[Flip Side]

Jack Prescott
(Internet Published) Sept 2000

I'd reckon that most articles have some educational value. My objection is that most books and articles don't give the whole story. In fact, the biggest lie is a story that tells only 1/2 of the whole truth. All very well to talk about 22 hours 5 minutes, flying into dark, and all of the glamour. So few reports tell of the defeats, failures and the scores of losses and dislocated necks (or so called culls). The restrictive practices, the incredible dedication, self-sacrifice, the extremism behind marathon tippler times is never explained.

The glamour of perfect rolling in a few ideal specimens of roller pigeons is not available in "run of the mill issues of rollers". Many many rollers never come near to the ideal standard of perfect rolling action and many of these that do will deteriorate in time, or even roll down and kill themselves.

The drudgery of loft cleaning and the painstaking laborious routine, the self-discipline, the self-sacrifice, the responsibility, the dedication, the stress, the frustration and the despair, the anger are not usually transmitted in books or articles. The ideals, the glory, the excellent results are edited in and the failures are edited out. This is unfair and extremely misleading.

When I write I try to give the whole picture. This August week, I have reported miserable results from my kit of rollers. Would it have been better to "edit out" the bad publicity and only write about those days of excellence? Few as they are? I do not think so.

Therefore, I tell it all and it isn't all good. There are days when the efforts of my own birds are about as enjoyable as "the piles". Yet give and take is the gospel and I'd call the bargain "fair". Certainly if there was never any nasty weather we wouldn't appreciate sunshine and nothing better improves the appetite than starvation.

So, I'll tell it all, not just the nice bits. If I can act like a prawn I will report the details. Example is the best way to educate. The reporting of "All" experiences is educative. The next time I foul up and "prawn out" I'll let you know and I'm saying that if my birds prawn out. It's me who is the prawn every time.