The club has a total of 28 members, of which eight members will not be flying this year, and an injection of youthful exuberance with five fresh-faced junior racers forming part of the club’s activities for the new pigeon racing season.
Three of the juniors are high school pupils while the other two are still in primary school.
Three of the Brakpan Pigeon Club juniors did race in the 2015 season with two of them also gaining racing experience back in 2014.
The club has welcomed two newcomer juniors for the new season.
“We are looking forward to the new results that will appear on the race sheets of the club,” said Brakpan Pigeon Club chairman Etienne van der Walt.
The club’s juniors can enter five young birds and five open birds in every race.
The chairman (at the first race of the season) announced to the juniors that there will be a trophy on offer to the best young bird series and open bird series as well as an overall trophy for the best candidate between them.
“It is the most junior members the club has had in years and is viewed as an extremely positive indicator that the sport is alive and well.
“A concern to all pigeon racers is that our quantities of participants in our sport are decreasing because of the cost involved,” he added.
“Most of these juniors will participate in racing until they are finished with school, and, only after they have completed their studies will they participate in the sport again.
“This will only happen a few years after they have finished school and when they are settled in their lives.
“Current fanciers must encourage many young people to be interested in pigeons and assist them wherever necessary.”
Van der Walt explained that two pigeon races are flown on a weekly basis.
“In the first race, all the young birds (pigeons less than a year old) compete and in the second open race birds older than one year compete.”
The club got the new season underway with the first liberation of birds from Winburg (approximately 285km away) on Saturday, June 4, followed by a second race from Winburg on Saturday, June 11.
• Results for June 4:
Young Birds Winburg I: 1 H Pienaar (Xalbador), 2 Hennie du Plooy, 3 Thys Matthysen (Racing Silver Backs).
Open Birds Winburg I: 1 Tom Jooste, 2 H Pienaar (Xalbador), 3 H Pienaar (Xalbador).
• Results for June 11:
• Young Birds Winburg II: 1 Cyril Jasper, 2 Cyril Jasper, 3 Etienne van der Walt.
Open Birds Winburg II: 1 Peet Prinsloo, 2 Peet Prinsloo, 3 Cyril Jasper.
