one from my old books

one of belgs old masters

Jos Kempeneer

Belgium

In the early 80’s we took to the air for the first time via a trip with Bruce McAllister and Co to Belgium and Holland and there are some amusing photos as well. I remember this trip well because we had never flown before and as soon as we were airborne Paul Smith said the best thing about these planes is that if something goes wrong we can glide down, not what I wanted on my first flight. To make it worse when we were descending into Maasterich we were in a right storm and oddly enough when we left we hit another. Even so it was a good trip and one that started many years of travelling to the continent and I also found out how easy it was travelling abroad. One loft that we visited was Jos Kempeneer and here is the article that I wrote at the time. “The name of Kempeneers has been well known in the pigeon world for a good many years and 1981 has seen yet another good year. This name in the British Isles is better known through the birds of Derek Smith of GT Ayton who has flown this family of pigeons so successfully in this country none better known than champion Jet Stream. As one can appreciate we were not at the lofts for a great deal of time so not a lot of info on his methods could be taken down. The Kempeneers loft was an unexpected visit as on the outward journey I had no idea that we would end up at this top class loft of Belgium but I was certainly glad that we did. Our interpreter Willy Beacon is a very good friend of the family so we were welcomed with open arms on arrival. When we first arrived Jos was not at home and no-one knew where he was as he usually tells someone where he is going, anyway we waited a while and then Bruce suggested that we go and have a bit to eat and a coffee. Mrs Kempeneer was having none of this the lady insisted on us staying there and hoped that Jos turned up. So we all went into the house where Mrs Kempeneer gave every one a beer while something was prepared at which time the man we had come to see arrived and was immediately introduced to everyone although little was understood. Willy told us, as he could not keep up with every one, which was expected with 7 unknown fanciers that is unknown to the Kempeneer family. Mrs Kempeneer made sure that no one went away wanting anything else to eat or drink after which Jos and his younger son, a late bred at that took us around the lofts, which took quite some time with every one wanting to handle the pigeons. Jos had had a book printed on the breeding of his team of champion pigeons and gave me permission to quote the following, which gives you some idea of the class of pigeon in the loft today. “Jos Kempeneer owns a top loft, which in a few decades has obtained international fame all over the world. Since the end of the 50s the name Kempeneers has appeared in all racing pigeon papers because of the results obtained in races from 100 to 1000km.



Jos Kempeneer & Son

The high quality of his loft is confirmed not only by the prizes obtained with pigeons from his own but also prizes obtained by other fanciers with decedents from his loft. In England a Kempeneers pigeons have been quoted as a finest strain to come out of Belgium. There family has also won National races and Championships in Holland, Germany, South Africa, Japan and last but not least Belgium. Jos Kempeneers sometimes surprised the world of pigeon fanciers by purchasing very famous birds at auctions for high amounts of money. He is the owner of famous pigeons such as the “Whit Pen” of Hector Desmet, the “Brave” and the “Schone” of J Schelfaut,” “Limoges” of L Papermans the famous “131” of J De Weentand the Stichelbaut strain via Gorin, Ramegnies and J Mathijs, Vichte. Very important ant championships were dominated and won by Jos Kempeneers in 1959 1960 1963 & 1966 he was the brilliant Nat champion all distances of the BELGISCHE DUIVENSPORT “championships” in 1966 he was a Nat winner of the CAHORS Race 760km with 4127 predicaments and won from 1966 to 1970 Important provincial races with distances of 600 to 900km, Jos Kempeneers represented Belgium in the sporting class at the Olympiad of London 1965. The pigeons of Kempeneers have not only a high value in the sporting class but also in the standard class because his pigeons were delighted to represent Belgium in the standard class at the Olympians of London 1965 Vienna 1967 Katowice 1969 and Tokyo 1981. From 1971 to 1974 things quieted down around the Kempeneers loft as an owner of an expanding trucking company he could not always devote his full attentions to the loft. But being a real champion Jos Kempeneer could no longer be reconciled with this situation. In 1975 he returned to the front pages of all racing pigeon papers by being the first champion found of province Limburg 2nd champ in found club 3rd champ at fund East Belgium {5 Provinces} etc and the winner of the provincial race of La Souterraine 650km. Mean while more and more attention was given to expanding his loft in order to participate in all long distance races several long distance flyers or there off spring were bought for this purpose. The 1980 racing season was closed by obtaining a lot of top class places in Nat and International champion ships, such as 3rd Champion challenge Mediterranean, 10th champion in the Europe cup, an international champion ship with participants from 7 countries in the three races of Pau 937km Barcelona 1070km and Marcella 830km etc. During the last decades a lot of journalist visited Jos Kempeneers loft in order to describe the history of his pigeon colony. The large sums paid at auctions for descendants of his loft bare witness to a quality of his strain. Recently at the total sale of Mr W Dons of Tisselt descents of Kempeneers pigeons were sold for sums of 80000 BF and more” Jos gave permission for the above to be quoted from his book that was privately printed. The trouble with not understanding the lingo is that one misses the majority of what is said even so one thing was for sure and that was the son knows nearly as much about the birds as Jos himself and the lad is only 10 and still at school. It is surprising how his lad does remember the birds, but remembers he does as he could go and pick any pigeon from the stock loft that was required. This lad is one to remember, as he will be a pigeon man of the future in Belgium to follow in his famous fathers footsteps he was also there to catch the pigeons from the racing lofts including the Nat winners.









