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The Joe Murphy Column


Ian McKay
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The Joe Murphy Column

 

The past weekend has been quite hectic as Kevin and I flew down to Southampton and then visited the top lofts of Mark Gilbert and Crammond and Langstaff. This was an experience we will never forget and we handled some quality pigeons. However the most significant factor as far as we are concerned was we were just ‘pigeon fanciers’ talking about pigeons and enjoying each other’s company. We found them to be very honest and down to earth and we had a great time, once I have time I will do a story on our visit. In the meantime I have my own birds to attend to and I’m happy to say that all my stock pairs laid within 5 days and are now quietly sitting on their eggs.

 

Canadian Approach

 

I received a phone call from Brad Foster from Canada asking if I would like to join his team of scribes for the Canadian Racing Pigeon Post. He is keen to have my portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland and has been impressed on the work I have done obtaining and highlighting ‘Scottish Pigeons’. I informed Brad that I spend hours going over the national results looking for these good pigeons as only a few people have come forward to inform me of their pigeons over the years. However I’m very pleased to join the group of scribes who contribute to the Canadian magazine.

 

Helping Harvey

 

Trevor Jenkin of Penzance in Cornwall who wrote, ‘Dear Joe, As Vice Chairman of the Penzance Premier Racing Pigeon Club I am sending this e-mail to you about an 8 year old little boy called Harvey who desperately needs an operation (he is my sister's grandson) The attached poster tells you all about Harvey and the £25,000.00 that needs to be raised. As a pigeon club we have decided to back this all the way the way and try to raise money with a sale of birds on Elimar, we will also be holding an auction and raffle in our own club room some time in March to raise further funds for this little boy, to help him have his life changing operation. We were wondering if you would be able to help us raise funds for Harvey by donating a pair of young birds from your very famous team that we could put the pedigree on Elimar, to achieve the best possible price and viewing to raise funds for this little boy. If you could please e-mail me to let me know if you can help us. At this stage all we need is the pedigree and approx. when they would be ready and the starting price you would like them to start at. We hope to start putting on Elimar very soon. Harvey was born prematurely at 38 weeks and because of this had bleeding on the brain which resulted in Hydrocephalus and he had to have a shunt fitted at 3 months old. When he was 2 he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. He also has learning and mobility difficulties and suffers with a lot of cramping pains and spasms in his legs. He has been getting stronger in his legs and is able to get about with a walker and tripod stick for short periods, but this is a huge effort as he is battling his own body weight. As he gets bigger and heavier he may not be able to keep doing this. Can you can imagine his heartbreak if all of his childhood efforts go to waste and his body becomes too heavy! He has been offered an operation at Bristol Children’s Hospital (over 200 miles from where Harvey lives). This operation is called SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) which will take away the pain in his legs and ultimately make it so he will be able to stand and walk independently. As I said, the operation will be carried out at Bristol Children’s Hospital but they are no longer funding it on the NHS. Trevor is looking to raise the money for the operation and the intense physiotherapy which Harvey will need after the operation and for his equipment that might be needed to help with his progress. Harvey will require 3 weeks in hospital after the operation and then he will be allowed home but he will still require 6 to 12 months intense physiotherapy for the operation to be worthwhile. Harvey is Trevor’s sister’s grandson and he is doing all he can to help raise the large sum of £25.000 so that young Harvey can have his life changing operation. If you would like to help you can contact Trevor Jenkin 26. Manor Way, Heamoor, Penzance Cornwall TR18 3HL 01736361347 - Vice Chairman of Penzance Premier RPC; My thanks to Trevor and I hope he achieves his goal for young Harvey. I will donate a pair of Deweerdt youngsters to the sale all going well.

