The club is saddened to hear of the passing of long standing member Cyril Wilkinson. Cyril, alongside his wife of over 50 years Rita, showed first Dobermans and then Miniature Pinschers under the Keljantzi’s affix. Their affix actually came from the first dobermans they owned, Kelda, Janus and Mitzi.
Cyril was in every sense of the word a true gentleman, he loved to spend hours chatting to people, so much so that many a time Rita would be stood at the benches or by the ringside waiting for Cyril who had got sidetracked chatting to someone when he should have been unloading the car or fetching something from the benches.
They had a lot of success over the years with their own dogs, including a number of trips over to Ireland where they successfully made up an Irish Champion Keljantzi’s Malachi Maximim. They were keen supporters of the Kennel Club Breeders competition making it to the finals on a number of occasions and were runners up in 2008 and most recently took part in the grand final at Crufts in 2020 with Cyril cheering on from the side lines
For a number of years Cyril and Rita were always regular supporters of the Discover Dogs at Crufts. Cyril in particular was always keen to share his knowledge, experience and offer guidance in his own unassuming way. They also encouraged and supported their new puppy owners who had a desire to show, taking a great deal of enjoyment from their success in the ring.
As well as his love of dogs Cyril and Rita were also very accomplished bowlers, both at one time captains of various leagues. Many hours were spent pouring over diary dates for both dog shows and bowling tournaments. They were great supporters of club events and it wouldn’t be unusual for one of them to turn up at a show on their own to announce the other was bowling as they didn’t want to let either club down.
Cyril will be missed by the whole Miniature Pinscher community and we send our deepest condolences to Rita, their sons and all their extended family at this sad time.