Reg Fearman..part four
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Reg Fearman..part four |
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Veteran
Dirt Track Riders' Association
It was in 1957 that Alan Baxter, known to
all as Peter Arnold (his pen name), founded the VDTRA with just a few
members. It grew very quickly and has had two name changes over the
past 52 years. The first change was to the Veteran Speedway Riders'
Association and more recently to the World Speedway Riders' Association.
We have so much to thank Peter for who died
so tragically in 1969. Today, and for some time, the Association has
grown throughout the UK. There are many reunions staged on a local
scale throughout the year and two Golf Tournaments, one usually in the
Spring and one in the Autumn known as the "Rider Cup". We have a
membership around 600 and some 300 attend our Annual Dinner which is
usually held in March. The VSRA of Australia was formed in 1991 and
the VSRA of New Zealand in 1979. All three are independent but all
have the same Objects. Each Association has its own address and
contact book so it is easy for some of us "old boys" to keep in touch,
especially in this day and age of the computer.
Under Peter's guidance, for many years the
Annual Dinner was held at the Rembrandt Hotel in Central London and the
Annual General Meeting was held in the afternoon at a pub close to
Wembley Stadium before the Annual World Individual Championship Final.
Those afternoon AGMs were always rowdy affairs with the likes of Bill
Kitchen, Jack Barnett, Jack Parker, Wal Phillips, Len Tupling, Bob
Lovell, Howdy Byford and Frank Varey as President (1961-1963) trying to
keep order. Eventually the Rembrandt closed for refurbishment and the
Dinner moved to an hotel in the Midlands. It has been difficult to
find a hotel that could accommodate 300 people in one room. The newly
built Hotel, the Marriott in Leicester now seems to fit the
requirements. Peter Arnold was the Secretary until 1969 followed by
Jack Barnett for 10 years, George Greenwood for 2, Vic Gooden for 3 and
Ron Hoare for 20 years. The current Secretary is Vic White who took on
the job in 2001. The AGM is now held in the hotel in the afternoon
before the Dinner.
Peter Arnold was a brilliant journalist,
broadcaster and announcer at speedway and other motor race meetings.
It was while driving to his home near Northampton from announcing duties
at Reading Speedway in August 1969 that he suffered a serious heart
attack and crashed the car into an Island and lamp standard. He was
taken to hospital and died a couple of days later, from further heart
attacks. The day after the accident I visited him in hospital
and it appeared that as he was going to be ok. The effects of the crash
were minimal. He left a 4 year old son Paul. On many occasions, Paul
would travel with Peter to Reading Speedway and it was a blessing he was
not on this occasion. The speedway and stock car fraternity set up a
Trust Fund for Paul which was to mature when he was 18. Paul was
brought up by close relatives on a farm near Andover Hampshire.
There is more tragedy as Peter had lost his
wife soon after their son Paul was born. Through road racing he had met
a lady Maureen Vinicombe, herself a widow whose husband had been killed
road racing. Peter and Maureen were due to be married on the 27th
August 1969. Peter's funeral was on the 8th September 1969.
We certainly do have plenty to thank Peter
Arnold for - his name like many others of the speedway fraternity
"will liveth for evermore".
Reg Fearman
14th January 2009
Veteran Association Dinners and Events
1999 Annual Dinner
John, Here is a very nice
photo for the VSRA Dinners and Events page. I hope you can get this
one on as it is the last Dinner Joan went to as she died in the
August of 1999.
1999 President Fred Rogers receiving the Tom Farndon Casting of him in action - it is on Tom's Gravestone in a Coventry Cemetery. John Chaplin and Peter Lipscombe were the founders of Vintage Magazine. They both supported the VSRA. A number of these were presented over the years to various Presidents - somehow I missed out !!!
Geoff Pymar
The attached is mostly self explanatory. Geoff was due to be sworn in in the March but was not going to live that long so a small band of us to travelled to Norwich to initiate him as President. Tears welled up in his eyes, he said he was so proud. Geoff Pymar President 27 February 2002 Died 02 March 2002 Archie Windmill is shown presenting the chain of office to Geoff at a Norwich Hospice.
President Geoff Pymar 2002 Reg Fearman Archie Windmill Sonia Eileen Fearman Trevor and Pam Hedge
The Ryder Cup
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