The original loft that Joss flew to is still there above the present living accommodation, Jos is in fact having a new house built but has not found a great deal of time to get it finished even though it is 7 years since it was first started. But I believe the lady of the house wants it finished as soon as the racing season has ended, this we shall have to wait and see. Up until the last 12 months Mrs Kempeneer was a big help around the lofts how she ever found time whilst rearing 8 of here own I do not know, even though she no longer helps with the cleaning they are kept spotless. The lofts are now quite a large range as it is not the intention of Jos to over crowd them, which shows that in the number of races he has from the number of boxes that there are in these lofts. The stock loft has 39 of which all are usually filled but the racing section is a different proposition with 109 boxes but only 40 racers for 1981. In front of the stock loft is rather a large aviary which may be twice as big as the stock loft itself, so the birds can keep themselves in a pretty responsible condition, that is as far as prisoner stock birds go. It was pointed out that the y/b loft is in its own in a field and not built along side the racing and stock lofts. The old bird loft is also different as it is not the brick construction type that we have come to see on the continent. One thing that did surprise me about the y/bs is that Jos does not train them as we do in this country from short tosses at selected points as Willy was telling that they are jumped up to about 200 miles from the first 4 tosses. The o/b lofts can probably be seen better from the photographs as to how they are set out, there is not really a great deal that I can tell you about the system as all the racing loft is fitted with the widowhood boxes. One thing I did notice was that some have a corridor and others do not may be a change of mind with the extensions. The first birds to be housed were from the lofts of Huskens Van-Reil in 1945 at Lummen. Then in 1950 he moved to his present address at Nieuwerkerken where he bought Old Detenal, which he never raced but sired famous pigeons such as the Marscelle Orleans and Hilversum plus many others. At the y/b sale of Stappaert the Strappaert 6185019/55 was purchased this sire was not only a great racing bird but went on to be a top breeder. He is sire of Cahorsll 5050038/63 the Nat winner of the Cahors race in 1966 and several other race winners. The above pigeons have bred many excellent birds which have dominated the races from 1955 onwards and are in fact today still in the breeding of the Kempeneers lofts. The famous Witpen 4613463/52 was purchased at the final sale of Hector Desmet of 70000BF a world record at the time. Many pigeons from top fanciers have been introduced into these lofts over the years with the most recent introduction in 1976 of the Kippers of Neer. A pigeon purchased at the above sale of Jan De Weert in 1973 was the Golden Hen for 110,000BF, this fantastic Jan Aarden pigeon was a fantastic racer but more for Jos as a Goldmine at stock where she is dam, g-dam, g-g-dam of countless pigeons to win at the distance races both in Belgium and Holland. Joss thinks a great deal of this pigeon, which shows in the follow extracts from his breeding book. “During the last years decades of children, G Children and GG Children of the “131” dominated the long distance races in Holland and Belgium so far that at the moment a fancier tried to get decedents of the H65/568131 by publishing a request for purchasing descendents of 131/65 in the biggest racing pigeon paper in Holland the MPO. High sums are paid for the children of the 131/65 at auctions at the sale day in Den Bosch Holland a son 2259392/72 was sold for more than 100,000BF and a daughter 2116696/69 of 131/65 was sold for 75,000BF at the age of 12 years the 131/65 is considered to be a wonder of the world. Mr Marcel Braakius won in 1980 all the important championships in Holland with G Children. He became 1st Nat champ long distance races in Holland 2nd Nat champ marathon 1st champ Province Limburg long distance races end of 1979 after the racing season 6 important hens of J K bred together with 6 famous racing birds of M Braakhuis all G Children of the famous 568131/65 with identification numbers 1942056/77, 857134/76, 887843/74, 1148870/78, 699965/76, 696771/76. In Holland these bros are known as the Back Murders 10 children of this breed a\re now living in the stock loft of JK. Another Hollandish long distance racer Mr Frits Rennenberg owns a G Daughter of the 568131/65 which at present may be considered as the best long distance racing hen in Holland This hen 1630066/5 won 4 years running top prizes from Barcelona 1100km 2 x Dax and 2 top prizes Bergerac. Another grandson H74/1886449 won at the loft of Mr Braakhuis 2nd Nat St Vincent 8484 birds and is now living at a stock loft in Japan his pedigree was published in the Japanese in the racing pigeon paper pigeon digest. The Gordon 568131/65 is at present the key to the Kempeneers stock loft more than 30 children are joining here at the loft and only a few were raced in order to check the breeding quality at the Kempner’s. This hen is surly a gold mine of which would race any loft in the world The final sale of Jan Deweert in 73 was the golden hen for 110,000BF this Jan Arden pigeon was a fantastic racers but more sure for Jos was a gold mine at stock where she is Dam G Dam and GG Dam of countless pigeons to win at the distance races in both Holland and Belgium” I also received a list of all the prizes won in 1981, which are too numerous to mention, but I did notice that both the entries from this loft for the Tokyo Olympia had prizes during the racing season It was also noticeable that several races were won with plenty of time to spare. I am not quite sure if I have got the prizes right or not as I have a list of all the races and where J K pigeons finished which total up to over 240, Now whether they are all prizes I am not 100% sure at the top it does say prizes, so all in all a very good season for the lofts. I hear many comments on how the prize system works in Belgium but even going on the British system of paying out prizes J K has still won more that his fair share. It was certainly a pleasure to visit the loft and may be if poss. in the future I may do another article on the methods of feeding and racing at one of the top Belgium lofts.