We Remember
Dick Wallis
We are very sorry to report that Dick passed away on 3rd November following a period of ill health.
Dick grew up near Loose and joined the club as a teenager in the mid-1950s. Like many others, he began with the Saturday afternoon club run but soon branched out into racing, participating in time trials, road racing and grass track events. He enjoyed several wins in 5-mile grass track events, including the club's Overton '5' in 1962. Dick soon joined the committee, becoming Sunday Captain, before his cycling was interrupted by two years of national service, which took place overseas. Dick was a member of many winning club teams in time trials in the 50s and 60s, along with Roy Manser, Rod Overton, Roly Crayford, Dave Patten and others, during what was a golden period of racing successes for the club. Dick rode strongly at all distances, but he had a particular liking for 12 hours events. In 1965, he recorded over 240 miles in the Kent CA '12', and with Rod Overton and Roy Manser, set a club team record of 739 miles, 1585 yards, which stood until 2016.
In the late 1960s, Dick took a break from cycling, but he was back in 1982, aged 45. Like many others before him, he was soon equalling and even beating his times from years earlier. In 1986, Dick completed a '24', recording 436.832 miles. This ride, together with his '12' of 244.140 miles and 4.6.59 '100', gave him third place in that year's 24 Hours Fellowship Best All-Rounder competition from 52 finishers. Dick repeated his third place in this competition the following year, improving his '12' to 245.10 miles. He also picked up many VTTA age standard awards over the years.
Following his 1980s comeback, Dick introduced his son Antony to the sport. Antony has had a successful racing career, including becoming a World Masters Track Champion. In the 1990s, Dick rejoined the club committee. He was also a highly skilled wood turner and made some of the club's trophies. In more recent years, Dick and his wife Joan became regular supporters of the Wednesday Wobblers. Eventually, Dick became the Wobblers coordinator and leader. This completed a circle that had begun with his job as club Sunday Captain more than 60 years earlier.
Christmas morning 10 in the 1950s - in shorts - that was brave!
L-R: Mick Gray, Dick Wallis, Brian Veitch and Brian Large.
We offer our deepest condolences to Joan, Antony, and all family and friends. Dick will be greatly missed by us all.
18 August 1937 – 3 November 2023
Len Mason
21 March 1924 – 5 October 2023
All club members have been saddened to learn that Len, an honorary life member of the club, has passed away following a short period of ill health.
Len was a life-long cyclist who seemed to enjoy club riding, touring, time trialling and even committee work in equal measure. He grew up in London and spent his earlier cycling years with the London St Christophers CCC. It was through that club that he met his future wife, Therese. By 1975 they had moved to Maidstone, and after cycling less frequently while bringing up their young family, they joined the San Fairy Ann. Their sons Simon and Philip, and daughters Helen and Clare, were all taking up cycling and very quickly the whole family became members. Their great enthusiasm and all-round involvement gave the club a tremendous boost at this time.
Len and Therese began with the club as regulars on the Saturday afternoon club runs, before going on to organise regular Youth Hostel weekends and then Sunday family rides a few years later. These were very popular, and led to them organising many club touring holidays at home and abroad with Devon, Yorkshire, France, Italy and Norway among the destinations reached. This was alongside Therese’s work as Kent CA Social Secretary and with Pat Hill at the club tea stall at time trials, and Len’s role as team manager in support of Simon, and later Philip, who both became very successfully involved in local road racing.
Despite this workload and Len’s daily rail commute to West London and back, his job as club time trial secretary, and his promotion of the VTTA annual ‘15’, Len still managed to race himself. He would have had very little time for training but he picked up many age standard awards over the years and in 1983, when the VTTA National ‘10’ championship was held in Kent, he was a member of the club’s winning team. But Philip’s racing successes later that season must have given him even greater personal satisfaction as he watched his younger son win the classic Catford hill climb, setting a course record that stood for 39 years, and then achieve third place a week later in the national hill climb championship.
In 1988 Len and Therese decided to move away from the South East after his retirement from work and they went to Leintwardine, Herefordshire, before relocating to Yarkhill, some miles to the south east, some years later. The other family members also moved to this part of the country at around the time of the initial move. Tragically, Simon died following an accident in 1993 when he had been cycling with a group of family and friends near to his home in Ludlow. He was just 32. As well as the immense blow to the family a lasting sorrow was felt throughout the club.
