TERRY HALEY

of Abbots Langley

by Keith Mott

Terry Haley recently retired from work and on becoming an old age pensioner the ‘Watford Wizard’ has taken his pigeon racing to an even higher level of success. At the time of writing this report, Terry has won twelve first prizes and lifted the ‘Brooker Gold Cup’ in the London & South East Classic Club for the second year on the trot. I think it is common knowledge that Terry races North and South Road and will send the same pigeons on both roads and win with them. In July 2013 the Inter Counties SR Federation decided to postpone their Minstead young bird race because of a very bad weather forecast for the Saturday and marked the birds on Saturday evening and held the race on the Sunday. Terry sent 12 youngsters to the North Road race from Newark on the Friday night and won 1st, 2nd, 3rd Watford NRFC, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 9th, 10th Thames Valley NR Federation on the Saturday. He then had the same pigeons re-marked on the Saturday evening and sent them South Road to Minstead. The birds came really well and the ‘Watford Wizard’ recorded 1st Boxmoor club (247 birds), 1st Inter Counties Federation (1,216 birds). Brilliant racing by our Terry! He tells me he did the same thing a few years ago, but the opposite way around, when he sent a pigeon South Road that won 1st Boxmoor club Blandford on the Saturday and then following day was sent North Road to record 1st Watford NRFC, 1st Thames Valley NR Federation Newark. Just goes to prove that if pigeons are mentally and physically fit they will come from any direction!

Terry won the ‘Brooker Gold Cup’ again this season making it two years on the trot that this coveted trophy has gone to the Hertfordshire loft. His winner this season was the yearling mealy cock, ‘03035’, and he was flown on the natural system. Terry has a very successful line of mealies in his loft and this cock was bred down from a long line og good channel winners. One of the main trophies in the L&SECC today is the ‘Brooker Gold Cup’ competed for each season in the Tours Yearling Derby and is won by the first nominated yearling on the open result. When the old London Columbarian Society disbanded a few years ago their magnificent array of trophies were donated to other clubs in 1998 and the ‘Brooker Gold Cup’ was donated to the L&SECC by the Society. This wonderful trophy is solid gold and is now insured for £5,000. I was chairman of the London Coly in the 1980’s and my good friend, the late Dick Brooker of Claygate was president for a number of years at that time and there was always confusion that he had donate the ‘Gold Cup’. In fact it was a memorial trophy for the late Mr. W. J. Brooker presented to the London Coly by his wife in 1930.

Terry won the ‘Brooker Gold Cup’ from the Tours Classic in 2012 and what a good season he has enjoyed. His ‘Gold Cup’ winner was his yearling natural blue pied hen, ‘Gold Strike’ and she recorded 4th section, 25th open, and was the only bird on the Tours Classic result flying over 300 miles. A great performance! This game hen flew most of the young bird programme in 2011 and recorded 20th section E, 63rd open BBC Fougeres. As previously stated the Haley loft races both South and North Road, and Terry tells me his yearlings had raced really well on the North last season, winning a list of positions including 1st Newark, 1st Weatherby and 1st Newark. His good mealy hen, ‘Miss Anticipation’, had won 2nd section BBC Carentan and ‘Kerry’s Gift’, bred by Terry’s friend, Kerry Mellonby of Bridlington, recorded 3rd section E NFC Cholet.

A Tribute to Mel Waller of Norwich

I was very saddened to read of the recent passing of Mel Waller, who was an outstanding long distance enthusiast and true gentleman. I visited Mel’s Norfolk loft in 1996 when he won the NRCC from Lerwick and he made me very welcome. I had several loft visits to do that day, including the great Jim Biss, and Mel was kind enough to come with me and show me where the fanciers lived. I remember us going down a remote country lane and a pheasant come out of nowhere and hitting the front of my car it knocked off one side of my number plate. When we got back to his house he got his mastic gun out and refixed it for my 150 mile drive home. A really great bloke! Here’s a little tribute to Mel.

The members of the North Road Championship Club sent 3,574 birds to Lerwick in 1996 to compete for the greatest prize in North Road racing, the King's Cup. That year the birds were liberated in a north-west wind so it was the east side of the country to host the winner in the form of Mel Waller of Norwich. When I met Mel he was over the moon and couldn't believe that he had won, saying the cup had never been won in the city of Norwich before. His 'King's Cup' winner was a blue chequer widowhood cock of Mel's own blended family, a game champion which had previously won many good prizes in club races.

Mel only raced north road at that time in the local Lakenham Club (Norfolk North Road Federation and Great North Road Championship Club). The loft had won the federation many times, including from the Elgin and Lerwick race points. The main families were Janssen, Busschaert, Grondelaers and Van Loons which won from 76 to 530 miles in Club, Federation and National races. He bred his families pure and crossed, and always paired winners to winners, only breeding from the best performance pigeons. As he told me, if you want to keep up with the best, you must have birds that will score in Nationals, not just Club winners. Mel had had pigeons on and off all his life and had been racing at that time with outstanding success for 26 years. He obtained his first birds from Mr Ellis of Droylsden, near Manchester, after Mel reported one of his stray birds. After a few years Mel decided to have a go at racing and obtained some stock from Barrett Brothers who were at the top in the federation racing at the time, winning 1st Federation three weeks on the trot. Mel's first birds were Stassarts and he won the first race he entered, also winning the Federation from Lerwick at his first attempt.

The birds were paired up on the nearest weekend to February 14th if the weather was good, and 30 cocks were raced on the widowhood system. Mel had a 40ft 'L' shaped loft with five sections and open-door trapping for the old birds, and a sputnik for the youngsters. He used to re-mate the widowhood cocks after the 300-mile stage, but in later years raced the whole season on widowhood. Near the end of the season he brought in the hens to race, as he found them fresher for the long- distance events, quite often beating the cocks. He only kept three pairs of stock birds and bred about 35 young birds each season. These he raced to three

sections on widowhood, each section having 12 nest boxes, and found that each section came into form at different times. When picking out pool birds, he through twigs on the loft floor and watched which cocks carry them up to their nest boxes. Mel hopper fed a breeding mixture as he found the normal widowhood mixture goes through the birds too quickly. He put garlic in the drinking water twice a week and gave the widowhood cocks glucose the night before basketing, along with as much canary seed as they want. He had several little tricks to get them going but he didn't show the hen on Friday night, as he thought they get too excited before going into the race basket. When picking out birds for the long-distance races, he watched them after the Perth (330 miles) race to see if they were fresh, and the ones that still look and act well were his main candidates. Mel said his area in Norfolk has several ace fanciers who regularly score well in National races, and in his opinion it was the top area for North Road National winners.

I looks like this week’s column is a bit of a North Road special, featuring two of the very best, Terry Haley and the late great Mel Waller. I can be contacted with any pigeon ‘banter’ on telephone number: 01372 463480 or my new email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)