Pigeon fanciers are born---This saying was reinforced by my recent visit to Tertius Steyl of “Steyl Hokke” racing his birds in Somerset West under the auspices of the Federated Board of Homing Unions.

What a privilege to meet the man behind the only bird through on the day from Kroonstad (1100Km). On meeting Tertius at his lofts the scale at which the sport was practiced astounded me. It will be impossible to do justice to this man and his birds in only a few written words. The stock loft easily housed a few hundred pigeons, though I must mention that breeding is done from selected pairs only.

Tertius’s love of pigeons stretches back to his childhood, as long as he can remember pigeons were part of his existence. His father kept pigeons and growing up he collected pigeons from anywhere you could imagine.

What an achievement to win one of the prestigious events on the racing calendar against some of the best competition on offer in the FBHU. Also to win one of these events to this area when the birds have to fly a good couple of kilometers further than a good many others.

To win Kroonstad (1100km) on the day is a dream come true for Tertius and he is thrilled with his check Putterie hen SA 2003 124429. Mind you this particular hen showed during the 2006 season that she is a force to be reckoned with as she won a smash Hanover (644km) in fine style.

Tertius said that at the beginning of his racing career he found it best to learn the hard way by not winning and trying different methods. It might sound daft but if one do not start off by winning one can learn a lot quicker about different ways of racing our feathered friends. Most important of all is that he races his birds his own way and not to the book, the book is the guide line – you must make the pigeons fly your own way if you intend to win in the best of competition. The most important thing that one must do is to spend a lot of time with your pigeons. Most fanciers go to work and don’t have the time to be with there birds. A fancier, if at home, should be meters in front come race day. Tertius said he thinks the time spent with the birds do bring the best results.

Fortunately Tertius have a capable assistant in Piet Lukas, who has been around for quite a number of years. Tertius has very little spare time as he manages his own business and have to rely on Piet to do the caring and training all year round.

To conclude this article I’ve included a short summary of this fine fancier racing his birds in the SDHU from below the cliffs of the mighty Hottentots Holland Mountains in Somerset West.

1st Union Champion 1st Team
2nd Union Champ 2nd Team since 2003
(Two separate schemes)

Won Bloemfontein for 10 years
8 years in succession in SDHU

This in short is but a small insight into the life of Tertius Steyl and his birds.

Article by CJ Richter