Authors

About the Authors

Iris Combe

Iris with faithful companion Karibuni Chickadee

Iris Power was born on 23 June 1914 . Her parents owned a 700 acre estate at Glencairn
Abbey, Lismore, Co. Waterford in Eire. Iris was educated in Ireland and, in her own words, received little education other than learning to speak correctly! At the age of sixteen she
moved to London with her mother and, as she had neither academic qualifications nor
money, found work in a Knightsbridge café before gaining employment as a mannequin for
Court Dressmaker, Jays of Oxford Street.

During the second World War, when Iris received her call-up papers, she was directed into catering management at the 'Daily Mirror' newspaper offices in Fleet Street and from there progressed to management of a munitions workers’ canteens in the English Midlands. Her
sixty year involvement with Collies began during this time and following the war she married
Tom Combe, a Captain in the Grenadier Guards. They owned a small farm and market garden
in Colchester and in her spare time Iris became involved with the local dog obedience club
where she took an instructors' course and did demonstrations at local fetes with her working Collies.

Visiting the Suffolk Show one year Iris fell in love with a Rough Collie bitch, Clayswood
Debutante (Posy), which she later purchased from Mrs Wheldon. Posy whelped Iris’ first champion (Debs Happy Marquis, by Mrs Colman's Shencoln Happy Wanderer). Since then she
has campaigned and made up Champion Corviross Silver Joy (by Clayswood Don Nicholas ex Champion Crosstalk Silver Belle) and her offspring, siblings Champion Tilehouse Tonto and Champion Tilehouse Thistle (by Ch Lowerpark Black Buccaneer).


Champion Corviross Silver Joy	Champions Tilehouse Thistle & Tonto as young puppies

During the mid 1960's Iris purchased the Smooth Collie Robec Ramora, a Peterblue-bred
tricolour bitch. In 1971 Ramora whelped a litter of nine to Champion Selskars Blue Tarn
which included the blue merle dog Champion Tilehouse Patrick, qualified tracker dog and
winner of 21 Challenge Certificates.

Champion Tilehouse Patrick 21CC's

With five Tilehouse champions, in two breeds, Iris' next challenge was
to return to her first love, the Border Collie. The Kennel Club was in the process of accepting the breed's registration as a show breed and after
much deliberation Iris purchased a compatible breeding pair who, in their
first litter, produced Tilehouse Cassius. Following a move to Cambridgeshire, and her
husband's failing health, Iris gave up breeding and exhibiting so Cassius went to Joyce Collis
and Felix Cosme who subsequently campaigned him to his title. Show Champion Tilehouse Cassius of Beagold became the UK's first ever show champion Border Collie.

Show Champion Tilehouse Cassius of Beagold

Needing a further challenge Iris then turned to her large collection of books, pictures, photographs, newspaper cuttings and other mementoes connected with herding dogs and began researching material for her first book.* Almost thirty years following the publication of 'Collies Yesterday and Today', Iris joined forces with Dareen Bridge and Pat Hutchinson, publishing 'Rough
Collies of Distinction' in May 2001, to great acclaim. In December 2003 Iris and Pat published a soft-backed handbook, 'The Rough Collie in Society' which emphasises social aspects of the breed.

Iris has judged her three favourite breeds numerous times, accepting appointments across
Europe as well as in Australia and New Zealand, and she was also given the honour of judging Rough and Smooth Collies at Crufts, in 1990 and 1994 respectively. Crufts 1990 holds fond memories for Iris as not only did she draw the largest entry in the Show, but this was the last time Crufts was held in London and it was also the last time that only one judge officiated over the breed.

Over the years Iris has had the honour of being President of the Southern Border Collie Club; Vice-President of the Smooth Collie Club of GB; Life Member of the London Collie Club and International Sheepdog Society; and founder member of the East Anglian Collie Association.

Iris, now in her 94th year, has just completed her autobiography which is due for publication on 16 February 2008. 'Glencairn - My Irish Roots' should make a fascinating read.

