1976

Quite a year. CORYDON QUINAULT became CH CORYDON QUINAULT at National Working and Pastoral Breeds Championship Show under Mr L Casely. He was also Best of Breed beating the leading Collie of the year in the process and then was in the final 4 for Best in Show. This was his last show as I promised him at the start of the day that this was going to be his last ever show. He did not enjoy the shows. He went to Australia soon afterwards and he was sold to Brenda West on the understanding that he was never to be shown. But he did sired quite a lot of Champions over there.

CORYDON BOUQUET IN BLUE won the CC at the Welsh Kennel Club Championship Show under Mrs J Harris.

Not to be outdone CORYDON KING HECTOR won the Res CC at Lancashire and Cheshire Collie Club under Mrs J Osborne and at the Yorkshire Collie Club under Des Rippon.

CORYDON OLD KING COLE won the Res CC at Scottish Collie Club under Vera Hickson while he was still a puppy. He was also Best Puppy in Show.

Then CORYDON POLLY HANNAH won the Res CC at Darlington CH Show under Mrs P Mildon. She also was a puppy when she won, and I think that these 2 puppies are the only Corydon’s to win Res CC’s as puppies. We are not known for the early maturity of our stock and it is interesting to look back and realise that neither Old King Cole nor Polly Hannah ever became Champions.

This show was famous for the huge storm that came just before the show and blew most of the tents down. We were judged under a small bit of a tent with the rain lashing down. After the driest and hottest summer in living memory it came as quite a shock. But we were pleased with the Res CC.

1976 was really Hannah’s year as she had considerable success as a puppy and got the extraordinary number of 66 Junior Warrant Points. She was second in the year for number of wins for a puppy.

CORYDON KING HECTOR won Best in Show at East Anglian Open Show under Iris Combe in January and BARNVILLE BLUE BARNET AT CORDON won Best in Show at East Anglian Limited Show in May under Joan Hill.

CH CORYDON HIPPOLYTA won Best of Breeds at Newark and Notts Ag Show and Derbyshire Ag Show.

CORYDON POLLY HANNAH was Best of Breed at Derby KA and CORYDON BOUQUET IN BLUE was Best of Breed at British Timken under Eddie Hickson. I remember this show as the very dry summer came to an end with a rainstorm at the show. The ground was so hard that the water could not soak into the ground and everywhere became flooded.

All this success meant that our dogs won 74 first prizes during 1976