Jack Rees

[Robin Sweet]

It is with great sadness that I must inform you that one of whippet racings great characters Jack Rees, passed away earlier today.  

Jack was one of the founder members of the Andover pedigree whippet racing club.  He was racing manager for almost twenty years.  He was also on the WCRA committee for a number of years.  

Jack owned three whippet club racing champions and several other top open class dogs over the thirty years he was involved in the sport.  

Jack was always keen to welcome newcomers and give them advice on how to get started and get the best out of their dogs.  He did a tremendous amount of work for the Andover club and for pedigree racing in general.

He will be very sadly missed by all in the racing fraternity.

 

[Judy]

We are very sorry to hear that. Jack was one of the great characters of the sport and there can only be a handful of people left that have been racing as long as had. He has left a great reminder of himself in that his dog WCRCh Jack's Boy is in the pedigree of nearly every whippet racing today.

Our sympathies to June.

 

[Martin Tucker]

I remember Jack `what a dog` Rees when I started racing. He had the great RCh.JACKS BOY, also RCh.OUR KID and RCh. OUR PEST. When I was over in 2000, I went to an Open at Abbots Ann and there was Jack working the traps, just like he was doing when I left in 1980 ! I had a good chat with him, about the old days and great Champions like PICKETTY WITCH, VELVET, SHANDY, BEETLE ,TIPPPER, OUR LISA and the `BESAPS`, which nearly brought the sport to its knees in the late seventies.

Characters like him cannot be replaced and I hope his memory is remembered by all WCRA members.

Martin Tucker.