2025 Judges
Introducing our 2025 Judges

Irene Van Belzen - (TICA) - All Breeds Judge and Judge of Merit, Netherlands
Irene is Judging all Exhibits for Groups, 1, 2 and 3 and Companions.
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Introduction for Irene van Belzen
When I left home for college I got my first kitten. It was a red tabby and white which was very smart and affectionate. A year later I got him a black and white companion, named Tommy.
In 1986 I went with them to a cat show in the town I lived in and was hooked. My red tabby and white decided this show thing was not for him and he could stay home. But Tommy started a whole show career, and he showed many judges that household pets can be very special.
A couple years later I started breeding Blue Abyssinians together with my brother. After 6 years I stopped breeding as it did not fit in with my busy job.
But I kept showing Tommy, later with his new buddy Iwan. It gave me much joy to show these 2 boys.
In my first 10 years in cat fancy, I was a steward on many shows and being a steward, I learned a lot about different cat breeds. This was, in the time the stewards brought the cats from the show hall to the judging area. I loved handling all kind of different cat breeds.
Besides that, I also was on the Board of a large club that organized huge traditional European shows. Here I learned a lot about organizing shows and all that comes with it.
In 1993 I showed for the very first time on a TICA show and kept showing in TICA. I later also clerked many times on shows. I also many times showed Maine Coons and Cornish Rex for friends of mine.
In 1998 founded the Dutch TICA clubs and my earlier experiences with organizing shows was very helpful. I was the President of this club for 13 years. Then other enthusiastic people took over my responsibilities in the club. This club still runs successful shows.
In 1999 I started to breed Bengals and have been breeding Bengals ever since within TICA quite successfully under the cattery name Batifoleurs.
I have been a TICA judge since 2002 and like judging all kinds of cats. I also have judged in other associations which helped me to keep a broader vision on cat breeds and cat fancy.
This is my first time that I will be judging in Australia, and I am looking forward to meeting a lot of beautiful cats with their dedicated owners/breeders.

Tomoko Vlach - (TICA) - All Breeds Judge and Judge of Merit and Ring Instructor, from Vienna, Austria
Tomoko is Judging all Exhibits for Groups, 1, 2 and 3 and Companions.
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Hi, I am Tomoko and I was born in Yokohama/Japan. I lived many years in Nagoya before I moved to Vienna/Austria 2009 when I married Kurt.
I started in the cat-fancy because my aunt was the Secretary of the oldest cat club in Japan, the “All Japan Cat Club” in Nagoya. She was also the first breeder of Siamese and Oriental Shorthairs in Japan!
So, I also bred Siamese and Orientals but always had Companion Cats and also a Persian (which I needed when I was studying to become a TICA Judge). This year it is now 25 years that I am a Judge in TICA !!
When I moved to Austria, I had with me two red tabby Household Pets (which I had found in a box in front of a supermarket as tiny kittens) and an old Oriental Shorthair. All of them are not with me anymore, but since then Kurt and I had Bengals, Tonkinese, Burmese and more Household Pets (which we adopted at cat-shows all over Europe). Right now, we own a Cornish Rex, a Burmese and an Oriental Shorthair. We don’t have time to breed cats, but we breed Siamese Fighting fish (Betta Splendens) and we even became International Fish-Judges!!!
Right now, I work as a chef in a Japanese Restaurant in Vienna (and I am happy that I can speak Japanese all day long!!!).
I have been in Australia before, and it was always so exciting! I love the cats there and the friendly people!!! And the Australian wines of course 

It is the first time for me to judge for this club – thank you so much for the invitation and I hope that you will be happy with my judging!!

Lesley Morgan (CAT) - All Breeds Judge, Tasmania
Lesley will be Judging All Exhibits for Groups 1, 2 and 3 and Companions.
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Introduction to the cat fancy was in 1964, with Chinchillas and shaded silver Persians, my first breed. My mother acquired a Burmese in 1965, so that became another interest. In 1968 my parents (Tops and Trevor Jowett) imported the first British Shorthair breeding pair into Australia, and thus the "Redwyton" British (top winners in several continents) began.
Diversifying, I bred the first lilac tabby point Siamese on the bench in Aust, in 1969. Since 1985, I pioneered exotics in Australia ("Comyn" prefix), breeding quite a number of Group 1 (in Australia, Persian/Exotic and all Semi LH) Cats, Kittens and Neuters of the Year. More recently, I bred Group 1 KOY in 2000 (Persian) and 2002 (Exotic). In complete contrast, from April '97 I became owner of a castrated tawny Aby housepet/show neuter, who was 1997 Group 3 Kitten of the Year, and 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 Group 3 Neuter of the Year, as well as National Desexed Abyssinian, 1998. My days with EXO died with my last female, in 2017. For several years I fostered terminal geriatrics from a local rescue centre until my son put a stop to that by giving me a 2 yo ABY spay he saw advertised on Gumtree. “Ditzy” is an enormous character and before we ever slept together, she was SH Kitten of the Year, so she’s also rather a delight to gaze upon.
I qualified as a judge of all shorthairs in 1968 in the days when there was a very limited number of breeds in that category, and in 1971, added Longhair, British and Manx (as the licence then was) to become All Breeds. (Probably, and scandalously, the youngest AB judge ever – it could never happen now with so many more breeds and more sophisticated training!) In 1979, I qualified as a FIFe International All Breeds judge, during the period ACF was a FIFe member body.
Since then, I have been fortunate enough to judge many times in all states and territories of Australia, as well as NZ, and have on many occasions judged in (three states of) Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, UK, Sweden, Holland, Finland, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Italy, France, South Africa, Slovakia, Japan, Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland and Austria and USA as well as Thailand, China and Vietnam. I was the Australian Cat Federation Inc delegate to WCC (World Cat Congress) from 1995 to 2003 and apart from 2013, from 2006 to 2016.
For some years, I have been involved in various administrative positions within the Tasmanian (and national) cat fancy, and was Acting ACF President '97 - '98, ACF International Liaison Officer 1989 - 2003 (and from June 2006 till 2017 for another tour of duty), as well as editor of the ACF Judges' Guild journal, "Felijudge" and the ACF Yearbook (1977 – 2017 and again from 2020 to present day). I am President of the committee of the Cat Association of Tasmania, and have been head judge tutor (All Breeds) in Tasmania since the 1970’s.

