SCOTTISH NATIONAL FLYING CLUB
by Norman Dixon MBE
The 2016 annual Dinner Dance and Presentation night for the Scottish National Flying Club took place on Saturday 22nd October within the Glynhill Hotel in Renfrew. The weeks and months of preparation and planning for the event by Mary Pryde our Secretary combined with the first-rate hospitality, excellent culinary service from the Hotel staff, the entertainment provided by the booked act and the brilliant impromptu serenade by a National winning fancier, all made for a very enjoyable evening.
Within the very large crowd of members, family and friends it was really encouraging to see such a large proportion of younger people at a Racing Pigeon social event. The majority of the National winners, Section winners, Average Winners, Gold, Silver, Bronze winners and other trophy winners were all present highlighting the importance of winning such a prize in the SNFC.
The guests for the night were Stefeen Van Moerbeke from Ypres who has assisted the SNFC for a number of years with advice and logistical support to the convoying teams when on the continent. Stefeen has also presented the Club with some of the Ypres trophies. The other guests were Billy Wortley the world-renowned Pigeon Racing historian and scribe accompanied his lovely wife Patricia.
Stefeen Van Moerbeke SNFC Top Table Guest - Billy Wortley SNFC Top Table Guest
Every one of the SNFC winners created their own special piece of history and I won’t go into all the race-winners details as these have been reported on before and the photographs of them being presented with their Trophies will be published in the SNFC year book. However I will take a little bit of time to focus on three of the fanciers who I believe created some special moments within the many highlights of this seasons SNFC racing.
Alison Mitchell 1st SNFC National Littlehampton 2016 and First Lady Fancier to win a SNFC national - Billy Bilsland 1st SNFC Ypres and 1st SNFC YB Buckingham 2016 making Billy a 7 x 1st Prize SNFC winner - Mr and Mrs George Veitch with the SNFC Gold Cup they won for 1st SNFC Reims
Firstly I would like to mention Mrs. Alison Mitchell, who became the first lady fancier in the history of the SNFC to win a National in her own right. Alison’s Blue Bar Cock ‘Castlebrae Henry’ won the 2nd Inland National from Littlehampton earlier this year. Alison was at the presentation night with her husband Les and her mother and father and it was lovely to see the pleasure and pride on all their faces when Alison received such a resounding welcome from the assembled members and guests when she walked forward to receive her Trophies.
Secondly I would like to highlight Billy Bilsland who was at the presentation night to collect two 1st National Trophies won in 2016. The first from Ypres in Belgium in July and the second from Buckingham with the Young Bird National in September. These two wins took Billy’s tally to an amazing Seven SNFC titles in recent years and in the SNFC Young Bird Nationals in the last five years he has amassed an amazing twenty-one top ten SNFC Diplomas.
The third fancier to receive this special notice has to be George Veitch, from Pentcaitland in East Lothian, who won the ‘Gold Cup’, the trophy all members of the SNFC covet. This years race from Reims in June was one of the hardest in history and ‘Karamojo’, George’s four year old Blue Chequer Cock that won the race with a velocity of 1062.92 for the 544 miles 1385 yards home, fulfilled the potential he showed at last years ‘Gold Cup’ when he won 31st Open from Alencon. It should be noted that Alencon is located approximately two hundred and fifteen miles West of Reims and therefore ‘Karamojo’ has certainly shown his long distance champion credentials and George his skill in conditioning such a tremendous pigeon.
Lastly I have to thank Jim Hannah on behalf of the SNFC for carrying out the photographic duties on the night. I believe that this was the twenty-ninth continuous SNFC Presentation night that Jim has undertaken this responsibility. A few examples of Jim’s work from this year’s event are included with this report.
Norman Dixon MBE
SNFC PRO
