Paddy, godfather of Ugandan motor sport
Dec 29, 2004
HE quit the racing track more than twenty years ago. But former national motor rallying and bike racing champion Frederick William Blick, popularly known as Paddy, never quit sports for even a single day.
By Ndawula Kalema
HE quit the racing track more than twenty years ago. But former national motor rallying and bike racing champion Frederick William Blick, popularly known as Paddy, never quit sports for even a single day.
He simply switched from the adrenaline-churning bike racing and later motor rallying, to the more leisurely golf and bicycle riding sports. That is how he managed to maintain his legendary physical form, belying his 59 years.
Unlike most retired sports stars, who are easily lured into a sedentary lifestyle or systematically wreck their once super bodies with drugs and other excesses, Paddy took good care of himself.
“Paddy took pride in being fit,†pointed out (Federation of Motor sport in Uganda) FMU president Jack Wavamunno, during Paddy’s memorial service at All Saints’ Cathedral.
That is why the former sports star’s death took everyone by surprise.
To the golfers, who regularly played with him, and the residents of Bweyogerere and Namilyango, who regularly saw him ride his mountain bike through the area on Sunday evenings, Paddy was too fit to die.
According to Arthur Blick senior, Paddy’s younger brother and once bitter rival on the racing track, the former champion did not have any serious health problem.
“I spent a night at his home in Bweyogerere a week before his death, and he seemed to be in perfect health,†recalls Arthur Sr, who has been confined to a wheel chair for more than two decades, after a bike racing accident left him paralysed from the waist.
Born 1945 in Nsambya Hospital, Paddy was the oldest of four sporting Blick siblings, who dominated motor rallying and bike racing sports in the East African region through the 70s. The others are Arthur Sr, Bill and Maggie (Dr Maggie Kigozi).
“It was always Arthur and Paddy jostling for first and second positions, followed by Bukenya and Lubambuba, with Maggie coming in fifth, out of a field of between 20-30 riders,†recalls their mother Molly Blick, who often had to juggle the roles of Blick racing team coach, manager, financer, doctor and cheerleader.
As national racing team captain between 1972-75, Paddy completely dominated the local scene, several times emerging national champion in the 1970s.
“He was a national hero and it is probably because of him, that many young people got involved in motor sport,†recalls Wavamunno, who admits being one of the young people, who looked up to Paddy and his brother Arthur senior as their sports idols.
Paddy was forced to quit the racing track in 1982, following two events that left one of his brothers’ dead and another in a wheel chair.
Bill, who was in his twenties, was found dead in his bed in 1981.
Like Paddy, he had seemed to be in great physical shape and had been training hard ahead of a big race at Nakivubo, which was supposed to be part of that year’s Independence cerebrations.
Again like in Paddy’s case, it is the mother, who found him dead, when she went to wake him up to go for his morning training.
Since he had always been accident prone, the family linked his sudden death to the numerous falls he had previously suffered while on the racing track.
While the family was still trying to come to grips with Bill’s sudden death, Arthur senior got involved in a nasty accident while racing in Bugembe stadium in 1982.
The accident left him paralysed from the waist down, confining him to a wheelchair.
That is when Paddy decided to quit bike racing, to focus all his attention on motor rallying, where excelled for ten years, before finally handing over to the next generation of Blicks.
Besides playing rugby, William (Bill) Blick, Paddy’s only son and heir, is into both motor rallying and bike racing.
One of Paddy’s daughters, Cindy is married to rally car driver Sekatawa Mayanja.
The couple made rallying history when they competed as a team, with Cindy navigating her husband.
Even after retiring from competitive sport, Paddy remained very active as an administrator.
His previous experience as Chairman Uganda Motor Club (UMC) between 1975 - 78, came in handy during the formation of FMU in 1990.
By the time of his death, he was FMU Vice President, and competitions Committee chairman.
It’s Paddy’s mother Molly Blick, who taught him how to ride, when he was a little boy, hardly into his teens.
His first bike was a gift from his wealthy and generous maternal grandfather Johnson.
While at school at Agakhan Primary School and later Namilyango College, Paddy discovered other sports.
He was in Namilyango College during the times of Fr Grimes, when the school was a boxing powerhouse, so he did a bit of boxing, while playing football on the side.
It is partially because of this all round interest in sports that Paddy was able to comfortably switch from motor sport, to golf and bicycle riding.
The fact that the Blick siblings hit the sports limelight in the seventies during Amin’s regime, it almost brought catastrophe to the family.
While Amin loved sports, and would actively take part in some, he would not tolerate people, who outclassed him in competition.
Paddy learnt that the hard way, when he beat the sporting president to emerge first in a highly publicised motor rally.
In the early 70s, Paddy won a motor rally, where Big Daddy (Amin) was one of the participants.
Amin ordered the organisers to revise the results and declare him winner, but some stubborn announcer insisted on declaring Paddy the victor.
The offending announcer was later shot dead by Amin’s bodyguards.
Paddy continued competing against Amin, but would insist on taking second position, even when he obviously came first.
His reserved yet friendly nature also helped to keep him out of trouble.
Big Daddy did not consider him a threat to his life presidency.
During the last motor sport event in Lubiri on December 12, Paddy was very active cheering his son Billy and nephew Arthur Junior.
He was at the same time working with drivers and riders in the service area and overseeing the general safety at the event.
Unknown to the drivers, riders and the thousands of fans, who had turned up for the event, the man they had come to accept as the godfather of motor sport in Uganda, was bidding them farewell.
