Page 16 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 36

distinctly green tinged! We watched with horror as quite
a few bins were filled, before calling a halt. We had to
have better water; colours on Koi in this water would
not be true to life at all, or comparable to Koi placed in
bins filled with the first consignment. The bins were
drained again, perhaps just as well as it turned out as
the pumps brought to remove the water after the Show
leaked badly, so better to find out at this point rather
than prolonging the job of pulling down the Show on
Sunday. The hydrant outside was run into a nearby
creek for about thirty minutes and eventually the water
WE REALLY ran clear, the problem being that the hydrant had not
been run in perhaps years. Crisis averted, filling the rest
WORK HARD of the bins went smoothly, but we had lost a lot of time
TO MAKE SURE and it was almost the end of the day when we all finally
went home to begin hitching up trailers, filling Koi travel
THE JUDGING bins on them and catching smaller Koi to holding nets

PROCESS IS ready to go to the Show the next day. We left the
Showground looking really special however; all the
ABSOLUTELY decorations make such a difference, the last additions
FAIR being two artificial cherry trees plus large Koi models
on plinths placed either side of the Torii Gate.
The Showground was I am sure, as for Ian and myself, Show day began at
starting to look really
special, all the about 4am for many hobbyists, luckily on not an
decorations made a impossibly cold morning. The temperature was around
big difference with two 10ºC, rather than the expected 4ºC, so my rubber glove
artificial cherry trees liners, thick double socks for my wellingtons plus
and two Koi models on
plinths placed either woolly jumper underneath my old gardening jacket
side of the Torii Gate. actually kept me warm catching Koi. A real treat! In fact
the Koi catching went so smoothly, without one
accident or escapee that we finished in just over an
hour. Ian set off for the Show around 6am and I
followed to arrive just before 9:30am. It does not do for
a judge to watch Koi being placed into the bins. Ideally,
Koi should be completely anonymous to all judges. We
really do work hard to make sure the judging process is
absolutely fair.

After a short photographic session, the Major Awards
(see page 14) were judged first, a beautiful Sanke, in
peak condition, catching the judges’ eyes and gaining
sufficient votes to be awarded Grand Champion on the
first selection round. Allan, Lee and myself all had this
Koi in our group of two. Interestingly, a magnificent

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