Nica's angling honour was richly deserved
Nica Prichard MBE is a remarkable lady from Newport (Pembs) who received her honour from the Prince of Wales in recognition of her services to angling and the environment some four years ago and now in her 79th year she is still as heavily involved as ever.
Nica was a founder member of the Pembrokeshire Federation of Angling Coaches and can regularly be seen in attendance whenever they hold sessions for children with special needs as they fish from the Federation's lodge at the Treffgarne Bends on the Western Cleddau.
The joy of angling for young people
"It is wonderful to behold their joy when they catch their first fish," Nica told us, "and with seven grandchildren of my own I know how important it is to involve them in their environment.
"I love seeing them fish and once took my grandson Gareth out on the river and when he caught a fish we discovered that my son Simon had forgotten to give us the net. I was determined Gareth shouldn't have the disappointment of losing it so I jumped into the river and threw it out onto the bank.
"Gareth was so impressed he had to phone his granddad David to tell him the good news!"
Lifetime association with fishing
Nica can still recall her own first time on the river over 70 years ago, living in Newport during the war years and cycling down to Nevern with her father and fishing, with a tiny rod using worms, from the time she was a toddler.
"My father used to tell me all about the wildlife and by the time I was seven years old I had learned to fly fish - and I vividly remember my first fish, a lovely brown trout, in a stream near Aberaeron, where an elderly lady let me fish on her land if I recited a verse from the bible in Welsh when we got there!
"It was all of six inches in length and there were so many fish in the local rivers then that once I got more experienced my mother would have plates out ready for a fishy feast by the time we got home!”
Early Welsh recognition and some memorable moments
Nica fished throughout her teenage years and her first Welsh recognition came when she was living in Worcestershire and the magazine 'Trout Fisherman' invited Welsh anglers to apply for a trial for the team of 12.
She duly entered, went to the trial and was delighted to qualify!
"I fished for Wales for 18 years and I am still very proud of my blazer,” she told us.
"During that time I won three gold medals and I can still recall my first competition against England, Scotland and Ireland at Grapham Water, where the English were hot favourites because they had loads of anglers to choose from and no shortage of cash. They already had a celebration cake made but I bet it didn't taste too sweet because we beat them!"
Great coaching successes
After a long and distinguished competitive career Nica eventually decided to take up coaching in earnest after spending time on the river with her own children Simon, Jonathan and Daniel, plus most of her friends' families - and decided it was time to get qualified.
"I learned first aid, had my CRB checks and sorted out insurance cover before taking my exams - and getting stuck in to a worthwhile role where I could pass things on that people like legendary angler Mock Morgan took time to show me.
"One of the things that I am most proud of is the way I managed to encourage other women to take part, with Rhian Taylor, Barbara Thorne, Sandie Bevan and Pat Price all going on to be regular anglers in the Welsh Women's team. I have also shown some of our members to tie flies so that they have their own to suit all conditions, something else I enjoy doing.
Sea and course fishing – and a game shooter too
"Although I am a fly fisherman by instinct I also enjoy sea fishing and course fishing at places like Wolfsdale Pit, where I have taken groups of young girls to start out - and was once asked if one of them could have some pink maggots!"
Not content with her involvement in the environment, where she is a member of the RNA and lots of committees, Nica still loves shooting during the winter months, taking out her 12-bore to shoot pheasant and other game birds - but only enough for what she can feed her family on.
She taught all her children to shoot whilst respecting the wildlife, and all her grandchildren have had a go with 'granny's gun'!
Golf for Nica – rowing for David!
In her younger days, Nica also represented Pembrokeshire in tennis and played golf off a best handicap of 9 at Newport (Pembs) Golf Club, where she was captain for a while, and also enjoyed playing at St Davids.
She would be the first to say that one of the major influences in her life has been her husband David Prichard, who has never been as heavily involved as she in piscatorial pleasures but was a very good sportsman in his own right - and rowed for Wales in the 1958 Empire Games, which were held in Cardiff and with the rowing taking place at Llyn Padarn, in North Wales.
"He looked resplendent in his Welsh blazer and Panama hat and his landlady insisted he walked up and down the street in them so others could see what nice young gentleman stayed in her house," recalls Nica with a chuckle,” and David still has that blazer and his oar from the racing, as treasured mementoes"
Sailing too – and Icelandic challenges
Nica's ability to coach and encourage others also came to the fore as a sailing and canoeing instructress - and she loves taking out her three-sail boat the 'Drascombe Dabber' in search of mackerel.
Nica has also travelled much further afield in search of angling experiences and her son Simon treated her to a trip to Iceland to fish for Salmon.
"It was the most amazing experience," admitted Nica, "and we caught our share of salmon and Arctic Char, a real fighter of a fish, if ever there was one.
"We caught loads of char and I was nicknamed the 'Char Lady' by others in our group - and we are going again next year!"
Behaving naughtily at Buckingham palace!
Ask Nica about highlights of a long and distinguished involvement in the river bank and she would be bound to nominate receiving the MBE four years ago from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.
"My letter from the Queen told me I could take three people with me so I phoned up to explain that I had a husband and three sons and could I please have four family members with me.
"A nice lady sorted me out and when we were going in to the ceremony I spoke to the Prince's equerry and he spluttered a little as he tried not to laugh - and my family are still a little worried about what I might have whispered to him!"
Chat to Nica Prichard for a short while and it is easy to see the joy in life that she has; a remarkable lady who could tell us enough stories to fill our whole sports section - and whom we count ourselves very lucky to have met for a lively chat!