Shared experiences (1) September 3rd 2025
Shared experiences (part 1 of 2)
If you race with pigeons for half a century and write articles for decades, you can't help but come into contact with many fanciers. That led to quite a few mutual visits. Some remained engraved in the deepest caverns of my memory.
SMALL AND BIG
With Silvio (Jan Hooymans) I visited Frans Leys, a small fancier from Itegem who played very strongly. He Raced with seven widowers max, his father never had more than four. This Frans Leys had fun writing down the ring numbers of his favourite youngsters after weaning every spring.
'And never have they been the best,' says the ‘king of sprint’.
As if he wanted to say; 'What do we know about pigeons?' Indeed, even big shots like Herman Bevers are not ashamed of their ignorance.
A few years ago he had a great team of youngsters that were all worth keeping. Except for one. So this one could leave. But... Then a box would remain empty and to drive to the poulterer for one pigeon? Hmm. So he kept it. Result? He would be one of the national ace pigeons three years in a row. Grateful pigeon that '13'. It is reminiscent of the famous Cannibal of van Dijck. It also owed its existence to an empty (freed) box due to the loss of a pigeon.
VOETS
In the years of his 'Bourges', I bought a lot of pigeons from Maurice Voets.
Johnny Ulrich would get many youngsters from that 'Voets blood' here.
Fanciers from the Arnhem region still regularly remind me of his unprecedented superiority in the Middle Distance in those years. Until he was satisfied and as second National Champion, sold the whole thing. Now it was time to harvest with National Ace pigeons in his loft. His sale was announced as follows: 'The Schaerlaeckens pigeons made J Ulrich an icon before he was 35'. His stock pigeon finally moved to the loft of Eric Limbourg.
I would never have known it if he hadn't called himself: 'Now I also have a Schaerlaeckens’ bird', I can still hear him say. 'As a long distance racer you won't be able to do much with that', I responded, 'that bloodline can't handle the distances'. A few years later, Eric called again. He had bred an Olympiad pigeon from my Voets pigeon. Category long distance !!
GUST
Gust Christiaens, diamond merchant Schellens and Voets were friends at the time. When I went to train the youngsters on a Saturday morning, I decided to drop in on Gust as well.
Inopportune as it turned out. He was just putting pigeons in the basket and was visibly startled. 'Are you going to toss them?' I asked jokingly?'
'Vaccinate against paramyxo', he responded. We both knew he was lying.
Gust: 'Okay, will tell you a secret. They must be basketed tonight and there is no better motivation for nestpigeons than skipping a brooding.' He got a lot of followers.
ALGARVE
Mr. Rui was one of the reasons why we loved coming to the Algarve. Very nice guy who drove around with us for sightseeing and to visit champions. One of them was an ophthalmologist I remember. He had impressive pigeons, Hove Uitterhoeven strain, but what amazed me everywhere were the overcrowded lofts and... the pigeons in a breathtaking condition.
The lofts had an open front. Will that be the case in Holland and Belgium also in future with the global warming up?
DUTCH
I remember the day that Willem de Bruijn asked me if I knew a great address in Belgium to visit.
I asked if it could be a small unknown fancier and if it could be far. Neither was a problem. I had been to that little fancier before with the American G, but that connoisseur claimed never to have seen such a mess as in Flanders. The pigeons there are indeed different from Antwerp, but for Willem it was a challenge to return home with a basket full of such youngsters.
Among those 14 a real super turned out later, so mission accomplished.
The pigeon 'Gilbert' (Meire) was able to win from 150 to 650 km and was even better as a breeder.
Already legendary Murphy's Law stems from it.
We also visited a so-called big one. Everything was big there. The house, the driveway, the number of racehorses, it didn't stop.
You won't believe me but the man we had never seen before asked if we had some money for him.
We looked at each other as if we saw water burning. '50 euros each is enough.' We put 100 euros on the table. It was to support a club that was completely unknown to us.
LEO BROECKX
I never forget a report I made about Leo Broeckx in…. 1984 !!
Leo was especially successful with his four musketeers then. Four brothers, all four blue with a white head. After the report a phone call; It was Leo.
He had had a lot of nice reactions and I was allowed to come and choose a hen.
I didn't have to be told twice and a short time later we were standing in front of an aviary full of hens.' Just say it', Leo said. I pointed to one.
I can still see him startled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Leo: 'A promise is a promise, but wow, you know something about pigeons. That is the best of my loft. Now you have to teach me how to do that, without even taking a pigeon in your hands.’
For a moment I wanted to let him think that I am indeed a connoisseur, but decided to be honest.
'Simple Leo. It was the only hen with a white head'. Leo laughed: 'Indeed a sister of the four’.
It was a super indeed. I gave my friend Cor Leytens a young of it that became mother of his 'Lammert', first Olympiad pigeon sprint.
FROM RIEL
I had pointed out to Japanese a good fancier in the Dutch town of Riel. They were interested and we would meet at the church in Riel. I stood there for an hour and a half. In vain.
And guess what? They had been waiting for me. At a church in Lier.
Easterners and the ‘R?’ Not a good marriage.