GSP Club SA Retrieving Trial RESULTS/REPORT

Novice - Judge Ron Cooper
9 Started, 6 Finished

1st Beereegan Thompson River, R & M Kennon (Handler Michelle)
2nd Ch Oakridge Going T Xtremes, J. Nairn GSP
3rd Oakridge Ice Breaker CCD (AI), J. Mackenzie, (Handler J. Nairn) GSP

Points unavailable at time of posting

Restricted - Judge Jim Duncan
5 Started, 2 Finished

1st Beereegan Briar Ridge NRD, R & J Johnston 143 points
2nd Galestorm Time Tracker, B Kradolfer 80.5 points

All Age - Judge A Bartram
12 Started, 3 Finished

1st Rt Ch Adderslot Mustang Sally, G. Bridges 119 points
2nd Nt & Gr Rt Ch Beereegan One Tree CM, M & W Davis, 115 points
3rd Ch Oakridge Fernando AARD, J Mackenzie, 106 points GSP

After a somewhat wet evening beforehand, we were lucky to have reasonably nice (even sunny, occasionally) weather on the Saturday of our trial, held on the June long-weekend. Due to the wonderful co-operation of competitors, plus a couple of dedicated stewards (Ross and Tor in particular) the day’s competitions seemed to run smoothly and all stakes (Novice, Restricted and All Age) were completed in good time, giving competitors time to relax for a while after the trial.

This is the second year that we have run our trial on this very picturesque property along side a lagoon near Blanchetown on the River Murray. The property owners, Vic and Ruth, have very kindly allowed us to use facilities that they have developed over the years for the private use of their friends and family. I feel very privileged indeed that they have made available to us their lovely property and its facilities, including a large outdoor BBQ, real toilets (not just a hole in the ground), and even a hot shower! They also had a few on-site caravans which some of us were able to utilize for accommodation.

Our judges for the day were Alan Bartram from WA adjudicating the All Age stake, Jim Duncan from SA judging Restricted, and Ron Cooper from NSW judging Novice. Unfortunately Ron had been feeling unwell and thought it best to leave for home immediately after completing his judging appointment for the day. Thankfully he made it home safely, and we trust that he is feeling a lot better now. Trainee judge, Lyn Webster, was marking sheets under Ron, and was able to deliver a very admirable report on the Novice work at presentation at the end of the day. Thank you Lyn.

A special treat this year was the very welcomed attendance of a large number of our GSP Club Committee who provided morning tea and lunch to judges & stewards, as well as competitors (for a modest fee). It was a feast! On the menu were two very tasty home-made soups, BBQ steak, sausages and onion, as well as home-made cakes and a variety of muffins. I especially enjoyed the Jubilee Cake, thank you Sheila! We had a large number of interstate entries this year (mainly in All Age), and they all loved having a catered lunch available. I received many lovely positive remarks over the weekend about the GSP Clubs lunchtime catering – their only disappointment was that it was only for one day!

Thankyou to Shannon & Cherysse, Ann, Kate, Sheila and Ben for all of your assistance on the day, and Margaret for providing one of the soups (hope I haven’t missed anyone).

As an additional fundraiser for the Club, we had a “basket of goodies” to raffle. The only problem was that with all the donated items for the raffle, a basket was not big enough, so a large plastic storage box was purchased to house it all. Appropriately, the raffle was won by a relatively new GSP Club member, John Nairn who, I am told, purchased a very large number of tickets in his quest for the booty! Congratulations John, not only on your basket win, but also with your 2nd place award in the Novice Stake with Kato.

It was wonderful to have some of the cream of Retrieving dogs in Australia present at our trial, mainly coming from Victoria. Most of their dogs (9 or 10, I think) were entered in the All Age stake, but there were also a few in the Novice and Restricted stakes. It’s quite a small retrieving community here in South Australia, so it was nice to see some of the best dogs in the country working in our trial, as well as the Labrador Club’s trial held in conjunction with ours, on the Sunday and Monday of the long weekend. It was also nice to see some GSPs in the placings over the weekend. All up, there were 5 GSPs entered in Novice, one in Restricted and two in All Age at our trial – both local and interstate dogs.

A special thanks to Ross Bryant for his stewarding assistance, and bringing the shells, guns, bins and pegs along to the trial, as well as Barry Cummins for sourcing the birds for me, and Tor Bakkeland, plus competitors (and sometimes family members) for assistance with stewarding.

An extra special thanks to Committee members for lunch etc., to Cherysse for her assistance with some of the paperwork at the end of the day, and not forgetting Convenor Rebecca who also produced a very attractive catalogue (the best I’ve seen!).

It was all a huge help, and much appreciated.

Jadine MacKenzie
(Trial Manager)