Jack owns his own concrete foundation business.

Jack started racing pigeons in 1982 when he moved to his Hancock Rd address.  Jack had always kept pigeons, even when he moved to Australia in 1965, he kept a few scrubbers as he didn’t think that we raced pigeons in Australia.

That was until he met Leo Duits on a worksite at Holbrooks Rd and Leo mentioned he raced them.  Being fellow countrymen Leo invited Jack around and so became another pigeon flyer and friendship in the making.

Since he commenced in 1982 Jack has only ever flown with the Tea Tree Gully and North East clubs, and being a fellow club member of mine is an extremely tough competitior to beat.

Best Achievements:
1st SAHPA Nullarbor 1983 (clocked in dark)
1st SAHPA Morundah 1993 (clocked in dark)
Jack has also been placed in the SAHPA Top 20 Aggregate points on 5 or 6 occasions.
Jack has also won the Club Aggregate Pts in Tea Tree Gully and North East clubs on about 12 occasions.

Q. Jack who has been the biggest influence on you in pigeon racing?
A. In Australia I would have to say Leo Duits who is Jack’s good friend and who started him off in pigeons.
Also Rod & Greg Kakosckhe were very helpful with advice and good pigeons they gave Jack.

Q. Jack, which families of pigeons perform best for you?
A. Kakosckhe are the main family, I have done well with many different families.  The Goodgers have also done very well.  Now I’ve been flying some imports mainly Van Loon X Janssen and they have also been successful recently.

Q. Jack, who would you rate as the best flyers you have competed against in all forms of the sport?
A. Roy Dangerfield, he was pretty good in his time.
John Pryor & Rod & Greg Kakosckhe
Also Jim Marafiote has always had very good pigeons and done well.

Q. Jack, what is your most memorable moment racing pigeons?
A. Clocking my 1st SAHPA Morundah in 1993.  It was raining and I was hanging out on the landing board trying to get my alarm fixed in the dark as it was playing up, then the BCH landed right next to me in the rain at 6:42 pm in the darkness.  She was the only pigeon home at fire off time 8pm, and you should have seen all the blokes race home quickly when they knew one was home, there were others through the night, and I also clocked the first bird the next morning.

Q. What is your most forgettable moment in pigeon racing?
A. I had a really bad trap last year (1998) with a good cock bird of mine from Little Topar Special.  He came home with another one, not mine and landed in the tree, three times he went up there and I shooed him off, after 30 minutes he went in and still won the club & group, in the end I went inside frustrated and he came in.  On the time he arrived I believe he would have won the SAHPA.
Which I didn’t know at the time until I got down the hall that night I realised he was a good one.

Q. Jack, what is the best bird you have ever owned?
A. A BCH Kakosckhe, who was a grand daughter of my Nullarbor winner, she was 1st Carrieton & Pimba, 2nd Glendambo & 3rd Farina in a 10 hr fly, she also had numerous other placings.  Also a MLY H who won 5 races, I bought her at G Mavros sale and broke her in to race, when I bought her she had already won a race, she was bred by Rob Wilson for P Mavros’ kids and when he got out of them George got her, I eventually lost her racing.

Q. What do you believe to be the best bird ever in S.A. ?
A. Roy Dangerfield’s Grizzle hen (see Aug Journal) in terms of racing she was an excellent performer.

Q. Jack, do you have any advice or tips for other flyers?
A. Always keep them clean and toss them hard!
I Can vouch that Jack’s loft is spotless!
Jack is not fussy about the feeding, they get fed twice a day being mainly peas and wheat.

Q. Jack, what would you like to see in S.A. pigeon racing?
A. People to stop bitching all the time!

Thanks for your time Jack - Tim Fawcett