ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE ANBC SECRETARY AND NORTH QUEENSLAND BUDGERIGAR ZONE INC.

We are delighted to announce and congratulate the judges for the 49^th Annual ANBC National Championship Show, to be held in Cairns in May 2025:

• Lynne Miller (South Queensland)

• John Mulley (South Australia)

• Cedric D’Costa (South Queensland)

• Ian Schneider (North Queensland)

Each of these esteemed individuals has been entrusted with the honour and responsibility of adjudicating the very best budgerigars Australia has to offer. Their expertise, dedication, and commitment to the highest standards of our hobby ensure that this year’s competition will be both fair and memorable.

The Northern Queensland Budgerigar Zone (NQBZ) warmly thanks each judge for graciously accepting this prestigious invitation. Your participation underscores the significance of the Nationals and contributes to the spirit of excellence that defines this premier event.

We are eagerly counting down to the 49th National Championship Show. This event promises to showcase the culmination of hard work, dedication, and passion from fanciers across the nation.

Stay tuned for more updates as we move closer to this much-anticipated celebration of Australia’s budgerigar community. Mark your calendars and join us for what is set to be an unforgettable event!

MEET THE JUDGES

Judge Announcement: Lynne Miller

I started breeding budgerigars in 1983 by chance. We built a small aviary for our very shy youngest son, who politely informed us that he was not interest in birds, so Errol and I took it over as there were already birds purchased. It didn’t take long for me to become very interested in breeding the birds that we had purchased from members of the Sandgate Budgerigar Club, In the same year, we joined the club as the partnership of Errol and Lynne Miller and from there we have enjoyed a successful breeding and showing program.

Over the years the aviary has been expanded to house 68 breeding cages, 4 large flights, 2 nursery flights and plenty of working room.

It wasn’t long before we started to have many wins on the show bench and so the interest in judging the birds became a reality. Sandgate Club called for exhibitors to learn the art of judging, so I put my name forward for the lessons. Needless to say, I passed to become Queensland judge in 1988 and then sat in Sydney in 1998 for the National Exam. I judged the National in Fremantle in 2001 and Toowoomba in 2013.

As a partnership, we have won 3 National titles and have had many top placings. We breed Normals, Dominant Pied’s, Cinnamonwings, Greywings, Dilutes, Spangles and Opalines. and we are still working on the Lutino.

I have travelled overseas many times and visited some wonderful aviaries and apart from the fabulous birds it’s the friendships abroad and especially here in Australia that keep Budgerigar Fancy a wonderful Hobby.

Judge Announcement: John Mulley

I caught a Normal grey at the backdoor around 1980 and once I got a mate for him, I was on my way. My grandfather and two uncles bred budgerigars and having looked after my father’s budgies for some years, I knew a bit about them. Then, in 1992 after a chance encounter with some exhibition budgerigars, fishing was set aside, and I was hooked on show budgies.

Winning the Opaline AOSV in Adelaide in 2000 and the Black-Eyed Self in Cairns in 2003 remains unforgettable. I still live in hope with 5 seconds across Clearwing, Black Eyed Self and Yellow Faced Blue, and 9 thirds across Dominant Pied, Black-Eyed Self, Dark Eyed Clear, Golden Faced Blue, Yellow Faced Blue, Crested and Hen over the years. Yes, I fell into the trap of breeding most varieties, especially where we had deficiencies in the South Australian team.

For many years I have been a delegate to the BCSA for my club, the North East Budgerigar Society. Roles for the BCSA have included Treasurer, Auction Coordinator, Bird Carer over a 20-year period, and lately Judges Coordinator. I became a Judge in 1998, advancing to national accreditation in 2018. A previous national appointment at Victor Harbor in 2022 was a great honour as is this invitation to judge at Cairns in 2025, which I am very much looking forward to.

Judge Announcement: Cedric D’Costa

I have bred, kept and exhibited budgerigars for half of my life; time well spent trying to produce the perfect bird. The hobby has enabled me to continually experiment, to question what other enthusiasts are doing and to prove to myself what can and cannot be achieved.

As a young child I was responsible for the chicken shed and for producing Christmas lunch. I rebelled and changed the shed into a pigeon loft and then, when I was 14 years of age, paired the family pet budgie “Bluey” to “Greenie” which turned out to be a Clearwing. Two remarkable things about this pair: they bred like proverbial rabbits and the hen had 3 primary tail feathers. I joined the Coburg Budgerigar Society and was astounded by the various colours and numbers of birds at our monthly table shows. I was awarded 2 Grand Champions in Victoria with Normal Light Green cocks, which was remarkable in the age of Lutino dominance. In 1972 I accepted employment with the Treasury in Canberra so no more birds, at least of the feathered variety!

In 1994 I built a large aviary on my small acreage property in Murrumbateman (outside Canberra). I was astounded at the change in the type of the modern budgerigar with buff feathering, which used to be the first birds culled, now winning the shows. After adjusting to the modern bird and learning of their relatively less robustness, I regularly won major awards in Canberra and NSW. I joined the BSNSW Judges program in 2007 for the purpose of giving back to the hobby, which has provided me so much joy. I expanded the number of varieties I bred to learn the particular variety requirements and to appreciate how difficult it is to achieve the required features.

In 2013 I relocated, with 360 birds, to the Gold Coast and transferred my judge’s status to the SQBJA. I continue to exhibit quality birds and have won classes at the National Championships (Albino and Clearwing in 2017 and Spangle Double Factor in 2019). In 2023 I passed the ANBC Judges national examination and now I have the opportunity to get up close to the best young budgerigars in the country.

I am both honoured and humbled to be selected for this judging appointment.

Judge Announcement: Ian Schnieder

From a very early age I was always interested in showing birds.  In 1981 I built myself an aviary and started breeding budgerigars.

I have been showing and breeding budgerigars for over 40 years, which is a tribute to my local club – Capricornia Budgerigar Society – as it has a strong core of dedicated breeders as well as 3 National Judges as its members.

In 2000 I became a ANBC Judge and have judged at Melbourne in 2005 and Bernie Tasmania in 2009.  I was invited in 2024 to judge in Auckland New Zealand where I was pleased to see that many of their breeders were very keen to learn more about the health and genetics of breeding show birds.

I find the genetics of this hobby most interesting as well as forming good friendships with like-minded people.  Some have left the hobby, but we still continue to be good friends.

The varieties I like to breed are Normals, Spangles, Cinnamonwings and Dominant Pied’s.

I like to foster and assist people with the knowledge I have to help them aspire to do well.  I am always thrilled to see the progress in the breeding of new members starting at Beginners to then achieving selection for the team for the Nationals.

I am honoured to be asked to judge at 2025 Nationals.