About Us
The Club
The Rare Poultry Breeders’ Association was formed on the 15th of January 2006 by a group of enthusiastic supporters of rare breeds and rare varieties of domestic fowl. With support from our inaugural patrons, well known fancier and judge Gary Hart, and Australasian Poultry publisher Megg Miller OAM, our first annual show was held in 2006.
The association is loosely based in the Lower Hunter Region of New South Wales, but draws members from all areas of NSW as well as interstate. Some of the club’s most enthusiastic supporters in fact come from Queensland and Western Australia. Meetings are held in the poultry pavilion of Maitland (NSW) showground, which is also the venue for the annual show. The club is affiliated with the EPA of NSW and conducts its show, held on the third Saturday in May each year, according to the rules and regulations of the EPA.
Office Bearers - 2024/2025
Club Committee:
President
Grant Andrews
Vice Presidents
Tony Mills - Peter Cliff
Secretary
David Smith
Treasurer
David Smith
President
Grant Andrews
Vice Presidents
Tony Mills - Peter Cliff
Secretary
David Smith
Treasurer
David Smith
Classification Committee:
Chair
David Smith
Members
Grant Andrews - Tony Mills - Peter Cliff - Amanda Winney - Carolyn Barker - Laurence Clarke - Sandra Clarke
Chair
David Smith
Members
Grant Andrews - Tony Mills - Peter Cliff - Amanda Winney - Carolyn Barker - Laurence Clarke - Sandra Clarke
Show Secretary
David Smith
Chief Stewards
Carolyn Barker - Laurence Clarke
Newsletter Editor
David Smith
Publicity Officer
Sandra Clarke
EPA NSW Representative
Peter Cliff
Patrons
Megg Miller OAM - Tas Doornbusch
Life Members
Robyn Harris (Deceased) - Tas Doornbusch - Tony Mills
David Smith
Chief Stewards
Carolyn Barker - Laurence Clarke
Newsletter Editor
David Smith
Publicity Officer
Sandra Clarke
EPA NSW Representative
Peter Cliff
Patrons
Megg Miller OAM - Tas Doornbusch
Life Members
Robyn Harris (Deceased) - Tas Doornbusch - Tony Mills
Rare Breeds Classification
Each year, prior to the business meeting in March, the Classification Committee meets to determine the eligibility of breeds for inclusion in the show schedule. This determination is based on local and national trends, with consideration given to breed entries at club and agricultural shows, as well as the activity of breed societies. The show schedule is divided into two main sections; Rare Breeds and Rare Varieties. Each of these sections is then divided into a further two sections; one for large fowl and one for bantams. Rare breeds are deemed to be those breeds where there is no colour exclusion, that is, all colour varieties are eligible for inclusion in the schedule. Rare varieties are deemed to be those breeds that have colour varieties that are common in exhibition circles, but which also have at least one colour variety that is not commonly seen. These uncommon colour varieties are therefore eligible for inclusion in the schedule, while the common varieties are not. To this purpose a list of ineligible varieties is published in the show schedule, and the terms ARC, AORC & AOERC are used to denote colour varieties which are eligible for exhibition.
ARC - This abbreviation stands for Any Recognised Colour and means any colour that is standardised within the Australian Poultry Standards for the breed in question.
AORC - This abbreviation stands for Any Other Recognised Colour and is used for breeds where classes are provided for some of the standardised colours, but not all. Once again the colour must be standardised for the breed in the Australian Poultry Standards.
AOERC - This abbreviation stands for Any Other Eligible Recognised Colour and is used in the Rare Variety section for breeds where there has been an exclusion of one or more colours. Again the colour must be recognised for the breed in the Australian Poultry Standards.
ARC - This abbreviation stands for Any Recognised Colour and means any colour that is standardised within the Australian Poultry Standards for the breed in question.
AORC - This abbreviation stands for Any Other Recognised Colour and is used for breeds where classes are provided for some of the standardised colours, but not all. Once again the colour must be standardised for the breed in the Australian Poultry Standards.
AOERC - This abbreviation stands for Any Other Eligible Recognised Colour and is used in the Rare Variety section for breeds where there has been an exclusion of one or more colours. Again the colour must be recognised for the breed in the Australian Poultry Standards.
The Breeds & Varieties - 2025
Fowls & Bantams
Rare Breeds
American Game - Andalusian - Appenzeller - Araucana (Including Rumpless) - Asil - Barnevelder - Belgian Barbu De Watermael - Belgian Rumpless - Brahma - Breda - Bresse Gauloise - Campine - Cochin - Crèvecœur - Croad Langshan - Dorking - Dutch Bantam - Dutch Owl Beard - Faverolles - Fayoumi - Friesian Fowl - Frizzle - Houdan - Ixworth - Japanese (Including Frizzled) - Jungle Fowl - La Flèche - Lakenvelder - Legbar - Malay Game - Marans - Minorca - Nankin Bantam - New Hampshire - Norfolk Grey - Old English Pheasant Fowl - Orloff - Phoenix - Polish (Including Frizzled) - Redcap - Rosecomb - Scots Dumpy - Scots Grey - Sebright - Serama - Shamo - Sicilian Buttercup - Siciliana - Spanish - Sultan - Sumatra
Transylvanian Naked Neck - Vorwerk - Welsummer - Yokohama
Rare Varieties
Ancona - except single combed standard colour (Large & Bantam)
Australian Game - except black red (Large & Bantam)
Australian Langshan - except black (Large & Bantam)
Australian Pit Game - hen feather only (Large & Bantam)
Australorp - except black (Large & Bantam)
Belgian - Barbu D’Anvers - except normal quail, lavender & black
Belgian - Barbu D’Uccle - except black, millefleur & black mottled
Hamburgh - except silver spangled (Large Fowl Only)
Indian Game - except dark & jubilee (Bantam Only)
Leghorn - except black, brown & white (Bantam Only)
Modern Game - except black red, pile, duckwing, brown red & birchen (Bantam Only)
Old English Game - except black red, (Large & Bantam), black, birchen, grey, crele, pile, spangle (Bantam Only)
Orpington - except black (Large & Bantam), buff (Large Fowl Only)
Pekin - except black, blue & white
Plymouth Rock - except light barred & dark barred (Bantam Only)
Rhode Island - except single combed red (Large & Bantam)
Silkie - except white, black & partridge (Non Bearded Large Fowl Only)
Sussex - except light (Large & Bantam)
Wyandotte - except white, silver laced (Large & Bantam), gold laced (Large Only), columbian & partridge (Bantam Only)
Waterfowl
Ducks
Rare Breeds
Abacot Ranger - Aylesbury - Bali - Black East Indian - Blue Swedish - Campbell - Cayuga - Crested - Elizabeth - Magpie - Orpington
Pekin (exhibition type) - Pommern - Rouen - Rouen Clair - Saxony - Silver Appleyard - Watervale - Welsh Harlequin
Rare Varieties
Australian Call - bibbed, dusky mallard, magpie & pied mallard
Indian Runner - all colours other than white
Mallard - all colours other than normal and yellow billed white
Muscovy - lavender, lavender & white, bronze, bronze & white, white winged black
Geese
Rare Breeds
African - Australian Settler - Brecon Buff - Chinese - Embden - Pomeranian - Roman - Sebastopol - Toulouse
Turkey
Rare Colours
Black - Blue - Bourbon Red - Bronze - Buff - Narragansett - Royal Palm - Slate - White
Guinea Fowl
Rare Colours
Cinnamon - White
The Rare Poultry Breeders' Association - Promoting rare breeds and rare colour varieties of pure bred domestic fowl