The history of this club has been marked by tumultuous events. In the 1950s, the Toowoomba Canary and Cage Bird Club was formed, but three of its members, Mr James Hobdell, Mr Mervyn Towns, and Mr Thomas Smith, felt that budgerigars were not getting the recognition they deserved under the existing regime. This led to the formation of the Darling Downs Budgerigar Club in Toowoomba.

Mr Hobdell, a renowned breeder from Yarraman, was particularly instrumental in creating and improving the Lacewing variety. According to patron Les Banks, he was an exceptional breeder and a decent person.

However, the club went through a rough patch in 1976 and merged with the Ipswich Club for a year until they regained their footing. They eventually came back stronger than ever and are now known as the Toowoomba Budgerigar Association.

Despite the club’s ups and downs, it has always had a fun-loving and mischievous streak, which we hope to document on this website. Be sure to check out our Resources page.

The Toowoomba Budgerigar Association has achieved considerable success in Southern Queensland, particularly in the Futures Shows. Two of our Warwick members have won first place in the Lutino and Spangle AOSV varieties at the last two “Nationals” Shows, making them an excellent source of hints and tips, which they are happy to share.