Len and Therese stayed in regular contact with the club and would often return for club dinners and other social occasions. They still rode with the club whenever they could and they maintained their many friendships despite their distant location. They continued to cycle within their local area until just a few years ago.
Len was someone who was always very active, hard-working and modest, and he appeared never to age. It is hard to appreciate he is no longer with us. We offer our deepest condolences to Therese, Helen, Philip and Clare and to all the family and friends.
Roly Crayford
1938 – 2022
Roly was well-known and well-loved by San Fairy Ann CC members. Sadly, Roly contracted cancer and died on Thursday evening, 25th August, at Preston Hall Hospice, aged 83.
Roly joined the San Fairy Ann CC as a Junior and, with a break for National Service in the 50s, returned to racing with another break in the 70s to pursue a life on the Spanish beaches teaching water skiing. Roly returned in the early 80s to Kent and the Club and has continued racing in recent years.
His achievements are huge and include being Kent Road Race Champion, European Track Champion and 2013 World Masters Champion on the track. Roly was a talented sprinter who could bridge a gap from the bunch to the break and, with sheer speed, win many a race on the local and national circuits.
Roly was a real club man, taking part in club runs, time trials, and track and road racing and was always willing to help younger and older riders enjoy club life.
He leaves his wife Ann, his three daughters Debbie, Georgina and Alecia, and son Alex, along with a few bikes.
Pat Hill
Many members will be aware of the sad news that Pat, an honorary life member of the club and President from 2002-04, passed away on Sunday, 31 July, following a period of ill health. Not everyone will know Pat - but she was so important to Kent Cycling and the club that we wanted to share her story with everyone.
After marrying in 1956, Pat and her husband Ted moved from South London to Cranbrook in 1964, settling at their dream home, Oak Acre in Biddenden a few years later. By this time, Ted had been a member of the Finsbury Park CC for many years, and Pat had been Brentwood RC ladies’ champion and one of the thousands at the Royal Albert Hall national prize presentation concerts as the Brentwood’s Vic Gibbons was crowned British Best All-Rounder. These experiences must have helped to shape her love of club life and time trial competition.
In 1972, a meeting with long-standing club member Gordon Cronk at a Headcorn time trial brought Pat and Ted into the club. Ted immediately became a regular on the Saturday afternoon club run, sometimes accompanied by Pat, who cycled regularly then. On Saturday, the run arrived at the Smarden Bell, only to find it closed and in darkness due to a booking mix-up. Ted quickly arranged for the party to ride on to Oak Acre, where Pat somehow laid on a tea for everyone in just a few minutes. The club run would return there once a quarter for the next seventeen years! Members also enjoyed club barbecues, firework parties and committee meetings at Oak Acre, which became almost an unofficial club country headquarters.
Pat became club Treasurer in 1976 before swapping to Milestone Editor, a job she would take on for a much longer second stint some years later. Pat was a brilliant writer, not only for the Milestone but for other club cycling publications as well. Together with Ronnie Naylor and others, Pat laid on the refreshments at the Penenden Heath clubroom for many years.
In 1978, the sudden resignation of the Kent Cycling Association Secretary led to an emergency call to Pat to take on that role. It was an inspired move as she revitalised the Association and stayed in the job for the next 22 years before becoming President last year. Timekeeping was another role that Pat took on with great enthusiasm; she timed many events over the years. Pat also promoted several open time trials for the club and greatly supported Ted in his own official roles. In recognition of her outstanding services to time trialling, Pat was awarded Cycling Time Trials’ Gold Badge of Honour in 2017.
Pat continued cycling and was a founder of the Wednesday Wobblers, its coordinator and a regular almost up to the present day. She and Ted regularly joined other club members on an annual Spring Training Camp in Majorca, where she participated in the daily social rides. And they always maintained their links with the Finsbury Park CC. Pat became Kent Vets’ Social Secretary in the 1980s, transforming the annual lunch into the premier social occasion in Kent. She was also in great demand as a speaker at club dinners and lunches and always produced many of the funniest and best cross-toasts at these same functions!
It is almost impossible to cover all of Pat’s involvement with Kent cycling – she gave it everything for nearly 50 years, despite the sad loss of Ted in 2015 and her own failing health. We offer our deepest condolences to Pat’s family and friends. This is truly the end of an era.
