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Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to you all on this our very special day - the Parent's Club's 75th Anniversary. It is hoped that many of you will be around for the 100th celebrations! We have entry of 78 Ridgebacks, including Veterans -what a wonderful effort this has been, and I take this opportunity of thanking the competitors so much for their support in making the show for us on this special day. Club members from all over Zimbabwe have supported us, together with exhibitors from South Africa, Zambia and as far away as Morocco. A welcome to our visitors from Australia, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Italy, Israel, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and Belgium. May you enjoy your stay in our lovely country. Our Judge, Mr Jack Selby, is from England and has bred Rhodesian Ridgebacks under the prefix "Eilack" for over 40 years. Jack is a very experienced Judge who has judged in many lands throughout the world and we are proud to have him with us today, and more proud to be able to give him 78 rhodesian Ridgeback to "go over". May you all show well for him. A sincere thanks to all our generous sponsors, the main one being SAFCO, and many more both locally and throughout the world. Your donations have helped us tremendously. A great big thanks to our small but hard working committee who have had a number of headaches to deal with, but have kept smiling, and thanks to the special helpers who have come forward to help us on this day. Without you all, we could not have made it. Win well, have a good day and enjoy yourselves. SAM WALLACE President. |
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THE FOUNDER OF THE PARENT CLUB
In 1922 Francis Richard Barnes called together a group of interested Ridgeback enthusiasts to the home of W H Peard in Suburbs, Bulawayo, and the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club was born. He then wrote the official Ridgeback Standard (which he later admitted had been based on that of the Dalmatians Standard) and endeavoured to have the breed officially recognised by the South african Kennel Union. This was no easy task but Barnes did not give up and, in 1926, the Rhodesian ridgeback (Lion dog) breed was officially accepted and recognised by the governing canine body. Barnes obtained his first Rhodesian Ridgeback from Graham Stacey in 1910. these had come from Cornelius van Rooyen and were known then as van Rooyen's Lion dogs. Barnes lived at Eskdale Farm in Figtree and raised his Ridgebacks using the famous Eskdale prefix. Many modern day Ridgeback can be traced to Eskdale Dingo as Barnes supplied foundation breeding stock to other early breeders. Barnes lived the rest of his life at Eskdale Farm and died in 1962. His Obituary, taken from a file supplied by the Pioneers Society -FR Barnes (1897) Mashonaland Rebellion - reads as follows: "Our Bulawayo Correspondent reports that Mr Francis Richard Barnes (88) of Eskdale Farm, Figtree, who died at his home on Sunday, is believed to be the last survivor of the original draft of the old Southern Rhodesian Volunteers, the first regular defence unit formed by the Charter Government. Mr Barnes was a friend of Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, the first administrator of Southern Rhodesia under the Pioneer regime. He was the third postmaster at the Kopje Post Office, Salisbury, and the third Civil servant to be engaged by the British South Africa Company government. He was postmaster at Bulawayo from 1910 to 1920 and then Surveyor of Postal Services for Southern Rhodesia until his retirement in 1923. He was the first secretary of the Salisbury Kennel Club. He lived in Eskdale with his only son, Mr Eric Barnes for many years. Both he and his son have been chairman of the Figtree Farmers' Association." |
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