Grantham Bird Society are pleased to support Newark CBS and its members in promoting their 100th year of existence.

Please read on below a letter from their current Chairman Trevor Woodruff detailing some interesting club history and plans on how they are looking celebrate this achievement.

Newark & District Cage Bird Society - forthcoming centenary celebration show

This is our Centenary year 2010 one hundred years old, this is a massive achievement for our club. We wish to celebrate it with several events culminating with a “Grand Centenary Invitation Bird Show” with local clubs being invited to take part. This is being held on 21st November 2010 at Farndon Village hall near Newark. The Newark Town Council as kindly granted permission to use the Newark Town’s Crest on some commemorative mugs for our membership.

I have discovered some very old records of the Newark & District Cage Bird Society meetings dating back some considerable years, which are showing some interesting reading. We have discovered the club must have been, formed prior to the year 1910.

I have been searching also in the local newspaper archives the Newark Advertiser and I have found show records, which states the 38th annual members show of the Newark & District Cage Bird Society, was held in St Mary’s Rooms on Saturday 1st December 1948. The best in show was an unflighted buff Border canary exhibited by J. Parker of Newark. The most interesting exhibit being a waxwing shown in superb condition by Mr Hebblewhite of Lincoln, which secured for him the British Trophy. It also stated that all previous records were broken regarding the entries to the show of some 273 exhibitors.

The information in a very old minute’s book of the Newark & District Cage Bird Society, which we have found, does make this a true record regarding the Advertisers newspaper article. This data, which we have now found, makes our club to be approaching if not already 100 years old. Making it our centenary year in 2010 I think this is a remarkable achievement, and it deserves recognition in some way.

Also recorded in the minutes book shows information that when the Second World War was on going no shows was held, obviously. It is quite remarkable though that the club still carried on regardless and all situations documented. And when the war ended show reports started again as though nothing had happened this I find amazing. Every person showing birds and the winners are all documented down fully for that period. It just goes to show that with hard work and determination they all pulled through. It was a great achievement in that era. It must have been a struggle to breed and show birds at that particular period, but they all worked together and survived. Members must of found it very hard work in those times attending shows with hardly any transport to get them to and from show venues.

In the book of minutes of Newark & District Cage Bird Society we have found data that as revealed in the year of 1952 there were 106 paid up members, and in the following year 1953 there were 105, a lot difference from today’s figures.

Years ago members seemed to be plentiful, no doubt television, electronics, computers, and transport were virtually none existent people could not get about so freely, all these points must of played a very important part about the type of hobby people took up. Time was plentiful making a hobby with birds more viable. Obviously when dad kept birds the son would follow in fathers foot steps, this is not happening now, hence we have not got the following we would like. There seems to be no interest at all from the younger generation today.

I would like to thank all the Bird Clubs and sponsors so far who have already responded and offered their support in many ways. And to Grantham C.B.S. for them including us on their web site. It is very much appreciated.

I am looking forward to seeing you all at this show to make this a memorable occasion.

Trevor Woodruff

Chairman

Newark & District Cage Bird Society

Congratulations to all at Newark & District Cage Bird Society from the whole membership at Grantham Bird Society.