Hommage to Rupert Hill

9th of september 2006

It was in July 1985 that I took my tent, bike and backpack and set off to the Game Fair, somewhere in England.
I biked my way around from the nearby camping place and was the fool of the event.
But obviously many people envied me for the ease of moving about. Ever since the number of bikes at the GF has increased.
Where else than at the stand of Skinners dogfood did I meet up with Rupert Hill for the first time.
We had a drink and a laugh and most important an appointment for April 1986 to come over to Holland for a seminar. Rupert did incidentally seminars in England,
but never yet off the island. I didn’t have a clue what to organise and he kept telling me, that I should say what he should do. And so it came that Rupert Hill and
Jack Davey held a very nice chat for quite an audience and in the afternoon we had a demonstration, which they commented.
There were – let’s say – a few subjects that were left for consideration…
On Monday we had the nice opportunity to share the judging of a continental spring trial, which was quite interesting for Rupert and Jack. Both trainers of Spaniels
and Retrievers, but HPR’s were at that time hardly worked in England and if with very poor quality.

And that was the beginning of a very nice and fruitful exchange between Rupert and various continentals.

In St Ulrich in Austria it was at the dummy trial on the 9th of September 2006 a very nice initiative of John Birkett and Robert Kaserer to celebrate this. Ruperts’ wife, Angela, had managed to keep silent and come along without drawing suspicion, since it is here where they come together more often. Next we had assembled a nice number of his friends throughout the continent to participate at the dummy trial or to come just for the honouring.
Francesca Navratil had made a lovely presentation with the help of all involved, but she assembled it into a funny and charming presentation. Rupert fell shy for being honoured so exuberant and unexpectedly.

But many of us have enjoyed his advice, knowledge and wisdom for a long time and we all wanted to show our appreciation for it.