The National Retrieving Championships will be held in Bairnsdale next month and the organisers have announced the judges for the event.
These championships are held annually to determine the best hunting dogs in Australia.
No live game or live ammunition is used but “runs” are set up by the judges to replicate true hunting conditions.
This year the judging duties will be shared by Diane Mc Cann and Greg Playdon.
Diane has been competing in retrieving trials for 35 years and judging for 10 years.
Diane owns several German Shorthaired Pointers (GSP) and is an active hunter, competitor and judge.
She has previously judged state championships as well as judging large fields of dogs in regional competitions.
She has travelled and judged locally as well as interstate and is well qualified to accept this appointment.
Greg is based in Traralgon and is a former winner of a National event together with several State Championships.
He has been competing for over quarter of a century and has competed successfully with Flat Coated Retrievers, and more recently with Labradors.
He has been a judge for about 10 years and has also judged interstate as well as locally.
The event is expected to attract up to 50 dogs with entries from all states of Australia.
East Gippsland Shire Council has been supportive of attracting this event to Bairnsdale.
It is expected it will attract up to 150 people into the area for up to three weeks.
There will be two “lead-up” trials to the Nationals, including the Victorian State Championship.
These trials will be held on September 7 and 8, and 14 and 15, the preceding two weekends before the Nationals on September 20, 21 and 22.
Bairnsdale has a number of keen retrieving enthusiast’s who are looking forward to pitting their dogs against the country’s best retrieving dogs.
