OVER 100,000 racing pigeons carried messages in World War I, and 100 years on pigeons are serving a purpose in Wagga.
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Dozens of local enthusiasts will start training their pigeons for racing season.
Wagga Wagga Racing Pigeon Club secretary Lewis Blume explained how to train a pigeon.
“It’s innate, once they’re 100 days old we start by taking them 5km down the road and releasing them.”
At the first race of the season in July pigeons are released 65km away from home, and the distance is progressively increased each week for 25 weeks. In the final race pigeons fly 400km.
The sport is huge in South Africa, where punters can win a million dollars in the Sun City Classic, but Wagga locals do it for the fun.
“No one will ever get rich racing pigeons in Australia, it’s about community, it’s more of a social sport,” Blume said.
