10th March 2023

​SALUKI BREED NOTES WEEKENDING 10TH MARCH 2023.
 
Sadly, I have just heard of the passing of long term salukiphile Daphne Parnham.  I shall have a full obituary in next week’s notes.
 
Good luck to everyone attending Crufts.  We are not exhibiting this year but I will be there as the judge’s, official photographer.  Jeannette Glaister has posted, on behalf of The Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club Centennial Year “SGHC will be supplying a toast at Crufts to celebrate their Centenary, we will also be providing a couple of platters of sandwiches.”  UK Saluki friends has also posted that donation of food/drink would be appreciated for the joint party.  Everyone is expecting an amazing day of celebrations, all are welcome. If you have a chance to tear yourself away from the Saluki area in Hall 1, Stand 6, Martial Robin, fine art usually has some of his lovely Saluki painting on exhibition. 
 
 I would like to thank Jillian Knight Messenger and Sylvia Evans for allowing me to reprint a conversation between the two women.  Whilst they both have Afghans the comments equally apply to Salukis, a little bit of wondering down memory lane.  Jillian starts off with “I happened to mention to Sylvia Evans that I had seen in the KC Journal that two shows in the southern part of England, Horsham District and Christchurch & New Forest C.S had been de-registered.  These two shows were very popular with all breed exhibitors drawing a good entry”.
 
Sylvia Evans reply was “ I was interested to read your piece  that the East/England 
CH show, after so many years, is going to a new venue Rutland Leicestershire. E/E Ch Show, for us residing in East Anglia and the southern counties, was always our local show. I have so many happy memories of show day outings here, with or without a dog, when it was coupled with the large annual agricultural event over so many years. My Nijinsky gained his title at this show in 1994. Jo Holden-Ereira and I had a lengthy chat with our dogs, with the then Prince of Wales, now our King, who was visiting the main show ground in the 1980s. The WI ladies tea tent within the main show area was also always a good place to retreat and relax. So, many of these 'fun & family day' outings at such dog shows were presented for us with these combined events, with many now long gone or fast disappearing in our ever-changing world. I was wondering also how many can remember the large dog show that was held at the BRITISH TIMKEN show, held in Northamptonshire? The British Timken Show used to be held on the company’s sports field, a company that produced Roller Bearings for all types of applications. The AHA used to hold some of their then regional open sponsored shows at B.Timken.

Like much of the original Peterborough showground, it is long gone for residential development. The last show I remember going to there, sometime in the early 1970s, with my Alyshan dog, I remember Di Bowdler was judging. It could also be a great day to watch the equestrian show jumping events, this then being a part of the qualifier for Horse of the Year show held later in December at Olympia. Yet another dog showing venue in London for us long gone. Likewise, the old Village Hall & sports field of Crittal Windows Installations at Silver End, a village near to Braintree Essex. This village was originally built for the Crittal factory workers and a number of our Essex club based open dog shows were staged here up until the mid-70s. On one of his rail travels Michael Portillo visited this “Crittal Village”, I sought in vain for a sighting of something familiar with the majority of the buildings on the original site now demolished. The village was described as the ‘Metal Window Kingdom of Happiness’ but it is now an empty shell of what it once was. hanging times indeed for us all and what next with so many of our dog showing venues long gone or now under threat. This makes things so much more difficult for everyone involved in participating in our hobby, especially with the long distance travelling now involved for those residing in the immediate home counties region, with now so many more show venues being north of Watford Gap.