RACING pigeons play a big role in the local community where many breeders spend their Saturday afternoons watching the skyline for the appearance of the first of their feathered friends.
On Saturday these breeders will all have the opportunity of bidding on a world class pigeon at a sale in Cradock.
Pigeon fever recently ran high in South Africa when the bird, Mix, won the South African Million Dollar race for her proud owners and breeders, Gaddin Brother and Carl Stander. Not only did Mix win the prize money of R2 400 000 for her owners but she was thereafter sold for R1 150 000 at the first auction of the South African Pigeon Million Dollar Sale.
Members of the Cradock Community Loft has been competing in this international race for several years now and has always kept Cradock’s name high. Last year a pigeon of Pie-ter Joubert, one of the club’s members, finished fourth in the final race.
On Saturday, March 24, the Cradock Homing Society will have the privilege of hosting an auction at the JW Motors Show Room on the corner of Frere and Voortrekker Streets. This auction is one of several auctions to be held throughout the country where pigeons that have finished the Million Dollar Race will be going under the hammer. The sale starts at 10:00.
Cradock Homing Society was established in 1899 and is still going strong. It is one of the oldest societies in Cradock and they bought the Cradock Community Loft about three years ago to help generate much needed funds for the community.
This year Zonempi Soga, a local business man who bought pigeons at last year’s Community Loft auction, was welcomed to the club. He wishes to start a homing pigeon project for the youth of Cradock.
The club has received 40 pigeons from breeders all over the world to be auctioned on Saturday. There will be top pigeons available from the United Kingdom, America, Kuwait and South Africa for local breeders to bid on and increase their stock.