*Books by Iris Combe:

Collies Yesterday and Today, 1972
Border Collies, 1978 (Faber & Faber)
Champions’ Parade 1975-1980 - Rough & Smooth Collies in Europe, 1984
Champions' Parade 1980-85 (written in conjunction with Tonny Heij)
Showing and Judging The Rough Collie
Shepherds, Sheep & Sheepdog, 1983 (Dalesman)
Herding Dogs - Their Origins & Development in Britain, 1987 (Faber & Faber)
The Smooth Collie - a Family Dog, 1992 (Roffe)
Border Collies - an Owner’s Companion, 1993 (Crowood Press)
Rough Collie Records, 1997 (TFH Kingdom Books)
Rough Collies of Distinction, 2001 (with co-authors Dareen Bridge &
Pat Hutchinson)
The Rough Collie in Society,2003 by Iris Combe & Pat Hutchinson
Glencairn - My Irish Roots, 2008 - autobiography

Dareen Bridge

Dareen’s love affair with the blue merle Rough Collie was first kindled in 1975, with the arrival
of three year old Acorus Blue Anemone (Emma) to their home on the Saddleworth moors, this combination being the inspiration for the Emmsmoor affix.

Clayswood Silver Coronet was the first to carry the 'Emmsmoor' name and Emmsmoor Lady Amelia, retained from the Kennel's first litter in 1981,
became the bitch behind all the Emmsmoor collies.

Dareen's interest in canine genealogy and breed history stemmed from a
desire to learn more about her own Collies and her research was boosted with the acquisition of the Kennel Club Stud Book and Rough Collie Breed Record Supplement records for the period 1925 to 1979. This whetted her appetite further and today the Emmsmoor library houses an impressive collection of breed-related literature.

She initially produced articles for the Yorkshire Collie Club’s annual Handbooks and has supplied numerous articles and pedigrees for Audrey Chatfield’s 'International Collie Handbook’ and ‘International Rough Collie Pedigrees’. She is in great demand from Collie enthusiasts, the world over, regularly contributing to periodicals such as ‘Collie World’ (the Russian language Handbook of the Fauna Collie Club in Moscow) and ‘Collie Bridge’. She has also been involved
with breed club anniversary publications, including the Smooth Collie Champions’ book to be published in 2003 as part of the breed club's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Having provided much genealogical information for Iris Combe over the years, Dareen teamed
up with Iris and Pat Hutchinson for 'Rough Collies of Distinction'. Launched at the rescheduled Crufts of 2001, this superb book has been enthusiastically received with fantastic reviews and
is selling well around the globe.

Dareen's latest project has been the production of a book, produced in CD format, entitled "Breeding for Colour in Rough and Smooth Collies." In 2006 she was appointed by the Rough Collie Breed Council as the official Breed archivist.

Pat Hutchinson

Rough Collies came into Pat’s life in 1978, following a seven year period in Kenya with her husband and two sons. ‘Shearcliffe Baroness’ was the first of many Rough Collies and the affix ‘Karibuni’ was registered shortly after her arrival ( a Swahili word meaning ‘Welcome’).

Karibuni Storm Petrel & daughter
Karibuni Nightingale

Since that time a maximum of four Collies have shared the family home in Cambridgeshire,
one litter being bred annually to continue the blood line. Although Mara whelped two litters it
was Westlynns Cinderella at Karibuni, some four years later, who was to prove the foundation
of the current dogs.
Pat has bred two Reserve Challenge Certificate winners to date -Karibuni Lammergeier and Karibuni Jezebel at Pampardour. She is an International Championship Show judge of Rough Collies and also judges Smooth Collies, Border Collies and Shetland Sheepdogs.

Pat was a committee member of the Huntingdon Canine Society; Secretary of the East Anglian Collie Association (1985 – 1997); and is a Life Member of the EACA and co-editor of the International Collie Society's annual Handbook. Pat and husband Don regularly support the International Collie Society's conferences and holidays which have taken part in such locations as Belgium, Eire, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, UK and the USA.

Karibuni Lammergeier Res. CC.

After a great deal of research and discussion with fellow-authors Iris Combe and Dareen Bridge, Mark Howlett was employed to prepare the book lay-out and print ‘Rough Collies of Distinction’, which was launched to great acclaim
in May 2001.

In December 2003 Pat and Iris published 'The Rough Collie in Society'. This book approaches
the Rough Collie from a different angle and should therefore appeal to a much wider audience.
It concerns the fascinating evolution of hard-working Collie dogs into sophisticated ladies' companions, fashion accessories, literary heroes, utility dogs and loyal, much loved family pets.