Bilco's Latest News Column

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Take It From Me...

When your sons are babies, fretful with teething troubles, colic, cramp, soiled nappies, hunger, thirst, nightmare, when they come in bleeding from grazed knees, or snivelling because that big bugga from down the road has bullied them, or stolen their sweets, there are times when you have large sighs and wonder why the hell you didn’t stay out late fishing, or have another jar with the lads, or whatever. BUT, and there’s a wonderful word BUT, when that noisy, screaming, bawling, filthy, injured son has grown up, done his 30 years in Police force, booted his own sons out and taken his pension and migrated to a lovely little spot on the coast in the south of France, Thats when you sit back and sigh lovely long sighs of sheer appreciation at the way life has evened the score, and you can bask in the sunshine on a lounger with a loaded glass of cool and tasty jollop, and reflect on the wisdom that guided you all those years ago when you didn’t chuck him out of the bedroom window at three in the morning. Ahhhh! Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Eddie Wright...

(of Fountainhead) has left us. He was found in his loft, where he most certainly would have liked to be found, looking after his birds, on the morning of Wednesday 6th May.

I first met Eddie in Belgium, at Willy Clerebaut’s loft, where in company with Michael Barratt he has arrived to look over the old Maestro’s team of Aces. When we were introduced he slapped me on the back and said Hey-up, listen to this little lad, I wish our kids could do this and then directed his next remark to the little 10-y-old boy sitting on Carmen’s lap, asking him to translate something or other to Willy, who was sitting beside them. I roared with laughter, then told Eddie that the little lad was my youngster, who used to trot round and have a chat with several elderly ladies in the village. They loved him and spoiled him rotten with sweets and biscuits, and they taught him their language far better than any school marm would have done. Eddie thought he was Belgian, and regarded him as marvellous for his ability to speak two languages at such a tender age. That morning began a warm friendship with Eddie and I, and we have met in places far and foreign ever since, the last time being in Aberdare last November. He bought several birds from Willy Clerebaut and did well with them at Fountainhead, and bred many a good one for his friends. A genuinely warm hearted character, sharing that warmth with everyone he met, Eddie will be sadly missed. On behalf of the many who only knew him in passing I tender my sincere condolences to his sorrowing family and salute his memory, a reet good un. RIP Eddie.

Another Maestro, Reg Churchill...

In his 89th year, fell recently and was admitted to Hospital. A short while later he fell again and this time did not recover from the effects. Reg Churchill was right on y doorstep at Weymouth, and the last time we met he wanted me to take his ace hen home with me, mind you, we were rejoicing at the time. Old friends since the 1960’s Reg was one of the warmest hearted blokes you could find and he will be very sadly missed. This south coast area has been the greatest place for hosting Fanciers like the Mad Hatter, Buckie, Rigi, Reg and others, gentlemen to a T. They’ll be raising merry heaven on that great bench before the Celestial Loft now, believe me. God rest you in eternal peace gentlemen, our memories will cherish you forever. Some bright spark said some time ago They always go in Threes and I have to admit to feeling slightly nervous. It’s my birthday next month and when you’re in your eighties you are conscious of being over the three score years and ten mark that clever clogs reckoned was the measure we should abide by. I only feel about 20 but you never know... Anyway it can’t be me, I am going to win something this year and shall have to be around to collect the trophy, so that’s that.

Live Magazine...

Comes out on Sundays as a supplement to the Mail on Sunday, carried a two column appreciation by one Andrew Preston on the Million Dollar race at Sun City. Nice bit of publicity for the sport, but sadly it was spoiled (for me) by Derek Nichols bragging about his Rolex and his wife’s 36k car and number plate. No, I don’t want or envy either. Apparently it was to be shown on the Discovery Channel Blighty, Tuesday 12th at 9pm.

A Long Time Ago...

I learned the folly of One off the old Pau Cock or hen, whatever, and of stocking up a loft with these short cuts to stardom. They aint! Blood tells shouts the purists, and so it does, but Blood is dyed in the wool, every generation tried and tested to the end of the line, and only breeding off the best of the best. In all the two hundred and thirty years of racing (to date) since Earl Derby won the toss of a coin to name the race (for 3yo colts and fillies), not once did the progeny of a Derby winner out of an Oaks winning mare go on to win the Derby... until Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum came up with Lamtarra in 1995, and this chestnut son of the great Nijinsky slew a classic field in record time in only his second ever race, and his first race as a 3yo, then and only then was the spell lifted. Many millions, even billions of pounds have been spent in the chase to breed such a horse, but it took 215 years from the first running in 1780 to do it. So what chance have we of breeding a Grand National winner with one off the old Pau Cock or hen, unless it is steeped to the gills in classic winning bloodlines? Long odds I’d say, yet it happens, and to the least of us, so money isn’t always the answer. Scientific breeding has entered our sport by one off a winner, bred from a winner, and is much more likely to be encountered these days than of yore.

Sign Of The Times...

As a Fancier I always have one eye on the sky. You know how it is, anything moves up there and your head twitches and you see it while the average human being does not. Just lately I have been looking at pigeons. Woodpigeons in particular, and have noted an awful lot of them with half a wing missing, large gaps where secondary feathers should be, but are not. This tells me that peregrines are about and are dining woodies. The reason for this of course is that I am the only fancier in Wincanton, and my birds are at exercise when I remember to let them out, not to any set time or programme. I shall have to open both eyes now, for no Percy is going to take up residence on my patch if I can help make it feel unwelcome. I am helped of course by the fact that an awful lot of fanciers use Wincanton as a training spot, and teams are regularly going up from eleven o’clock onwards. If my YBs join up with them they are carted off, and then fly back again, which helps train them, but due to my irregular flying times this doesn’t happen all that often. So, if Percy is hungry he might well be taking a shot at these teams of trainers, and leaving mine alone. If anyone using Wincanton gets his YBs home with hawk damage, give me a ring please, it all helps keep me informed.

BOP.... A Licence to Cull

Business Opinion Research conducted a poll of 1,004 people recently, to discover the general public’s attitude towards predator control. This commission was carried out on behalf of the Counrtyside Alliance, The Moorland Association and the National Greenkeeper’s Association. Why, I wonder, were the Fancy not represented? Maybe we had more important things to do eh?

The commission reported that 80% of the Public had no idea that birds of prey were at their highest population density of all time since records were commenced. Most of them thought exactly the opposite, that birds of prey were very rare! 60% of the vote said that raptors should be controlled if they are damaging wildlife, while 80% thought people should intervene to help declining species: 84% thought that the RSPB should carry out predator controls on its Nature reserves. Fifty seven percent thought that if a bird species is being killed by raptors, professionals should be allowed to intervene, and most revealing 55% of those polled do not believe that Government money should be used to boost numbers of birds of prey. These figures were obtained from Shooting Times of 14th May 09, and next week a larger article on the subject appears. They had a dialogue with Mark Avery RSPB Director of Conservation, does anyone at the RPRA know his phone number?