Veteran South Australian pigeon breeder and racer Alvon Richardson passed away on March the eleventh, 2018, at the age of 92.
Alvon’s father Keith, and Brother Harold were both successful pigeon men, and Alvon bred a hen that was sold to legendary flyer John Pryor at the Sires Produce Sale.
It went on to become one of the matriach’s of Pryor’s loft with a string of winners (including the Pryor’s famed Morundah Winner) and famously became known as the Richardson Hen
Alvon, a colourful World War two veteran, served on Bouganville during the war and determindly marched every year in the Anzac Day parade until he entered his nineties..
Alvon Richardson was born in 1925 and had five younger brothers, Ralph, Jack, Harold, William known as Murray and Desmond.
Alvon was raised through the latter part of the great depression and spent most of his life with racing pigeons. After leaving school at 14 Alvon went on to become a successful builder, building his home in West Croydon and also the Bridgeway Hotel in the Adelaide suburb of Pooraka.
He and his brother Harold learned many of the secrets of breeding and racing from their father, Wilfred (Bill), who was a highly successful South Australian pigeon flyer.
Bill Richardson won several SAHPA races including two races from Ballan (Victoria) to Adelaide in successive years in the mid-1940’s.
Alvon flew with distinction in the South Australian Homing Pigeon Association and the former South Australian Pigeon Combine, Winning Finke, and narrowly finishing second to John Pryor from Morundah after clocking in overnight.
Alvon’s original loft at West Croydon was a two storey structure and it produced many winners and placed birds.
Illhealth forced Alvon to sell his birds in 1999 and they were keenly sought after by a number of top flyers.
They went to lofts around Australia and his blood continues to provide winners today.
However Alvon got a second wind – and with his enthusiasm up, returned to the sport after an absence of several years – getting stockbirds from friends locally and interstate – and flying with the West Torrens-Woodville club.
He won several races including the Ceduna Derby in the Group …with his name appearing in the SAHPA placings a number of times.
But ultimately Alvon’s bad health returned and he moved into a retirement village – with a handful of select breeders still rearing youngsters at his Croydon home.
Some of his Alvon’s key latter-day breeders included:
Alvon’s top Jurion pair.
ALvon was an extremely talented pigeon breeder with the “Master’s Touch” when it came to choosing breeding pairs, and producing top Jurions, Harrisons, Wickhams, Logans and Opals
Alvon knew a good pigeon when he saw one and the champions invariably had everything including buoyancy, soft feathers, a huge heart, well-developed muscle, curved wing, strong back, brilliant homing instinct, and a love of the loft and their owner.
He put a lot of faith in his eyeglass and said studying the eyes could help detect genetic traits, defects and illnesses. He also believed good eyes helped a pigeon with observation and its learning ability, including being able to see in the dark.
The late champion flyer John Pryor backed up Alvon’s words about eyes.
He said …. “the eye means a lot to me in a family of pigeons, as far as Eye Sign or whatever they’re distance pigeons or whatever, on 10 Points on a pigeon, I think the eyes as far as that’s concerned is number 11.
