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It was with a real deep sense of sadness that I learnt recently of the passing of long-time competitor Wally Pratt. I’d known Wally for many, many years, initially from my days at Valence School and the Valence Hillclimb and then later, as a regular competitor at numerous Sprint Meetings. However, my fondest memories of Wally will be from the time at Valence when he competed in his blue Fiat Arbarth. Indeed, my late mother always enjoyed watching and hearing about Wally as she had also at one stage in her life was a Fiat 500 Owner. Quite often, Wally was either the first or one of the first three cars up the hill (other than the course car. i.e. ME!) and in many ways perhaps this indicated that the event was well and truly underway. Both before and after the demise of Valence Hillclimb, Wally and I would often cross paths at either a BARC or SDMC sprint event where I would be officiating as Convoy Marshal, leading the convoy runs at North Weald, Goodwood (in my early BARC days) or Lydden. Perhaps unusually one of my memories of Wally in his Fiat was when he broke down on a convoy run at North Weald and I ended up passing him on my second lap of the course.! Although, in later years Wally endured a certain amount of ill health, he still competed in his Mini Inocenti and more recently his Metro. As a person, Wally was a true Clubman competitor in every sense of the word, rarely complaining, a perfect sportsman and above all a gentleman. He was kind, caring and always had time for others and time to listen. However, perhaps the most important thing which I will always remember Wally for is that he always treated all the events he entered as Sport. It didn’t matter as to whether he received an award or not, he did it for the fun and enjoyment of doing the event something which all competitors could learn a lot from i.e. not take it too seriously. I know I speak for many others when I say I am going to miss Wally at events. He was a great person and I feel privileged to have known and had him as a friend. Ronald Cottrell |
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| Club sprinting in the South East will be the poorer following the death
of one of the true characters of the sport Wally Pratt.
Just the fact that Wally continued sprinting until his late eighties was a great achievement, and certainly when I have felt old I have thought of him and how long one can continue if all the dice land the right way up. He was present at practically every North Weald event I have ever attended, and whilst, in the last couple of years his patience with the multiple cones and his times was evidently wearing thin, he wasn't afraid to come to control and have a little discussion with us. But he remained at all times the gentleman. Following a battle against illness in recent years, Wally was still determined to be sprinting when he was 90, a wish sadly to remain unfulfilled. The last time I spoke to him was a couple of days after the rained-off North Weald last October. At that meeting, when most of us were heart-searching about the weather, Wally came to withdraw from the meeting not just because of the rain, but because he felt unwell. He declined any assistance to get back to London, but we were worried about him nevertheless. I rang him a day or so later to see how he was, and of course we got chatting. Over the years I have learned a bit from him about his wartime exploits (genuinely interesting), but this time he was telling me about his presidency of the Fiat Owners Club, of which I was unaware, so he sent me a magazine, under a compliment slip with his name and title 'President' written proudly in the hand that I have got used to from entry forms. As a tribute to his father, Wally's son hopes to do a year's sprinting this year with Wally's Metro. Tina Moon
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| I was sorry to hear about the death of Wally Pratt. He was part
of the scene and epitomised, to me, what it was about, i.e. having ago
and not to worry so much how you compare with other's times , but looking
at your own progress .
I think if that's what a long retirement can be like ...I'll have some please ....! Andy Webber |
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