The Joe Murphy Column

My dear friend Guy Reed of the Isle of Wight wrote to me regarding a gathering of fanciers at Fontwell and he wrote the following; ‘Dear Joe, I am delighted to share with you some information on the dinner date that has been taking place in recent years at the The Stables at Fontwell, situated close to the grounds of Crammond and Langstaff. With the passing of Ian Crammond this year’s dinner, was in honor of Ian. Clive Turner, organized this friendly yearly gathering, and during the afternoon asked all to raise their glasses and toasted absent friends, and wished everyone a successful new year. The event is a getting together of a few pigeon men who have become friends over the years and who meet at the National marking stations. It is a very relaxed affair, with of course the inevitable beer, wine and good food, but of course a time to have a longer chat with everyone present, with a good helping of banter and humor. As I looked around the table, it is not difficult to become aware you are surrounded by some very good fanciers. Every one there, being winners at National and Classic level; More importantly they are men who have over the years dedicated an enormous amount of their time to the sport, and in helping others. The sort of gentlemen that just get on with what needs to be done and seek little praise for their efforts, or for their multiple performances within the sport: For me this little gathering makes a wonderful break from the norm, and allows me to indulge in the camaraderie and conversation, with not only some great pigeon men, but with some good friends making the day both humorous and enlightening.

Group of Fontwell Dinner     -     Dave Bridge,r Clive Turner and Alistair Muir     -     Nigel Langstaff Fred Hall and John Tyerman

Fred Hall and Gordon Marsh     -    Kevin Bake,s John Wills, Fred Hall, John Tyerman and Gordon Marsh      -       Nigel Langstaff and Fred Hall       -       John Tyerman and Clive Turner

L to R Brian Wall, Mick Bunney, Albi Deacon and Kevin Bakes     -     Farewell Dear Friends

Regarding me sending you some pictures, you must forgive me for any poor quality and somewhat less than professional pictorial views, but the wine may have had some influence on the outcome. I will leave it up to you Joe, to publish them or not.  It was good to have Nigel Langstaff with us, and he shared his very positive attitude to life, and for sure Nigel will still have a full and exciting roll in pigeons. In 2019 though, he may not be racing, but he will be playing a major role in breeding management, associated with Mark Gilbert. It’s always amazing how life unfolds sometimes and it is good to know Nigel deservedly will be able to continue what he enjoys doing. The very brave stalwart John Tyerman despite his ongoing health difficulties, was also there to enjoy the wonderful company of some ‘good old’ boys’ (I’m sure that’s a line from a song) that love their pigeons. John of course is the President of the BICC. I would personally like to thank Mick Bunney and Albi Deacon, chairman of the BICC, for absconding from the hard stuff in order to get me safely to and from the Hovercraft. The group of fanciers this year consisted of :- Brian Wall (Gem Products) Dave Farr, Dave Bridger, Nigel Langstaff, John Tyerman, Clive Turner, Kevin Bakes, John Wills, Gordon Marsh, Alistair Muir, Guy Reed, Fred Hall, Mick Bunney, Albi Deacon.

Perhaps in the winter months I may write something more of the performance record of the above fanciers, meanwhile thank you to you all for another great day. Thank you also to you Joe for admitting the news in your column. Everyone present at the dinner wished you a complete recovery from your recent stroke condition.  Best wishes and a happy New Year to all fanciers Guy Reed.

Joe’s Joke

The commander of the Apollo 11 lunar module, Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. His first words after stepping on the moon, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," were televised to earth and heard by millions. But, just before he re-entered the lander, he made the enigmatic remark "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky." Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival soviet cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs. Over the years, many people questioned Armstrong as to what the 'good luck, Mr. Gorsky' statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled. On July 5, 1995, in Tampa Bay, Florida, while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26-year-old question about Mr Gorsky and this time he finally responded because his Mr Gorsky had just died, so Neil Armstrong felt he could now answer the question. Here is the answer to "who was Mr Gorsky?": In 1938, when he was a kid in a small mid-western town, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit the ball, which landed in his neighbour’s yard by their bedroom window. His neighbours were Mr and Mrs Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky, "Sex! You want sex?! You'll get sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!" It broke the place up. Neil Armstrong's family confirmed that This is a true story.

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