MIDLANDS NATIONAL FLYING CLUB

QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE RACE

The Dream Becomes a Reailty for Ron & Mason

by MIKE LAKIN

When Ron Fullbrook saw Eric Corkett before the MNFC’s Queen’s Diamond Jubilee race from Fougeres he told the man whose family had bred the birds that he was planning to enter that he was going to name his two yearling hens ‘Jubilee Queen’ and ‘Jubilee Diamond’. Now I don’t know if Ron is related to Mystic Meg or not but he must have been physic, that’s for sure. How else could he have predicted such a ‘fairy tale’ performance from his yearling two hens?

This really was a victory for the small team flyer and both I, film maker Jim Jenner and his assistant camera man are delighted to see this grandfather and grandson team pull off this remarkable result.

Ron Fullbrook and his grandson Mason.

First though let's discuss the race and then come back to discuss further Ron and Mason’s amazing story. The convoy was released at 7.10am into a South Westerly wind on Wednesday morning after a one day holdover. The ‘weather gods’ looked kindly on the MNFC as the forecast had been decidedly poor for several days but an opportunity came on the second day and our three weather experts gave our convoyers the ‘thumbs up’ and the near 5,500 entry were away into a sunny sky and after one swing around the birds headed for home. I should like to say at this point that the Mayor of Fougeres was most accommodating to our convoying team and the accompanying camera man who filmed the liberation. The lads had nothing but praise for the Mayor, agent and the race point.

At the home end the birds were eagerly awaited as this race was not only for the MNFC but also no less than five regions of the RPRA who had pinned their faith in the Midlands National Flying Club and their Geraldy transporters. Like all good fairytales this one had a very happy ending with excellent returns and the leading birds spread all around from Toddington in the South East up into Leicester, Lincolnshire and Doncaster. In fact five of the club’s eight sections are in the likely top ten placings and all eight in the provisional top 100. So there was plenty of smiling faces at the clock checking. We know that everyone cannot be a winner but with the good return ratio the birds are there to fight on another day.

On the following day I and the camera team were off down to Toddington to see Ron and Mason’s birds. It was a real ‘eye opener’ to be told that they saw their two hens arrive home together after a 4 hour and 7 minute flight with their first hen 'Jubilee Queen', a Staf van Reet x Wildemeersch blue pied hen record a provisional velocity of 1788 for the 251 mile race. Her loft mate 'Jubilee Diamond', a chequer hen of Kees Bosua breeding, hit the trap awkwardly but after a few agonising seconds she too was clocked. So it looks like 1st and 2nd South East section and Open Midlands National plus winning the first position in the East Midlands Region RPRA QDJ race. What a fabulous result for Ron and his grandson who have become even closer after the tragic death of Mason’s father.

Ron explained that they had set their stall out to try and win this race and the two of them had travelled down to the south coast several times at 3.30am to train their birds. This not only got their entries in fine fettle but was excellent in bonding the two of them even stronger than ever. It was this preparation that enabled the partners to register their historic double victory. Ron told me with a grin that his dad had told him years before that ‘’Pigeon races are won while others sleep!’’. It looks like dad was right.

I should just like to say that the birds are housed on fellow fancier Chris Gadsden’s  farm and he was delighted for Ron and Mason and he also looks likely to finish in the top dozen places himself. It was great to see such good sportsmanship in our chosen sport. Ron asked me to thank the Corkett family for such good birds. Pigeons which have truly brought a dream to reality.

The full report will appear shortly as there are still a few placings that have to be finalised as I write this piece.