Strong family connections to North Otago and an urge to find out what the competition is up to brought an Australian fowl judge to Oamaru.
The Oamaru Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Society held its 132nd annual show at the Drill Hall in Itchen St, Oamaru, over the weekend, attracting almost 700 entries.
Keith Waugh, from Atherton Tablelands near the Australian city of Cairns, was travelling through New Zealand and took the opportunity to come to Oamaru to check the standard of show birds in this country.
He was asked to judge hard feather game fowl.
"That's where you've got one layer of feathers.''
Mr Waugh, who has judged birds for 30 years, said the way to assess hard feather game birds was to look at their shape, colour and condition.
He said Oamaru put on a display of "very good'' show birds.
"It was a pleasure to judge them.''
He spent roughly 30 seconds with each of the 200 birds he assessed.
Mr Waugh said the birds on show in New Zealand were different from what he was used to seeing in Australia.
"We go for more feathers at the moment.
"About 30 to 40 years ago we had birds like you've got here.''
Mr Waugh said he was on holiday and was visiting New Zealand connections.
"My grandmother was a Kiwi - I don't tell too many people.''
Two of his brothers came to the Waitaki Valley to work on the Benmore hydro scheme and they married locally, he said.
"They've been here now for over 50 years.‘‘One's still here, the other one died earlier this year.''
Society president Clint O'Brien said he was pleased to have Mr Waugh attend.
"It doesn't matter where you are from in the world, [with] a common interest you get on.''
Mr O'Brien said the Oamaru event was the last show on the competition circuit for the birds in question and so, by the time Oamaru's date came around, all judges in New Zealand had seen the competing birds.
Having Mr Waugh visit meant the birds exhibited had a fresh set of eyes assessing them.
"He has a good, honest look at them. It adds a bit of flavour to our show.''
