To celebrate the twentieth anniversary, the Club held two major events in November 2013. The first was the inaugural Beagle Ball. This was a formal event for the Club to commemorate that past twenty years and to reflect on its achievements. At the Ball the Club also recognised achievements of members and their Beagles.The sixty-two people who attended the gala had an absolute “Ball”. The dinner was attended by inaugural club members, members who had been associated with the Club for twenty years, as well as new members who joined only weeks earlier. We were also thrilled to have Leslie and David Hiltz from the USA attend the Ball. Leslie was the judge at the very first Beagle Club of Queensland Championship Show in 1996.
Each person who attended received a complementary Beagle Ball wine glass and a packet of Beagle Ball Boiled Bites. These were delicious rock candy with a Beagle very cleverly rolled into the design.
Members who have given continuous membership to the Club were presented with badges for 5, 10, 15 or 20 years of continuous membership. It was great to have so many of our faithful members there on the night to receive their membership medallions.
The Club also acknowledged Beagles who had attained significant achievements in the previous 12 months. This recognised Beagles that achieved at the fields of showing, obedience, agility, lure coursing, as well as attaining qualifications as a Delta Dog. We were also able to acknowledge Supreme Champion & U.K. Orobay Graceful Triumph, who took out Beagle Best of Breed at Krufts in 2013, and who was bred by 20-year club member Rhonda Telfer.
During the festivities, Tracey Swan recited a poem dedicated to the Beagle, while some of the talented club members played out the poem.
During the night there were a number of luck door prizes, as well as the special raffle prize of a weekend away at Camp Tailwaggers. Congratulations to Karen Campbell for winning this great prize.
The night also saw a great auction to help raise funds for the Club. The first items auctioned were the pack of “B’ Beagles. These were a collection of lovely cuddly Beagles, all with a name tag starting with B. These were picked up very quickly.
The final auction item was a beautiful hand painted plate kindly donated by our auctioneer, Darren Winningham. The successful bid went to our past President and long-time supporter of the Club, Susan Tringham.
It was a fabulous night and was a great way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Club. A big thanks must go to the organising committee for the ball. Thanks to Desley Souter, Liz Gravener, Darren Winningham, Eden Thornton, Erin Ison, Steven Windolf, Kylie Rose and Naomi Hughes. Thanks also to Steven Windolf for supplying the sound and lighting for the night.