 

Cambusnethan and Morningside Pigeon Club

 

Received a phone call and then an email from Andrew Eadie of the famous Eadie & Kelly partnership who wrote; ‘Hi Joe, Further to our telephone conversation, please find attached our presentation held on Friday night. The only thing I would like to add under the amalgamation of the 2 clubs that formed in 1971 was we still have 2 of the founder members in the presence of Robert Kelly (George’s brother) and John Lawrie whom you wrote about in a previous article. The agenda for the evening was firstly to welcome everyone to the 2016 Annual Presentation of Cambusnethan and Morningside Pigeon Club. We started with a minute silence for absent friends and everyone was upstanding for those who passed away during 2016. The top table was Paul Macaloney and Iain Rankin. Andrew would now like to give a special thanks to John Lawrie, Andy Frame and Newmains pigeon club for the use of their facilities and a big thank you to the caterers for an excellent meal and service tonight. Cambusnethan and Morningside Flying Club is an amalgamation of 2 very old clubs then came together 1971. Some of the trophies date back to 1925 for Cambusnethan Club and 1937 for the Morningside club, however, research has shown that the clubs go back to the late 1800’s early 1900’s which make them one of the oldest clubs in the county. Today the club has 25 lofts competing, official’s past and present and in particular, Andy Frame and also John Lawrie who has been the secretary since 1972 have taken this club from strength to strength. Andrew then asked John Lawrie to present the 2016 trophy winners. It was fantastic that we finally get to recognise one of the truly great UK lofts on the European Stage. The Macaloney partnership of father George, son Willie and grandson Paul have been one of the most successful lofts in Lanarkshire federation plus Scotland and now the UK. They have won over 100 x 1st federations and in 2016 only 85 pigeons beat them flying against 50,000 birds and they recorded the following breaking results: - 1st open SNFC Sartilly, 1st open Scottish Central Avranches, 1st open fed Falaise, 1st open fed Ypres, winner of 2 Scottish National Flying Club Gold Awards; 15 times Lanarkshire federation Champions and the icing on the cake winning the first even ‘UK’ Golden Duif. Iain Rankin another very prominent fancier within the sport who performs exceptionally well racing in the strong Airdrie Club and Lanarkshire fed. In 2016 he won the Centre section young bird averages. 1st open 5475 birds. 2015 1st and 2nd open 5500 birds and also 3rd & 4th open 4500 birds and many other top positions well done. J & K Miller won the Old bird average & George Kelly Memorial Trophy. J Lawrie & Son won the combined average, Channel cup; last 4 race average Cup and the Nelly Eadie trophy and runner up old bird average. Nelly Eadie Trophy performances of previous winners since 2010 are as follows; 2010 Eadie & Kelly with ‘George’s Boy’ winner of 1st Lanarkshire Social Circle, 4th West section 27th open SNFC Reims velocity 1090. In 2011 Willie (Soper) Watson of Wishaw with ‘Gemma’ a SNFC Silver Award winner; 2012 Eadie & Kelly with ‘Z Queen’ winner of 9th section E 28th open Ypres SNFC 21st section E 101st open Ypres; 23rd section E 109th open Ypres and a SNFC Silver Award Winner. 2013 J Lindsay with ‘Wishaw’ winner of 3rd section E 9th open SNFC Clermont and one of only 12 pigeons timed on the night flying 516 miles recording a velocity of 989; In 2014 W Smart with ‘Allanton’ winner of 4th section 121st open SNFC YPES; 2015 Eadie & Kelly with ‘Wee Jeanie’ winner of 1st Alencon (only club pigeon timed on the night) after 16 hours 40 minutes to record a velocity of 979 flying 536 miles, she won 4th section E 33rd open SNFC 1416 birds; ‘Wee Jeanie’ had previously won 4th section 9th open Lanarkshire Federation; 7th section E 106th open SNFC Ypres in 2013 with 2356 birds competing. 2016 winner is John Lawrie and son with ‘Jocks Lad’ winner of 1st Lanarkshire Social Circle, 1st Lanarkshire federation; 1st section E 69th open SNFC Ypres 2323 birds. Eadie & Kelly won the young bird average & Harcross Shield. W Smart won the young bird national shield, runner up young bird average, lowest winning velocity and last 3 longest race average. T McGinn was runner up combined average & old bird K.O winner. Tam Richardson won the yearling average & young bird K.O. It now gave Andrew the pleasure to mention ‘The New Kids on the Block’ J & K Millar & Son with only (167 birds) averaging 16 birds per race they won the Old bird average and the George Kelly Memorial Trophy and Old Cock. John Lawrie & son won the combined average (wee Jackie’s birds were sick ha ha) they also won 1st open Lanarkshire Fed Ypres and 1st West section and 69th open SNFC which was truly fantastic. Looking back at what some of the fanciers have achieved has been fantastic. Namely J & K Millar, J Lawrie and son, Eadie & Kelly, Tony McGinn, Tam Richardson and Willie Smart breaking federation records. In the final combined average in the federation with over 73,000 birds competing, we had 3 of our members finishing in the top 10. 5th was John Lawrie and son •9th was Eadie & Kelly and 10th was Willie Smart. In the final young bird average in the federation with over 23,500 birds competing, there were 4 of our members finishing in the top 6. • 1st Eadie & Kelly; 2nd Willie Smart; 3rd Iain Rankin; 4th GWP Macaloney; 5th Tam Richardson; 6th Tony McGinn with a special mention to Willie Smart on topping the federation and taking the 1st x 14 open positions with 3626 birds competing (the record prior to this was GWP Macaloney who took the 1st x 12 open positions with 9986 birds) The evening was then taking up by a Talk on various subjects and closed with a vote of thanks to everyone for attending and Andrew wished everyone ‘Good Luck’ for 2017 season. May I thank Andrew for the above information and the photographs he forwarded to go with this write up.

