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Jack Mavrogordato (1905-1985)
gained more than 40 years personal experience embracing
practically every falcon or hawk used in falconry, from Gyr and
Saker to Merlin and Shikra. He was son of a rich Greek
businessman, in his childhood neighbour to Churchill and
acquainted with other notabilities in the UK. He lived in London
during WW II and was in rolled in the local A.R.P. (Air Raid
Precaution) during the first part of the war. Later on he worked
as solicitor for the M.A.P. (Directorate of Materials
Production) as his health did not permit him to contribute more
actively to the war effort. He was educated a solicitor, but TB
forced him to live a part of his life abroad. Thus he came to
play a part in Sudanese independence. He was trained as a
falconer by Captain Knight. In 1936 he succeeded Hugh Knight as
honorary secretary as the British Falconers Club. Jack Mavro
travelled all over the world as a falconer - trapping goshawks
in Norway, flying Sakers in Saudi Arabia and Bahrein, meeting
Goering and Himmler in Berlin at the International Sporting
Exhibition in 1937. In 1966 he visited America by invitation of
NAFA. He took part in the field meet at Centersville, South
Dakota. In 1966 he succeeded major-general A.G. O'Carroll-Scott
as president of the British Falconers Club. In 1969 on the
formation of the International Association of Falconry and
Conservation of Birds of Prey, he was appointed its first
president. Being a keen ornithologist all his life he became
deeply involved in conservational matters. He lived the final 25
years of his life at Salisbury Plain, also being involved in
local politics. He never married as he felt himself debarred of
proposing to a fertile woman, as he himself was rendered
infertile by TB.
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