John Mason
Uploaded January 2006

The Berkshire breed, and indeed the whole pedigree pig world, has suffered a great loss with the death of our Club Chairman, John Mason. I first met John in the early 1980s when he started showing the Berkshire pigs. Classes were large and fiercely competitive and John's Welwick herd of Berkshires were up there with the best of them. He was an early supporter of the Berkshire Club when we first founded it and provided the Welwick Trophy for the runner up to the Champion of Champions. John became Chairman of the Club after the death of its co-founder, Jo Clarke in 1999^He represented the Berkshire breed on the BPA Minor (& later Traditional) Breeds Committee. His contribution to the work of this committee and the BPA generally was such that on his retirement from keeping Berkshires he was immediately co-opted to continue to serve on this committee. He was also a much valued member of the BPA Council.

He gave so generously of his time and undertook numerous tasks on behalf of the BPA including acting as an Inspector at all the Pedigree Sales. To the end of his life he was an active and much respected judge and even when he was not judging he and Joyce were also frequently to be found at the ringside in the pig section. His last assignment was at Okehampton Show this year when we had the good fortune to have John and Joyce staying here. The night before the show John was in fine form, managing a walk in the field to look at the fish in Mike's ponds.

Some years before John had stayed here, again when judging at Okehampton and, unknown to us, had painted a water colour of the farm house. Being such a modest man I had no idea of John's ability with a paint brush until he presented us with the picture some time later. Joyce told me that some of John's water-colours, at his request, have just been sold in an auction to raise money for his local church and that the bidding was brisk.

The very large turnout at John's funeral was a testimony to the enduring affection in which he was held. A large number of pig breeders, with representation of most of the pedigree breeds, had travelled from all parts of the country to join John's relatives, and many local friends and neighbours for a truly inspiring and uplifting service. The Reverend Duncan Harris has very kindly allowed me to include some of the words about John from his address at the funeral:

John wasn't originally a Welwick man, as his grandfather was a chemist in Whitby. His father didn 't follow in the family footsteps, he wanted to be a farmer but went to university first. After John 's parents married they bought Farsyde farm at Robin Hood's Bay and it was there that John and his sister Christine grew up. John was very clever at school and passed his 11 + at ten years old and went to Grammar School a year early, and while at school he was always top of the class though never a swot. All John ever wanted to do was farm even though he could have had many other choices for his life. He always got into a great deal of mischief and when he was ten or eleven he decided to teach his cousin Angela to drive. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, his father's car was a very large Rover but Angela was only 5.00ft or so she couldn't reach the pedals.

He went to Ascombe Bryan Agricultural College near York and was the top student of his year all the time he was there. While in Robin Hood 's Bay he was chairman of the Young Farmer's club and a part time fireman and lectured at the local Technical College. He lectured closer to this area as well in later years but had to give that up. Joyce remembers those years with fondness as they started school together and went through all the normal things of village life at the same time. John was always very competitive and played to win at all he did. They lost touch for many years but came together some three years ago, Joyce says it was like finding a soul mate as they were very similar in their ways but battles continued and John still liked to win though the battles were only over the chess board.

John moved to Welwick. It was in Welwick that John was to breed rare pigs though this was not to move smoothly having lost all to Swine Vesicular Disease but in 1980 he restocked the farm and started buying rare breeds. Steve worked with him as he built up the stock with Berkshires, Gloucester Old Spots, Large Blacks and Tamworths. John and his son Edward travelled to more and more showing their pigs. John would personally ensure that the pigs were shampooed, scrubbed, dried and oiled ready for a show. Some pigs created interesting problems, the large Blacks could not see well because of their large ears which covered their eyes and so were difficult to move around the farm. Many things were tried to make this easier until John found that it needed his hat or a bucket over their heads but even that wasn't simple enough for they then had to be walked backwards.

Sadly it was during this time that John's son Edward died in a motorcycle accident so this was also a very painful and difficult time for John.

The travelling around to shows gave John a love of travelling and a great knowledge of pigs these he combined in what was to he a great part of his life, judging pigs all over this country and travelling to Australia and New Zealand with Joyce and judging pigs there.

This though is just a part of John for it is about his life but there is the character of John that tells us about him far more than the life he led. Steven, Amanda, Joyce and so many others remember a man who was always available for help and advice, who gave of his time to his friends and neighbours, such a precious gift, that he was a great teacher with a sense of fun and fairness though Steven did see another side of John when the corn cart back door opened as he was driving down the road! He was a man of wisdom, though this didn Y lead him to arrogance, He was respected within his community and throughout every other community that his life and work touched and his opinions were widely sought on his local and farming knowledge. He was a man you could trust and rely on, a good judge of character and one who loved to discuss and debate various issues. He was, as Joyce and others have said, a trusted friend and one of life ys true gentlemen. He will be greatly missed by very many people.

The Reverend Duncan Harris-21st October 2005

Despite suffering with declining health in recent years, John, with the support and companionship of his childhood friend, Joyce Medcalf, lived life to the full, and when the end finally came it was due to Joyce's commitment and devotion that John was able to be cared for at home. On behalf of all of us who knew and miss John I would like to convey our sympathy to Joyce and hope very much that she will continue to keep in touch with us and the Berkshire Breed.

When I last spoke to John on the phone , not long before he died, he was worried about not having been able to complete his Chairman's piece for Sharon for the newsletter and asked me if I would do it for him. Topics he wanted covered included the latest situation in the Nama Abel boar line, the two recent Pedigree sales at three Counties, Malvern and Melton Mowbray and the Champion of Champions Final at Newbury, generously sponsored this year for the first time by the P.G.Woodhouse Society. He also mentioned the Clubs ongoing association with the Lambourn Cider Company which continued to contribute to the Clubs funds. More information on these items will be found elsewhere in this newsletter.

Viki Mills
Vice Chairman