created 1/11/2002

Last updated 26/10/2007

The Show Badge Collection of the South East Section

In 1997 our resident Show Chairman Alan Maskell had the bright idea of doing the same at section level. However, it was a case of a good idea coming too late. We contacted the O.D.D. Badge Company (now Pinpoint Badges & Promotions) and found that we hadn't allowed enough time to produce a badge for the 1997 show. So the idea was put on hold until the following year. In the mean time we took the decision to emulate the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club (MAKC) and produce a different badge design every year, but still following the theme of the show classes.

The first year we depicted the Kohaku and used a design of Chairman David Brown's that he had created some years before as a T-shirt logo. The following year (1999) we asked Dave to design a bespoke show badge, depicting the Sanke. We knew we were on to a good bet here because amongst Dave's many talents is that of a graphic designer. We liked that design so much that we have used it on our show trophies ever since.

For year 2000 we chose Showa as our representative show class and decided that we'd have a competition for the best design. The competition was duly announced and documented in our "Spotlight".
Part of the deal with our new sister club "Oregon Koi & Watergarden Society" is an exchange of magazines. Which is how their then President, Norman B Call, also a graphic designer came to read about the competition and eventually win it.

2001 and now a precedent had been set. Along with the theme of Show Classes and different designs, we now had another element; Chairmen. Looking around for a suitable designer (that was also a Chairman)and not finding one, we decided it was incumbent on our new Show Chairman to do the honours, and so Terry Wells got the job. Terry chose the Utsuri as the representative class.

2002 was our 21st Anniversary as a section and to celebrate our coming of age we decided to produce a badge to celebrate. We delegated the job to Doug 'Dob' Holder a founder member and our first Open Show Chairman, who we later learned coerced David Brown into helping him. For our 21st anniversary we chose the Bekko.

That still left our Show Badge. Having scoured the section and the country for suitable candidates we decided to go European and see if we could find a designer with the right qualifications over there. Toen Feyen, newly promoted Voorzitter to the Nishikigoi Vereniging Nederland with impecable South East credentials fitted the bill exactly and our Tancho pin was added to the set.

For 2003 we had to search further afield for a suitably qualified designer. Having exhausted Europe and the USA, we settled on the Pacific Rim where Vincent Chiu, President of the Taiwanese ZNA agreed to honour us with his assistance. Vincent was given the same briefing as every other designer and the show class Hikarimuji to work with. However, there was just one little snag. The variety had to include Yamabuki Ogon, on request of our Show Secretary. Vincent complied with an excellent badge depicting Purachina and Yamabuki, combining both an Eastern and Western influence and a perfect balance of silver and gold representing peace and harmony.

Having exausted the Orient, Europe and the USA we found our next designer deep down in darkest Africa, in the shape of Mike Harvey, Chairman of the KwaZulu Natal Chapter of the South African Koi Keepers Society. Mike had graced our show with his presence in the International Judges Panel in 2003. Mike was given the Asagi/Shusui class to work with and designed a pin that depected the sunsets of his native South Africa as a back drop to the cedar trees that surround the South East Show ground.

Our search for a badge designing Chairman took us back to Europe this year. Louis van Reusel a BKKS Judge from Belgian and an early pioneer of koi keeping in Belgium was the Chairman of our Internationl Judging Panel last year. Louis was given the task of desiging our 9th Show pin depicting the Hikari Utsuri Class. As our pin was also to hightlight this years Selected Variety (the Kin-Ki-Utsuri) we asked him to specifically include this fish. There were some problems with the manufacture of this badge, which led to two other proofs being manufactured. The first of which is also available for sale.

Running out of willing and able Show Chairman we resorted back to a competition again, but with a twist. We let our sister club - the NVN run it amongst their members. The winner was Davy Otes, 14 years old at the time of submitting the design. Davy's design originally featured both the UK and the Dutch flags divided by the Kumonryu from the NVN's own pin. We made an amendment of omitting the UK Flag to allow a blank area to carry the text. As is now the norm, the Kumonryu was the Selected Variety of the year.

Following on from last year we decided it was time youth took a hand in our pin designs. Thinking also that it was time the womenfolk of the Koi world got a look in we asked Hannah Fisher one of our centre ring workers and 16 at the time the pin went on sale at the show and she did us proud. The Selected Variety for the year was the Goshiki, not an easy fish to reproduce but she managed. Her design was based on an actual Koi, the largest Goshiki in the UK owned by Bill Oakley. The rest of the pin design is based on a show vat which gives ample room to carry the necessary information.

Other badges of the South East Section

In addition to our show series, the South East Section has three other badges.

The Section badge, a formal design depicting two leaping Kohakus was designed by Ray Baker in 1985 when he was our Vice Chairman.

The "Partners in goodwill" badge, inspired by the tragic events of Sept 11th 2001, to commemorate our relationship with our sister club, The Oregon Koi & Watergarden Society. Designed by Norman Call it depicts a Kohaku, the Stars and Stripes and a Union Jack.

Having run out of supplies of our club badge we decided to get new ones made slightly bigger to distinguish it from the original. Some unkind souls have suggested that the enlargement is due to the failing eyesight of the older members - not true.

Other badges of the South East Section
The Koi Trek

The NVN Tour badge 2003, commemorating a visit by the Nishikigoi Vereniging Nederland to the South East section on the 22-24th August where they toured 6 section ponds, Koi Care Aquatic Consultants, Koi Water Barn before visiting our 17th Open show.  

The NVN Tour badge 2004, commemorating the exchange visit beteween the two clubs, now know as KOITREK. Designed by Toen Feyen and produced by Promopin.nl the design encorporates a double-decker London bus being towed by two Koi.

The KOITREK2005 Pin, designed by Toen Feyen and Hans Domburg the pin in unique in that it is double sided. One side bearing the South East Section club logo and the other that of the NVN. Free from its securing pins the logo will spin. For pin collecters a very uninque 2-for-1 pin.

The 2006 pin featured day-glo paint. We had to come up with something to compete with the Dutch designed pin of last year. It was designed by our PRO Bernie Woollands.

The 2007 pin again designed by Toen Feyen, artwork again by his nepher features 2004's cartoon character this time backpacking with a Shiro Utsuri escaping from the rucksack with a background consisting of our two flags.

©2002SouthEastSection