ANBC Presidents Report May 2026

I know that I will sleep much better this time next month. On the 27th of May, it will either be a glow of pure delight that everything at the National Show went according to plan, or… not much I can do about it now—move on. This will possibly be my last ANBC President’s Report. Neale will probably ask me for a report on how the Nationals went—that will either be a report high on emotion, or a very short report.

I have truly enjoyed my time as President of the Australian National Budgerigar Council. It certainly is a privilege bestowed on me by the South Queensland Budgerigar Breeders Association, and I thank them for the confidence they had in me. Being on the inside and presiding over meetings (which I must say I’m not the best at) has certainly allowed me to associate with delegates from other zones in a way I had not had the chance to do before. I thank those who have put up with me during my time in the chair.

One particular committee I was part of is the National Working Group Committee, a group of committed people whose only objective is to make the National Show an event all exhibition budgerigar breeders can be proud of – a weekend that every other budgerigar community in the world wants to emulate, with a show livestreamed to the world. This committee will grow and needs the support of the entire budgerigar community to take the increasing burden off the host zone, to a point where the ANBC National Show is able to be held in every state. With the help of the home zone, it can be funded and managed primarily by the ANBC through the National Show Committee. Having the same people each year organising the event, with the knowledge of previous Nationals, will enable the development of a smoothly coordinated approach. With one central point of contact, sponsorship opportunities will develop, adding external funding and helping ease the financial commitment needed to run a successful showcase event in today’s environment.

I’m hoping that everyone gets behind this committee in moving the Nationals into a different era. Change is often hard to accept, but what will be harder to accept is that certain smaller zones may no longer be able to host a National Show, therefore changing the whole National concept. So please support this committee’s purpose, so that you, the breeder, can still have a truly unique event: the event that a group of dedicated breeders 50 years ago dreamt about.

I’d like to introduce our sponsor for the 50th Annual TRILL™ Expert ANBC National Titles Saturday night event, which will feature presentations by Richard Miller (via Zoom) and Ali Bouresli. Unfortunately, Richard could not join us in person but will still be appearing on the big screen. Ali will be presenting his strategy on breeding super budgerigars, with Stephen Thompson interviewing him and drawing out the valuable insights he has to offer. This will be a very memorable evening for all.

Regards

Garry Hibberd
ANBC President