Once again Peter’s Pet Foods sponsored the club and we would like to thank them for their generosity, not only in providing cash but also sample bags of food which we can give as prizes to kids entering the novelty classes or to people buying rabbits at displays as part of starter kits.

The Pet Directory in which the club had an ad and some members placed breeders’ listings finally appeared about mid-year. It does not seem to have garnered us any new members though we will place an ad in the next issue, having been approached again.

This year saw some new faces on the committee as once more some of our NSW members have stepped forward. We bade farewell a number of people who have left the rabbit fancy, chief among them Andrew Fraser, judge and long-time breeder of English and Dutch, as well as other breeds. They will be missed and we wish them well for the future. On the other hand we are glad to have Sue Greaves, one of our foundation members, return to the rabbit fancy after a few years away.

We decided last year to have only four shows a year and this we did this year. Show entries have remained at a good level, largely thanks to an influx of NSW exhibitors who are not necessarily members of the club. However, Normal Fur entries have been down, often there has only been one class (Swiss Fox or British Giant), sometimes none at all. This is sad to see.

This year all our shows have been at the Canberra Pensioners Club in Childers Street in the city. This has plenty of parking and no football fields nearby so we are unlikely to be squeezed out whenever there is a match on. The facilities all work and there are plenty of tables and chairs, all in good repair. The lighting is good, too. The only drawback is that it got awfully crowded at the Oct. combined rabbit and cavy show.

NB: BiS = Best in Show; RUBiS = Runner Up Best in Show; REW = Red-Eyed White, A/C = Any Colour, AOC = Any Other Colour

13^th March 2005 Judge: Andrew Fraser (NSW) BiS, Best Adult, Best Rex: Oranamoon Stud Rex Shaded 04E05757; RUBiS, R/U Best Adult, Best Fancy: Petite Stud Netherland Dwarf REW 02X06331; Best Junior: Oranamoon Stud Dwarf Lop Self 04C03501; Best Kitten: Petite Stud Polish REW 05A00046

5^th June 2005 Judge: Vija Hone (Vic) Not available

14^th August 2005 Judge: John Sowden (ACT) BiS , Best Fancy, Best Adult Reguli Stud Darf Lop Tan pattern 04C00447; RUBiS, R/U Adult, Best Rex: Coniglio Stud, Rex Self 04E02224; Best Junior: Bonreiki Stud 05K00371 Mini Lop Shaded; R/U Junior: Coniglio Stud Rex Ermine 05E03565; Best Kitten, R/U Best Rex Charmed Stud 05B05277 Mini Rex Agouti Pattern; R/U Best Kitten; R/U Best Fancy Bonreiki Stud Mini Lop AOC 05K00372

23^rd October 2005 Judge: Christine Carter (ACT) BiS, Best Adult, Best Fancy: Mystic Rabbit Stud Netherland Dwarf Agouti Pattern 03X00553; RUBiS, R/U Adult, R/U Fancy: Petite Stud Mini Lop REW 02K00828; Best Junior: Petite Stud Netherland Dwarf RE 05X05039; R/I Best Junior Bunnie Beauties Dwarf Lop Tan Pattern 05C-1580; Best Kitten: Hops N Lops Dwarf Lop Self 05C00534; R/U Best Kitten Hops N Lops Angora REW 05E00402; Best Fur: Brunker Bunnies Swiss Fox REW 04E06523; R/U Fur Bruner Bunnies Swiss Fox REW 05E02362; Best Rex Beau Stud Mini Rex Self; R/U Best Rex Beau Stud Mini Rex

In addition both Christine Carter and John Sowden judged at interstate shows.

Five newsletters, including this one, were published this year usually two weeks before each show. A copy is sent to the National Library on Legal Deposit (a requirement of the Copyright Act 1968) and a copy to our sponsor Peter's Pet Foods. More recently a copy has also been sent to the Pet Directory as they have a club sponsorship scheme. There are 50 copies in the print run currently as we have not picked up as many members as we have lost due to people leaving the fancy.

