Dr Colin Walker was born in 1954 in Melbourne, Australia. He started racing pigeons in 1969 and graduated as a veterinary surgeon in 1979. Through post graduate examination he became a college accredited avian veterinarian in 2003. He operates a bird-only veterinary clinic in the Melbourne municipality of Knox. As well as being an active pigeon racer for over 30 years he also maintains 54 aviaries containing an extensive collection of Australian nature parrots, finches and doves. He races with the local Knox club, affiliated with the Victorian Homing Association, which has approximately 400 members. Dr Colin Walker Over the last 10 years, Colin has placed more and more emphasis on obtaining high positions in the Association's distance races. He has won the Association's championship twice (1985, 1995) and has been runner up twice (1990, 1991). He has won a total of 13 open Association races, with between 2000 and 10,000 birds competing. In 1995, he had birds placed in the top 30 in all but two of the Association's Old Bird races and, in fact, had he clocked one more bird in the Association's last five longest races, then fully 10% of all birds placed in the top 30 would have been his. That year, in the Association's 500-mile race, 30 birds homed on the day (all after sunset) out of 2500 sent, with Colin clocking two at 8.10 pm (14 hours 10 minutes on the wing) and a third at 8:12 p.m. to be 18th, 19th and 20th Federation. The next week in the 600-mile race, he was 3rd, 8th and 11th Federation, with approximately 1500 birds competing. In 1992, he was 1st Federation 400 miles (2856 birds), 1st Federation 500 miles (3444 birds), 1st Federation 600 miles (2634 birds), and 4th Federation 700 miles (2090 birds), a result never achieved before in the history of the Victorian Homing Association. He is the current holder of the record for the largest number of Association positions (bird placed in top 30) ever gained by a single member in one year (24 positions in 1991). His loft is one of only two in any Victorian federation to have won more than one Open National, winning the 1990 600 miles Collarenebri National (5342 birds) and the 1992 400 miles Langwell National (9300 birds). In the 1992 Langwell National, three birds arrived together to win and the velocity of his sixth bird was equal to the bird that gained 23rd National. In the 1992 VHA 600-mile race (approx. 2000 birds competing), he clocked the Federation winner at 7:36 p.m. (13 hours 6 minutes on the wing), his second bird at 7:51 p.m. (to gain 9th Federation), with further birds arriving at 8:20, 8:30 and 10:45 p.m., to record a total of five on the day when less than a third of competing members were able to produce a clock. In the 1992 700-mile race (approx. 2000 birds competing), he 4th and 20th Federation, and had a further five birds within 2 hours of clocking, with a total of nine on the winning day (34 sent). In the 1991 700-mile race, he was 7th Federation (clocking the only cock in the first 40 birds home) and also had nine on the winning day (23 sent). In 1998 and 1999, the birds continued on their winning way with the loft again having birds placed in the Association's top 30 in the 500-, 600- and 700-mile races. Dr Colin Walker being interviewed on Austalian television. The racing lofts of Dr Colin Walker. The active competition of racing has lost none of its excitement for Colin, which, together with the fact that much of his professional time is now spent dealing with pigeons, places him in an ideal position to help fanciers with health problems associated with their birds. Similarly his veterinary knowledge and personal experience in caring for his own birds as an aviculturalist enable him to offer veterinary advice from an aviculturalist perceptive to his other avian clients. Dr Walker has established two companies, The Australian Pigeon Company and Aussie Bird Vet Pty Ltd which manufacture medications and health supplements, specifically for pigeons and cage and aviary birds respectively. These companies are dedicated to provide the best quality veterinary supplements at an affordable price to pigeon fanciers and aviculturalists. These products are now widely used in Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA and South Africa with distrubution to further countries a plan for the future. It is hoped that bird keepers find these products of value in managing their birds health. Some of Dr Walker's 54 aviaries. Dr Walker maintains a collection of Australian native parrots, doves and finches. The main breeding loft of Dr Colin Walker. Dr Walker with Silvere Toye and George Kypreos (director of Australian National Pigeon Association) in Sydney Dr Walker presents Jos Thone with a copy of his book (available through this website)