Alla inlägg under januari 2009

Av Jan-Erik Ek - 12 januari 2009 10:03

The late Margot Woolley lived with her husband Brian and the Follytower Labradors in Bolton, Lancashire until 1979 when they moved to Axminster, Devon. I stayed with them while they still lived in Bolton for a summer in 1978 as their kennel boy.


 It was an eye opener in many ways, British and Swedish lifestyle is not quite the same and the doggy world is different, too – not in any particular dramatic way, it’s just different. Not hearing a word of your own language for months is an experience in itself and something most people never encounter. Another thing: Swedish politicians were never quoted on British TV. When some Swede had made a statement in the United Nations or where ever and it was reported here, you got the feeling the whole world stopped and listened. Or that was what I thought. From then on I knew better


 Margot was one of the driving forces behind the start of the North West Labrador Club where she was their first secretary; eventually she became the club’s patron. She was Scottish by birth and had grown up with animals. Her son and daughter were not interested in Labrador breeding so the Follytower affix did not carry on after her passing on April 12th, 2007. Brian passed away about ten years before her. Brian and Margot had kept Labradors since the 1940’s and had bred the odd litter now and then but it was in 1963 Margot decided she wanted to start showing. They went to look at a litter by Ch Breaduke Joyful out of Silsdale Glenarvey Quita; Miss Ward (Heatheredge) had on beforehand kindly sorted out the two best bitches for the Woolley’s. Margot is supposed to have said she just stared at them in total ignorance and passed the ball over to Brian with the words: you chose! He chose what eventually became Ch Follytower Silsdale Old Chelsea and the rest is history. Just fancy making up your first show dog and in Britain too, with all that hot competition. Not a bad start! 


The star of the kennel was Ch Follytower Merrybrook Black Stormer. He won CC and BOB at Cruft’s in 1973 under Mr James (Wendover) and again DCC in 1974 under Mrs Docking (Ballyduff). In 1978 he was 9 years old and the kindest, most lovely dog you would imagine. He put the Follytower affix on the Labrador world map and produced many lovely Labradors. One of Stormer’s, or Sam to his friends, great sons was Sh Ch Sandylands Stormalong, BIS at Blackpool Ch show in 1976. Stormalong was a producer and is found behind a number of good Labradors although he left this world too early.


 The last Follytower champion was the black granddaughter of Kupros Moonriver of Follytower, Sh Ch Follytower Leonora. She made up at the same time as Sh Ch Follytower Pandora at Rocheby got her title; both bitches were campaigned and owned by Margot. A black dog, Follytower Rosy Outlook,was close to winning a title at the same time, and got 2 CC’s and 5 RCC’s. Before him, Leonora’s dam Follytower Willow, had been unlucky not to get her title and finished with 2 CC’s and – I think – 7 or 8 RCC’s. 


As a judge Margot Woolley travelled the world and judged in the Scandinavian countries on a number of occasions as well as in the rest of the world including Australia, USA and Britain obviously. She told me she first gave tickets in Bath in 1972, first time she paid Sweden a visit was in 1974 at Hunneberg outside Gothenburg. Her BCC and BOB was a chocolate called Curnafane Flicka (Ch Sandylands Mark x  Ch Curnafane Seamansal). The DCC went to an Australian (!) import called Lindhills Cattinda, bred in Sydney. In Britain she judged at Cruft’s as well as at the Labrador Club championship shows.


PHOTOS by Annika Lehtonen, Dalwood Labradors, Finland:
1) Brian and Margot Woolley in 1986

2) Kupros Moon River of Follytower, important brood

3)Sh Ch Charway Blackthorn of Follytower, sire of Sh Ch Cambremer Madonna and Ch Follytower Black Cypress

4) Follytower Brownthorn, daughter of Blackthorn and sister of Black Cypress

5) Follytower Willow, by Charway Ballywillwill x Kupros Moonriver of Follytower. 2 CC, 7 RCC's

6) Ch Follytower Merrybrook Black Stormer, one of the great sires in the breed Photo by Anne Roslin-Williams


Av Jan-Erik Ek - 7 januari 2009 10:50

Some time ago I got an email with a request to write something about Sandylands Charlie Boy and would I please publish a photo of him.


The photo thing proved to be easier said than done because in spite of the fact that this dog is so well known I haven't been able to come across anything that shows what he looked like. As I never got the previlege to see him myself I am unable to deliver any description of what he looked like. Charlie Boy is behind the Jayncourt dogs; J Star-Extraodynar, J Star-Exelance - themselves both behind good winners and I'm sure there are also others with various connections.


First time I read his name was in 1975 when several of his children from one litter over here started to make a name for themselves. The late Brit-Marie Brulin, Puhs Labradors, had imported the black Keithray Marianne, a Mark daughter and littersister of British titleholder Keithray Marcus, in whelp to Charlie Boy. There were two really nice litter sisters being shown at Sto ckholm international in 1975 under Michael Boothroyd called Puhs Maya and Puhs Parvati. Maya won intermediate on the day and I think Parvati was placed 2nd or 3rd but later they both went on to bigger things. None of them became import broods.


From the same litter came the black dog Puhs Indra, see photo above. I did see the dog once or twice but his offerspring seem to have made a longer lasting impression on me as I remember them better than Indra. There were several nice ones, the first that caught my attention was a yellow bitch called Western-Sun who went on to win her title and tickets under visitng UK breed specialists, another was the yellow eye catching dog Cannons Be Good. One frosty February morning in 1981 I went to Tönsberg in Norway with Lennart Wumer (Rodarbal) to help out with some of the dogs. Inge E-son Thoor was judging and Eva Mjelde was there with a young Surprising's Mathias. He did very well and anyone could see here was a star in the making, later he went on to very big things.


Mathias then became an important sire. It would be a major undertaking to mention all of his winning offerspring but since I found a photo of groupwinning Minnows Tilda I thought she would illustrate a pleasant example of what Mathias was able to produce. Tilda was a granddaughter of Sandylands Poser by Poolstead Problem out of Sandylands Midnight Magic out of Sandylands Katrinka of Keithray, dam of Charlie Boy.


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