Some History On Racing Pigeons I

The Norfolk County & District Pigeon Clubs are listed below.

(the Clubs highlighted in red are clubs that are no longer active)

Tillsonburg & District Racing Pigeon Club (TD) - Tillsonburg, Ontario

Langton Farmers Homing Club (LFHC or LMC) - Langton, Ontario

Delhi Homing Club (DHC) - Delhi, Ontario

Norfolk Homing Club (NOR) - Simcoe, Ontario

North Star Invitational Racing Pigeon Club (NSI) - Delhi, Ontario

Tillsonburg Homing P.C. (THC or Till Sport or TRC) - Tillsonburg, Ontario

Some History On Racing Pigeons In Norfolk County & District

The Tillsonburg Pigeon Club has a history dating back to the 1930's. It is now the only active racing pigeon club in this area. We look back in time when our sport was flourishing here. When the first immigrants came to this part of the country from Belgium & Holland to grow tobacco in the late nineteen twenties, a few of them brought pigeons with them, and within a few years clubs were established in the area as shown above. The Langton club had over seventy members when they peaked in the late fifties. They had a reputation of being a very competitive club where competition was at its best. It came to an end in 1986 when the membership voted on a different flying course. The members couldn't agree, and the club split up from the outcome from that issue. When the Langton club was dissolved that year the North Star Club was formed, with the club house located just north of Delhi they had thirty plus members when they peaked in the early nineties. Unfortunately they had to close it's doors in 2001 due to the lack of membership. Also in the mid thirties a Delhi club was established which was located later at the Delhi Belgium Hall, and was active up to the late sixties. Simcoe also had a successful club up to the late eighties. From these past clubs the remaining pigeon flyers have joined the last remaining club in this area which is the Tillsonburg Club and we are now united as one. If you flew pigeons in any of these clubs the competition was there, and was always a challenge. The old fanciers may be gone but they are not forgotten. They left us with a lot of good memories, and an exceptionally good strain of birds, they pointed out the quality needed in pigeons, if you wanted to be successful in this sport. In the last fifty years a lot of good pigeons were imported from Holland & Belgium and other parts of Europe to our part of the county. Some of those strains are now on top of our race results, and the competition remains as good as ever in the Club. At the present time we have twenty some members who are well established and dedicated to the hobby. With computer technology and electronic clocking, more interest has been created in racing pigeons. Our hobby is so much different now, and we hope that it may entice new Flyers. Visitors are always welcome to visit our club.