Keith Mott
Writes about winning fanciers past and present
L&SECC A.G.M. January 2010.
The London & South East Classic Club A.G.M. held at the Leatherhead Community Centre in January was well attended, in sprite of the adverse weather we have been enduring lately. The L&SECC has enjoyed some good racing, with big birdage in the 2009, but has not had the best of seasons on other fronts, with things being very un-settled with the new secretarial change over. Now after a year in the job, the Classic secretaries, Steve Nicholson and his wife Diane resigned at the meeting, because of their heavy work commitment not allowing them to carry out the secretary duties as they would like. The new secretary is Mrs. Terri Hoskin of Chesham in Buckinghamshire and she is from a pigeon racing family, with her father being the late Brian Freeman. Terri tells me he liked long distance racing, winning 9th open NFC Pau and was pigeon mad, with all the family holidays and weddings being organized around pigeon racing. Although her experience is a bit limited, she knows the pigeon game well living in a pigeon family and is good at the secretarial and computer side of things. She is the mother two girls, Sian aged 8 and Rhianna aged 12, and is very keen to do the Classic job. Terri’s address is: 53, Highham Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2AF. Telephone: 01494 791806. Please don’t contact her for a couple of weeks, so she can get a bit sorted out!
In my opinion one of the main people to push the L&SECC forward over the last twenty years is our hard working President, Gordon Marsh, who also had to stand down at the A.G.M. through recent bad health. It was a big personal disappointment for me to see him retire as President, because he was a great worker in office, but he tells me he is still going to continue on the management committee and hopes he will still be a part of the progress of the Classic in seasons to come. A vote of thanks to Gordon from the committee for all his good work, he will be a hard act to follow!
Gordon was the Chairman of the London & South East Classic Club for many years and was elected President at the club’s A.G.M. in January 2006. This gentleman is the best Chairman that I've met in my time in pigeon racing and as previously stated, in my opinion, is one of the main factors in the Classic Clubs success of recent years. He once told me that he thought that too many people join committees just to pursue their own agenda and leave when they are unable to do so. Members empower you to manage! It is for each of us to ensure we make decisions that will move the club forward, whilst keeping it on a sound financial footing. In a big club, such as the Classic, it is almost impossible to get everyone to agree, but then, Gordon sees that as healthy and democracy at work. However, it is important to ensure you carrying out the majorities wish and stays within the rules, they have set. He is a firm believer that the members are the club and not the officers. Democracy is all about choice. Gordon told me he thinks a lot of things have improved over the last 20 years, including faster pigeons, better feeding, better transport and better communications. Sure, we have lost some of the things that many of us saw as good times of yesteryear. We are right to cherish great memories, but the world will move forward with or without us. He says, let’s make sure it’s with us or we will be in great danger of becoming extinct!
Gordon had the good fortune to take early retirement from work and although he raced as Marsh & son, his sons didn't take part in the running of the pigeon loft, they preferred football and computers. His wife, Delia, is now his pigeon partner and is known by many fanciers, as she started the C.H.A.S.E. Charity Show, which is run every winter at Horsham. Gordon says, she is an excellent stock woman, having spent her life with horses and can pick out a fit pigeon in the basket, and tell him which one will be the first to the loft. In the time that they have been married, they have had pigeons and she has built lofts, cleaned out lofts, trained pigeons, and taken care of them when Gordon has gone away, clocked winners, chased cats and looked good on presentation nights. Gordon says, could I ask for more? Gordon has had many thrilling experiences with his birds, but one of the best must be seeing his pigeon on the loft at just after six, on the day of liberation from Thurso and half an hour later seeing his hen arrive, to take 1st and 2nd club, only two birds on the day. Winning 1st open London & South East Classic Club twice ranks highly in his most thrilling experiences category.
At the recent A.G.M. I was given the great honour of being elected as the new L&SECC President and I would like to thank the committee for their vote of support and confidence. Being elected has presented me with an exciting challenge which I will enjoy and relish! The main thing I admired in Gordon Marsh was he was a great working President, which is something I think is very important and I intend to carry on in that same vain. It was marvellous to see Brian Doick carrying on as chairman, a job he has worked at outstandingly in recent season and has carried out any job he has undertake for our Classic in his years as a member with enthusiasm and expertise. I don’t think the membership can appreciate the amount of hard work Brian and Gordon have put in behind the scenes, to keep the Classic on an even keel during recent secretarial change over. Well done to them both!
From my point of view as the new L&SECC President, I have a hat full of ideas that I feel can push the club on and up. Firstly in my opinion the Classic Internet website has gone to pot and needs a complete re-vamp. Although my own experience is very limited in this field, I would like to learn, over see and regularly contribute to the site. I would like to see the site professionally set up, to reflect the professionalism and quality of our Classic. I think our members enjoy seeing the provisional result develop on their PC over the race weekend and this has not been happening in recent times. Secondly I would like to see the breeder / buyer auction sales come back, the like of the ones we held at Sutton, Stevenage and Maidstone in the mid-1990’s, which paid out good prize money in the first young bird Classic from Guernsey. They were scraped in favour of the ring nomination scheme which in my opinion have never really cut it and has now nearly faded away. The third thing I would personally like to see brought in for the 2010 season is a South Amalgamation with the Central Southern Classic Flying Club on the two longest races. We will be liberating together at Tarbes and Bergerac, and wouldn’t it be great to have a joint result, with an over all winner. We could still have our separate Classic results as normal, but what a fantastic honour for the Amalgamation winners! These are purely person thoughts and need to be discussed and voted on at committee. Pigeon racing is a hobby for fun and I think these three items need to be addressed to enhance the member’s enjoyment when participating in the L&SECC races.
The 2010 race programme is: 15th May Alencon (code 5001): 29th May Tours (code 5044): 25th June Tarbes (code 5055): 16th July Bergerac (code 5005): 21st August Guernsey Young Bird / Old Hens (code 4042): 11th September Guernsey Young Bird / Old Hens (code 4042). The Classic prize presentation was to be held at the Reigate Manor Hotel in January but had to be cancelled because of adverse weather and has been rescheduled for 20th March at the same venue. Tickets can be obtained from Brian Doick on telephone number: 01903 816247.
That’s it for this week! I would like to finish by wishing our new secretary, Terri Hoskin, all the very best of luck, we will all be there helping her on out along the way. Also all the best to our members for the 2010 season! I can be contacted on telephone number: 01372 463480. See yer!
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.