Cage & Aviary Birds Magazine No.5799 Fiorino Pairings Back Issue

WHO'D BE A show judge? Down the years,
we’ve featured innumerable articles
lamenting the rough ride officials get from
disgruntled exhibitors and imploring the
fancy to accept that a judge’s opinion of
the birds in front of him or her on the day should be taken
as final. No muttering, please, folks! But of course people
do still mutter, and perhaps one reason is that in this
country judging generally takes place in private, whereas in
other countries it’s common for officials to explain their
decisions as they make them, with exhibitors watching on.
Messrs Wallace and Kelly (see letters opposite) argue
persuasively for more openness at UK shows, though Mr
Kelly acknowledges that it can put undue pressure on event
organisers. Do you agree with them, or is there another
aspect of the case that you’d like to share? To me, the
drama of public judging seems unanswerable (as a
thousand TV talent shows would suggest). And I’ve never
been a fan, in any walk of life, of the cry that haunts Mr
Kelly: “Everybody out – except...” How about you?
 As soon as we’ve gone to press today, my colleagues
and I will toast the health of Loanhead CBS stalwart Robert
Pentland, whose hundredth birthday it is. Congratulations,
sir! We thought we’d share these
photos (below) of Mr Pentland
alongside one of our youngest readers,
Harrison Lowe of Oldham BS.
Enjoy your birds this week.