New England Exhibition Poultry Association (NEEPA)
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The New England Exhibition Poultry Association (NEEPA) is a regional poultry club that encompassses an area from the NSW north coast, inland as far as Narrabri, north to Tenterfield and south to Tamworth.
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Birth of the Club
The Club was the brainchild of Les Bushell from Glen Innes who had the desire to stage a major show on a grand scale and with an extensive prize list. Following several meetings between interested fanciers in the New England region the Inaugural Show was held in September 1991 at Glen Innes. The Show continued to attract a growing number of entries in the ensuing years and also began its own magazine, "Chicken Chat" which is a 32 page A5 booklet now published 8 times per year primarily during the height of the showing season. Chicken Chat was originally a newsletter for NEEPA's members and exhibitors at the Annual Show however it has grown to such an extent that currently there are nearly 300 subscribers from all around Australia and is in its 15th year of publication.
Annual Year Book
Following a number of requests by breeders regarding sourcing stock and individual fanciers it was decided to create an Annual Year Book containing useful information for fanciers and people new to the fancy. In 1993 the first Year Book was produced also being an A5 black and white booklet. The original book version listed the breeds under their respective category with breeders listed under each breed. An alphabetical list of the breeders appeared at the back of the book which readers could cross reference to.
Colour Pictorial Section
Since that time the book has been refined and improved to include an alphabetical list of all known Clubs and their respective Secretary and contact details, a calendar of events, show results, Club Report section, judging panel and pictorial pages. The latter has proved the major attraction for the Year Book especially after moving to full colour in 1998. The first full colour Year Book featured 6 pages consisting of about 80 photos while the current edition boasts 12 pages and around high quality 310 pictures of winners from shows all over Australia. The categorising of individual breeds has been improved too with each breed listed under its respective category and the list of breeders listed thereunder as per normal but each breeder has their State in brackets included therewith making the life simpler for the reader.
Annual Show in July
The NEEPA Club holds its Annual Show on the 3rd weekend in July with the Saturday being judging day followed that evening by the presentation dinner and distribution of an extensive range of trophies. Originally these were always silverware and hence the motto "The Silver Show of the North" however this has varied in recent years but one unique tradition which has not is the presentation of a Sportscoat to the Bird of Show winner from the previous year similar to the green jacket presented to the US Open golf winner. The coat is also embroidered with the year won and the annual dinner usually sees a number of these scattered throughout the audience. Typically around $2500 worth of cash and trophies are distributed on the Saturday night. The Show was originally held in Glen Innes up until 1996 but moved to Uralla after a majority of members resided in that area or nearby vicinity and made the task of setting up the pens a less arduous job. The Club obtained a loan to build a new pavilion and used the profits from Chicken Chat, the Year Book and its Merchandising Sales to repay this loan completing this ahead of schedule and now boasts one of the best poultry pavilions in Australia. The next step is to fully concrete the floor which is expected to be done in stages in the coming years. The show regularly attracts a full house of around 800 entries.
Contact Details
Membership of NEEPA is just $5 and entitles you to discounted entry fees as well as the usual voting privileges at meetings, etc. Memberships can be paid to:
- The Treasurer, Kevin Lawty, PO Box 112W, Narrabri West, NSW 2390.
All Year Book, subscription and other enquiries should be directed to:
- The Secretary and Publications Manager, Chris Hardman, 70 Edward Drive, Armidale NSW 2350
Phone (02) 6772 9365 (after 8pm) or email chardma2@une.edu.au
