Welcome to MagnaMasters by Chairman Jeremy Randall

September 23, 2015

On Sunday morning of the Ironbridge weekend the meeting so incredibly well chaired by Master Skinner John Hitchins elected a Chairman and a Secretary. I was proposed by Master Maker of Playing Cards, Michael Davis-Marks, and unopposed - hence, it is my privilege to write to you and offer a warm welcome to the 2015 Past Masters Association. Welcome!

The 70 or so of us at the meeting considered several excellent suggestions for a name but there was a strong majority for MagnaMasters - so that is what those who attended, or were qualified to attend, the 2015 Ironbridge weekend are now called: we were greeted as such by Master Plumber Stephen Hodkinson to loud approval at their 650th anniversary event in Temple Gardens.

So how do we proceed? Also elected at the meeting, proposed by Master Pewterer Robin Furber, was Ian Locks as Hon. Sec. He was unopposed, too. Funny that! Well done Ian. We do need an Hon. Treasurer and, after asking many of the chartered accountants in our group who said they would…if pushed, I am delighted to say that Master Actuary Martin Miles has volunteered to do the necessary. Thank you Martin. I would also like to invite Michael Davis-Marks to serve as Vice-Chairman. Michael was a potential nominee as chairman and generously proposed me instead and he has said he would be “honoured and delighted”. Thank you Michael - and we look forward to your first rhyming intervention.

After the Sunday morning meeting Ian and I were delighted to have what seemed a flood of offers of help in a variety of ways, from organising meetings, golf, visits, away weekends and even a motorcycle rally, to setting up a website, designing a MagnaMasters logo and organising Facebook and Twitter closed groups for the techno-savvy amongst us.

All in good time. What is so good is the huge amount of support and willingness to make “our year” live on. Thank you all those who have said they would like to do something (as well as those who are just happy to take part.)

We do not see this as a top-down organisation - rather an open network with a communications hub which enables its members to make contact and invite participation in activities which may appeal to different parts of the complex social Venn Diagram of over-lapping groups which have evolved in “our year”, a network of networks we hope to help perpetuate during the natural lifespan of a Past Masters’ year group.

Thank you for electing me as your chairman and I look forward to seeing as many of you at our events as possible in the future.

Jeremy

Jeremy Randall

Chairman