Val Evans – An Appreciation

It is with sadness that the Basset Hound Club records the death of Valerie Elizabeth Evans who with her husband Trevor played an active part in the Midlands Branch over many years.

Having been overseas members of The Basset Hound Club during their residency in South Africa, it was not long after their arrival in the UK that Val and Trevor joined the Midlands Branch in 1992 and immediately became involved in all of its activities. In 1994 Val was elected Secretary of the Midlands Branch, a post she carried out with much enthusiasm and efficiency until she stepped down in 2006. For the period 1996 until 2003 Val was the Midlands Branch representative on the Basset Hound Club Committee and it was fitting that in 2011 she was elected President of the Midlands Branch, a post she held until her death.

Gwynneth, Val’s daughter, has kindly provided some details of Val and Trevor’s activities when they lived in South Africa:

“My parents Valerie and Trevor Evans have been involved with dogs for a long time. When I was very young Val was involved with the SPCA in Edenvale, a suburb of Johannesburg so we were constantly rescuing dogs, cats and horses. Val started becoming involved with Basset Hounds in South Africa, owning two of the first four Bassets to arrive there. They were first owned by Mr M Aantegilvic and then passed onto Val. They were initially exhibited in 1959. The two Bassets were: Ch. Grims Williwaw of Nasdom and his kennel companion Ch Jennifer of Nasdom.

This was the start of her breading Basset Hounds under her kennel name Pevans. Another bitch owned by Val was Ch. Abigail of Pevans. Basset Hound owners struggled to get the breed going and one of Val’s dogs, Ch. Samuel Pepys of Pevans was often the only Basset to be seen at Shows. She was involved with the Basset Hound Club of South Africa and various clubs in the country that had local championship shows, the last club in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape before moving to England with a dog called Tollie (Tolstoy). I do not have information about his kennel name.

Val and Trevor arrived in the United Kingdom in February 1992 and collected Tollie from the quarantine kennels as he had arrived 6 months before they did. It was not long before they became involved with the Midlands Branch of the Basset Hound Club and then continued to attend all the walks, Trevor organising some of them. When Trevor became ill Val stopped attending.

Val felt very honoured to attend both the 50th and 65th Anniversary events of the Basset Hound Club. She valued the friendships she made during her years and often spoke about the times with the Club.“

Valerie Elizabeth Evans (18 December 1932 – 9 April 2021)

MRS. AUDREY CHAPMAN (CHARFORD BASSETS)

It is with much sadness that we report the recent death of Mrs. Audrey Charman of the Charford Bassets and mother of Mrs Penny Frederiksen, at the age of 91. Many members will have fond memories of Audrey who was an efficient and popular Secretary of the Club at an important time for the breed. Her son-in-law, Mr Randy Frederiksen, has kindly sent the following appreciation of Audrey.

 Audrey always had a dog while growing up and that continued into her marriage to RAF Flight Instructor, John Charman.  Mostly they were Dachshunds but in 1964 she purchased her first pet Basset Hound from the Fredwell kennels of Mrs. Joan Wells-Meacham.  After attending a few shows, she was bitten by the show bug but knew that her ‘Sophie’ wasn’t going to cut it. She found a hound from the famous Grims kennels of Miss Peggy Keevil by the name of Kitebrook Banner, a son of one of England’s greatest sires, CH Breightmet Chimer. Audrey registered her new prefix as CHARFORD with the Kennel Club in 1966 as she had acquired Rowynan Nichette from Rosemary Goodyear. ‘Charford’ was a combination of Charman (her married name) and Bedford (her maiden name).

Three UK champion hounds were made up under the Charford prefix: CH Charford Ceilidh, CH Charford Hurtwood Grizette, and CH Charford Claudia at Puckaman, and won many CC’s with other hounds. As her daughter and part-registered owner of the Charford prefix, Penny made up Canadian champions with several other hounds upon moving to Canada.  In the late 1970’s, Audrey fell in love with Whippets and owned several while judging that breed at Open Show level. Audrey had already become a UK Championship level Basset Hound judge and was invited to judge the BHC of Canada annual specialty show in 1982. That was a great day for Ed Smizer whose CH Riveredge Rubella was selected Best of Breed and CH Halcyon Crackerjack, co-owned by Smizer and Gwen McCullagh, who was awarded Best of Opposite Sex. For a time, Audrey was Secretary of the Basset Hound Club and in 1999 was honored to judge Basset Hounds at the famous Crufts Dog Show.

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