Awards

 LCRC AWARDS

Each year at our Annual Meeting we recognize members who have earned titles, or whom have performed outstanding service to the retriever community.

Outstanding Achievement Awards 2013

It is with great pleasure that the LCRC Board of Directors grant three LCRC Outstanding Achievement Award plaques to recognize members and dogs for their excellence in 2013. Please join us in celebrating the following:

Betsy Bernhard

The year was 1965.

VERMONT LIFE published an article written by one Martha Covington, newly of Benson, Vermont. In it she describes her delight at having moved to Vermont and continuing her work as a “professional handler licensed by the American Kennel Club.” She described the drier Vermont winters as preferable to Maryland’s damp cold. She wrote, “”I’ve always been puzzled to find that we seem to be the only operation of this kind in the state. The Vermont countryside is custom-tailored to retriever training as well as to the conditioning of dogs of any breed. Lake Champlain offers fine duck shooting, and upland game hunting is popular here.” The photographer was Hanson Carroll.

Lo and behold: at about the same time this issue was in early planning, a local named John Gibbons noticed a lovely little pond on Stagecoach Road in Morrisville. So he knocked on the door of the farmhouse and asked if he might be able to use the pond to train his retriever. To which Betsy Bernhard said, “That will be fine as long as we can come see what you do!”

One thing certainly led to another for Betsy! Within a few months, Betsy and husband Bill had accompanied John and Molly Gibbons to watch their first field trial, meeting Pete Simonds that day. Soon they also met Dinny and Peter Cummins. And at about the time that issue of VERMONT LIFE article went to press, the three couples – Bernhards, Gibbons and Cummins – began the formation of the original club, the Vermont Retriever Club. Some of the first members included Carlton Piper, Ron Boucher, Peter Rice, Pete Simonds, Jon Hall and the photographer Hanson Carroll.

Today we would like to salute Betsy Bernhard for her unwavering love of and commitment to what became the Lake Champlain Retriever Club. Along the way she has done every imaginable job for the club and the larger retriever community, right along with learning and working her dogs probably every day. She served as board member, Secretary, bird thrower, President, mentor, Field Trial Chair (probably doing all those simultaneously.), and more, year after year.

As the club approaches its 50th birthday, we have few to thank more than Betsy!

(Excerpts are from VERMONT LIFE Magazine Vol. XX, Number 1)

“Brewer” – GMHR I HRCH UH Cedarwood’s Brewmaster MH

Brewer is owned by Kim Smith and Judy Knope; Brewer has earned the master/senior/finished titles in three distinct venues – AKC, NAHRA and HRC – and in 2013 qualified at his (and Kim’s) first NAHRA Invitational. Brewer also earned his NAHRA Grand Master Hunting Retriever title.

“Lex” – HRCH Meadowmeres Lex MH MNH

Lex is owned by Dave and Nancy Corkum; 2013 Master National Qualifier and with this, his 3rd Master National pass, now has his AKC Master National Hunter title