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| Our History |
| Members are encouraged to contribute to this page with stories or anecdotes and photos of I.P.B.A. past events and members. Contact the webmaster using E-Mail link below. |
| GERALD NOBLE A MAN OF FEW WORDS IS HARD TO DESCRIBE I KNOW THAT HE HAD HIS FIRST BIRD WHEN HE WAS JUST FIVE AND LOST FIVE LITTLE CHICKS ON A LONG WAGON RIDE A STORY HE STILL TELLS ...AS YOU SIT BY HIS SIDE A GREAT WIFE AND FIVE BOYS ARE HIS JOY AND HIS PRIDE BUT A VERY CLOSE SECOND ARE HIS BIRDS....KEPT OUTSIDE AFTER FORTY YEARS OF HATCHING SMALL LITTLE CHICKS A NEWLY HATCHED PHEASANT STILL GIVES HIM HIS KICKS IN HIS EIGHTIES NOW...HIS FLOCK IS MUCH SMALLER BUT NUMBERS DON'T COUNT...IT'S THE BEAUTY AND COLOUR FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND LAST THING AT NIGHT HE'S FOUND IN THE BIRD PENS WITH EAGER DELIGHT HE STARTS SEARCHING FOR EGGS BEGINNING MARCH FIRST THE RITUAL'S THE SAME AS THOUGH IT IS REHEARSED WITH INCUBATOR READY AND BROODERS ALL SET GERALD IS READY FOR A NEW LITTLE PET HIS KNOWLEDGE OF BIRDS....FEW CAN SURPASS WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE....HE'S HEAD OF THE CLASS HIS BIRDS BRING HIM PLEASURE..THAT HE LOVES TO SHARE HIS KNOWLEDGE ..I'VE LEARNED ...SINCE I AM HIS HEIR SO DAD...THIS IS FOR YOU ...FOR THE JOY THAT YOU GIVE TO ME AND MANY OTHERS ..AS LONG AS YOU LIVE I'D BETTER GET GOING....I'VE HATCHING TO DO !!! WITH EACH NEW LITTLE CHICK ...I'LL BE THINKING OF YOU. Bob Noble |
A short history of the bird club that is now known as "The Inter-Provincial Bird Breeders Association".
This is a short history of what is now known as “The Inter-Provincial Bird Breeders Association”.
The club started in 1967-1968 in Thurso, Quebec. The first meetings were held at the Union Hotel. The name of
the club was “Amis des Petits Animaux de Thurso”. In 1970, or thereabouts, the club moved to Lachute, Quebec
because of the increase in memberships in the area. The name was then changed to “The Inter-Provincial Fancy
Bird Breeders Association”--a few of whose members are still active in the club today.
The group was very active in that era and meetings were held in member’s homes including the Dorrepaals,
Nobles, McCaigs, Higginsons, Matthews and Varys. In 1974 a fall show and sale was held which was thereafter
continued each year on member’s lawns eg. The Dorrepaal’s Greenhouses, The Matthews’ and Vary’s Farms and
the Lachute Fair Grounds. Some of these shows had as many as 400 entries and top notch judges from Toronto
and the Gatineau area were hired. Afterwards, many of the exhibitors would go back to the McCaig’s Farm for a
festive supper and more poultry talk. The tickets sold for the supper helped pay for the costs of the show.
Eventually many of the older members stopped raising poultry, and some of them passed away. The club became
smaller and the shows stopped.
Sometime after 1980 the club again started having meetings, this time, in Grenville at a church hall. The name was
changed to “The Inter-Provincial Bird Association”. There were no more shows but very successful Spring and Fall
Auctions continued to be held at the Grenville Community Hall. That ended when the hall underwent renovations
around 1997 and a new venue was needed for the Auctions. After much debate we decided on the community hall
in Ste Anne de Prescott, Ontario where sales were held for 2 years.
In 1999 it was decided to move across the bridge to Hawkesbury, Ontario and to hold our meetings in the
Hawkesbury Legion which is still the case. The club sales were also held in the Legion for a couple of years until it
became too small. At that point the location was changed, once again, to The Knights of Columbus Hall in Alfred,
Ontario where very successful auctions are still held each spring and fall.
There is a “fun” Buy, Sale Trade Day at the Lachute Commission Sales Barn in Lachute, the first Sunday in July
each year. This is a day for fellowship and for checking out each other’s stock.
Our Board of Directors puts a lot of time and effort into these events and they deserve special thanks, as do our
many volunteers who help out at the sales. Without them we would not have been able to carry on almost 40 years
of promoting quality bird breeding and encouraging public appreciation and understanding of bird breeding and
wildlife conservation.
This is a short history of what is now known as “The Inter-Provincial Bird Breeders Association”.
The club started in 1967-1968 in Thurso, Quebec. The first meetings were held at the Union Hotel. The name of
the club was “Amis des Petits Animaux de Thurso”. In 1970, or thereabouts, the club moved to Lachute, Quebec
because of the increase in memberships in the area. The name was then changed to “The Inter-Provincial Fancy
Bird Breeders Association”--a few of whose members are still active in the club today.
The group was very active in that era and meetings were held in member’s homes including the Dorrepaals,
Nobles, McCaigs, Higginsons, Matthews and Varys. In 1974 a fall show and sale was held which was thereafter
continued each year on member’s lawns eg. The Dorrepaal’s Greenhouses, The Matthews’ and Vary’s Farms and
the Lachute Fair Grounds. Some of these shows had as many as 400 entries and top notch judges from Toronto
and the Gatineau area were hired. Afterwards, many of the exhibitors would go back to the McCaig’s Farm for a
festive supper and more poultry talk. The tickets sold for the supper helped pay for the costs of the show.
Eventually many of the older members stopped raising poultry, and some of them passed away. The club became
smaller and the shows stopped.
Sometime after 1980 the club again started having meetings, this time, in Grenville at a church hall. The name was
changed to “The Inter-Provincial Bird Association”. There were no more shows but very successful Spring and Fall
Auctions continued to be held at the Grenville Community Hall. That ended when the hall underwent renovations
around 1997 and a new venue was needed for the Auctions. After much debate we decided on the community hall
in Ste Anne de Prescott, Ontario where sales were held for 2 years.
In 1999 it was decided to move across the bridge to Hawkesbury, Ontario and to hold our meetings in the
Hawkesbury Legion which is still the case. The club sales were also held in the Legion for a couple of years until it
became too small. At that point the location was changed, once again, to The Knights of Columbus Hall in Alfred,
Ontario where very successful auctions are still held each spring and fall.
There is a “fun” Buy, Sale Trade Day at the Lachute Commission Sales Barn in Lachute, the first Sunday in July
each year. This is a day for fellowship and for checking out each other’s stock.
Our Board of Directors puts a lot of time and effort into these events and they deserve special thanks, as do our
many volunteers who help out at the sales. Without them we would not have been able to carry on almost 40 years
of promoting quality bird breeding and encouraging public appreciation and understanding of bird breeding and
wildlife conservation.