MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON FRIDAY 24TH APRIL 2009 AT THE FULWOOD CONSERVATIVE CLUB
1) Present
John Brandwood [President], John Whalley [President Elect], Charlie Billington [Secretary], and Messrs Bettess, Billsborough, Bonage, Booth, Bunting, Devlin, Fleming, Gardner, Garratt, Goring, Hadwen, Hall, Hunt, Jones [Dave], Jones [David], Leaver, McVann, Monks, Montgomery, Moss, Nix, Noon, Olivine, Paterson, Payne, Robinson, Saul, Sergeant, Severs, Swarbrick, Swindlehurst, Turner, Tyrer, Walton, Wrathall
2) Apologies for Absence
Messrs Cuerden, Eccles [L], Eccles [P], Harrison, Johnson [D], Johnson [M], Jones, Lewis, McDowall [Treasurer/Web Master], Mills, Nightingale, Nuttall,
Pearson, Sharp, Sherrington, Struszczak, Williams, Woodhall
3) Minutes of the AGM held on April 18th 2008
These were accepted as a factually correct record. Proposed by Gordon Payne and seconded by Trevor Sergeant
4) Matters Arising
The Executive Council, Elected Members and the Cabinet had achieved the targets as outlined in the Minutes, apart from contact with Rear Admiral Myres which the Secretary had in hand.
Trevor Sergeant was appointed by the Executive Council to fill the vacant position that had occurred for an Elected Member.
5) Accounts for the Year ended January 31st 2009
Copies of the accounts prepared by the Treasurer were distributed in his absence. These accounts are a summary of our financial situation. They were produced from a detailed analysis, which is normally provided at Executive Council Meetings, but copies can be provided for Members, on request.
The accounts had again been audited by Jim Barwise and were based on constructive suggestions which the Treasurer found helpful. It was pointed out that because the accounts were compiled in January, they did not include surplus from the Centenary Dinner, new Members joining since that date and donations for the Newsletter.
A vote of thanks to the Auditor, coupled with appreciation for the way the finances had been managed was proposed by Keith Hunt and seconded by Derek Wrathall.
6) Secretary’s Report
The Secretary reported that 9 Members had passed away since the last AGM. These included Fred Coulthurst who taught Latin and would be remembered by many for his involvement with School Camp and other activities. John Ashcroft’s obituary caused a flurry of activity on the Google Discussion Group and caused the Secretary to remark that he did not realise that there were so many solicitors in the Association. Duncan Hilton, who was one of our oldest Members and longest serving Elected Member of the Executive Council [which he attended right up to his death] also passed away. His challenging comments will be missed by all.
30 new Members have joined the Association, and there are several others in the pipeline. This expansion, both numerically and financially, is remarkable considering that the School closed over 40 years ago, and it augurs well for our future.
Since the last AGM there had been four meetings of the Executive Council, usually preceded by Cabinet Meetings to prepare the work, although the Cabinet met on several other occasions.
Over the years the amount of correspondence and the number of contacts has dramatically increased and now numbers into the hundreds, most of which need a reply. The topics are wide and varied, ranging from simple enquiries to detailed accounts of events that took place at the School. Some of this of this material will appear in the Newsletter, and some has been forwarded to the Website. The Website has been accessed by non-Members with enquiries about relatives who may have been connected with the School. The Secretary gave several examples of this, including items of interest and photographs he had received and also two research projects in which he had become involved with Alick Hadwen and Joe Hodgson.
Since its inception, the Website has expanded considerably and it had over 2000 hits last year. There have been major contributions from Alick Hadwen and others and the Webmaster is having difficulty in processing the volume of material that is coming in. There can only be one Webmaster and the Secretary wondered in anyone has any suggestions as to how this complex situation might be resolved.
On a related topic, the Secretary reported that he now had the e-mail addresses of about 150 Members which had been grouped into local [within driving distance of Preston], non-local and overseas. This means that material can be sent this way which saves time and money. Unfortunately, the Newsletter does not lend itself to type of circulation, as it is Publisher format.
