Judges Coordinators Report June 2026

Hi All,

What an exciting month it has been as all States and Zones progressed through to the 50th Annual Trill™ Expert ANBC National Titles. From a judging perspective, this period included Club selections leading into State and Zone shows, along with the selection processes to identify teams representing each State and Zone at the 50th Annual Trill™ Expert ANBC National Titles.

To all breeders whose birds were selected for their State and Zone teams, congratulations. This is an outstanding achievement. All State and Zone carers should be extremely proud of their efforts in preparing their teams. The condition and presentation of birds benched at the 50th Annual Trill™ Expert ANBC National Titles was a credit to the dedication and hard work of every carer involved.

While the role of a carer is demanding, each team demonstrated a strong commitment to preparing every exhibit to the highest standard, giving them the best opportunity to perform on the show bench. I would like to particularly acknowledge ANBC Judges Neale Love, Kevin O’Callaghan, Malcolm Randall, and Robert Randall for an excellent job. They worked seamlessly together across all three sessions, displaying strong teamwork. Their end-of-class commentary was clear and informative, providing exhibitors with valuable insight into Judging decisions.

The overall quality of birds benched over the weekend was very strong. Notably, flecking was almost non-existent, which is very pleasing. In addition, the depth of quality across classes was excellent, with a good spread of class winners across all States and Zones.

Congratulations to South Queensland (SQBBA) and all volunteers who made the 50th Annual Trill™ Expert ANBC National Titles on the Gold Coast possible—you delivered an outstanding event. Hosting an annual Trill™ Expert ANBC National Titles requires an enormous effort, and your success is a testament to your organisation and teamwork. To those from other States and Zones who assisted—thank you for your support.

 

ANBC Judges Annual Meeting

The meeting commenced with a review of the AOSV Demonstration Class.

Following discussion, it was agreed to:

  • Seek clarification from the ANBC C&S Committee on permissible varieties with the Darkwing Variety.
  • Request additional detail from the ANBC C&S Committee regarding the definition of perfection for the Rainbow variety.

 

Flecking Action Plan

The final phase of the Flecking Action Plan has now been completed.

The ANBC Judges agreed that:

  • The desired outcome of the ANBC Standard Flecking Penalty and Disqualification clause has been achieved.
  • Moving forward, Judges across all States and Zones will need to continue to work collaboratively to ensure consistency in applying the flecking penalty and disqualification clause.
  • Breeders should continue striving to minimise flecking on the show bench.
  • A further Flecking Review will commence in May 2028.

 

Recessive Varieties

The Judges discussed terminology relating to these varieties and agreed to encourage a shift in language from “Lesser Varieties” to “Recessive Varieties.” This change reflects the strong progress and improvement seen in these varieties over the past 5–10 years which warrants this shift in language.