ANBC JUDGES 2026

I have been actively involved in the exhibition budgerigar fancy for 34 years since the age of 8. My time in the hobby has been a real blessing in my life and I am so grateful for every moment I get to spend enjoying it.

My father and I have won Best in Show at the Budgerigar Society World Championship Show four times spanning 3 decades, which is more than any other breeder in the UK other than the late and great Harry Bryan. Our success in the hobby has enabled me to actively engage with breeders and exhibitors across the globe and in this ambassadorial role, I continue to do everything I can to promote the benefits of our hobby far and wide. The life skills I have learned along the way have played a huge part in my transition from being a shy and socially awkward young boy to developing my legal career to the point now where I am the Chairman of a regional law firm and the MD of our family’s commercial property business.

My judging experience spans numerous countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Holland, Kuwait, Sweden and the USA. I have also enjoyed delivering lectures in these locations and delivered online seminars remotely to many more. When judging an event, I do my utmost to uphold the basic ethos that exhibition budgerigars should possess charm, charisma and style. I try to be fair, consist, and completely open and transparent with my methodology and reasoning.

What started as a means of appeasing a 8 year old boy who wanted a dog, has grown to be a means of meeting people from all over the world, from all walks of life and immersing myself in their cultures. Having already had the privilege of visiting your country in 2024 to be part of the wonderful “Budgie Fest”, it is a huge honour for me to be invited as one of the judges for the Nationals next year. I am incredibly excited to see the very best birds from across the country and taking part in a weekend that celebrates the skill, passion, and camaraderie that make our hobby so rewarding and truly unique.

My first connection with the hobby was at the age of four, when my family lived next door to Nin and Lil Barrie, a Scottish couple who showed exhibition budgerigars. Subsequently, when I decided to get my first budgies some years later, it was an obvious choice to visit their aviary to acquire birds, purchasing my first BCV rings in 1984.

After being a member of the Albury-Wodonga bird fanciers for a few years I decided the two-hour commute both to and from meetings was too far. With the help of good friend Allan Dixon who lived closer to home, we formed the Riverina Budgerigar Society in the early 90’s, where I am now a Life Member and current President.

My son Robert and I formed an exhibition partnership in 2014 and both sat our Aspiring Judges test together soon after. I joined the Budgerigar Council of Victoria committee in 2020 where I currently stand as Vice President. Since 2021 I have been Budgie News editor of the BCV along with Robert. I became a member of the Judges & Standards committee in Victoria not long after and have been a State Team Carer since Launceston in 2024. I was successful in undertaking and passing the ANBC Judges Examination in Ballarat, 2023.

In terms of exhibition achievements, we have currently won 30 BCV Shield classes, 8 Diplomas, 12 Variety Challenge Certificates across various varieties and had many birds represent Victoria over the years to go with our maiden “Logie” win in the Recessive Pied class at Victor Harbor in 2022. Recessive Pieds are one of the more prominent varieties in our aviary which we are quite passionate about and one in which we commit quite a bit of time and effort in trying to improve. We have been fortunate enough to win the last four Adult Shields in Victoria with this variety, along with the last 3 Unbroken Cap Shields and two of the last four Young Bird Shields.

The highlight of my time in budgies thus far, will be judging alongside my son at this year’s Nationals on the Gold Coast, which I believe may be the first time a father-son combination has done this in Australia. I’d sincerely like to thank the South Queensland Budgerigar Breeders Association in collaboration with the ANBC for the invitation to judge.

My association and involvement with budgerigars began from a very early age, getting driven across the states of Victoria and New South Wales attending Diploma Shows with Dad and occasionally Mum. I don’t have much recollection of those very early days in their infancy as I was too young to take it all in, however I have some very fond memories of growing up amongst the fancy during the 90’s and beyond.

My judging journey began as an Aspiring Judge on the BCV Judges Panel, successfully passing the examination in 2014. I steadily progressed through the ranks of Aspiring and Probationary levels whilst plying my craft to become a Senior Panel Judge in 2019. I am currently a long standing Secretary of the Riverina Budgerigar Society Inc. along with being the Exhibitor & Variety Points coordinator and Webmaster for the Budgerigar Council of Victoria. In collaboration with Dad, I am also the coordinator of the BCV’s flagship quarterly publication “Budgie News”. We are in partnership together showing as M & R Randall and have been Champion Status exhibitors for many years. I was pleased to receive ANBC Judges accreditation after successfully passing the examination in Launceston, 2024.

It will be a great experience working through the very best of what each State/Zone has to offer on the Gold Coast in 2026. I consider it a great honour and a privilege to receive the invitation to judge at our nation’s most prestigious show and I sincerely look forward to adjudicating at this 50th Anniversary milestone event.

My journey with budgerigars began quite by accident. As a teenager aged between 16 and 18, my interests were much the same as most young lads—football, surfing, tennis, and an active outdoor life. My younger sister, along with a girlfriend, kept budgerigars and shared aviaries, but when life changed—as it often does at that age—boys entered the picture and the birds were left behind.

As the older brother, I took over the responsibility of feeding and watering, and before long I was well and truly bitten by the “budgie bug.” I began breeding budgerigars in homemade tea-chest breeding boxes under the family Queenslander on our dairy farm. Never one to do things half-heartedly, I built numerous tea-chest nest boxes and sourced discarded cages from local dumps, renovating them into usable breeding cages. At one stage, I had around 40 breeding cages set up under the house.

My parents were very supportive of my hobby, largely because, as they put it, “he’s home and not in trouble somewhere.” Breeding was successful, but a defining moment came when I visited the Brisbane RNA Show and spent time at the Queensland Budgerigar Society (QBS) stand. There I met Cliff Scroggings—a true breeder and a gentleman—who opened my eyes to the difference between exhibition budgerigars and what I then considered my “pets.”

That visit was a turning point. I returned home, retained only the best birds as feeders, sold the remainder, and began visiting established exhibition breeders. Thus began my true journey into exhibition budgerigars.

Judging soon became the next piece of the puzzle. After completing all the required steps, I sat my ANBC National Judges Examination. At my first attempt, I passed the written component comfortably but narrowly missed the practical—by what was said to be half a percent—earning me the nickname “Halfa” from a good friend in North Queensland. The following year, in 1993, I successfully passed the practical examination and was awarded my ANBC Judges badge.

I have been extremely fortunate to officiate as a judge at five ANBC National Championships:

• 1999 – SQBBA
• 2005 – Victoria, Melbourne (BCV)
• 2009 – Tasmania, Burnie (BCT)
• 2015 – Western Australia, Perth (WABC)
• 2017 – North Queensland, Mackay (NQBZ)

Other Shows and Events Judged:

• 2016 – South West Midlands Area Show, United Kingdom
• 2019 – WBO World Show, Karlsruhe, Germany
• 2025 – Auckland Patronage Show, New Zealand
• Previously judged the South Island Patronage Show, Gore, New Zealand

I sincerely thank everyone who has supported and encouraged me throughout this journey. In particular, I thank the SQBBA for the honour and invitation to judge the 50th Trill™ Expert ANBC National Championship Show on the Gold Coast in 2026.