 

Good SNFC Birds

 

This week I start with a chequer hen from Mr & Mrs Nayles of Slamannan this 2014 bred hen M1667 has won from 3 inland nationals with 2 of these in 2015 were she won 10th section E from the Billericay race flying 347 miles against a convoy of 3395. A few weeks later she was entered into the Portsmouth race a distance of 370 miles and she won 53rd section E from an entry of 4767 birds. Then in 2016 she was sent to the first inland national from Buckingham and won 33rd section E against a convoy of 2084 so achieving her treble and I wish them well with her in 2017.

 

Our next pigeon is raced by the father and son Fife partnership of Jim & Gary Peggie of Methil whose blue chequer hen SU13F 5457 has also won 3 times once as a yearling and twice as an old bird. As a baby in 2013 she won 7th section C 65th open flying 259 miles against a convoy of 1889 birds. Then in 2014 she was sent to Maidstone and won 90th section C 363rd open flying 374 miles with an open convoy of 4484 birds competing. In 2016 she was sent to Ypres and she won 8th section C 18th open flying against 2323 birds from a distance of 442 miles. Not a bad pigeon to be twice in the top 10 in the strong section C region.

 

We now come to section B with a household name in the sport John F Bosworth of Elphinstone in East Lothian with his chequer hen SU13P 2815. She too won a prize as a youngster from the same Leicester races as Jim & Gary’s bird however John’s bird won 69th section B 91st open flying 241 miles. Then as a yearling she competed from Eastbourne a distance of 382 miles and won 50th section B 72nd open from a convoy of 2494 birds. Last year 2016 she was sent to Reims Gold Cup race and won 19th section B 66th open flying 548 miles against 1330 birds.

 

Wee Jeannie

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Eddie & Kelly racing loft

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Jack Sparrow and the 'Burd' Andrew Eadie and his wife

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Tam Richardson

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John Lawrie & son

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Joe’s Joke

 

A man wakes up one morning to find a bear on his roof. So he looks in the yellow pages and sure enough, there's an ad for "Bear Removers." He calls the number, and the bear remover says he'll be over in 30 minutes. The bear remover arrives, and gets out of his van. He's got a ladder, a baseball bat, a shotgun and a mean old pit bull. "What are you going to do," the homeowner asks? "I'm going to put this ladder up against the roof, and then I'm going to go up there and knock the bear off the roof with this baseball bat. When the bear falls off, the pit bull is trained to grab his testicles and not let go. The bear will then be subdued enough for me to put him in the cage in the back of the van." He hands the shotgun to the homeowner. "What's the shotgun for?" asks the homeowner. "If the bear knocks me off the roof, shoot the dog."

 

Please continue to keep the news flowing; to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 or Email to joejmurphy1@gmail.com REMEMBER THE J IN THE MIDDLE or log onto www.elimarpigeons.com www.fancierchat.co.uk and www.pigeon-chat.co.uk also www.pigeonbasics.com who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland.

 

© Compiled by Joe Murphy

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