Page 140 - K9News_Issue16_May2021

Manchester! That really started our long He gave talks about the breed to the BMTC,
showing and breeding interest in Manchesters.
Peter left school at 16, spent about two days
learning how to make ball bearings and decided
that was quite enough time in that trade. He
then started work in his Father’s fish and poultry
company. He reckoned that if you could sell
welks on a cold, rainy Monday morning in
Guilford market you could sell anything and
talk to anyone. That is what was Peter. He
sold the Manchester Terrier the same way that
he sold welks! He became a Parish Councilor,
a District Councilor and then Leader of the
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
He did the same in the Manchester Terrier
world. First being elected to the Committee of
the British Manchester Terrier Club and then
Vice Chairman and Chairman. Any potential
disputes were settled by talking. I remember
one show where one of the exhibitors was
being a nuisance to the women exhibitors. The
Chairman and the Vice Chairman quietly linked
arms with him, lifting him off his feet and he was
‘walked’ out of the show ground. It worked; he
never made a nuisance of himself again.
140
K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MAY 2021
the Kennel Club and to fanciers abroad. He
even gave one in a Scandinavian county which
did not have one single Manchester. It started
with slide shows and then more sophisticated
presentations. He was all his life blissfully
ignorant of just about anything to do with
computers and relied on others to set things
up for him. Poor Felicity Freer did most of the
work, she complained of her brain starting to
melt, but got it done. I hope that Peter thanked
her. He gave a talk in Wales with Shirley Ellis
Jones of the Brynlythe ETTS about the two
breeds. It went very well, one of the members
of the audience fell off his chair, he laughed so
much.
He served on KC Committees where he
mentioned Manchesters as often as possible.
I remember one distinguished Judge whose
ear he was bending about the breed, being
collected by her husband. As they walked away,
he asked what was all the about and she said,
“only the Evas talking about Manchester Terriers
as usual.”
Manchester breeders since
the war have bred some
beautiful dogs, that have all
more or less been ignored
in the ring by Judges.
Peters constant talk about
them, his enthusiasm
and the publicity he gave
the breed went a little
way to make them more
successful as show dogs.
Things have changed since
then, thank goodness. The
breed no longer relies on
the show ring for publicity.
They take part in all sorts of
sports with great success.
Peter has gone, but the
breed prospers, he would
be so proud.
Peter Eva going over one
of Felicity Freer’s dogs