Compiled by Anne Jellett Jellkees Keeshonds - Western Australia Mrs. Constance Bourne is credited with being the first person to bring the Keeshond to Australia. Having emigrated here in 1929 Mrs. Bourne returned to England following the death of her mother just before the outbreak of World War 11. She did not return to Australia until 1949, her return no doubt delayed by the outbreak of war. Whilst living in England she was interested in buying a dog, and, one evening her husband came home from work and told her he had seen the breed of dog she would want. This was a Keeshond, and his reason was that the baby puppies (in his opinion) resembled the Australia Koala. The puppy they purchased was VALIES OF VORDEN, and as she was the pick of the litter the breeder insisted that the bitch was shown. This was the start of Mrs. Bourne's interest in showing and breeding Keeshonds. She also purchased another bitch BABETTE OF WILLOWDEN. She showed and bred some of her English Keeshonds under her English Suffix OF ARNHEM breeding at least one litter from Valies of Vorden and one from Babette of Willowden. Mrs Bourne, her husband and the 4 Keeshonds arrived in Australia in May 1949. The 4 Keeshonds were ENG CH VALIES OF VORDEN w 21/9/1945 bred by Mr N.S. Conn (UK) (Interestingly enough I can find no record of an Australian litter for this bitch although Mrs Bourne continued to show her here in Australia) AIRKING OF ARNHEM her son w 12/3/1947 by Viking of Vorden bred in England by Mrs Bourne. BABETTE OF WILLOWDEN w 4/4/1946 bred by Mrs. Astle Fletcher (UK) AIRAMBER OF ARNHEM her daughter w 21/5/1947 by Vandyke of Vorden bred in England by Mrs. Bourne. These dogs became the foundation of the Australian Keeshond as Mrs Bourne continued breeding here under the ARNHEM prefix. Mrs Bourne became a foundation member of the Keeshond Club of NSW and patron from 1967 to 1976. She passed away in November 1988 in Sydney.
KeeshondWorld.com December 2012