it originated from Europe. “They get blown out to sea at times and it could have landed on a boat and then flown off when it was near land,” Tom said. He said the birds travelled ‘colossal’ distances over land but to end up on the other side of the world was not common.
“I have never had anything like this ... it’s a mystery,” he said. Tom was reluctant to speculate but said there was a possibility the stray pigeon may have been an entrant in the South African million dollar Sin City race. “The flight stamps on its wings mean it could have been in the race,” he said.
The brothers have informed the Australian Racing Pigeon Journal. The local club is hoping for good weather this weekend for its biggest and final race of the year. About 200 pigeons will set flight in the 965-kilometer race form Milparinka, north of Broken Hill in New South Wales. The birds will be released at 6am Saturday and the first arrival is expected early on Sunday morning, weather permitting.
“Pigeons travel about 60 or 70 miles per hour (112kmh) with a tail wind, about 40 miles per hour (64kmh) in still conditions and only about 20 miles (32kmh) per hour in a head wind,” said Tom, a former winner.
Source: The Standard, Thursday, October 11, 2007. Author, Monique Crapper. Reproduced with the kind permission of The Warrnambool Standard.
“It has strayed all the way from we don’t know where,” he joked. The bird had a Belgian marking ring and flight stamped wings, indicating it originated from Europe. “They get blown out to sea at times and it could have landed on a boat and then flown off when it was near land,” Tom said. He said the birds travelled ‘colossal’ distances over land but to end up on the other side of the world was not common.
“I have never had anything like this ... it’s a mystery,” he said. Tom was reluctant to speculate but said there was a possibility the stray pigeon may have been an entrant in the South African million dollar Sin City race. “The flight stamps on its wings mean it could have been in the race,” he said.
The brothers have informed the Australian Racing Pigeon Journal. The local club is hoping for good weather this weekend for its biggest and final race of the year. About 200 pigeons will set flight in the 965-kilometer race form Milparinka, north of Broken Hill in New South Wales. The birds will be released at 6am Saturday and the first arrival is expected early on Sunday morning, weather permitting.
“Pigeons travel about 60 or 70 miles per hour (112kmh) with a tail wind, about 40 miles per hour (64kmh) in still conditions and only about 20 miles (32kmh) per hour in a head wind,” said Tom, a former winner.
Source: The Standard, Thursday, October 11, 2007. Author, Monique Crapper. Reproduced with the kind permission of The Warrnambool Standard.