Geoff Capes - Budgerigar Society President
What made the former holder of the title “World’s Strongest Man”, decide to keep, breed, show and judge budgerigars?
Comparatively few folk know that for a number of years Geoff Capes has been one of thousands of budgerigar fanciers and for most of those years he has worked very hard for the promotion of the keeping, breeding and exhibition of budgerigars, both in his own area and nationally. Those who followed Geoff’s sporting career in his competitive years, will probably know that he has used and passed on his wealth of knowledge and expertise in that field up to the present day, and is indeed very actively employed as National Shot coach, training and advising promising athletes as the work towards securing a place in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams. We can do nothing better than wish him great success in this venture.
Apart from that National pride, however, we in the Budgerigar Society are very proud of Geoff for another reason. Through the years, he has built up equal expertise in this hobby of budgerigar breeding, and has carried out great work in developing the strengths of one of the more rare colour varieties of budgerigars, the Recessive Pied, and has also gained success at national level with the variety. Through the years, he has qualified as a judge of all budgerigars and, again, has judged nationally and also internationally, flying the flag for the British budgerigar fancy as successfully as he did with his sporting achievements. Additionally, as well being a loyal and hard-working member of his local and area budgerigar societies, he has served as a member of the General Council of the Budgerigar Society for a number of years now, and is very active in his involvement with the society’s World Budgerigar Show, held annually in Doncaster, as well as a Convention, held usually on a five yearly basis, which also attracts fanciers from all around the world.
It is not surprising that Geoff Capes’ great work in this respect has led to him receiving the highest accolade that the Budgerigar Society can bestow. At its Annual General Meeting, held at the society’s headquarters in Northampton on 4th May, he was installed as President of this great society.
In his first Presidential address, Geoff said that his great aim is to promote the keeping of budgerigars, whether as pets, in purely ornamental garden aviaries, or in the production of young birds to pass on as pets or to exhibit. He is a great supporter of the Budgerigar Society’s aim to encourage the purchase and breeding of British budgerigars, through the sub-committee set up for this purpose. The society particularly seeks to get across its message that this is a hobby that suits all ages, from youth to old age, men and women, boys and girls (incidentally, Geoff’s immediate predecessor as Budgerigar Society President was Janice Al-Nasser, a retired headmistress, who has completed her year of office with particular distinction – a story in itself!)
Our experience in the fancy, observing especially younger fellow fanciers from all walks of life, convinces us that the keeping of livestock is character-building, teaching as it does the need for dedication, patience and care in tending to vulnerable animals. In a way, it can be in some ways in this respect as effective a tool as Geoff’s more well known sporting prowess and discipline.
So, what made him take up the hobby. Perhaps your public would be interested to know from the man himself ?
Dave Herring, 6 Chatsworth Street, High Barnes, SUNDERLAND SR4 7TR Publicity Officer to the Budgerigar Society