Thanks to the enthusiastic group of NSW and ACT beagle club members for hosting and organising the weekend.Thanks to the enthusiastic group of NSW and ACT beagle club members for hosting and organising the weekend.
Each year The Beagle Club of NSW holds a Scent Weekend in a NSW country location:
The following document provide information about past and current weekends:
Beagles follow their nose to Cootamundra
Reprinted with permission from the Cootamundra Herald, 13 Jul, 2011.
ALL roads led to Cootamundra over the weekend for the annual Christmas in July and Beagle Scent Hunt for beagles and their owners.
The event, which is now in its seventh year, is hosted by members of the ACT Beagle Club and the NSW Beagle Club and saw some 35 owners and 28 beagles congregate in Cootamundra.
The hunt, which is held at Bimbadeen, because of its luxurious space, enclosed paddocks, close proximity to town and fully functional commercial kitchen, sees people and their beloved beagle companions travel from all corners of the ACT and NSW to participate.
The event is always held during the second weekend in July.
ACT Beagle Club president Bernadette Ni Beirne [sic. Ms Ni Berne is not the current President. Ed.] has the task each year of making a bullock’s liver smell as putrid as possible, so it can be dragged along different tracks behind a quad bike, for the beagles to unleash their natural talent of following a scent for one weekend a year.
"I organise the bullocks liver, which is coated in garlic, slowly roasted, then buried for a week, unburied and left in the sun for a number of days, so the meat is almost unbearable to the human nose, the liver is then put in a hessian bag and then placed in an air tight container to travel to Cootamundra to be dragged across the ground for the hounds to chase," Ms Ni Beirne said.
She said the beagles involved in the scent hunt are domestic pets and are usually given one opportunity over one weekend a year to get wild and woolly and have fun following their nose.
"It is spectacular to watch seeing domesticated beagles do what they are known for as the best scent followers in the world, in an unfamiliar environment, it is amazing how some of the dogs who often have never been before, naturally lead the pack when following the trail," Ms Ni Beirne said.
"The excitement and anticipation to begin following the scent at the start of each run is priceless, with at times owners struggling to hold their dog back on the leash before the hunting horn is sounded and they can be released."
The weekend was started in 2005 by local beagle breeders Brian and Lesley Childs.
Brian and Lesley used the weekend to network with other breeders and beagle owners, the weekend continues to grow and attract more beagles and their owners.
Only in recent years, Brian and Lesley have stepped back from the annual weekend.
Ms Ni Beirne said event is all about the dogs.
"There is no reward at the end of the chase, it is all about the chase for the canines."
The dogs enjoyed five different runs on Saturday and a couple on the Sunday morning.
On Saturday afternoon, Cootamundra’s main street became a site for onlookers with all of the scent hunt participants and their owners going for a walk down Parker Street as a large group.
On Saturday evening the out of town visitors enjoyed a Christmas in July four course meal at Bimbadeen.
Ms Ni Beirne said a big thank you must be extended to Bimbadeen’s caretakers Jeremy and Denise Moss who made their stay in Cootamundra pleasurable.
"Jeremy and Denise had fire wood chopped, livestock removed from paddocks, fires stoked and the kitchen ready to go on our arrival, we can’t thank Jeremy and Denise enough," Ms Ni Beirne said.
The majority of owners and their dogs arrived in Cootamundra on Friday afternoon and departed on Sunday afternoon.
Cootamundra 2011
By Richard and Christine Byrne.
Yet again, the way the dogs ran (or didn’t!) at Cootamundra fascinated me! On both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning there were 4-5 runs with the dogs chasing a quad bike dragging an evil-smelling lure around hilly paddocks, each run being between 2-4 kilometres long! Some dogs didn’t go very far before looking around for their carers - either because they did not pick up the scent or lost it, or they did not like straying too far from their owners in case their owners got into trouble. Others fell behind the leaders on the way, and finally decided to return to where their people were, so we had dogs all over the paddock being chased by various bodies! All ultimately were reunited!
Other dogs completed the runs, and within 15-30 minutes were ready to take off again - at full pelt! It is fabulous seeing them take off! I don’t know how people on foot followed Beagles on a hunt! And at the end of the last run they were still keen to go again!
What were the after-effects of all this running? Apart from being quite ready to curl up and sleep (we had a very quiet trip home!) for the next day or two - but still keen for their walks - there seemed no after-effects at all! When I think of all the lactic acid they must have generated and the destruction of red blood cells, I wonder how they do it! Their normal exercise is a 40-60 minute walk most days and ambling around our yard, chasing the occasional magpie - what they do at Cootamundra is so much more!
The other thing I wonder about is: how to encourage more of the dogs to run? How to help them get the idea? Our two got the idea right from puppies - perhaps because then they had more independence off-lead in a quiet park and along a creek than we allow them now - and the 5 year old Rescue dog we were fostering went well too, perhaps because she had packed up so well with our two. How to have more of the dogs run! But some of the owners of those dogs said they still had a wonderful weekend and were thrilled to see the Beagles go!
We arrived at "Bimbadeen" on a cold, windy Friday afternoon after a six hour drive from Newcastle, the first ones to arrive. Our organiser, Bernadette, arrived soon afterwards, having been led by her GPS navigation all around the countryside - it took her eight hours for a four-hour drive - and she was breath-tested five times along the way! Yet this is the lady who arranged and did the cooking of a delicious meal for 28 people on Saturday night and still had the time to handle her dog in all the runs!
One Beagle was found wandering along the highway by a couple heading for "Bimbadeen"; it gave them solace that they were near the right place - but it wasn’t one of ours! We rang the daughter of a Beagle-breeding family in Cootamundra and she came with friends and took it in charge, to find its owner.
The running did not get off to a good start, as the man with the quad-bike forgot to deliver it - until eventually contacted! One man there for his first time towed the lure around for the first two runs; the first was to the water tank - but nobody told him that there were TWO water tanks, and he went to the wrong one, some distance from where the mob were heading! Confusion reigned in the minds of both owners and dogs! Eventually all were reunited, though our Tanya, not being able to find us, made her way back to our cabin and car (we don’t know how she crossed the cattle grid!) knowing that there she would not be left behind!
But the quad-bike did come, and the runs went ahead! One lovely little pup (6-9 months) was fitted out with a GPS collar, with his owner tracking his movements via satellite! He didn’t do too well in completing the runs but his family had a great time on the weekend.
Two other things were different this weekend: a new managing couple has been appointed to "Bimbadeen" and they had made a number of improvements. They take seriously the fact that it is an evangelical Christian establishment for Aboriginals, so alcohol is not permitted, (I found sparkling grape juice was a much more pleasant drink than dealcoholised wine!) and to help with improvements, there is now a $10 per head per day fee for the use of the facility.
So Cootamundra 2011! Another great and enjoyable weekend!
We have lots of extras from the 2011 weekend.
No reports yet.
by Monique Bownas
Ed: Thanks Monique for this wonderful report, and thanks Matt for your great pictures.
The social event on the beagle calendar has come and gone for another year and was a huge success! In it’s 6th year it was the biggest turn out to date with over 30 beagles and their owners attending from all over Sydney, Canberra and the NSW North Coast.
This was the first year that Brian and Lesley had a break from hosting the event although they still played a big part and we thank them for that.
The activities kicked off at Midday on Saturday with everyone grabbing a quick cuppa before Brian went through the rules, then it was all systems go. We went to various paddocks on the Bimbadeen property where the dogs sniffed the lure which was tied to the back of the quad bike before it took off out of sight leaving a rather smelly trail behind it. We lined the dogs up and on Brian’s command let them loose. What a sight! The beagles took off like rockets following the scent. We did 5 runs and then decided that the beagles and humans needed a rest so we went to Bimbadeen and had afternoon tea. Thank you to everyone who bought a plate to share.
After our break we got in our cars and headed down to Albert Park where we started our walk down the main street of Cootamundra. Brian turned up with 9 of his beagles so that no one missed out on taking a beagle for a walk. It was perfect weather for the weekend; sunny and cool, but not too cool!
After our walk we split up for a few hours before dinner. The dinner was held at Bimbadeen and was a feast. Also worth a mention were the decorations. They looked fantastic.
On Sunday we met again at Bimbadeen for another 4 runs. Unfortunately we couldn’t do the usual off-leash walk because there were sheep in the paddock so we went back to Bimbadeen for some morning tea and lots of reminiscing of what a great weekend it was and how much we are all looking forward to next year.
Some stand out beagles for the weekend were as follows:
In closing I want to say it was a fantastic weekend and thank you to everyone involved in organising the event of the year! See you all at the next one.
by Bernadette Ní Beirné
Ed: Thanks Bernadette for this wonderful report.
Whew! Our first, middle and last thoughts on the 2009 Drag Scent Hunt weekend can be summed up by just that - whew! Overwhelming relief, tinged with just the most naked soupcon of amazement!
This year's drag scent hunt featured all the activities usually associated with the Cootamundra weekend, but also represented a break with some aspects of this beloved tradition. At the end of last year's event, we were all slightly taken aback (and not a little dismayed), when Brian Childs announced that he and Lesley would not be organising the hunt weekend in future. Brian then suggested that the ACT Beagle Club might like to pick up the Hunt baton and run with it.....
... yer wha? Talk about a conversation stopper. The initial response (silence.... alarmed eyebrows.... uncertain murmurs) did not augur well for the future of this much-loved Beagle Event. But the first stunned reaction (snazzle, roozle, rhubarb-rhubarb, cor blimey Boris) gradually gave way to a speculatively vague agreement that yes, this was probably something that we could, perhaps, take on board - and not just the ACT Club - members of both Clubs could volunteer their services in whatever capacity suited them... all working together towards a common goal - how cool would that be? After all, we said, we are all reasonably competent people aren't we? And we have a year to work it all out, don't we? And really, how hard could it possibly be? Peering doubtfully at the baton, but safely distanced from any immediate need to come to grips with the reality of it all, we figuratively reached out and rashly grasped the slender wooden stick....
This was the Hunt Weekend that was nearly scuttled before it got started - at the very last moment, it was learned that the usual quad bike, essential to the laying of the noxious scent for the hounds to follow, wasn't available. Much consternation ensued. What to do? Could we tie the lure to a young and fit participant and get Him (there was never any doubt that it would be a him - no Her would be that silly) to gallop across the Bimbadeen property? The potential Hims, it has to be said, all looked slightly dismayed at the prospect. Not that any of us cared about that, but we did agree that there must be an easier way - and then, inspiration struck! We could hire a quad bike! Definitely a better idea. So, Brian trundled off to arrange a quad bike and everyone heaved a huge sigh of relief. Especially the Hims.
While some things may have changed from previous years, the actual hunt remained splendidly the same, with all the usual, perfect, expected blessings - happy hounds and their doting skin-people pretending for one glorious weekend that there is more to them than well bred docility and calm domesticity ... wild, windswept and fascinating adventurers, one and all.
As always, after a brief welcome and an explanation of dos and don'ts from Brian (who was still officiating as Hunt Master), things got under way with a mini run to break in new paws and to remind old paws of how it all worked. The Pack gathered together with much good-natured jostling for position and frequent unscheduled outbreaks of play. Once settled, and after being allowed to sniff the lure (disgusting to anyone in their right mind) the pack, as though nose and larynx were inextricably linked, began to bay at the heavens...first one beagle, then two, three, four... until the whole pack was baying with one voice - baying, baying, baying, heads thrown back, uptilted throats pulsating, baying so hard that front paws lifted clear off the ground, straining forwards against collars - held in check only by their attendant skin-people, waiting for the release command from Our Fearless Leader...
"Release!" And away they went (or not) - headlong, up hill and down dale, baying, panting and (I swear to god) laughing; skin-people madly waving cameras in an attempt to capture the speed, the joyous abandon of the hounds, the overwhelming sense of a beagle pack in full cry (did you know that the collective noun for a pack of beagles is ‘a cry of beagles'?).
As the pack hurled itself helter-skelter into the thrill of the chase, the skin-people stood watching the hounds disappear into the distance, rapidly diminishing from happy beagle bottoms, bunched muscles thrusting forward through the undergrowth, flags carried jauntily on high, to ever-fading glimpses of white-tipped flags moving through the long grasses .....
... and then here they came again, hurtling down the home stretch - long, low bodies racing on short, sturdy legs across the rough terrain... flags still carried proudly up, GT ears flying out behind, laughing faces ... the sheer delight of doing what they were bred to do shining brilliantly from merry beagle eyes.
Highlights of the weekend, we hear you ask ...
... y'know how we always say that we haven't lost a dog yet? Well, we still haven't, but it's fair to say that this year it certainly wasn't for lack of trying. After every run, there were beagles who were mysteriously unaccounted for - sometimes for a nerve-stretching length of time.... and there was one poor skin person whose three beagles must have drawn up a roster - "You go missing after the first run, then I'll hide after the second run... let's see how long it takes for Dad to lose his mind...". But beagles wouldn't do that to their doting skin-people, would they? It would be cruel, wouldn't it? Of course it would. So, it must have been pure chance that after every run, one of them was missing. Yep. That must be it. Absolutely.
And then there was tiny Bella, only hop-high to a knee-grasser and surely far too small to go hunting with the pack. Hah! Bella, scorning such pathetic concerns, clearly had other ideas. After one of the later runs, tiny Bella was one the hounds Missing In Action and, as time passed, we were all becoming quite concerned about her. Just as panic was about to set in, wee Bella was espied running as fast as her tiny paws would carry her... across paddocks, fording gullies, climbing mountains.... determinedly answering the call of the hunting horn, returning to the fold against almost insuperable odds - and with a sheep's skull almost as big as her entire fur-person triumphantly held in her little beagley mouth... such an achievement for a fur-person of hardly any size at all, and ensuring her place in the Beagle Hall of Fame. And did she look pleased with Herself? She most assuredly did! She showed all the big beagle boys and girls how it should be done!! SHE had hunted down CARCASE. Not just a smell that no one ever caught!!! Soooooo much more impressive.
And Theo demonstrated just where a beagle's priorities should lie. Released by his Mum at the signal from the Hunt Master, Theo took off like a rocket.... like a speeding bullet .... like a comet ....like a very fast thing.... straight to his Dad, who was watching from the sidelines of the pack, and nestled contentedly in next to his skin-person to watch the pack disappear into the far distance. There's a message there for all of us, skin and fur-people alike - if it comes to a choice between the thrill of the chase and the loving arms ‘n paws of our pack, there's no contest. Such a wise little beagle. The writer of this report was also the head chef for the Saturday night Christmas-in-July dinner, so is unable to comment on the meal - except to say that her astonished relief that the food ever made it to the table was too great to be measured! But the Hall looked fabulous (the work of Christmas-in-July elves on Friday evening), the company was delightful and, according to various reports, the Tall Tails of Butt-Faced Beagle Miscreants told by various people and the games of Pin the Tail on the Beagle were well received, adding to the general air of festivity and camaraderie.
After a few more runs on Sunday morning, the Drag Hunt weekend was over. Skin and fur people bundled into cars and headed home to their various dens. I don't know about the other fur-people, but safely arrived home, my beagle climbed up onto the lounge, curled himself up into a beagle-doughnut, tucked his nose safely into his bottom, gave a shuddering sigh and fell deeply asleep, to dream of the weekend's adventures - nose and body twitching, paws sleep-running, and with an occasional sleep-muffled "Hooo-rooooo!" And, perhaps, dreaming further back through time, of other heroic beagle exploits ... a brigade of beagles, resplendent in doublet and hose, gloriously defeating the Spaniel's Armada.... sloe-eyed beagles, driving back the Persians (cats, you understand) at the Pass... beagles, worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt - no, really - take the Sphinx... did you honestly believe that the Sphinx is wearing a head dress? Look again. Carefully. Now are those beagle ears, or are those beagle ears?
And thanks for all the fish
Well, it was a roller coaster ride, right enough. But what a great outcome! From laying the groundwork at the beginning to the last mopping up efforts on Sunday afternoon, this was a truly collaborative event between the ACT and NSW Beagle Clubs. And, even if we do say so ourselves, we think we can safely say that it was a great success. Everything that needed to happen did (and that wasn't as much a foregone conclusion as you may think!) and a greater sense of cooperation and shared identity has been forged between members of the two Beagle Clubs. We very much look forward to a continuing growth of these links, to the benefit and delight of all concerned.
As with any social event, the Scent Weekend can only be as successful as the skin (and, in this case, fur) people who participate - so, heartfelt thanks to all those skin and fur-people who schlepped to Cootamundra, participated in the weekend and enriched the event with their presence and the warmth of their personalities.
More specific thanks are owed to a number of individuals, without whose minds, muscles and untiring goodwill, the Hunt weekend would have been very much the less - or may not have been at all. So, on behalf of us all, and in no particular order, our thanks go to:
Roberta Dowd; Richard and Leigh Valentine; Judy Roediger; Ned, Nicky, Sharnie and Paris Dooley/Smallwood; Sue Lindsay; Rowena of the Soup; Jamie Currie; and Brian and Lesley Childs.
We have lots of extras, such as photos from the 2009 weekend.
by Monique Bownas
Ed: Thanks Monique for this wonderful report, and thanks Matt for your great pictures.
The social event on the beagle calendar has come and gone for another year and was a huge success! 22 beagles and their owners came along from Sydney, Canberra and the NSW North Coast, what a great representation for the club. The weather was perfect sunny and cool.
The activities kicked off at Midday on Saturday with everyone grabbing a quick cuppa before Brian introduced himself and went through the rules, then it was all systems go. We went to various paddocks on the Bimbadeen property where the dogs sniffed the lure which was tied to the back of the quad bike before it took off out of sight leaving a rather smelly trail behind it. We lined the dogs up and on Brian’s command let them loose. What a sight! The beagles took off like rockets following the scent (except for a few young ones which didn’t quite get what all the fuss was about). We did 5 runs and then decided that the beagles and humans needed a rest so we went to Bimbadeen and had afternoon tea. Thank you to everyone who bought a plate to share.
After our break we got in our cars and headed down to Albert Park where we started our walk down the main street of Cootamundra. Brian turned up with 6 of his beagles so that no one missed out on taking a beagle for a walk. One person who wishes he didn’t take one of Brian’s dogs would have to be David. It just wasn’t his weekend. He kindly drove the quad bike on Saturday but in transferring the lure in a bucket from Brian’s house he didn’t realize the bucket had a hole in it and he ended up with the lovely lure smell all over his jeans. After borrowing a pair of jeans and feeling refreshed he kindly offered to take one of Brian’s dogs on the walk down the main street. Just before we set off from Albert Park the dog decided to lift his leg on David’s clean jeans! Everyone found it funny except for David.
After our walk we split up for a few hours before dinner, some people dropped their dogs off at Brian’s for the night where they got to play in the front yard for awhile. I can’t believe they still had the energy. We also got too see some of the puppies Brian has and they were absolutely gorgeous.
Once again the dinner was fantastic with Brian and Lesley providing a three course feast and everyone settled down for the night very content.
On Sunday we met again at Bimbadeen for another 4 runs. On the last run a group of beagles didn’t come back so their owners set off in search of them and found them not too far away snacking on a kangaroo leg. Then we went on a nice ‘off leash’ walk in one of the paddocks (what great views) before having some morning tea and lots of reminiscing of what a great weekend it was and how much we are all looking forward to next year.
Some stand out beagles for the weekend are as follows:
In closing I want to say on behalf of everyone that came on the weekend a HUGE thank you to Brian and Lesley for hosting and organising the weekend. Your hospitality is second to none and we all really appreciate the time and effort you put in to making this weekend the most talked about event on the beagle calendar! See you all next year.
by Richard Byrne (Tanya and Tzar)
Ed: Thanks Richard for this wonderful report.
For the fifth time, Beagles and their partners gathered at Bimbadeen, on the outskirts of Cootamundra, for the Annual Christmas in July Hunt organised by Brian and Lesley Childs of Brialey Beagles, under the auspices of the Club. Many were from the ACT Beagle Club; others came from Sydney and other places including Newcastle, Lithgow and Nowra. The partners also came for the Dinner on Saturday evening! About 30 Beagles gathered, with some of the old hands quickly recognising what was to happen and barking up a storm! With a few not able to stay, 37 people gathered for the usual delicious Christmas in July dinner.
The weather was ideal: cool and slightly overcast. A cattle ramp had to be negotiated first - a few Beagles danced across it; some tried but had to be rescued; most were carried across it. A quad-bike took off with the lure, the Beagles straining to follow! Then they were OFF! A few Beagles went only about 100 metres, either uncertain about what they had to do or about leaving their domestic pack. Others have been called "Cappuccino Beagles", not used to too much exercise! The rest disappeared into the distance!
It wasn’t long before the first Beagles finished the first of four runs that afternoon, each being about a kilometre. Then after the two-legged people had afternoon tea, all took off on the walk through the main streets of Cootamundra.
Sunday morning saw us gathering at Bimbadeen again for another four runs, longer ones this time. The Beagles did better on this occasion, with one deciding to cover most of the runs a second time! He had a like-minded companion, a young lad, who often took off to round up stragglers (see the photo for the outcome). The morning finished with a leisurely walk in one of the paddocks and a cuppa before most left for home.
Brian and Lesley handing over
Brian announced at the Dinner that this would be the last Hunt they would be organising, for several reasons. Bimbadeen would still be available and they would help anyone willing to take it on. The ACT Club is considering taking on the organising.
Again it was a wonderful weekend, thoroughly enjoyed by both Beagles and humans! Thank you, Brian and Lesley, for initiating the Hunt and doing so much to ensure its success the last five years!
We have lots of extras, such as photos from the 2008 weekend.
by John New
Once again, we had another fantastic time at Cootamundra for our annual Christmas in July Scent Weekend. A very approximate breakdown of numbers would be: about 45 people and more than 30 beagles in total; about 20 people and 15 beagles from Sydney; about 18 people and 12 beagles from Canberra; at least two people and one beagle from Newcastle; and a few people and beagles from other locations. This is about the same number of people and beagles as last year, indicating that the weekend is as popular as ever.
Special thanks must again go to Brian and Lesley Childs, Brialey Beagles, Cootamundra, who outdid themselves as hosts for the weekend. Because the numbers last year were so large, this year Brian and Lesley decided to use more of the facilities at Bimbadeen for afternoon and morning teas, and our Christmas dinner, rather than squeezing everyone into their house. This worked out very well. I'm sure Brian and Lesley had numerous helpers, but I'm not sure who they all were, so on behalf of everyone who attended, sincere thanks for helping to make the weekend such a success.
We started the activities about 12 noon on Saturday at Bimbadeen. Brian welcomed us and explained the ground rules for the weekend. Then, ignoring the rain that fell for most of the afternoon and evening, the fun started. We walked to various starting points around the Bimbadeen property, the dogs sniffed the stinky lure at each point, the four-wheel motor bike took off, we lined the beagles up, and then we let them off. The noise was fantastic, it's so much fun to see a group of such enthusiastic dogs howling, barking, woofing, baying, arooing, and so on. Some dogs got the idea right away and realised the idea was to follow the lure, others went for a short run and then came back, others shot off in the opposite direction. After the dogs were thoroughly exhausted, we stopped for some welcome afternoon tea. Rested and refreshed, we all drove to the main shopping area, and walked up and down the main street, with a little extra walk around a park.
We split up for a couple of hours, had a rest, and then returned to Bimbadeen for a fantastic three-course Christmas dinner, served by Brian, Lesley, and some helpful elves. It's worth pointing out, that for one family, it wasn't quite so restful. The reason is that one of their dogs ate some of the stinky lure when it broke in half during the afternoon, and then the poor little beagle spent a lot of time throwing up here and there. Fortunately, the beagle seemed to recover overnight and rejoined the activities next day, seemingly no worse for wear based on her enthusiasm to rejoin the pack.
The weather cleared up on Sunday, as we met up again at Bimbadeen for a few more scent trails and walks around the property. We finished the fun about 11am, for morning tea, and then set off for home with thoroughly exhausted beagles no doubt happy to enjoy a peaceful drive home snoozing in the car. Our Christmas in July Scent Weekend was over for another year, leaving everyone with happy memories of their beagles romping and sniffing through the fields, doing what they do best.
Some emailed comments from the weekend:
I just wanted to send a thankyou and some photos.......
This was our first Club event and we had an amazing time.
Not only was Tully completely blissed out being surrounded by so many other beagles but we had an extremely enjoyable time meeting lots of other beagle owners/devotees
The weekend was very well organized and Brian and Lesley did a great job catering for such a large number of people.
The scent trails were great fun for the hounds but equally enjoyable for us humans who were delighted to see our little hounds in action.
We are already looking forward to the next activity/walk and will keep an eye on the club calendar in anticipation!!
I have attached a selection of our many many photos of the weekend
Best regards
We had a wonderful time and look forward to another weekend next year.
We have lots of extras, such as photos and other goodies from the 2007 weekend - thanks to everyone for sending them.
by John New
What a fabulous time at Cootamundra for the annual Christmas in July Scent Weekend. If you weren't there and you enjoy watching beagles having fun, make a date in your diary for next year when we hope to hold it again. The club has held Christmas in July for the last three years and each time it has been bigger and better. This time we had about 50 people and more than 30 beagles. Most came from Sydney but there were also some from Canberra and the local area.
So many attendees meant a lot of work for the organisers. Special thanks must go to Brian and Lesley Childs, Brialey Beagles, Cootamundra, who outdid themselves once again as hosts for the weekend. Reportedly they started planning almost 12 months ago! Thanks must also go to their many helpers. For the beagles, most work was spent preparing the smelly hessian scent bag and deciding on the location of the scent trails. For the humans, most was spent organising the sumptuous Christmas dinner. It was amazing to have such a fantastic dinner in such a wonderful atmosphere for only $11!
We started the fun about 12 noon on Saturday at Bimbadeen. Brian welcomed us and explained the ground rules for the weekend. Then we were off to our first scent trail. We let the dogs sniff the scent bag, and waited while a four-wheel motor-bike was used to drag it around a fenced paddock. We lined the beagles up to the tremendous noise of baying, barking, woofing, and arooing. It was deafening! With a cry of "Tally Ho" and a horn blast, we released the beagles and watched as the pack sorted itself out into the serious sniffers, the learners, and those who didn't have a clue. The first group went around the whole trail, the second had a go but seemed to lose interest, and the third (the party animals) decided to do their own thing.
We did three more scent trails until it seemed the beagles were exhausted, and then adjourned to Brian and Lesley's house for a welcome cup of tea or coffee and a snack. Following afternoon tea, it was time for the Annual Cootamundra Beagle Parade - we drove to the main shopping area and walked up and down the main street. We then had some free time until we met again at Brian and Lesley's for pre-Christmas nibblies and drinks. For dinner, a few rooms had been completely rearranged to create some very packed eating areas. We were given strict instructions not to move around too much and then just watched in amazement as the three-course meal was served.
On Sunday we met about 9am for some more scent trails. It seemed that a few more beagles had picked up what they were supposed to do, and once again it was great fun to see them running and sniffing and having so much fun. We finished off the morning activities with a long walk around a paddock and watched as the beagles raced here and there sniffing at everything they could find. Unfortunately, a few also found some smelly sheep wool and other stinky stuff and couldn't resist a roll. We finished about 11:30am and, after some morning tea, left for home with our thoroughly exhausted but happy and stinky beagles.
The following beagles would like to give Brian and Lesley lots of licks: Daisy and Gypsy; Ruby; Adelaide; Doughal and Angus; Wesser and Phoebe; Gus; Hugh; Belle, Beth, and Jack; Sophie; Marlin and Chloe; Theo; Bernie; Bits; Stripy; Marc; Tanya and Tzar; Zoe and Roxy; Charlie and Loki; Winston; Luna; Patchinko and Kiki; Mac, Meg, and Kes; Tolly; Camry; Ally and Bridie; Harvey, Jack, and Ellie.
Some comments from the weekend:
What a great weekend, full of Beagle'ness and fun. Thanks for a wonderful first 'Beage-run' for Adelaide.
Again it has been a great "Beagle Christmas in July" celebration - great sniffing and eating for Tzar and Tanya.
All superb - organisation, friendliness. Gorgeous to see so many beagles.
Hugh had the greatest of times - should be more!
Fantastic weekend. Really great effort on Lesley and Brian's part. Good food, food friends, good fun.
Fantastic, paddock runs were great.
Superb weekend. Love to do it again. Thanks for including the ACT club. Look forward to future meets.
Excellent weekend. Thanks to Brian and Lesley. Thanks heaps.
Another fantastic beagle weekend. Well worth the trip to the country. Thanks for a great Christmas in July.
Such a fantastic weekend! It has been so much fun and organised beautifully. Thank you for a wonderful experience.
A final thanks to Brian and Lesley for a fantastic weekend. If you're interested in coming to the 2007 Christmas in July Scent Weekend, watch out for more information in the Harking In.
We have lots of extras, such as photos and other goodies from the 2006 weekend - thanks to everyone for sending them.
by Kim Kearnan and Bob Moore
About 17 people and 11 beagles made their way to Cootamundra for a weekend of serious sniffing. We gathered behind Bimbadeen around midday and commenced our first track. The dogs were leashed while a hessian bag containing an irresistible combination of liver and garlic was dragged around the first paddock. All the dogs were then released to follow the trail. Some of the city beagles took a while to catch on, but aided by the experienced beagles from Brialey Kennels most soon got the idea. After recapturing the dogs we then moved on to the next paddock to lay a fresh trail and repeat the procedure. After a several tracks and an off-leash walk we retreated to Lesley and Brian’s for a well-earned afternoon tea, followed by a stroll up and down the main street of Cootamundra. Brian kindly lent some of his dogs to those who shared a beagle between two or three so that everyone had a dog and we made quite a sight as we paraded through the streets.
After a short rest at our various accommodations we gathered at Lesley and Brian’s house for dinner. The theme was Christmas in July and what a wonderful sight greeted us. All the furniture had been removed from the lounge/dining area and transformed into a beautiful Christmas scene. One long table, big enough to fit us all comfortably, was in the middle of the room covered in white linen, metres of matt green tinsel with just a hint of sparkle ran down the centre of the table, framed all the windows and edged the skirting boards. Silver candelabras lit with red candles and red poinsettias added colourful accents and in one corner, a collection of lovely old kerosene glass lamps made a warming glow. A delicious three-course dinner was served, pumpkin soup to start, then turkey, pork and ham, baked potatoes and vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding with custard. A great evening with the chance to get to know several new club members and exchange beagle stories.
On Sunday morning we met up at Bimbadeen for more tracking. After a couple of tracks, some of the dogs got so enthusiastic that on reaching the start point they would happily go around the old trail for a second time. Another short walk to the top of hill followed, affording some wonderful views of Cootamundra and surrounding hills. We then returned to Lesley and Brian’s for a reviving cup of tea. The weekend concluded as we enjoyed some digital footage of the weekend’s tracking including some of the exciting group starts, taken by new members, the Schmid family
Thank you to all the club members who made the trip to Cootamundra, especially those who have recently joined. We hope you and your beagles had a great time and you will join us at future Sniffing Around Sydney meets.
A special thanks to Margaret and Peter, friends of Lesley and Brian, who helped with the catering and serving dinner again this year.
Most of all, thanks to Lesley and Brian Childs for their warm and generous hospitality. The organisation and work that is required to ensure the smooth running of such an event is considerable and this is the second year that Lesley and Brian have provided us and our dogs with a most enjoyable weekend.
We have lots of extras, such as photos and other goodies from the 2005 weekend - thanks to everyone for sending them.
by John New
What a fabulous weekend sniffing around Cootamundra.
As advertised, for beagles, the weekend was a weekend of off lead running and sniffing around fenced paddocks, plus the opportunity to socialise with other beagles. For humans, it was the chance to have a short break and some leisurely exercise in friendly company.
The weekend was hosted by Brian and Lesley Childs of Brialey Beagles, and what wonderful hosts they were. From the friendly welcome, to the scent tracks for the beagles, to the professionally organised 3-course dinner ... the list could go on ... everything was well organised. On behalf of everyone who attended the weekend, I'd like to extend my thanks to both of them.
A small group of about 18 humans and 16 beagles travelled to Cootamundra for the weekend. Most people travelled from Sydney, a few from Canberra and Wagga Wagga. We met about 12 noon, Saturday, at Brian and Lesley Childs' house. The weather for the weekend was clear and sunny.
After a short welcome, we walked to our first off lead area and scent tracks, about 10 minutes away. It's worth noting that all off lead areas were secure - the paddocks were surrounded by ringlock fencing so there was no opportunity for our beagles to follow their own tracks. Brian used a smelly concoction of liver and garlic to lay down the tracks and that seemed to get our beagles attention pretty well..
On Saturday afternoon, we watched our beagles try their noses on three tracks. Some had never done it before, others seemed quite experienced. Some didn't really get the hang of it and followed their own trails, some rolled around in smelly piles lying around here and there, but others took off with great enthusiasm following the trail and baying. It was great fun to watch them. After the beagles had tried out three tracks, we had some afternoon tea, and then took the beagles to the nearby enclosed race track so they could enjoy more sniffing and running.
The dinner on Saturday night was fantastic. This was included in the $10 cost for the weekend. Miraculously Brian and Lesley produced a catered 3-course meal (a few people expected a sausage sizzle), which was wonderful. During dinner, our beagles had more time to play in the back garden.
Everyone had arranged their own accommodation on Saturday night, at various motels, hotels, b&bs, caravan parks, and lodges around Cootamundra.
On Sunday morning, we met about 9:30am at our next secure tracking area. Here our beagles tried out three new trails, most longer than the previous day. Once again, some beagles seemed to know exactly what to do and others didn't. Again, it was so much fun watching our beagles do what they do best.
After some morning tea, we wound up the weekend about 12 noon so most people could drive back to Sydney during the afternoon with their exhausted beagles.
From the many comments made about the weekend, it seemed everyone had a great time, humans and beagles alike. Here are some quotes:
Brian and Lesley did a wonderful job with dinner. It was a long way from Sydney. The trails are a wonderful idea. Maybe try some bush walking.
A wonderful weekend, especially for our pup. Perhaps a slightly later start - meet for shared lunch perhaps. But an experience we will look forward to repeating. Brian and Lesley did a wonderful job."
"Fabulous, first time seen beagles tracking. Great opportunity to let city dogs run free. Brian and Leslie are fabulous hosts, with great knowledge of beagles. Dinner was a great time to socialize. Some more walks would be great."
"Great weather, great fun, and lots of beagles make for a wonderful weekend in the country."
"A lovely weekend. Wonderful generous hosts - thank you. Would love to do a really long walk off lead sometime. Turned off liver and garlic for life."
"A wonderful introduction for us to Beagle Club activities. Our hosts were very hospitable and made us feel very welcome. Thanks for organising the weekend"
"We had a great time meeting all the Beagles (and their owners!). Just goes to prove that Beagles are all the same at heart, be they from the city or bush. It is great to see these dogs enjoying themselves and doing what Beagles do best! What other breed could you throw together in one pack - stud dogs, pups, and pets - and have them all get on so well. What great little dogs."
Sadly we have no extras from the 2004 weekend - unless someone has some photos hiding in a cupboard.