Would be the oldest strain of Pigeons in Australia still racing and winning. The Grizzle Pigeons arrived in Australia in 1919 on a sailing boat from England. Imported by Mr Con Hammond who owned the Camilla Grove Hotel in Alexandria, an inner city suburb which is still operating today.

At some time the Grizzles were taken over by the Snowy Ward who lived in the same area. His home backed onto the railway yards where trains for all over the state came to load up with coal for their return trip back to the country. Many a coal train driver would be gifted a pair of Grizzles and the Grizzles virtually ended up all over Australia. They became known as the Snowy Ward Grizzles and they have been raced now for almost 100 years in Australia. They have no trouble flying the 600 and 700 miles.

Kevin Boyce, a very young boy at the time became the Loft Boy for Snowy and for many years raced as Ward and Boyce. They were Bronze Pigeons that came out of the Grizzle and it is a known fact that well known flyer Bill McLean was a good friend of Snowy’s and he took the Bronze Pigeons and that was how the Bronze McLean Pigeons developed.

The Grizzle Pigeons are responsible for over nine known National winners, 3 x 1st Union National winners. Many 600 mile combined winners were responsible for most club average winners with over 60 flyers in each club in the sixties.

It has taken me over fifteen years to put the Grizzles together and many thousands of dollars. I have only kept the best and I would have the best collection of the Ward and Boyce Grizzles available in Australia today. I have sold them all over Australia and they have breed winners in every state.

Flyers keep telling me you can’t lose them and on many occasions they will race every week and make an excellent cross with all breeds. The Checkers and Blue Bars off the Grizzles are just as good. I could write many pages about the winners that get reported to me but time and space does not allow me.

One of my Grizzles that I sold and repurchased back who had bred winners are sire of producers in Sydney. He is known as the IRON DUKE AUST 06.12458 a very dark chequered Grizzle. His children and grandchildren raced every race form Sydney to Bourke and took 1st and two 2nds in the last three long races for Bob Applebee. Also winning all pools in the CCF National $1,500. Keith Wrightson also did very well with my Grizzles acquired through a second source. These two old time flyers don’t go in for the new breeds from Europe and when these Grizzles can go to the USA and win against the best, makes you think.

The IRON DUKE is the short name for the Duke of Wellington, a famous Irish General who defeated Napoleon at The Battle of Waterloo, also twice Prime Minster of England.