| Jed
Jackson - Poet And Pigeoner
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I
will begin with the following statement
'...there are few of God's gifts I enjoy
better than the seductive warmth of the
early morning sun when the vegetation
and the hand- rail to my loft are wet
with early morning dew.' That my dear
readers has come from the mind and the
heart of a poet and his name is Jed Jackson.
But not only a poet he is one of the best
pigeon racers that the island of Britain
has produced. In truth based upon what
I have read and heard the man is an example
to us all!
An
interest in our feathered friends began
in the blossoming time of his school days.
Jed once recalled that one of his birds
was the means by which the half time score
of a soccer match was conveyed. Here our
subject was lost in the wonder of the
orientation ability of his blue pigeon
which he had sent initially in a paper
bag with the local team to be the courier
of good or bad news from miles away. Of
course the wonder increased when this
pigeon returned from 100 miles. For distance
to a child is impregnated with the imaginable
and the magical.
The
love of our thoroughbreds, therefore,
was planted early in the life journey
of Jed Jackson and with them he was in
paradise. So deep was this love that it
was inevitable that he would be forever
a pigeon fancier and inspite of the twists
and the turns, and even the tragedy of
life, Jed Jackson has been a life long
pigeoner. A person who has won many prizes
from a modest loft at Worthing with approximately
30 pigeons. One of those prizes was the
1980 Pau National into England. His two
year old hen 'Genista' beat 5,884 pigeons
to win the most sought after prize in
English pigeon racing. This blue chequer's
dam was of Langstone bloodlines and the
sire was of Jackson's own family. Well,
others have won the National but what
adds to the uniqueness in this achievement
is the fact that Jed Jackson is a blind
person. Yes, we all know what it takes
to manage a loft of pigeons but to do
it with such a disadvantage is amazing!
Of course, Jed Jackson is a born fancier,
that is acknowledged by those who know
him, but to overcome such an impediment
and achieve what he has reflects the very
best of the human spirit. Now inspite
of his condition in one sense our subject
has been endowed with many blessings,
one being a loving wife, Joan, who played
her part in his many successes. In a sense,
like the touch of his fingers, Joan is
his sight for without her by his side
his managerial duties would have been
much more difficult.
Sadly
with the joys of life lies the sorrows
for 'Genista' died from what her friend
and breeder thought was the result of
her efforts in winning the National. A
terrible blow for any fancier but Jed
Jackson got on with his productive life
and even witnessed a grand-daughter of
'Genista' winning a 550 mile race from
Thurso. Upon her arrival the Thurso winner
landed upon Jed's shoulder from where
he clocked her in. A wonderful image of
the bond between a man and a bird, a poetic
image of the genius of Jed Jackson.
by: Liam O Comain
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