Minutes of the third AGM held on 5 November 2018
Minutes of the third Third Annual Meeting of the Magna Masters Association held at the The Royal Air Force Club, 128 Piccadilly, London W1J 7PY on Monday 5 November, 2018 at 6pm
Present: Nick Andrews, Simon Archer, Nic Birtles, Jim Conybeare, Michael Cooper, Michael Davis-Marks, Graham Dickinson, Christopher Ford, Michael Godbee, Graeme Groom, John Hayton, Stephen Hodkinson, Rowland Hughes, David Illingworth, Terry Last, Geoff Lewis, Ian Locks, Ian McIntyre, Martin Miles, Kevin Moore, Robert Morrow, Patrick O’Reilly, Debby Ounsted, Jeremy Randall (Chairman), Gwen Rhys, Adrian Scott-Knight, John Shonfeld, Barrie Stewart, Tony Watson, Peter Williams, Derek Woods
Apologies: Prof Graham Chase; Rupert Best; Patrick Draycott; Neville Chamberlain; Stephen Barnard; Robin Furber; Tony Alston; Roger North; Patrick Chapman; Mike Felton; Richard Herbert; Graham Dickinson; Ian Frood
Welcome by Chairman
Jeremy Randall (JR) welcomed members to the RAF Club once again and thanked Patrick O’Reilly for hosting the meeting at his club. JR said it was very good to see more than 30 of our members attending for the third successive year. He said the format for the evening was for the agm meeting, scheduled to last for one hour, to be followed by an informal wine tasting and then supper at about 8.00pm, concluding around 10pm.
Minutes of Second Annual General Meeting held on 6 November 2017 were approved.
Apologies for absence: As listed above
Chairman’s report: The Chairman said that
During the year we sadly recorded the death of Wynne Gilham, first Lady Master Upholder, who died on 1 July. Wynne with husband Michael attended our dinner at Fish Hall in January. MagnaMasters were represented at a memorial service Thursday 11 October at the Church of St Botolph without Bishopsgate by Michael Godbee and Ian Locks
Another successful year: membership had held at over 100 paid up plus our three honorary members. Our finances are sound.
We have congratulated Ald. Vincent Keaveny on his appointment as Aldermanic Sheriff.
25 members attended the open committee meeting. See minutes. The popularity of this open form of government was thus clearly demonstrated but the weakness becoming apparent was that de facto responsibility lay with just four officers and we hoped to broaden by sharing responsibility in the areas of membership and events programme.
Michael Davis-Marks had sadly decided to step down as vice-chairman: in the last couple of years his time and attention had increasingly been taken up with new business interests. The Chairman thanked MD-M for all his support and hoped to see him back in the line of succession for chairman in the near future. MD-H said he would continue to support MagnaMasters.
The Chairman said that since last year’s AGM, wine tasting and dinner here at the RAF Club
Some 140 of us attended a superb gala dinner at Fishmongers’ Hall thanks to James fforde;
a most enjoyable reprise was held in February of the Westminster College dinner organised by Nick Andrews with a reception kindly hosted by Tony Alston and Mary Foster;
a visit in April to the Tower of London had been organised by Ian Frood;
a most enjoyable visit to their farm near Stowmarket had been hosted by Tony Alston and Mary Foster.
In June 45 of us joined the One-for-All Banquet at Lambeth Palace for a splendid summer occasion;
we appreciated the invitation for Steve Hodkinson to join him for Cricket at Windsor Castle in July.
As mentioned, 25 of us met to plot the way forward (and enjoy a good lunch) at the open committee meeting in September
Big thank you to Graeme Groom for hosting lunch and giving his most moving address.at Innholders’ Hall attended by 50 of us including Consorts.
Twenty of us including guests met to make gin at the City of London Distillery thanks to Allan Cheesman also in September.
Meanwhile the CartaConsorts had been busy with four events during the year: Sir John Soane Museum in February; Women on the March walk in June; Bloomsbury and Dickens in September and Ely Cathedral Christmas Fair later this month.
The Chairman thanked all those who had helped make this comprehensive programme happen.
The Financial Report and Accounts Martin Miles, Hon. Treasurer, reported that membership in 2017-18 had held up at 100 paid subscriptions; half the subscription revenue of £5,000 had been use to subsidise the highly successful dinner at Fishmongers’ Hall hosted by James fforde and attended by 70 members and their Consorts. Last year’s open committee had been subsidised along with website costs, golf day prizes and printing etc making up a general expenses figure of £1,047 with a surplus of £1407 towards a balance of £5135 carried forward on 30 June. MM said the question of the surplus might need to be addressed in the future if it was allowed to rise to unacceptable levels. The report and accounts were proposed by the Hon. Treasurer, seconded and approved nem. con.
Election of Officers The Chairman said that with the exception of the vice-chairman other officers - Jeremy Randall, chairman; Martin Miles, Hon. Treasurer; and Ian Locks, Hon.Secretary - were prepared to continue for a further year unless there were other nominations. Chairman: Jeremy Randall, Watermen and Lightermen. Proposed Michael Davis-Marks and agreed nem. con. Vice Chairman: Air Vice Marshal Patrick O’Reilly, Engineers. