Darcy places second in national comp

This impressive 11 year-old’s interest in pigeons was sparked last year by his grandfather Philip Nilsson, who he speaks so fondly of.

“Papa has taught me everything I know about pigeons and showing them so far,” he said.

It was easy to see how much their relationship means to Darcy, and how he is looking forward to spending more time with his grandfather and the pigeons.

Philip has been showing pigeons since the late ‘60s, and willingly passes on his wisdom to his grandson.

Darcy has 11 pigeons at home, a few of which he was gifted by other local pigeon fanciers.

His passion for the birds was evidenced last month when Darcy and Philip attended the Australian National Pigeon Association’s National Show held in Wagga Wagga.

The show is held in a different location each year, and based on their recent performances the pair are already planning their trip to Ipswich next year to compete.

Darcy took three of his best looking pigeons to show.

Competing against fanicers many years his senior in the adult competition, Darcy came home with two third place ribbons.

In the junior section - which is based on performance in the adult category - Darcy was overall runner-up.

Australian National Pigeon Association’s National Show is comprised of 80 different breeds and more than 2500 birds, which highlights what an outstanding result Darcy has achieved.

Also joining the Nilssons at Wagga was Deniliquin’s Neil Buckley, another veteran who bestows Darcy with plenty of encouragement.

So what does the day-to-day of a pigeon fanicer entail?

Darcy feeds his pigeons daily with the help of his little sister Violet.

He prepares them for competition by handling them regularly to get them used to people, and to get their posture right to gain success when shown.