Henry Hornell (FIFe) - All Breeds Judge from Poland.
Henry is Judging All Exhibits and Companions.
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Henry first started in 1979 with a blue Burmese and then started breeding Burmese plus sacred Birmans.
At home, Henry has 2 Norwegian Forest Cats and one lilac Burmese.
Henry is now breeding the Norwegian Forest Cats and has the honour of having the first two Norwegian Forest Cats for breeding, in Indonesia. Henry's cattery being: Av Cumbria.
Henry's first exam was category 2 (https://fifeweb.org/app/uploads/2023/10/CAT-2.pdf) in 1990 and became All Breed in 2014.
Henry was born in Cumbria, England and he now lives in Poland with his wife, who is from Siberia.
This will be Henry's first visit to Australia.

Kurt Vlach (TICA) All Breeds Judge and Judge of Merit / Distinguished Judge, from Vienna, Austria
Kurt is Judging all Exhibits for Groups, 1, 2 and 3 and Companions.
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First of all, I would like to express how grateful I am that your club provided me the opportunity to come back to Australia – every time I felt that this is a privilege, and I came home with a lot of fond memories (and a lot of bottles of wine) from the trips. I am sure it will be the same this time!
I was born in Vienna, Austria and lived in this beautiful city ever since. I am married to Tomoko – and if you meet her at this show you will know exactly why I fell in love with this Japanese girl 

I am retired since October 2024, before I worked for one of the largest European Bank Groups for more than 30 years. Concerning my “cat-life” – As my mother and sister were allergic to cats, I couldn’t have some until I finally moved out – but just two months later to lovely Companion Cats enriched my life.
My first pedigreed cat was a Maine Coon, and I bred this lovely breed from 1992 – 2001. I also had a litter of Siamese/Oriental Shorthairs (the grandfather of my stud came from Australia). Later, when Tomoko and I moved together, we had Companion Cats, a Tonkinese, Burmese and a Bengal. Right now, we show in TICA a desexed black & white Cornish Rex and a desexed red sepia Burmese and a chocolate spotted Oriental Shorthair female.
I am an Approved All breed Judge in TICA since 1999 and a Ring- and School Instructor. Furthermore, I am the Regional Director of Southern Europe and represent members of more than 20 countries as a TICA Board Member.
Other hobbies I have – Wine (Tomoko and I produce a Gold-Medal winning White Wine in Vienna), Siamese Fighting Fish (we breed those and are also International Betta-Fish-Judges), Music (I have an extensive LP- and CD collection), Art – well, the beautiful and good things in life!
I often get ask what my favorite breed is – difficult, but finally I stay with the Companion Cats. It is always emotional for me to handle cats which very often have been given a second chance to live… Other than that, I refer to a teaching of one of my mentors – “Try to find three things in every cat which makes it outstanding compared to all other ones”. I think that cats feel it if you approach them with a positive mind – and they give back their love.
So – enjoy this show and thank you for supporting this club with your entries.
Yours,
Kurt

Kingsley Schmidtke (GCCFSA) All Breeds Judge Groups 1 and 3 (Group 3 Tutor) from South Australia
Kingsley will be Judging Group 1 and 3 and Companions
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I have been involved in The Cat Fancy since 1980, showing my first Burmese whilst starting High School. It wasn’t long until my involvement included running annual shows, stewarding and being active in a variety of cat clubs, whilst doing my HSC. In 1998 I obtained my OFS Judging licence, followed soon after with my BFM in 2002, to complete the national Group 3 class.
Having bred Burmese, British, Scottish folds and owned by two Turkish Vans, I retired from breeding in 1999.
In 2022 I extended my Judging Licence to include the beautiful Group 1 Breeds and I’m currently undertaking my Group 2 course with GCCFSA.
I feel lucky that I have the privilege of sharing my love of felines with other likeminded people and the friendships I have from all over the world.

Nick Tricarico (GCCFV) All Breeds Judge from Victoria
Nick is Judging Group 2 and Companions plus Ragdoll, British and Russian, Top 10, Specialty Challenge Rings, Best Litter in Show and Junior Handlers.
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I am an All Breeds judge with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (Aust. & Vic) Inc. (GCCFV) which is currently affiliated with the Australian Cat Federation (Inc.). I completed Group 2 in 1999 and Group 3 in 2002, followed by Group 1 in 2008.
My breed interest is the British Shorthair and with my wife, Cathy, we have been exhibiting and breeding this breed since 1994 under the prefix of Bevington. We specialise in the colours of Orange–Eyed White, Black and Blue. We have bred a number of best in show and cat of the year winners and were GCCFV Group 3 Breeder of the Year winners in 2009.
I have undertaken numerous local and interstate assignments as well as New Zealand. I have judged at the Co–ordinating Cat Council of Australia (CCCA) National Shows in Brisbane in 2004 and in Melbourne in 2007, the World Cat Congress Show in Melbourne in 2010, as well as the New Zealand National Show in 2008. I have been very privileged to judge at these various shows.
Outside of the cat fancy, I am a qualified social worker.