Keith Mott Writes...

RON WASEY

A Champion Pau Flyer

Ron Wasey of New Addington is without a doubt one of the best pigeon fanciers I've met, winning many premier positions in combine, classic and national over many years. He has only sent to Pau four times in his pigeon career, the first time winning 1st. open N.F.C. Pau, the second time winning 4th. open N.F.C. Pau, the third time he didn't clock in and the fourth time in the 2002 season, when he chalked up 1st. open London & South East Classic Club from Pau. Brilliant pigeon racing!

Ron is a retired teacher and raced with outstanding success for many years with his wife, Brenda, but after leaving the sport for several years, has returned in recent seasons flying in partnership with Terry Lloyd. The 1981 King's Cup race had a record entry of over 6,000 birds and Ron won the race with his wonderful blue hen, champion 'Nightlight Nancy', who incidently only passed away three years ago at 22 years of age. This was his first attempt at Pau, 553 miles and the hen was sitting on 14 day old eggs, being liberated at 06.00hrs, and was clocked at 18.45hrs on the day. Previous to winning the Pau national, 'Nancy', who was bred from birds off H. J. Humphrey of Tottenham and Roy Drake of Catford, won several premier positions including: 1980: 2nd. club, 2nd. federation, 5th. open combine Dax. Ron always geared the whole loft to be sitting about 12 day old eggs for the Pau National and proved to be most successful.

Ron began the 1982 season with the impossible task of following and living up to the fantastic seasons that had gone before. His brilliant performances had put Ronnie in the top handful of elite fanciers in Great Britain. Highlights of seasons previous to 1982 were:1979: 3rd. section E. 4th. open N.F.C. Guernsey, 1st., 2nd. and 3rd. open Croydon federation Dax, 530 miles, only two birds on the day of liberation in the federation, 1981: 1st. open N.F.C. Pau, winning the King's Cup and R.P.R.A. London region award, 3rd. open London & South Coast Combine Dax, the same day as winning the Pau national. The loft has recorded many other 1st. federations wins in these years, both inland and from France.

The Wasey's started the 1982 season by winning 1st. club, 2nd. open Croydon federation, 2nd. open London & South Coast Combine La Mans, with their good Hopwood mealy hen cock, 'Daphne's Delight', then went on to win the supreme trophy in the National Flying Club, 'The Langstone Gold Cup', for best average in the three national races. Ron's national season started at Nantes and his first bird on the clock to record 27 th. section E. 68 th. open (12,444 birds) was his good Dordin mealy cock, 'Elain's Eric', which was inbred to Ron's champion stock hen, 'The Hopwood Hen'. 'Elain's Eric' was also second bird on the Pau national clock that season to record 87 th. section E. 460 th. open Pau. Previously as a young bird he had won in 1980: 1st. club, 1st. open federation Blandford, 1st. club, 3rd. open federation Blandford, 1st. club, 4th. open federation Exeter and 1st. club, 21st. open federation Blandford. A fantastic pigeon! Then came the Pau Grand National and many rate Ron's performance as even better than when he won 1st. open in 1981, as the weather and wind did not favour his birds. In the 1982 event , he clocked his great hen, 'Landymores's Lulu', to record 1st. section E. 4th. open N.F.C. Pau. This great hen won the 'F.G. Wilson Trophy' for best average by the same pigeon at Nantes and Pau nationals in the 1982season. 'Lulu' was a full sister to champion 'Nightlight Nancy', the 1981 Pau national winner and 'Lulu' had previously won many premier prizes including: 1st. club, 7 th. federation Blandford, 3rd. club, 3rd. federation, 6th. open London &South Coast Combine Dax (beaten by two loft mates), 2nd. club, 7 th. federation, 10 th. open combine Tours and also in 1982: 101st. section E. 281st. open N.F.C. Nantes. The last race of the N.F.C. programme in 1982 was the young bird Guernsey and Ron was 36th. section E. 74th. open with his Hetru / Dordin cock ,'Cornelius', thus securing 'The Langstone Gold Cup'. This game cock only had two races as a youngster winning 3rd. club Wadebrigde, 74th. open N.F.C. Guernsey and was a grandson of Bolitho brother's 'Crackerjack'. The only black spot on Ron's 1982 pigeon year was the death of his champion Dordin stock hen, 'The Hopwood Hen'. She must rate as one of the top breeding Dordins in the world, being dam of most of the Mr. & Mrs. Wasey loft at that time. She was bred by Ron's good friends in Yorkshire , John and Daphne Hopwood, from the Jim Biss Dordins, down from 'Spahi', ' Romulus ' and 'Scout'. 'The Hopwood Hen' was a true champion breeding hen, producing amongst others, 4th. open N.F.C. Guernsey, 70 th. open N.F.C. Pau, 68 th. open N.F.C. Nantes, 1st. open Croydon federation Guernsey and 1st. open Croydon federation Blandford.

