A TRIBUTE TO FRANK TASKER

by Keith Mott

I received a phone call this week end from Clive Allwright, informing me of the passing of his good friend Frank Tasker of Wainfleet. I had met Frank several times since our first meeting about 16 years ago and always found him to be a true gentleman and very knowledgeable in the art of racing pigeons successfully.

Frank Tasker

In a video tour of Lincolnshire in the mid 1990s, I visited Frank & Ann Tasker and they had just won 1st section, 1st open Berwick Young Bird National for the first time with the North Road Championship Club. Wainfleet is near Skegness on the East Coast and the wind never stops blowing there, as the landscape is as flat as a pancake. Frank had a wonderful loft set-up, but was surrounded by lots of wires and pylons, which meant he couldn’t let his birds out a lot of the time because of the winds. He had had a brilliant race from the NRCC Berwick race in 1995, recording several good birds in the open result, including 1st with the blue hen, ‘Jennyanna’.

On moving to Wainfleet, Frank said his main aim was to win the NRCC, having been 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th open previously. He raced only north road and liked middle distance races from 250 to 400 miles. Through the years, the Tasker loft had won countless major prizes, far too many to list, but the highlights at that time were 1999: Vanrobaeys / Rohnfried Champion Loft of Great Britain 1st (3,634 birds); 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th (5,678 birds); 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th, 14th, 19th, 20th and 29th (4,749 birds). 2000: Best National / Classic Performance in Great Britain 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 13th, 15th, 26th, 27th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 43rd, 44th, 48th, 52nd, 56th, 72nd, 79th, 84th, 94th, 110th, 118th, 131st open Berwick Young Bird National (4,023 birds) N.R.C.C. 2001: Best Federation Performance by a Loft in Great Britain 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th and 22nd open Whitley Bay (3,195 birds) Peterborough & District Federation. A brilliant loft performance!

Frank had been in the sport of pigeon racing for over 60 years and raced several systems including young and yearling hens on widowhood, young cocks sitting eggs and old cocks on widowhood. Frank & Ann Tasker's best pigeon was the 1987­bred Haelterman blue pied cock Champion ‘Filmstar’ and he finished his days at stock breeding countless club, Federation and Classic winners. When Frank spoke about his champion, you can hear the pride in his voice and quite rightly too, as he owned the ultimate in a racing pigeon. ‘Filmstar’ was wonderful to look at and handle and he was a champion racer and breeder. He was bred from the very best Mencke­Haelterman bloodlines, with his sire ‘Blue Telsar’, being obtained via Claude Hetru of Lomme in France. ‘Blue Telsar’ was a direct son of ‘Eole’, the champion of the champions, being the winner of 1st open National Royan and 1st open National Poitiers. The dam of ‘Filmstar’ was ‘Jonge Whitenose’, bred by Frank & Ann Tasker and they said she was one of the best breeding hens they have ever owned. Her sire was the base of the entire loft, the champion breeder, ‘Blue Eole’ and he was full brother to champion ‘Eole’, winner of twice 1st open national. A wonderful family of pigeons!

Champion ‘Filmstar’ won 26 times 1st club, 12 times 1st open Federation and in 1986 was the RPRA Sprint Champion of Great Britain. He also won two RPRA Awards and 7th World Champion Versele-Laga. Frank said he was the base of his present loft and his children have bred at least 50 x 1st open Federation winners. He was grandsire and great grandsire of  ten 1st open National and Classic winners including Champion Starlett, 1st open Pontorson N.F.C. for Ced and Clive Allwight, ‘Champion’ Digit, 1st open Nantes M.N.F.C. for Dave Sherratt, 1st open Central Southern Classic Club Rennes for Tony Hayne, 1st open Central Southern Classic Club Bergerac for Staddon Brothers; 1st open Up North Combine Abbeyville for Les Thurlow, two champion racers for G. White & Son and, of course, Frank's own Champion ‘Millennium Filmstar’, 1st open North Road Championship Club Berwick National in the 2000 season. Champion ‘Filmstar’ was a once in a lifetime pigeon!

There you have it, the late great Frank Tasker of Wainfleet, one of our great pigeon racers!