The exchange of newsletters with other clubs continues and still seems to be working well on the whole. The CRCI currently has exchange agreements with NSW Rabbit Association, Rabbit Fanciers Society of NSW and the West Australian Rabbit Council Inc. The Rabbit Breeders Association of Tasmania and the Rabbit Exhibitors and Breeders Association both

had to be dropped because they have not sent us newsletters this year. In the case of REBS they did say they would send us back issues and current issues and we sent our back issues but they never sent us anything and repeated enquiries failed to elicit a response. These newsletters are kept in folders in the club library and can be borrowed by members.

Again I would like to thank Christine Carter for her informative and stimulating articles, Sue Sowden for preparing the show results and Susan Batho for her Ring Registrar’s reports.

The contents of this year's Rabbit Droppings are as follows. Unless otherwise stated and except for the code of ethics all items were written by me.

No. 37 (Feb. 2005) Canberra Rabbit Club library contents—Rescue Persons to Contact—View from the Rabbit Shed—Book Review: Stories Rabbits Tell—Rabbiting On by Christine Carter

No. 38 (May 2005) Rabbitry on Parade: Wes & Alissa Cormick—View from the Rabbit Shed—CRCI Code of Ethics—Rabbiting On by Christine Carter—Rabbit Rescuers

No. 39 (July 2005) Ring Registrar’s Report by Susan Batho—The Low-Down on Bunny Behaviour by Debbie Hunter—The View from the Rabbit Shed

No. 40 (Oct. 2005) Ring Registrar’s Report by Susan Batho—Rabbiting On by Christine Carter—View from the Rabbit Shed—Book Review: Showing Rabbits

No. 41 (Dec. 2005) The National Rabbit Show 2005 by Susan Batho—The View from the Rabbit Shed—CRCI Annual Report 2005

The club has two websites. The main one is at www.home.netspeed.com.au/reguli/rabbitclub.htm and there is a "cut down" version at www.canberrarabbitclub.websyte.com.au which is part of the Greater Canberra Community Guide. There is also a page on Communities Online which is run by the ACT Government. and I still put our show dates in the diary on that site. The main website still seems to be the chief way we pick up members.

To be listed in the online breeders directory (which is on the main club website) is a privilege, not a right and if you live in Canberra and do not come to shows, you will not be listed on it. If you live interstate and can’t attend our shows, that is fine, you will still be listed on it.

Not much was added to the library this year. The British Rabbit Council again sent us a Yearbook this time for 2005. It now comes to my address thanks to Christine’s letting them know the address they had been sending it to was no longer valid. I purchased and donated a copy of Rabbits For Dummies.

The library has grown rather unwieldy. I have bought a new plastic box for it, this one with a lid and wheels, to store it in as it had outgrown its old box. Because it is so heavy, it is difficult for me to take it to club meetings anymore, especially as they are held after shows now. Therefore, if you want something from it, either make an appointment to come round and look through it (email reguli@netspeed.com.au or phone 6161 2811 after 7.00pm, there is an answering machine) or look up the contents on the club website or in the Feb. issue of the newsletter and contact me as above. You can either pick up what you want from my house or I can bring it to the next show. If you live outside Canberra, and want something, please send stamps to cover the cost of postage and packing.

These have been rather erratic. Holding them after shows didn’t really work out as people just wanted to get away and one of the NSW Committee members couldn’t attend anyway. So it has gone back to a member’s house.

The club was asked to mount a number of displays during the year, usually by Jane Southwell of FARM, as has happened over past few years. Sometimes I piggybacked the club on displays mounted by other clubs of which I am an office-bearer (NSW Cavy Club and the Canberra Cat Fanciers Association). Again the club was not asked to the Australia Day in the Park and the Pet Expo now seems to be defunct which means two "shop windows" have gone. There seem to be even less volunteers than even before. In fact, at the Royal Canberra display a guest of mine who is not even a member of the club volunteered and filled in a whole day with me.

The displays were: Royal Canberra Show Animal Nursery (26-28 Feb, Mallee Pavilion, Exhibition Park – Christine Carter, the Sowdens, Debbie Hunter, Nikki White and Ruth Saville); Yass Show (12 March, Yass Showground – Nikki White); Gundaroo Festival and Picnic (20 March, Gundaroo, NSW—Nikki White); Sutton Public Fair, (2 April, Sutton, NSW—Nikki White); Murrumbateman Field Days (16-17 Oct., Murrumbateman Showground—Nikki White)