Old Hands At The Game

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31083, 11 June 1966, Page 10

Old Hands At The Game

■pOR many years dog trials "*■ and the name of R. M. Wilson, of Kirwee, have seemed to be synonymous. Mr Wilson has been trialing for not far short of 40 years. His successes are almost legend. Up till eari'y last week the number of first places he had won in trials was something like 964. Incidentally this has been one of his most successful seasons and at the same time his tally of first places for this season alone was 58 with 26 second places as well.

Among his successes have been three national titles and numerous island and centre championships. Over the years he has won somewhere between 400 and 500 cups. Up till last year Mr Wilson had had 45 dogs placed in trials. This year he has had six dogs qualify to take part in the national championships. Mr Wilson’s interest in dogs goes back to his childhood days when he had a pup. His father did some dealing in sheep and the

young Wilson used to do the droving for his father. “I used to like to work the dogs,” he recalls. From Ms long experience of trialing Mr Wilson recently referred to some of the veteran personalities in the game, some of whom will still be going strong next week. Just a few weeks ago Mr Wilson said that the very elderly, Mr A. Curtis, Fairlie, had won an open drive and yard against al? comers at the Mount Nessing trials. A onetime winner of a national title, Mr Curtis now has to have a “seeing eye” on a long course because of failing eyesight—someone to help tell him where Ms sheep and dog are.

Harry Inch, of Hawarden (“he has been associated with the Waikari trials as long as I can remember”); George Divers, of Waipahi near Gore,

who has brothers Jack Divers, of Geraldine, and Jim Divers, of Oamaru, also in the game; Dick Dixon, of Laburn, whose son-in-law is Peter Newton; W. Hazlett, of Southland (“a leading administrator as well as successful competitor”), and Walter Grueber of Culverden (“a man who rarely fails to yard Ms sheep”) were among the other names of long standing trial men of whom Mr Wilson spoke. And talking of dog men and their families, Mr Wilson said he had been impressed by a rather unusual family combination at the recent trials at Hakataramea. There lan Anderson, of Omarama, was competing alongside one of his sons and a brother, Duncan, wMle another of his sons, John, was judging them and a daughter was timekeeping.