At the last AGM, the Secretary had said that he had hoped to include more material from Members in Issue 2 of the Newsletter. Because this issue was almost double the size of the first one, he had been able to do this as well as including extracts from the Camp Diaries which had proved extremely popular with some Members. He hoped that Issue 3 would contain a “get in touch” section and it was hoped that it would be published in a professional fashion in time for distribution by September or October. The Secretary again paid tribute to the generosity of Members who had contributed the amazing sum of £2540, and added that the Executive Council had decided that the appeal would continue and that from the third issue, people would have to pay for back copies, as the Association had financed a second print run of each up to the present time.
The Secretary reported that, because a calendar of events had been produced early and circulated with the Newsletter, the running of events had been made easier because it had to send out reminders, rather than introduce each event just prior to its taking place. He intended that this procedure would be repeated this year. We had also received good coverage from the Lancashire Evening Post. Over the course of the year, apart from the Centenary Celebration Dinner, we had held three Golf Tournaments, a visit to our old school in Moor Park Avenue, a Remembrance Day Service at the Minster, a Hot Pot Supper and a visit to Fulwood Barracks. 126 people came to the Dinner, which was quite remarkable, and all the other events were well attended.
The Secretary went on to thank all those who had helped with the organisation of our thriving and expanding Association, and invited anyone with skill, talent and time to make themselves known and become actively involved.
7) President’s Report and the Investiture of the New President
The President began by welcoming Members and thanking them for their support during his year of office which he had found to be an enjoyable experience, rather like his previous term of office some years before.
He was delighted with the attendance at the Centenary Celebration Dinner which fulfilled his ambition of being the jewel in crown of a very special year. He thanked all who had worked so hard beforehand in organising the event and was fulsome in his praise of the speakers on the night.
He concluded his remarks by thanking the Secretary for his hard work over the year, pointing out that the Association was fortunate to have a person of his calibre in such a key position.
The President then invited the President Elect, John Whalley, to take his position and, in a simple ceremony, placed The Jewel around his neck and shook his hand.
John Whalley, who attended PGS from 1942-51, said that he felt privileged to take on the role. He noted that the Association was on a sound financial footing and that the membership continued to increase. He was going to make an effort to contact some of his contemporaries and encourage them to join the Association, and he hoped that other Members would do the same. To this end, he had already contacted two of his contemporaries and invited them to the tour of the School.
He concluded his remarks by thanking John Brandwood for his efforts on behalf of the Association during his year as President and for his many contributions over the years
8) Elections
[a] President Elect – decision deferred. To be considered by Cabinet/ Executive Council
[b] General Secretary – Charlie Billington unanimously re-elected
[c] Treasurer - Jim McDowall unanimously re-elected
[d] Six Elected Members of Executive Council
The following were elected/re-elected
Bob Booth, Colin Foster, Jim Bryson, John Paterson, Trevor Sergeant.
Robin Robinson
9) Election of Auditor
Jim Barwise was unanimously re-elected, subject to his acceptance.
10) 2010 Annual Dinner
This had already been provisionally booked for Saturday, March 13th at the Swallow Hotel. It was hoped to build on our current relationship with that hotel with a view to Guild Year in 2012, which, by coincidence, could be the 125th Anniversary of the Association, according to new information recently uncovered.
11) Any Other Business
Mention was made of two ex-members of staff, Ted [Dickie] Dewhurst and Len [Skip] Berryman who, it was felt, would welcome contact from the Association. Efforts would be made to circulate their addresses
12) Closure
There being no further business, the Meeting was closed at 20.30h, with the assembly retiring to the Bar and the splendid Hot Pot Supper!
Minutes of the AGM held on 18th April 2008 at Fulwood Conservative Club
1. Present
26 Members recorded their presence
2. Apologies for Absence
The Secretary reported the names of the twelve who had recorded their apologies : David Swindlehurst, Alan Turner, Robin Robinson, Stan Struszczak, Ian Yates, Joe Hodgson, Dave Wilson, Duncan Hilton, Terry Devlin, Eric Mills, David Emery, and Alan Jones who sent his best wishes to John Brandwood for his year in office.
