Spectacle in sky as pigeons set to soar

Tomorrow morning will see about 7000 pigeons set free to begin a race back to Sydney as part of an event organsed by the Central Cumberland Racing Pigeon Federation.

Dubbo pigeon enthusiast Ken Madden has urged Dubbo residents to turn up for the release.

“A truck should arrive in Sydney sometime today carrying thousands of birds,” he said.

“They’ll stay overnight then be liberated from the Dubbo Showground carpark at 9am tomorrow.

“There is nothing like it - the force of 7000 pigeons - you couldn’t stand in front of them because they’d knock you over.”

Mr Madden said an event of this size, which would take place tomorrow and the following Saturday, happened only every few years.

“Sometimes they decide to fly north or south to Sydney but this time they’re flying east from Dubbo to Sydney,” he said.

Mr Madden said it was “serious business”, with an official video to be taken of the start and a official starter to make sure there were “no claims about cheating” and that “no one got the jump on anyone else”. 

He said scores of Sydney-based pigeon owners had each sent between 10 and 30 birds on the truck, and were hopeful a bird bearing their tag would be first to finish.

Meanwhile a group of Dubbo pigeon racers was holding its own series of events, Mr Madden said, that would take in areas such as Cobar and Nyngan in NSW and Peterborough in South Australia later this year.

angela.clutterbuck@ruralpress.com