Ken Hine was recently made a life vice president of the National Flying Club, after
giving many years of hard work for the club, serving for Section E. on the committee.
Through his many years in the sport, Ken has recorded countless premier performances in
long distance races, including 1st. section E. 3rd Open Pau Grand National (565 miles) in
the 2002 season.
Ken was born in Acton, West London, and was introduced to pigeon racing at a very
early age, as both his father and grandfather were both fanciers. He had his first pigeons
at the age of 16 and these were obtained from top fanciers including, Alf Baker, Tubby
Tate and my late, great friend, Alex Fleming of Esher. Ken told me, that the one person he
owes a big debt of gratitude to is, George Burgess of Wraybury, as his help and advice
through many years has been beyond measure. It was the performances of Alf Baker and Tubby
Tate which really enthused Ken, as a young man and he has always liked long distance
racing. When he started up in the sport he lived in a flat and his small two section loft
had to be sited in a borrowed garden. Those early days saw Ken race in the Chiswick North
Road Club and was very successful at that time with Alex Fleming pigeons, bred on the
‘Derick’ and ‘Bubbles’ lines. Ken says, every fancier makes mistakes
when they first start up pigeon racing, but the secret is to learn from them. Ken says, he
often thinks back to the early days and the pigeons he has owned, with one of the best
being a chequer pied cock, bred in 1964 and named ‘Garth’. He thinks if he had
that great old pigeon today, he would be in with a chance of winning the Pau National.
Ken’s present loft set up is large, which he says is a matter of personal choice,
but maintains, he has seen a pigeon win flying to a rabbit hutch and so have I. His
wonderful set up must be described as a ‘pigeon paradise’, with three very smart
lofts, set in green fields, with horses and stables. Whilst he cleans his lofts out on a
regular basis, he says, he knows fanciers who keep their bird on deep litter and also very
successful. In the main he has raced his pigeons on the natural system, but has tried the
widowhood for the last three seasons and both have brought him good success. With
Ken’s widowhood system, the cock’s are only shown the hens on their return from
a race and they go through to the longest races on the system. The racers are fed on
Versele Laga widowhood mixture and are never broken down at any time. Ken likes to send
his natural racers to the long distance events sitting about ten day old eggs. The
families of pigeons now raced at the Hayes loft are the very best of long distance, in the
form of Peter Titmuss of Wheathampstead, Jim Biss of Norwich and the late Fear Brothers of
Clandown. Ken maintains that any new introductions always come from lofts with outstanding
long distance records. He usually pairs up around 16th. February and breeds 60 young birds
for racing. The youngsters receive a thorough education, being trained as often as
possible along the south coast and he always sends a few birds to the N.F.C. young bird
national. Ken is now retired from his haulage firm and says he is fortunate that his
family are interested in his pigeons, and they help him out around the lofts. He says he
is often asked about the eyesign theory and maintains it is his belief that pigeons need
two eyes to see where they are and says no more than that!
Ken says his most thrilling experience in pigeons was when he won 1st. open B.B.C.
Palamos, 1st. open L.&S.E.C.C. Pau and 1st. and 2nd. club Nantes all on the same
weekend. Brilliant pigeon racing! The lofts performances at the long distance through the
years has been fantastic winning: flying Thurso 20 consecutive years and winning 16 times:
Lerwick (600 miles) four times, 2nd. combine three consecutive years and timing in on the
day from Lerwick. Turning south road in 1985 and winning: 1985: 69th. open N.F.C. Pau,
1986: 15th. open N.F.C. Pau, 1987: 52nd. open N.F.C. Pau, 1988: 52nd., 58th. and 154th.
open N.F.C. Pau, 1989: 15th. and 48th. open N.F.C. Pau, 1990: 33rd. and 99th. open N.F.C.
Pau, 33rd. and 71st. open N.F.C. Sartilly, 1991: 16th. open N.F.C. Bordeaux, 1992: 99TH.
open N.F.C. Pau, 1993: 27th. open N.F.C. Pau, 15th. open N.F.C. Saintes, plus many other
premier N.F.C. positions through the years. Ken told me he has enjoyed many memorable
moments in his time in the sport, but the weekend he won Palamos and Pau, was the best.
He has served on the committee of the National Flying Club many years and is now a
life vice president, but says until recently it has given him great pleasure. However,
events and decisions made recently by a majority of the N.F.C. committee members is
causing him some concern. The first cause for concern was the last A.G.M. ballot paper,
and how it had been loaded against using Pau as a race point for the 2003 season. Ken
says, the committee were telling the members that it was unsuitable for liberations, yet
clubs in competition with the N.F.C. were still using it. He told me, ’I certainly do
not agree that committee members and officials of other specialist clubs should serve on
the committee of the National Flying Club. It is my personal opinion that this could
create a conflict of interest. Indeed a committee member who is also an official of the
Central Southern Classic F.C. was given the task of overhauling the N.F.C. rules and this
was a bit like Sainsbury’s asking Tesco for advice. A proposal for £5 per bird
charge for Pau was defeated when a Central Southern Classic official serving on the N.F.C.
committee proposed £7. One has to question, in who’s interest are some of these
committee members acting?’ Ken is not happy with the N.F.C. going with the Entente
Belge to Dax and says, those that wish to compete in International races, can do so with
the B.I.C.C.