3. Minutes of the AGM held on May 3rd 2007
These were accepted by the Meeting as a true record.
4. Matters Arising
Matters arising from the Minutes were deferred to AOB
5. Accounts for the Year ended January 31st 2008
The accounts, which had been discussed in depth at the Meeting of the Executive Council which was held on April 3rd 2008, were presented by the Treasurer. He paid tribute to Jim Barwise, who had audited the accounts and made several constructive suggestions on procedures.
Gordon Payne congratulated the Treasurer and Auditor on their work, a sentiment echoed by the Meeting which accepted the Accounts.
6. Secretary’s Report
The Secretary began by announcing that, sadly, eight Members had passed away since his last report. He was pleased to announce that the Association had gained 26 new Members, including one who had joined earlier in the day. This was remarkable because this had happened without the Association beginning a recruitment drive.
Correspondence had been exceptional over the year and the Secretary was concentrating on clearing the backlog. He drew attention to three significant contacts that had been made :
Following a series of letters, K Corless, presented the Association with a collection of prizes won by a great uncle, Richard Corless. He was Head Boy in the Guild Year of 1902 and, as such, delivered the Oration in Latin.
Photographs of some of these prizes now appear on our Website.
Rebecca Major, whose great grandfather Ellis Thomas Harris was a distinguished scholar, presented photographs of the School buildings he had taken in 1914 to the Association. These also now appear on our Website.
Rear Admiral Myers contacted the Secretary. Although not an Old Boy, he wishes to find out more about the School because one of his ancestors apparently attended the School in the second half of the Nineteenth Century and presented The Myers Prize which was awarded for handicrafts. The Secretary reported that the matter was in hand.
The Secretary was pleases to report that Website had received over 1500 hits since its launch and had attracted responses from many Members, “lapsed” Members, and had encouraged several Old Boys to join the Association.
The inaugural Newsletter had provoked many positive comments, as had the Calendar. The Secretary hoped that Newsletter 2008 would prove equally successful, but would contain more contributions from Members. He also expressed the wish that the Calendar would contain actual dates of events, rather than simply the month when they were scheduled.
7. Report of Executive Council
The President gave this report and began by thanking those Members who attended the funeral of Michael Sanders. He paid tribute to recent developments that had taken place within the management structure of the Association, singling out the work done by the inner cabinet, which was a small working group that met quite frequently and made the work of the Executive Committee both easier and more effective. He welcomed the proposal that the President Elect should join this group 6 months before taking office in order to ease his passage into the position, and also that the retiring President should stay on for 6 months in order to ensure an efficient handover.
The President was also fulsome in his praise of those involved in the establishment of the Website and was keen that it continue to develop. He also felt that the publication of a Calendar of Events was a major step forward and, now that a framework had been established, he expressed the view that the next one should have the actual dates of events, rather than in indication of the month when things would happen. He went on to outline such a programme, expressing a wish that it should contain varied events in the hope that everyone would be interested in at least one event.
He concluded by hoping that a membership list of all who can send and receive e-mails be developed.
8. Recommendations of The Executive Council
The Meeting was pleased to support the recommendations of the Executive Committee on two matters :
(i)It supported the existence of a small Steering Committee, which was mandated to act on behalf of the Association and would report to the Executive Committee.
(ii)It was also pleased to agree to the appointment of Tony Olivine to this Steering Committee without election. His role would be to act as Minuting Secretary, deal with PR and the Media, act as focus for Memorabilia, and host the Steering Committee meetings.
9. Investiture of John Brandwood
The retiring President, Mike Tyrer, welcomed the incoming President, John Brandwood, to office. He shook him warmly by the hand and completed the investiture by placing The Jewel of Office on his person.
