Mr Frank Gary
Crosswicks - N.J. - USA

4-6-1981

Dear Mr Gary,

I was most pleased to receive your welcome letter today and must apologise for not writing myself over the last few months, which I might say have been very heavy. Like yourself I have been logged sown with somuch on my plate and although I am retired. I can’t work out how I ever had time to go to work! I think the fact of the matter is that when one retires one tends to take on so many other projects until the situation gets out of hand. I was sorry to hear that Mrs Gary has had so many problems. I trust she will continue to improve. One of the things that has slowed me down has been the condition of my own wife. I believe I told you I was writing a book on the Pekin Bantam which includes the history and information I have collected on the breed, the final chapter dealing with a suggested standard for the breed in Australia which was formed thru our discussions.

The Pekin Club here did not want to handle it, so I have included in my book as a suggested standard for the Pekin in Australia. I will have some criticism no doubt but as you said to me some time ago Go ahead and get the job done and don’t worry about the critics. I am enclosing the complete text. There are illustrations (some of which come from your ABA Standard with due acknowledgement). These I will have printed by the offset process for inclusion as well as the sketches of the bird. I am hoping my son will have these for me very shortly. His business is expanding and he is also short of time. I will let you have copies as soon as possible.

As you will note my book will not be of high quality printing wise. I cannot afford to have it published in the normal manner as I wouldn’t find a publisher to take it on. I have typed all the stencils myself (I am not much of a typist either) and am printing the pages on a Gestecner Duplicating Machine also myself. I am printing 130 copies to start with and the book will contain approximately 160 pages. I can tell you it’s been a long hard grind. I have printed up to page 60 and typed the stencils to page 125 as well as this suggested standard. I am onto the last 3 or 4 chapters now so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The pages will be stapled together by the printer who is doing the illustrations for me. He will also print covers. Some people will perhaps say it is an amateurish job but it’s the only way I can get the information across so be that as it may.

There are also other drawings in it which I have either drawn or traced. You will certainly receive a copy when it comes off the press. Hopefully within a couple of months. I would appreciate your comment on the Standard’s chapter I have enclosed. It does of course contain more e.g. Scale of Points than we agreed upon for your ABA Standard but for Australia I felt this necessary.

When my friend Neville Notley began checking out the colours, we found 3 different descriptions of the Partridge pattern in the British Standard, so scrapped the lot and use the ABA description. That British Standard gets confusing I can tell you. For the Leghorn they have a general description, about 12 colours listed and 7 different Scales of Points for judging the different colours. Pretty hopeless. Some Scale of Points don’t even have points allotted for TYPE!

I was sorry to hear of Mr Brenneman’s passing. From my observations he must have been one of the stalwarts of the ABA. I have a copy of his book Crested Bantams published in 1977. You will no doubt miss him on your Committee. Hopefully you will soon have someone to fill his position.

It is certainly good news that the 5th Edition of the ABA Standards will be off the press shortly. I will be looking forward to seeing it. From memory I think the Australian Langshan was passed thru at the Columbus meeting but I understand on the other Australian breeds having to pass thru the channel before going into the standard.

Glad to hear that the information regarding the judging system in Australia proved useful. Since last writing our NSW all Feathered Clubs Advisory Consul have adopted a slightly improved arrangement for admitting judges to the judges panel. Not the complete answer but a move in the right direction. It will be a very slow process out here to get the situation into position where it is anywhere near what you have in the States.

I am President of our local Maitland Poultry Club. Our annual show comes up in 3 weeks and than our delegate and also thru personal contact our Club as well a few other affiliated Clubs in NSW have been advocating that the Executives of the Council visit the country shows to set up a better liaison. I think we are getting the message across at long last as when in Sydney for the Royal Easter Show I offered a personal invitation to the President of the Council to attend our show this year. The Club also put an invitation thru the official channels and I am led to believe he is coming to our show. There has recently been a change in executive officers of the Council. I think the change has been for the better. Of course the complete answer is a national association on the lines of the ABA with individual members. I’m afraid this may be a long way off.

Fred Jeffrey sent me 5 ABA Medallions for distribution throughout Australia. I have allotted one of the Bantam Club of the NSW, a show to be held also in 3 weeks time in Sydney. Another one will go to Queensland and another to Victoria. I am negotiating with the Clubs concerned at the moment. I have asked these Clubs to provide photographs of the Bantams awarded the ABA Medallion which I will send to Fred Jeffrey. If this proviso is adhered to the photographs may be suitable for publication in the Yearbook and be of interest to your American readers. It is very heartening to me to be made a Director at Large of the ABA in Australia and I will do my utmost to further the cause of the ABA you can be assured.

My son’s business interests are improving in this area. He will be disposing of this Sydney shop in September. This will enable him to expand here. The catering side of the business is improving (i.e. supplying food and service for parties weddings and the like). A lot of my time is taken up obtaining supplies etc for him and of course enables him to direct his energies into the selling and preparation for his work. The shop he has in the main street of Maitland sells hamburgers, sandwiches, drinks and the like. He does the cooking himself for his catering jobs and although he has never trained as a chief does a pretty good job with it. He also runs a hiring service (crockery, glasses knives and forks etc). The opportunity came up some little time back of buying out a couple of business’s in this line which he took. Over a period it will turn into a good money spinner. So you can see we don’t have much time for setting around. Some years ago (around 1960) I operated a nursery setting trees, shrubs and the like. Around that time there was somewhat of recession in that type of business so I phased out. However there is somewhat of a boom at the moment. My thoughts when I retired was to begin again on a small scale as an interest. I have tested out the marked for propagating and selling to nurseries small stock for growing on and the potential is there.

I have spoken to my son on this project. At my age (60) I don’t want to start a business if it were not to be carried on. He is interested and I can get it rolling and teach him enough to carry on so that could turn into another enterprise for him. I have the ideal situation as far as land is concerned which will eventually be is so it is up to him.

Well I have rambled on as Damon Runyan would say more than somewhat so will close now. I you are speaking to Fred Jeffrey you might tell him I will be writing soon. So for now all the best.

Sincerely yours,