This is a short History of the Club and the Breeds we have helped to become established.
The Colourpoint Rex-Coated and Other Variety Club is a happy and welcoming Club, who’s Aims and Objectives has always been to promote the interests and encourage breeding and showing of all new breeds of long and short-hair cats until such time as they have their own specialist clubs.
Mr. Brian Sterling-Webb had been working to produce Colourpoints -Longhaired cats with Himalayan factor markingsand blue eyes, but of good Persian Type since the mid 1950’s and an inaugural meeting of the, The Colourpoint Rex-Coated & AOV Club was held at his house in Richmond on 12th April 1960, when 15 people, including well known cat personalities, Iris Hancox, Phyllis Lauder, Agnes Watts, John Trevor and Ted Brice-Webb were present. Messages were received from a further 17 people were interested in joining the Club.
By October there were 50 members, the Club was growing rapidly, and was affiliated to the GCCF. Mrs. S Harding joined the group, with a special interest in the Colourpoint breeding programme, and her kitten was used to found the Chocolate and Lilac Colours.
At the same time Brian was working on the early Rexes, the Cornish then being known as “Gene 1” and the Devons (only founded in 1960) as Gene 2. As the Rexes needed special help, the committee decided to incorporate the words “Rex-Coated” in the title, the new Club name was registered in 1966.
The Rex cats were given Official recognition in 1967, and they were given Championship status immediately.
Sadly Mr. Brian Sterling-Webb did not live to see the first Champions.
During the late 1960’s the Club drew up the Standard of Points for the Turkish Van cats, after studying the Turkish cats brought to the committee meetings by Miss Laura Lushington and Miss Sonya Halliday, who imported the original cats from Turkey. They were given official recognition and Championship status in 1969.
Before the Cameo and Association Variety Cat Club was formed in 1975, after years of experimental cross-breeding a meeting was held in London under the auspices of The Colourpoint Rex-Coated & AOV Club, which was organised by Mrs. E Hoyle and the late Mrs. S White. Over 60 people attended, and were able to see the 12 Cameo cats on exhibition. This meeting led to further work on the breed some colours gaining provisional recognition in 1980 and gaining Championship status in 1982, the Black and Blue Pewters gaining their full status at a later date.
Since then, the Club has been instrumental in helping Birman to reach official Recognition, and encouraged the revival of Persian Bi-Colours. The Club took a major part in the recognition of the new Colourpoint colours, and is actively supporting the claims of other new varieties and introductions. These include nearly all the breeds in the Semi Long Hair section.
We have been responsible for supporting Mr. Barry Newcombe and the
Sphynx breed, when in 2004 GCCF Executive proposed that their registration be discontinued as they felt the breed was not viable in a normal pet home.
We then continued our support; they achieved Provisional status in 2006 and Championship status in 2010.
We occupy a Niche in the Cat World, not an All-Breed Club, but our
own specialist breeds and many of those we have helped to develop.