MIDLANDS NATIONAL FLYING CLUB
MIKE LAKIN
MNFC Getting Ready for 2017
The last few months have been a real challenge for the Club with not only all of the usual things like collating the new handbook which is always a major job with all the necessary updates and changes which believe me is a lot of work. Then we have to get it out to the paid members and we have found this is best despite the extra work involved to post them out ourselves because when we have contracted this task out the amount of none arrivals was a major cause of concern. So for the last couple of years a few of the Club’s Committee and a couple of friends had taken on this daunting operation. Additionally there has been a good amount of maintenance work carried out by a small number of our Committee which brings home to me that the MNFC’s members are indeed fortunate to have such an excellent Committee. These guys are carrying out this extra work for our members benefit. Sometimes I think a few of our membership seem to forget that 90% of our Committee carry out this work for no financial return and it is quite galling to hear of their petty complaints.
It may be of interest that by my reckoning our 20 or so strong committee has a total age of over 1,300 years between then, which averages out at over 65 years. So I think this is damn good for a team of ‘owd uns’. Seriously over the last decade or so this Committee has done a sterling job to elevate both the Club and its image. This year several of our number have been fighting various illnesses and so it would be good if good new blood came forward to carry our good work on into the future but I emphasis the word GOOD because we want people who want to work for the Club and not for any personal gains other than the satisfaction of having done a Good Job. The Midlands National is like an elite football club we are always looking to make ‘new signings’ but we only want ‘players who will improve our team’!
Looking at the many things that the Club has on offer I would like to highlight the ‘2 Bird Nominated Races’. Last year we had a problem producing a separate result for these races but I am told that this has now been sorted and so I would urge members to once again support these races because as well as the possibility of good prize money there is don’t forget also good prize money and a nice award for the race winners. On the continent much praise is heaped on these Nominated race winners because they believe that it highlights the skill of picking your bird and it is all on a level playing field.
One of the biggest gripes that I hear is the decline of pool money prizes. This though is entirely due in my humble opinion to the change of mind set of fanciers and modern day National racing. In the days of yore fanciers tended to enter a small team of 3- 5 birds and each bird normally had a ‘few bob’ next to their ring number. Today the entries tend to be far larger but far less of the number is pooled. Why is that the case? I can almost hear you cry. Well I was reliably informed a while back that in 1965 the first year after its formation the entry fee charged by the Midlands National was 1 Guinea, which for our younger members is £1.05p which if you equate this figure into today’s money if you will pardon the pun it is nearly £25! Could you just imagine the reaction if we announced a price increase up to this figure!! Yes times have certainly changed but it isn’t the Club’s fault because the pools columns are still there awaiting you to put your crosses in them.
Following a phone call as I was writing these notes in regard to 2017 Clock Stations I would advise all members have a squint at page 26 of the new handbook to check where your nearest station is to be found. It may also be worth checking the Marking Station times just in case the marking times have altered. Also please remember the change of the verification time which is now 30 minutes. So don’t get caught out on this one.
The Committee hope that members like our new look handbook and read through it because there is plenty of interesting info, adverts and nostalgia and please do as the words say on the front cover and ‘Reach for the Sky & Dare to Dream’.
Mike Lakin