The new President began by thanking his predecessor for his welcome and for the work he had done during his year in office. He thanked Members for attending the AGM and looked forward to their support and involvement over the Centenary Year. He reminded the Members that he had been a Member of the Association for a very long time and that, despite having the distinction of serving as President in 1972, he was very much looking forward to his year of office and hoped, with the help of the Steering Committee and Executive Council, to move the Association forward. He said that the Steering Committee would co-opt additional expertise as and when required. He closed by assuring the Members that this would be a high profile year which he hoped would be marked by friendship and smiles.
10. Election of the following positions for the coming year
(a) President Elect – Decision deferred pending discussion by Sub Committee
(b) Honorary General Secretary - Charlie Billington to continue to serve
(c) Honorary Treasurer - Jim McDowall to continue to serve
(d) Six Members of the Executive Council - Messrs Booth, Foster, Bryson,
Hilton and Paterson all agreed to serve and were unanimously re-elected.
(Note – at the end of the AGM, Trevor Sergeant volunteered to fill the vacant position. This was duly noted and will be discussed by the Committee with a view to co-opting him in the short term)
11. Election of Auditor
The AGM was pleased to appoint Jim Barwise for a further term.
12. Sub-Committee for Centenary Year
The existing Sub/Steering Committee would form the nucleus of the Centenary Year Committee.
13. Centenary Dinner 2009
The Secretary confirmed that this had already been booked at the Swallow Hotel on Saturday, March 14th, 2009.
14. Any Other Business
The President thanked the Secretary for his work over the year and noted the positive decision on the Centenary Dinner. It was his wish that this high profile dinner would have a much higher attendance than usual. He added that in order to double the numbers attending, perhaps the easiest way was to open the event to wives/ partners, but this would be discussed at a later stage by the Executive Council.
The President concluded his remarks by saying that he felt that this was an important and significant year and that it was vital that everyone became involved, pulled together, work hard and remained friends throughout.
Comments from the floor suggested that the lifetime membership fee was totally inadequate. However, it was felt that any change to the rules of the Association would prove both difficult and unpopular. A view was expressed that perhaps we could learn from the Park School who, it was believed, encouraged donations.
A view was expressed that perhaps there were other ways of reducing our expenses : it was hoped that by publishing breakdown details of expenses associated with various mail shots - such as paper, printing, postage - may encourage sponsorship. It was felt that this idea should be explored by the Executive Council.
The Meeting closed at 8:20
Minutes of the AGM held on 3rd May 2007 at Fulwood Bowling Club
1. PRESENT
Tony Olivine (Outgoing President/Chair),Charlie Billington (Secretary), Jim McDowall (Treasurer), Keith Nightingale, John Paterson, John Brandwood, Mike Tyrer (Incoming President/Chair), Keith Hunt, Geoff Swarbrick, Ron Severs, Bert Andrew, Bob Booth, Jim Bryson, David Bunting, Stephen Sartin, Alick Hadwen and Walter Francis.
2. APOLOGIES
Apologies had been received from John Foster, Duncan Hilton, James Bell, Richard Sunderland, Jim Heppell, Syd Gillibrand, Michael Johnson, and Alan Jones
3. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
These had been sent out with the all-Member Newsletter, but further copies were available on the night. Apart from one error, that the word “continue” be replaced by “act”, in the sentence “Dick Bettess agreed to continue as Auditor”, the Minutes were accepted as being a true record.
4. MATTERS ARISING
Charlie pointed out that since the last AGM, two extra signatories had been added to the Nat West Bank Accounts. These were Charlie himself, in order for the Bank to recognise him as Secretary of the Association, and John Brandwood, whose name had been omitted in error in the first place. The inclusion of these names had been a long, tortuous process with the Bank, but it had finally been resolved, and there were now a total of five signatories.
