News and Information

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Vanuit die Kantoor / From the Office  January 2012

 Aan die vooraand van 2012 staan mens verwonderd oor hoe ons enigsins die jaar wat verby is kon oorleef.  2011 was ‘n rowwe jaar met siektes, plae en pestilensies wat veestapels uitgewis het; ernstige droogtetoestande wat boere dwing om pasgebore lammers keelaf te sny omdat hulle nie kos het nie; talle natuurrampe wêreldwyd wat gemeenskappe platslaan; en misdaad, geweld, oorlog en ekonomiese krisisse oral oor wat mens verstom.  Sommiges van ons het ook geliefdes (ook vier-voetig) verloor wat verder bygedra het tot die ellende. 

Luckily there was some good as well.  SASDA’s Jubilee Year has passed and we look back on a year of tremendous distances travelled, extreme weather conditions, awesome venues, challenging livestock, exciting runs, lots of fun and laughter; astounding support & publicity, as well as a general increase in the interest in sheepdogs countrywide.

Hanteerders het van meet af aan die pap dik aangemaak – daarvan getuig die 18 SVM’s wat toegeken is en die magdom kwalifikasies na hoër klasse – om so ook dié jaar spesiaal te maak.  Aan almal wat hul doelwitte vanjaar behaal het – BAIE GELUK!  En die wat nie so gelukkig was nie – moed hou, 2012 is dalk u uitblinkjaar!

Faansie Basson & Elsie Jammy’s trip to the USA was somewhat disappointing, and the SA Championship another first in our books.  Coen Meyer – at 80 – made everybody sit up and notice when he won the Jubilee Nursery Championship, and we are still recovering from the tremendous storm that hit the venue on Saturday night and absolutely drenched and almost destroyed everything!

 Ons het toe ook selfs ‘n paar “Bryce Lawrence”-episodes gehad, wat menige een oopmond, kopskuddend en selfs stom gelaat het – weliswaar nog ‘n eerste in SASDA se geskiedenis!

 To new members who joined our ranks recently, a word of warm WELCOME – we trust your membership will bring you joy and wish you all the best with your sheepdog endeavours.  Nice also to see that some “old” members had returned – welcome back & we wish you well.   

 Groot dankie aan diegene wat gedurende die jaar met goeie samewerking my taak makliker gemaak en telkens ‘n silwer randjie vir ‘n soms andersins donker wolk besorg het.  Ek waardeer u ondersteuning en werk graag saam met u.

 We are on the verge of a new year that will prove to be quite busy with eight DOY trials planned – one being a back-to-back trial for West Coast and Western Province in June in an effort to save on travelling.  It is my wish that every sheepdog handler will exhibit good sportsmanship and integrity at all times, either on the field or in your daily endeavours, and so carry out SASDA’s image throughout.

 Mag die Nuwe Jaar vir u elkeen vreugde, voorspoed, geluk en vrede inhou en onthou:

“Mense wat bereid is om hande te vat, kan groot uitdagings die hoof bied.”       

Martie Ferreira

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION / BELANGRIKE INLIGTING

 Price Increase:  Fees pertaining to litter registrations will increase from 1 January 2012.  Fines for late birth notice will in future be R10/pup and Registration Fees go up to R50/pup.  It will also affect Transfers, Duplicate Pedigrees etc.  PLEASE CHECK TARRIFFS further on in this Newsletter and send the right amounts to the Office in order to minimise delays.  Thank you.      

Lidmaatskap:  Vind asb hierby ingesluit ‘n herinneringskennisgewing met u fooie betaalbaar in Januarie, asook ‘n rekenaardrukstuk met u inligting tans op rekord.  Gaan dit asb na, verander of korrigeer waar nodig en stuur saam met u betaling aan die Kantoor terug ten einde die databasis op datum te kan hou.  Dankie vir u hulp.    

Breeders Register:  Breeders are requested to please complete and return the enclosed Register to the Office to ensure future litter registrations.  Thank you for your effort.

Registrasievorms:  Telers moet asb kennis neem dat GEEN werpselregistrasies voortaan deur die rekenaar aanvaar sal word indien die amptelike nommer (in rooi op die vorm) nie verskaf word nie.  U kan dus òf die oorspronklike vorm instuur / faks / e-pos òf die nommer meld wanneer u bel / sms ens.  Dankie vir u samewerking in dié verband.

Registrations:  Breeders are requested to please ensure that all information for litter registrations is completed in full and correctly.  Failure to do so will result in documents being returned to you at your cost and registrations will thus be delayed.  Thank you.

Reëlboek:  Ons is tans besig om die reëlboek vir herdruk te finaliseer.  Indien daar enige onduidelikheid of vrae is oor ‘n reël / reëls, kontak asb die Kantoor teen 14 Februarie 2012 sodat die saak met die volgende Bestuursvergadering op 1 Maart 2012 uitgeklaar kan word.  Dankie vir u bydrae.  

Financial Year End:  Please note that the Financial Year ends on 29 February 2012.  It will thus be appreciated if any outstanding fees (all sorts) could be remitted before then in order to be included in the 2012 Balance Sheet.  Thank you for your co-operation. 

 

 

Qualification through the classes

 
Over the past few years various requests had been made for ways to make the qualification from Beginners through to Seniors ‘easier’ and more accessible. Time and time again, however, the Executive had decided to keep the status quo …… the reason?
 
When SASDA first started out there were only two classes at trials – Novice (junior dogs) with a qualifying mark of 80% and Open (senior dogs). Our current Junior course is run on the same basis as the Novice course of those years, including the awarding of the COM for a score of 70% or more, enabling one to enter for the National Championship.
 
Over the years the Executive had really bent over backwards to accommodate more handlers. A Beginner course was introduced in the early 80’s to entice new/inexperienced handlers, run on exactly the same course as the Novice at that stage, but mainly judging the handler’s ability to handle and control a dog. Once a handler gets 85% he/she is believed to have enough control to progress to the next level.   
 
The Open class was then split into Intermediate and Seniors in order to make the jump from juniors to Seniors less daunting and the qualifying mark was set at a win with 90% or more. 
 
As dogs and handlers got more experienced the Intermediate Class became the current Seniors and the Seniors of those days changed to become the current Top Dog Class which would present more difficult challenges for more advanced dogs – hence the ruling that the Top Dog course can be anything as set up by the Trial’s Committee.  
 
Later, as farmer entries started dwindling and more ‘townies’ (with permission) began trialing, the Beginner course was once again altered to accommodate handlers, to what it is today – a shorter cast, no need to get the bring gate, only one drive obstacle etc.
 
Until today SASDA is the only trialing society in the world to have these four classes – most others still only have Open and Novice (and Nursery trials for young dogs in their off-season). 
 
As someone at the Natal Trial had concluded: ‘The problem is thus not with the system, but with handlers and dogs not being well enough prepared for trialing. Moving the goal posts closer every time won’t help if one is not up to standard with what is expected of you for each class – you will eventually only end up with no playing field at all’.                             MF
 
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