(Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange)
 David Roche (Fermoy, AUST) on Carloway Afghan Hounds 2000 ( Extract from an interview in Afghan Hounds Australasia 2000) Page 1 information from an interview with David Roche published in Afghan Hounds Australasia 2000. We have also added additional information and photos from our other AHT research archives. Ed note1 - about David Roche - Has shown and bred large numbers of breeds under the "Fermoy" affix" including, Australian Terriers, Smooth Fox Terriers, Wire Fox Terriers, Scottish Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers (for over 60 years) English Cockers, American Cockers, Irish Setters, Pointers, German Shepherds, Old English Sheepdogs, Boxers, 3 varieties of Poodles, Afghan Hounds, Greyhounds, Toy breeds (Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, Brussels Griffons, Italian Greyhounds & Pekingese. First started judging in UK and USA in 1952. Judged Morris & Essex in 1955. Has judged in over 25 countries. He is one of very few judges outside of the UK to judge BIS at Crufts (1969). He has won more Royal Shows (19) than any other exhibitor in Australia. ) (source - dogjudges.info) Ed note2 - Jim Hickie (Gengala, Aust) on David Roche - The black masked gold dog Eng.& Aust. Ch. Mazari of Carloway (U.K.) was not only a successful sire but a really great show dog. In terms of breed characteristics, " a style of high order", "dignified and aloof" etc. this dog was the epitomy of the standard and of course in the hands of his owner David Roche his presentation was never less than perfect. He won Sydney Royal in 1965 and then went on to go Best in Show at both Melbourne and Adelaide Royal Shoiws. He was not only an important sire for David's Fermoy Kennels but figured prominently in the breedings at Emir,Calahorra and Dzum Kennels..Eng & Aust. Ch. Wolliwog of Carloway was the next male to be imported by David Roche. This dog had been a top winner in England and already had sired many winners there and also a litter ( from a dam imported in whelp) in New Zealand before his arrival in Australia. Two of that litter came to Australia. He continued to produce valuable stock for a number of kennels here. (Source The Afghan Hound In Australia - a Brief History, Jim Hickie). I was judging Best In Show at an Open Show in England called Epson Open Show. Sheila Devitt had her Mazari Of Carloway. I was mad about the Afghan, he was a terribly exciting dog. He was about 20 months old at this time. I gave him a marvelous critique in which I said "We will hear a great deal more about this dog". Through some friends in England I tried to buy this Afghan. At first Sheila said no and I went back to Australia. Sheila had offered me his half brother but I told her that it was Mazari or nothing. About a month after I returned home, I received a cable from Sheila asking me if I as still interested in this dog. I defnitelyly was, as in the meantime I had looked up his breeding and he was out of Crown Crest Zardeeka, an inbred daughter of Zardonx and a dog called Ch Pasha Of Carloway. At that time I was a bit hard up for money so I had to borrow it from my mother, and that is why she co-owned the dog.
I really intended at that time to only have the one Afghan as a show dog. I wasn't really too interested in breeding Afghans. Well, it was just after I got Mazari that Sheila contacted me and assked me if I would like a kennel maid. She said that she had this girl, Joyce West, that had been with her about seven years that was interested in coming to Australia and securing a position there. It was through her that I really got Afghan minded. Mazari won four Royal Shows in all. Theree in one year; Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Royal shows. His son won the Melbourne Royal the next year, and Mazari came out of retirement to win it again the following year. He also won the PalI Iinternational show, which is on par with the Royal Shows. There are five Royal shows a year; the three mentioned above are the three big ones. Mazari had pride of race, carriage, style, and soundness. He was an enormously important dog for Australia at that time. Physically, he was not a teribly large dog, just a fraction under 28 inches. But there was an enormous amount of dog for his size. A very long powerful head, with a jet black muzzle which he held most of his life. His head was very fine from an English point of view. He had huge feet and an enormous body. His temperament was totally unflappable, he was very steady. When Bob Waters gave him Best In Show at the Melbourne Royal, he said he was the greatest dog of any breed, that he had ever seen in his life. I thought that was a very sweeping statement. And as a producer, you could pick his puppies from 200 yeards. He really stamped them out with a definite look. At this time the Afghans existed in Australia in numbers but there was no quality. And apart from one dog Aghai Of Hawkfield, I dont think any Afghan had done much winning. Mazari put Afghans on the map with his four BIS at the Royal Shows. Everyone was really stunned because they had never seen an Afghan show like he did. He took his first show, the Sydney Royal, by absolute storm. Joyce encouraged me to buy mor Afghans. The next one I got was Ch Jil Of Carloway,. who unfortunately died shortly after her arrival to Australia due to hemorraging in her chest cavity. Then I bought a succcession of English dogs. Sheila had given up breeding by then, so I had bought some fromk the Hattrells, who had Khinjan Kennels, and I bought a bitch from Dennis McCarthy, who was sired by Am Can Eng Ch Aryana Shalym. Shalym later went to the Phillips in Canada. And because Mazari was out of an inbred Zardonx daughter, I contacted Kay and got two Mr Universe daughtes, Crown Crest Miss Carosel and Aust Ch Crown Crest Miss Capriole. These two bitches were littermates to CC Mr Lippizan, CC Miss Vienna, CC Miss Ballotade and Ch CC Miss Levade. While I was importing these bitches, Joyce brought it to my attentin that since Sheila was getting out of dogs, she would probably be interested in sending me Ch. Walliwog of Carloway as she wouldn't want to see him lose in Engand afer all the winning he had done there. Most of the English peo0ple acknowledged that he was a great dog and the best dog that Carloway breeding had produced. So I contacted Sheila and she said that she had just offered him to America, but she would prefer that I have him, in view of the fact that I had Mazari and Joyce with me. So I bought him and there was an outcry in England about him leaving the country. The English people believed that he was so great the he should never have been allowed to leave the country, and if no one could afford to buy him, he should have been bought by the English Parent Club. He was all English breeding, his father was Ch Horningsea Sheer Khan.
I ended up getting Walliwog after I got the two Crown Crest bitches from Kay. When I bred im to those two bitches, I got a beautiful dog named Fermoy Goliwog, he unfortunately died at about 13 months. The remaining dogs in the two litters were not all that great. The dogs generally were oversize, they were enormous. So up until this time my four main Afghans were Mazari, Walliwog and the two Crown Crest bitches Afghans were starting to shape up around this time and Mazari gave them a tremeous boost that they needed. And, also, a number of importations were made into Australia. One of these dogs was Chandhara's Tardis Arrakesh who was by Ch Horningse Tiger's Eye. But at this point there had been no males imported from America. I contacted Kay to see if she could find me a dog that had the characteristics that I needed. So by the time I arrived in America a few months later, she had found the dg for me, Coastwind Holy Man. Kay had bought him so he was at her house when I arrived there. He left America about nine months of age and then had to spend 15 months in quarantine Mazari and Holy man were of about the s ame height but the proportions were very different. Holy Man was much shorter backed and not as enormous in body as Mazari. But each dog was in balance with itself Mazari sired 27 Champions, I think Walliwog produced about half that number. There were many dogs sired by both of these that could have finished, but we all know about that.
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