In the seasons after 'Nightlight Nancy' won the Pau National, she bred many outstanding racers in combine and national events. ' Nancy ' and 'Lulu' had an outstanding blue pied brother called 'Sole Survivor' and he won 1st. club, 1st. open federation, 4th. open combine (4,007 birds) Nantes , 1st. club, 1st. open federation, 4th. open combine (7,501 birds) Le Mans and 1st. club, 2nd. open federation, 9 th. open combine (6,490 birds) Tours. Ron says he had several good winners the same way bred to his national winner and a blue, full sister he gifted to John Barratt, won 1st. open London federation (by 20 minutes) and 3rd. open London federation in races from France.

The 2002 season saw Wasey & Lloyd win the very hard Pau race, in the London & South East Classic Club, with their good blue pied cock, 'Bambi'. This was a great thrill for my wife, Betty, and my self, as Ronnie has been a good family friend of ours for about 25 years and he is a brilliant pigeon fancier and a true gentleman. Ron says his champion cock has always been called 'Bambi' since he was a young bird in 2000, because he is a small pigeon, but has a big heart! He is off Peter Titmus bloodlines and was sent to the Pau classic sitting 14 day old eggs, and on handling him the day of clocking, I noticed he was casting his second flight. Ron drove many miles to purchase these Peter Titmus stock birds and paid over £200 for them at the late Colin Brough dispersal sale. This game little pigeon flew only Guernsey as a young bid and took 15 days to come home from the Perth classic in the 2001 season. His build up to his Pau classic win in 2002 was lots of training tosses off the south coast and two races from La Ferte Bernard and Tours with the London & South East Classic Club.

Like Ron, Terry Lloyd is an ex-Battersea boy and have been friends since their mid-teens. Terry has a very successful small building firm, but has cut down his workload recently, because of some health problems. He loves horse racing and regularly attends meetings at Kempton Park , Epsom, Sandown Park and Ascot. Terry does not take an active part with the pigeons, but loves watching them dive in with wings folded like darts, as they race in. Ronnie says it is only because of Terry's financial backing that he is able to race, as he pays half the cost of everything including the petrol for training. He takes an avid interest in the breeding side of the pigeons and often spends a few hours during the close season discussing the breeding plans for the following year.

Ron races only the natural system and pairs up in mid-March, with the long distance national and classic races in mind. He is a great believer in working the racers hard and they get a lot of training off the south coast, on their build up to the main events, and feeds 'Irish' mixture, obtained from our ol' friend, Wally Dann of Cobham. The main families kept are Eric Cannon, Brian Denney, Tom Gilbertson and the highly successful Peter Titmus pigeons. The main racing loft has grilled floors, drop hole trapping and it's biggest feature is Ron's closed in nest boxes, which he likes, to give the inmates peace and quiet. He always tells me, that he has not special type of pigeon he likes best, he is only interested in good winning long distance pigeons, no matter what they look like. The massive stock loft and flight houses only a few selective pairs, mostly of the Eric Cannon lines. He has a team of about 30 young birds each year and these are raced on the natural system, to the perch. The youngsters are not let out of the loft until their eyes have changed colour and they have dropped flights, but are put out on top of the loft in a wire cage every day from weaning. Ron maintains he has used this method with his youngsters many years and has very few losses. He has no Saturday federation club and gives his birds Guernsey racing, with the East Grinstead Continental R.P.C., on their build up to the main national and classic events.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.