Ken tells new fanciers in the sport, to make their mind up what distance they want to
fly and stay single minded and focused on that goal. Having done that, go to the best
fancier in your area at that distance and obtain some late breds for stock. He says, he
thinks that Gary Inkley of Hillingdon is the best fancier in his area. On the subject of
breeding, Ken practices some inbreeding and line breeding to maintain his family of long
distance pigeons. This is some thing he learned a long time ago from his great friend,
Peter Titmuss. He thinks the moult period is a very important time of the year for pigeons
and says, get the moult right and success will follow. There you have it, Ken Hine of
Hayes, long distance ‘ace’ and great worker for the National Flying Club!
The N.F.C. Internet Website.
This week the ‘NATIONAL FORUM’ is going to feature a few more items taken
from the N.F.C. Internet Website Discussion Page. This is a very popular page and can be
seen on: www.nationalflyingclub.co.uk
1) Averages (Bill Harris – Section G)
At the recent N.F.C. meeting the committee decided to leave the Dax race out of the
N.F.C. averages. Any thoughts on this?
Reply (Bill Young – Section E)
I think this major race should be included in the averages
Reply (Mick McGrevy – Section K)
What about the old hens race? Personally, I think that if a race is being organised by
the N.F.C. it should be classed just the same as the others and not side stepped because
some members do not wish to compete. Pau is included and there is a lot of members who
don’t send for one reason or another.
Reply (Barrie Simmons – Section G)
I’m not a great believer in averages and as this is a self supporting Dax
International, it should not be included in the averages. Let’s hope we get a
straight forward programme for next year, and not this a bit of this and a bit of that. I
think it’s time to scrap the old hens race. It’s original intention to assist
the young birds over the water has been long defeated and we now have too many members
putting old rings on current young birds, which defeats the objective.
Reply (Tony De Sergio)
Don’t kid your self, those old hens are so important to the babies and the extra
revenue should help to pay for the longer races.
Reply (Paul O’Leary – 0014A)
Well done, Bill for getting some discussion going! Having recently visited the Belgian
web site www.pipa . and they have a thriving discussions page, and I’m sure that all
their contributors benefit from it. Several of our members have made useful contributions!
It’s probably right not to include Dax for the ‘Langstone Gold Cup’, at
least for this year. Assuming that we have a good race from Dax, then some of the doubters
and knockers will be brought back on board and birdage will increase thereafter. If the
next A.G.M. then ratifies prolonged International participation, then it should definitely
be brought into consideration. As for the old hens race, I have a different view
altogether. This race should be the fifth old bird race, perhaps flown in early August,
with a liberation all of it’s own and not run as a sideshow for the young bird race.
The notion that the hens help the young birds home, tickles my sense of humour, but has no
basis in fact. The young bird velocities are normally higher than the old hens. Apart from
that, personally speaking, although I have some lovely hens, they are always moulting
pretty heavily by September, so I never send, otherwise I definitely would send. So, if
we’re to keep an old hens race, let’s move the date and increase the prestige
and numbers competing, by giving it a slot all of it’s own.
Reply (Keith Mott – Section E)
Well Bill, you’ve got them going with this one! How can any club leave races out
of their averages? The N.F.C. averages should be all our races, including the Dax
International and old hens races.
Although I’m not against the N.F.C. racing with the International, I do think
that with the main event from Pau being staged on the 25th. July, the 2003 race programme
offers nothing to fanciers who fly on the natural system. The Pau Grand National is the
number one long distance race in the world and should be staged in the month of June, when
the pigeons are at their best and gives every one a fair chance. The Nantes national is
the natural flyers stepping stone on their build up to the Pau National and these two very
important races should be four weeks apart, so as the fanciers have a chance to get their
birds down again for Pau. I think the young bird national should be flown from France and
I’m very happy that my proposition for Falaise was passed for the 2003 season.
Reply (Nigel Lane)
Not wishing to appear unpatriotic, can I ask, on what criteria is the Pau Grand
National rated as the number one long distance race in the world and going for the double,
why should these races be aligned for natural flyers? Just curious.
Reply (Keith Mott – Section E)
Hi Nigel! What is better than the Pau Grand National? I think every race, in what ever
shape or form, should be flown giving every one a fair crack and staging the Pau National
at the end of July is giving natural fanciers no chance, because of the moult. In recent
seasons the break between Nantes and Pau has been to short, giving the natural lads a lot
of problems getting their birds ready in time for the main event from Pau. I’m not
asking for any race to be lined up for any fancier, Widowhood or Natural, all I’m
asking for is an even, fair playing field, so every one can enjoy the same chance of
winning.
Reply (Mick McGrevy – Section K)
Keith, if you are trying to find a fair race to give every fancier a chance to win,
Pau is not the obvious choice. The reason being, that not every fancier has a chance of
getting a day bird and if one of the fancier flying into section K or L happens to get a
good second day bird, which beats the one or two birds which were timed on the day, then
the letters start to fly, crying unfair. The truer race for the Grand National in my
opinion would be Saintes, then every one has a chance, even though some are fly only
approx. 350 miles.
Well that’s it for this week. In our next ‘NATIONAL FORUM’ we will
looking at another Pau Grand National winning loft and we are going to have some more
interesting item from the N.F.C. Website Discussion Page in a few weeks. If you need to
contact me, please Telephone: 01372 463480 or Email: keithmott@btopenworld.com.
