KEITH MOTT
Writes about winning fanciers past and present
A TRIBUTE TO JIMMY ROOKLEDGE OF EPSOM
I was saddened when I received the phone call informing me that the Esher club’s oldest member, Jimmy Rookledge of Epsom, had passed away on 30th October, after a short illness. I have known Jim since the late 1970’s, when he flew as Thompson & Rookledge in the Esher & District RPC and was winning premier Federation positions every year, as he did right up to the 2015 racing season. Jimmy was a true gentleman and since I joined the Esher club in the early 1980’s, I have always considered him the ‘father’ figure of the club. To say he will be greatly missed at the club is an understatement. I don’t think the Esher club will ever be the same, as Jimmy has always been there, working away marking pigeons on a Friday night or having a laugh and joke, with a pint of beer in his hand on a Saturday night. He always had the time of day to ask how you are and never had a bad word to say about any one. He just loved his pigeon racing!
The Late, Great Jimmy Rookledge
The Three Borders Federation sent 764 birds to Yeovil for the last old bird inland race of the 2014 season and Jim Rookledge with his pigeon partner, Ray Mearns, won 1st Federation by a ‘country mile’! The real thrill for me and I’m sure for the other members of the Esher club was to see Jimmy Rookledge win the Federation out of Yeovil by 19ypm clear. Jimmy was advancing in years and had carried on racing the pigeons that season in spite of the very sudden passing of his pigeon partner and the club’s dear friend, Ray Mearns, in February of this year. Ray was a very good pigeon racer and had flown in partnership with Jimmy Rookledge since the 2000 season, and they enjoyed some wonderful success racing in one of the strongest clubs in the south of England. Jimmy won several other top positions in the Federation in 2014 and finished off the season by winning 1st Federation Wincanton (1,693 birds) with a young bird. Jim’s last season racing pigeons was in 2015 and there was no up, he was successful at the highest level right up to the end. The Federation sent 1,314 birds to Blandford for the first old bird inland race of the 2015 season and the Jim Rookledge and Ray Mearns partnership had a brilliant race, recording 1st, 5th, 8th, 9th Federation. A wonderful performance!
The Epsom partnership of Jim Rookledge and Ray Mearns had enjoyed some wonderful racing success in recent season, flying in the Three Borders Federation, and had previously won 1st Federation Exeter, 2nd Federation Alencon, 2nd Federation Exeter, 2nd Federation Lulworth, 8th Federation Plymouth, 12th Federation Messac and 13th Federation Lulworth. A brilliant loft performance put up in a very strong Federation! Jim and Ray were both old hands at pigeon racing, forming their successful partnership fifteen years ago after 40 successful years in the sport. They raced mainly Gaby Vandenabeele from Johnny Barrett, Medina Busschaerts and top-class Staf Van Reets from Paul Arnold of North Cheam. Two teams of widowhood birds were worked, one for sprint racing and the other for racing from the Continent. They raced both hens and cocks on widowhood and when I asked Jim how far he sends the widowhood racers, he told me all the way through to 450 miles and his best position was 1st Open Combine Alencon in the 2000 season. Jim liked all Federation racing, short and long, and raced natural for many years, saying his best nest condition for a racer flying the Channel was feeding a big young bird or sitting fourteen day old eggs. Jim maintained that when he selected pigeons to breed from he had no special type, looking at only good performance pigeons and quite often pair winners to winners. The late, great Jimmy Rookledge.
KEITH MOTT (NOVEMBER 2015)