MSCGB Championship Show, October 2006: A Personal ViewBy Stelios Elia They said there’d be fog, then rain and wind, instead it turned out to be a perfect, sunny autumn day for the MSDCGB Championship Show. Hasland Village Hall seemed an ideal spot, surrounded by parkland and a car park for the thirty five visitors and their cars and, of course, their twenty or so Maremmas. It was my first Maremma show and I left London at the crack of dawn, knowing that everyone involved and especially the committee had seen to it that the day would run smoothly and that we would all enjoy the show. Not to mention the wonderful food that had been prepared. Tables, chairs, Italian flags, raffle prizes – all went up in a jiffy and car loads of food appeared in the kitchen. People were already getting hungry because they had started so early in the morning. All that was needed was an oven to fry the bacon and cook the stew. The news filtered through that there was a slight problem; neither the oven nor the hob were working and there would be no bacon sandwiches or any other planned hot food. The gentleman in charge of the hall casually admitted that the oven was indeed out of order and had been so since the previous week – however he fully intended to have it repaired after we had gone. In the meantime, no food on Sunday 22nd October! At least nothing hot because salad and bread were the only alternatives. I don’t know who suggested the microwave, although not an oven, would go some way to helping with the problem of starving Maremma owners, but it was a good idea anyway. Into the car I went with our friendly gentleman caretaker. He directed me to the town centre and to a rather lovely old cinema which was now used for “events”. Time was of the essence, but my guide unfortunately had his own schedule! In return for the microwave I had to have a conducted tour of the dustbins and the stairs and the interior. Oh! And a short history lesson was also thrown in! I was indebted to him. What a meal we all had and how effortlessly it all appeared. What astonishing efficiency by the committee and by all those who helped. Thank you.
 Earlier, it was a relaxed, friendly competition and we are grateful to Val Foss for officiating at the show in her usual professional manner with sensible and sympathetic handling of the dogs. Vicki and Andrew patiently took photos and I spent the morning on a steep learning curve about the breed standard. Thanks go to Billy Fulton and Tony Whatley for stewarding, Andrew Ingram for being Fire Officer for the day and, of course, Penny Whatley for her superb stew! We then had a raffle and auction, hosted superbly well by Rosemary Tassell and Jim Hague - many thanks go to the generous donors - including Kay Anderson who drew and donated a wonderful pen and watercolour sketch and Vernon and Stella Savage who donated a very comfy dog duvet/bed – because of your wonderful donations the club raised in excess of £70 on the day for Breed Rescue!
It is no coincidence I believe, that the Maremma owners are the generous and welcoming people they are. As a newcomer to the Club, I have been touched by everyone’s welcome. It’s humbling for me to appreciate the amount of knowledge and dedication that members possess and I can’t wait for my Maremma puppy in the spring.
A really wonderful day. Thank you all so much.
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