Australian National Pigeon Association national show to be held at Wagga Showground's Kyeamba Smith Hall

Hosting 2500 pigeons and 120 exhibitors, the event will be held in Wagga Showground's Kyeamba Smith Hall, the very same building where the Australian National Pigeon Association was founded 41 years ago.

Founding ANPA member and Twin Cities Fancy Pigeon Club (Albury/Wodonga) secretary Frank Hayes said hosting the national competition in Wagga has special significance.

"All these 40 years it was my dream to come here at 30, 40 or 50," he said. "40 didn't work because of COVID - but anyway, 41 will do it."

A former Wagga local and now Wodonga resident, Mr Hayes found an interest in pigeons at a young age.

"I started with my first pigeon I found on the front gate coming home from school when I was seven or eight years old," he said.

"I adopted it and put it in with my chooks."

Like many others, Mr Hayes would eventually find his way into clubs and touring the country to visit shows, before he took matter into his own hands and created the national association to combat inconsistent judging and standards.

When asked how many pigeons Mr Hayes currently kept, he responded: "too many".

"I know it sounds strange, but they're a bit like family."

Twin Cities Fancy Pigeon Club president and Wagga local Dennis Murphy said he expected a good turnout after two COVID-interrupted years, with 80 different breeds on show.

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Mr Murphy also found an appreciation for keeping pigeons as a child, but admits that "it's a bit of a dying sport". "The hobby for me is every day," he said. "It's something I've been doing all my life, I don't play sport anymore.

"You can spend five minutes in there or five hours, it's sort of up to yourself and it's like all hobbies and competition - you only get out of it what you put into it."

For pigeon fanciers like Mr Murphy, this weekend's national competition is the tip of the iceberg. "I've travelled all over Australia and plus I've been to America three times judging at their national shows over the years," he said.

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