There was some debate about the date of the Annual Dinner, and it was decided that the Sub-Committee would have another look at this, although the AGM acknowledged that no date would suit everyone. The Dinner, however, had been an outstanding success, the Swallow Hotel had been the right venue, and the Hotel’s policy with payment had helped the Association to make a surplus. Those who had not been there had missed out. Charlie had written a letter of thanks to the Functions Manager, and the consensus was that Keith Nightingale (with support) would act as the Sub-Committee for next year, as it was more or less a case of re-booking.
Charlie reported that, despite teething troubles (including having to check individual Members’ details), the Database was up-and-running. This had allowed him and Jim McDowall to do the all-Member mailshots, of which there had been two.
One of the mailshots had been the nascent Newsletter, which had contained a diary of events, along with updates on the Association, and general items of interest. The response had been good, and all Members who responded had been positive about it. This, and the opening of another line of communication, had encouraged Charlie to attempt to produce an “official” Newsletter later in the year (probably September/October).
Associate Membership had so far produced two new Members for the Association, with another three likely to join.
Finally, Charlie confirmed that there were actually six Members of the Executive Council, but pointed out that Mike Tyrer was about to step down as an elected Member, which would allow someone else to stand.
5. ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31st JANUARY 2007
The Accounts, presented by Jim McDowall, had already been accepted at the preceding Executive Council Meeting, and they were now ratified by the AGM, and signed off by the President.
6. REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The President, Tony Olivine, gave a very detailed account of the activities of the Executive Council, and placed particular emphasis on the success of the setting-up of the “Gang of Four”, or the “(Kitchen) Cabinet”, which had gathered several times between Executive Council Meetings, usually in Tony’s kitchen! The “Four” had been Charlie, Mac, Keith Nightingale and Tony himself, and the work carried out had facilitated and supported the activities of the Council, without being constrained by due process. Tony hoped that small-group meetings would continue.
Tony reminded the Meeting that in his acceptance speech, he had stated that his year as President was going to be one of consolidation, groundwork, and the laying of foundations for the future. Nevertheless, there had been an impressive list of achievements, not all having yet reached a conclusion. He cited the success of the Remembrance Day Service and the Annual Dinner, the Database, the establishing of links with the LEP, the resolution of the difficulties with Nat West Bank, the improved level of communications (especially in keeping the President-Elect informed), the Newsletter, the Calendar of Events, the feedback from the all-Member mailshots, the attempt to revive the Golf Tournament, the visits to the School building, the proposed Hot Pot Supper, the collection of various items of memorabilia, the liaison with the Park School Old Girls Association in their Centenary Year, the planning of events for our own Centenary Year (2008), the discussion paper “Towards a Management Structure” and the identifying of changes thought necessary for the continued well-being of the Association, the introduction of the concepts of “honours” and “Founder’s Day”, and the establishing, in general, of a “new direction”.
On reflection, Tony believed that the achievements had far outweighed the hopes and expectations. Some of the achievements were tangible (the Database, the Calendar, the Newsletter), others were abstract or at the formative stage. He concluded by expressing his honour at having been President, and he believed that the Association was now stable and ready to make progress under the new President, Mike Tyrer.
7. AT THIS POINT, THE PRESIDENT-ELECT, MIKE TYRER, WAS INVESTED WITH THE BADGE OF OFFICE, AND TOOK THE CHAIR.
8. ELECTIONS
* The President-Elect Referred to a Sub-Committee by the Council
* The Hon Gen Secretary Charlie Billington was re-elected.
* The Hon Treasurer Jim McDowall was re-elected.
* The Executive Council Bob Booth, Colin Foster, Jim Bryson, Duncan Hilton and John Paterson were re-elected (No sixth Member)
9. ELECTION OF AN AUDITOR
Although not present at the Meeting, Jim Barwise was proposed, seconded and unanimously elected as Auditor for 2007-08. Charlie underlined Jim’s credentials as Head of Finance with Blackburn Council, and offered to check out Jim’s willingness to take on this position. The current five signatories would remain.
10. ANNUAL DINNER/EVENTS
This had been discussed at the Executive Council Meeting, and it had generally been agreed that the date of the Annual Dinner should return to the nearest Saturday to St Patrick’s Day.
