Part of CNTU history…Mr. Harry Hunt
by Oskar Zovich

Harry Hunt didn't immigrate to Canada from U.K. He was born and grew up in the good old Toronto, where he also lived all of his eighty one years (born February 04/1915 died December 19/1996) His father was Canadian born and his mother was born and raised in London England.

More then likely I knew Harry and his birds better than any one else because we lived practically on the same city block, roughly two hundred meters apart. So you see not only did I know the looks of his birds but also well aware of their good flying capabilities. They mostly flew no higher than hundred meters, if that.

According to what I was told many a times by Mr. Hunt himself the family consisted of Pee Wee, Pass and Waterfall. This type of Tipplers where brought into Canada in 1915 by Mr. Brooks and Mr. Simpson as well as Mr. Pollard. Apparently in 1923 Mr. Sam Laurie also brought some more birds of the same type and he bought out all the birds from the above mentioned importers.

Now, as for Mr. Hunt visiting England. The answer is never. However, his mother would be going there but according to him she never brought back any eggs or birds.

In 1956 Scotty Thomas brought eggs. I was never told from whom. Apparently somebody from south-west England or Welsh and supposed strain was Lincoln. Some of that blood was introduced into his family in the late fifties.

And I almost forgot to mention, if he would have ever exported any birds to Europe believe me I would have been aware of that. Many more families of Tipplers were brought into Toronto Canada in the thirties fifties, sixties, seventies and later.

The year he flew that great kit of young ones (FTA 555/79 FTA 566/79(Lovett) and FTA 569/79 at 10.35 pm was the last time we were able to spot them -17:20 hrs. on the wing. 

You know he use to breed only a nest a half, (second nest one egg only per pair) I happened to drop by just as he was about to throw some eggs away. Since he was throwing them away I thought now is a good time to ask for two eggs one from the yellow Lovatt and one from black mottles. He wouldn’t give me the egg from the yellows (his reasoning was "the American boys would be upset"). Black was no problem as long as I don't tell anybody I could have the egg.

Well, happy as a pigeon on a perch I took the egg,....hatched and turn out to be a beautiful grizzle hen. Wouldn’t you know Wayne Tomsic was coming from Cleveland, Ohio, so old Harry come to take the hen but only for couple of days and once he is gone hen is my again. Two, three day passed by and no Harry or the hen. I went over to see what was going on with my hen. “Oh well, you wouldn't believe it. Wayne fell in love with the bird and I just couldn't say no. But don't you worry, I’m giving you a better hen”. Now I'm already calculating, thinking he is giving me the sister which flew over 17 hours - to which cock 566 was going to be bred to. How wrong could I be...566 was dead.   But how, why? “Son, you didn't want that hen”. I didn't want that hen? But I...”no, no son, we have better stuff right here at 55 Astoria (his address) and you are taking 555 instead”. Thinking, why not after all he was giving me the bird that he flew over 17 hours. Unfortunately I could never find out how good a breeder the hen would be. After taking only one nest from her (which by the way I gave to Gord Chatter FTA 608/9-80) she together with eleven more birds was poisoned by my neighbor. However here is proof of the great potential she held. The young kit of birds flown by Gord Chater in 1985 for the NA record of 16:02 hrs. were all children or grand children of 555 hen.

And that is a testimony how good Mr. Hunt’s birds were.

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Canadian Tippler

As I promised in the previous post I will try to provide some more information about the history of the Flying Tippler in good old Canada. But first it may be more pertinent to give you some details about the various clubs that sprung up over the last 100 years.

Too bad when we were young nobody gave much thought about making sure to keep tab on the books and what was happening in the game of flying Tipplers in Canada. Granted, the secretaries kept the record of the business but the problem started when the old timers passed on and the books got lost since they didn't mean much to their families. But what didn't help either was too many clubs. The very first one established in Canada was around 1910-C.T.A. – Canadian Tippler Association which in 1926 become C.N.T.A. Early 1920’s D.T.U. & C.F.T.S were started and in the 1950’s the R.C.T.C. Then in 1984 O.T.U. (Ontario Tippler Union) came into existence which transformed in to the present day CNTU and doing very well.

Now about the Tipplers; well here it is.....the first birds imported by Mr. McAree of Long Branch (Toronto) in 1903 & 1905 were Hall, Pass and Waterfall strain. In 1908 Reverend Graham brought some more of Joe Hall's birds as previously mentioned by Brooks & Simpson in 1915 and Mr Alffie Pollard himself also imported some more in 1918. As previously mentioned Mr Lauria 1923 and Rev. Graham again in 1927 birds were of Rennison strain. However, he soon after moved to Little Rock Arkansas and took the birds with him.

In the early 1930’s Mr Doug Prud'homme and Mr Nelson Ballmer imported some more of Hall & Pass birds. I believe when Mr J. English established a new North American record of 15.55 in mid thirties he flew this type of bird. The time of 15.53 was flown on the same day by Mr Art De Clute on June 25/1933. The previous record was held by S. Lauria, with a time of 15.36hrs. By the way on June 17/1934 Mr A.De Clute was the first one to break seventeen hours outside of Great Britain with a kit of three old hens, which were part of the young bird kit he flew in 1933 minus a cock. The new record was 17:08hrs.

Some time in the forties Mr. William Adams and Mr Joe Daily imported more of Waterfall strain. In 1950 Adams flew a new N.A. old bird record of 17.25 hrs. Considering that our sunlight is only 15.27 hrs on long day and he was not allowed to use lights until the first bird down, makes it even more amazing.

Now comes the fifties and the era of when Mr Robert Ball who was very active in bringing in few different families of birds to Canada. In 1957 I believe, was the year he imported seven pairs from Mr J.Heaton, Early sixties from G.Eden & F.Chambers. G.Eden, I was told, was from North Ireland. F.Chambers I don't know anything about. The birds were mostly blue and black badges rather small in size and medium face.

In the seventies he brought in a lot of birds from the lofts of J..Davis, J.Lewis, T Sheppard, J.Cullen and K. Lewis. Mr R. Ball died in April of 1976 and there was no more importation from Great Britain until 1995 when T.Rankin and R.Morden  got three pairs each and I two hens from a friend of just about everyone who was lucky enough to meet him...Harry Shannon of Lisburn, Northern Ireland. After ninety five a number of times more eggs were brought in and if my memory is any good our friend Kemo flew some of those birds in his record kit of 17.31hrs. in June/01.

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