It was a farewell done without any fuss, typical of Paddy.
HE quit the racing track more than twenty years ago. But former national motor rallying and bike racing champion Frederick William Blick, popularly known as Paddy, never quit sports for even a single day.
He simply switched from the adrenaline-churning bike racing and later motor rallying, to the more leisurely golf and bicycle riding sports. That is how he managed to maintain his legendary physical form, belying his 59 years.
Unlike most retired sports stars, who are easily lured into a sedentary lifestyle or systematically wreck their once super bodies with drugs and other excesses, Paddy took good care of himself.
“Paddy took pride in being fit,†pointed out (Federation of Motor sport in Uganda) FMU president Jack Wavamunno, during Paddy’s memorial service at All Saints’ Cathedral.
That is why the former sports star’s death took everyone by surprise.
To the golfers, who regularly played with him, and the residents of Bweyogerere and Namilyango, who regularly saw him ride his mountain bike through the area on Sunday evenings, Paddy was too fit to die.
According to Arthur Blick senior, Paddy’s younger brother and once bitter rival on the racing track, the former champion did not have any serious health problem.
“I spent a night at his home in Bweyogerere a week before his death, and he seemed to be in perfect health,†recalls Arthur Sr, who has been confined to a wheel chair for more than two decades, after a bike racing accident left him paralysed from the waist.
Born 1945 in Nsambya Hospital, Paddy was the oldest of four sporting Blick siblings, who dominated motor rallying and bike racing sports in the East African region through the 70s. The others are Arthur Sr, Bill and Maggie (Dr Maggie Kigozi).
“It was always Arthur and Paddy jostling for first and second positions, followed by Bukenya and Lubambuba, with Maggie coming in fifth, out of a field of between 20-30 riders,†recalls their mother Molly Blick, who often had to juggle the roles of Blick racing team coach, manager, financer, doctor and cheerleader.
As national racing team captain between 1972-75, Paddy completely dominated the local scene, several times emerging national champion in the 1970s.
“He was a national hero and it is probably because of him, that many young people got involved in motor sport,†recalls Wavamunno, who admits being one of the young people, who looked up to Paddy and his brother Arthur senior as their sports idols.
Paddy was forced to quit the racing track in 1982, following two events that left one of his brothers’ dead and another in a wheel chair.
Bill, who was in his twenties, was found dead in his bed in 1981.
Like Paddy, he had seemed to be in great physical shape and had been training hard ahead of a big race at Nakivubo, which was supposed to be part of that year’s Independence cerebrations.
Again like in Paddy’s case, it is the mother, who found him dead, when she went to wake him up to go for his morning training.
Since he had always been accident prone, the family linked his sudden death to the numerous falls he had previously suffered while on the racing track.
While the family was still trying to come to grips with Bill’s sudden death, Arthur senior got involved in a nasty accident while racing in Bugembe stadium in 1982.
The accident left him paralysed from the waist down, confining him to a wheelchair.
That is when Paddy decided to quit bike racing, to focus all his attention on motor rallying, where excelled for ten years, before finally handing over to the next generation of Blicks.
Besides playing rugby, William (Bill) Blick, Paddy’s only son and heir, is into both motor rallying and bike racing.
One of Paddy’s daughters, Cindy is married to rally car driver Sekatawa Mayanja.
The couple made rallying history when they competed as a team, with Cindy navigating her husband.
Even after retiring from competitive sport, Paddy remained very active as an administrator.
His previous experience as Chairman Uganda Motor Club (UMC) between 1975 - 78, came in handy during the formation of FMU in 1990.
By the time of his death, he was FMU Vice President, and competitions Committee chairman.
It’s Paddy’s mother Molly Blick, who taught him how to ride, when he was a little boy, hardly into his teens.
His first bike was a gift from his wealthy and generous maternal grandfather Johnson.
While at school at Agakhan Primary School and later Namilyango College, Paddy discovered other sports.
He was in Namilyango College during the times of Fr Grimes, when the school was a boxing powerhouse, so he did a bit of boxing, while playing football on the side.
It is partially because of this all round interest in sports that Paddy was able to comfortably switch from motor sport, to golf and bicycle riding.
The fact that the Blick siblings hit the sports limelight in the seventies during Amin’s regime, it almost brought catastrophe to the family.
While Amin loved sports, and would actively take part in some, he would not tolerate people, who outclassed him in competition.
Paddy learnt that the hard way, when he beat the sporting president to emerge first in a highly publicised motor rally.
In the early 70s, Paddy won a motor rally, where Big Daddy (Amin) was one of the participants.
Amin ordered the organisers to revise the results and declare him winner, but some stubborn announcer insisted on declaring Paddy the victor.
The offending announcer was later shot dead by Amin’s bodyguards.
Paddy continued competing against Amin, but would insist on taking second position, even when he obviously came first.
His reserved yet friendly nature also helped to keep him out of trouble.
Big Daddy did not consider him a threat to his life presidency.
During the last motor sport event in Lubiri on December 12, Paddy was very active cheering his son Billy and nephew Arthur Junior.
He was at the same time working with drivers and riders in the service area and overseeing the general safety at the event.
Unknown to the drivers, riders and the thousands of fans, who had turned up for the event, the man they had come to accept as the godfather of motor sport in Uganda, was bidding them farewell.
It was a farewell done without any fuss, typical of Paddy.