Dates for other events (Golf, School Visit, Hot Pot Supper etc.) would be circulated to Members who had expressed an interest. Future events would be advertised in the all-Member mailshot, and, if feasible, a Grammar School Website, if one could be established.
11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
It was pointed out that if the Association were to continue to thrive, and build on the previous year, further Members would be needed to help it move on. In particular, Charlie thought that a Meetings/Minutes Secretary would be an invaluable addition. This would allow him to concentrate more (with Jim McDowall) on establishing Internet communications and the proposed Website, as well as the recruitment of Members. An Events Co-ordinator was suggested by Tony Olivine.
It was pointed out by the Meeting, however, that those present had all been through the Chair and had served their time in one way or another. Most felt that they no longer had the energy to take on leading roles, and they hoped that younger Members would step in and take up the baton. This was a very fair point, and Charlie said he would minute it to see if there might be a reaction from the ‘younger end’!
There being no other business, the Chair closed the Meeting.
Minutes of the AGM held on 27th April 2006 at Fulwood Bowling Club
Present
Stephen Sartin (Outgoing President/Chair), Keith Nightingale, Bob Booth, Keith Hunt, Duncan Hilton, Colin Carefoot, Charlie Billington, Jim McDowall, Dick Bettess, Eric Mills, Charles Bennett, Tony Olivine (Incoming President/Chair), David Bunting
Apologies
Apologies had been received from Gordon Payne, Mike Tyrer, John Paterson, John Brandwood and Geoff Swarbrick
In the absence of John Paterson, Charlie Billington had previously volunteered to act as Secretary for the meeting.
Minutes Of The Last Meeting
These were verbally reported by Charlie, and accepted as a true record.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
Report Of The Executive Council
Charlie provided a verbal report of matters of the Executive Council. This covered such areas as the President Elect, the success of the Annual Dinner in a restricted format (most attendees had been members), the excellent speech by Stephen Sartin, thanks to Colin Foster for his outstanding work as Treasurer, and the recommendation that Charlie should succeed John Paterson as Secretary (this was from John's notes!). Stephen Sartin was encouraged that a number of members of staff had attended the Annual Dinner.
Accounts
It was confirmed that the end of the accounting year had changed to 31st January from 30th June, to bring it into line with the Constitution. The audited accounts were read and approved.
At this point the President Elect, Tony Olivine, was invested with his Badge of Office, and took the Chair.
Elections
The following people were elected to Office:-
Mike Tyrer (President Elect), Charlie Billington (Secretary), Jim McDowall (Treasurer). Bob Booth, Colin Foster, Jim Bryson, John Paterson, and Duncan Hilton were elected as members of the Executive Council.
Finance
It was approved that the accounts should stay with Nat West Bank, and that the signatories on the new Mandate would be Jim McDowall, Colin Foster and Tony Olivine. Dick Bettess agreed to continue as auditor.
The Annual Dinner
This had been discussed as an agenda item at the Executive Council meeting.
Business
There had been some comments made about the timing of the Annual Dinner - it might be better later in the year, climate and British Summer Time being taken into account. This would be referred to the Sub-Committee.
The future of the Association, in terms of raising finance, was discussed in detail. To attract new membership, the Association itself would have to become attractive to join. Further subscriptions, self-financing events, a Website, donations and other methods of fund-raising were considered. However, it was accepted that, in order to progress, a viable database of members would have to be set up. Jim McDowall and Charlie agreed to do this. The meeting also recognised that the Constitution allowed for Associate Membership, which would broaden the base for the Association. Good communication was also essential, to this end use of e-mail would be encouraged, as well as the Internet (with a possible Website). Advance notification of events was agreed, and ways and means of promoting publicity were discussed. Charlie informed the Meeting that he would undertake a mailshot to all members which would outline the details of all of these discussions, and provide them with a calendar of events.
There being no other business, the Chair closed the meeting.