EAST DOWN COMBINE

with Clifford Browne

Killyleagh Central Club Prize Night

The Killyleagh Central club held their Prize Distribution recently in The Smuggler’s Table Restaurant in Killyleagh with the club President Joe McCardell as the chief Guest for the evening. My thanks to Paddy McComb for the photos and the information on what by all accounts was a great evening. Killyleagh Central is a dual membership club racing both with the East Down Combine and the NIPA .

In the East Down Combine the principal winners were :

INLAND AVERAGE ; McComb Bros

OLD BIRD CHANNEL AVG; N & W Hagan

OLD BIRD AVG; N & W Hagan

YOUNG BIRD AVG; Gordon Bros & Sons

COMBINED AVG; H McVeigh

POINTS CUP; McComb Bros

INFC ROSE BOWL; Gordon Bros & Sons

FRENCH CUP; Gordon Bros & Sons

In the NIPA club racing McComb Bros had a super year as did as did Clifford Healy, with H McVeigh, G & R Connor and Gordon Bros & sons also enjoying wins . As I said it was a great evening and then a few days later the club was to learn of the sudden death of one of their former and highly respected members Trevor McKelvey.

Trevor McKelvey

It was great sadness that fanciers far and near learnt of the death of Trevor McKelvey -“Big T” as he was affectionately known by all. Trevor was a real gentleman and I never heard him referred to as anything other than a really lovely man. His was the voice the Combine members heard on the Combine’s lib line for many years when he undertook the demanding job of Combine Race Controller and also was in office as one of the Combine’s Press officers forwarding results to the local paper and to myself before the technology replaced the need for phone calls and faxes. It was always a pleasure to talk with Trevor or Chrissie about the race of the day or the returns etc. and Trevor did these jobs with a dedication which was second to none even when in failing health and it was this failing health which led him having to first of all give up these administrative jobs and then finally to give up his beloved pigeons. The esteem in which he was held was manifested in the very large turnout of fanciers at the funeral and on behalf of them and all those who had the privilege of knowing Trevor I extend sincere sympathy to Chrissie, Alan, Ian, Daphne and Lorraine and the wider family circle on their great loss.

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The Combine Dinner is the next event in the Combine Calendar and I hope to have a report next week and a lot of photos.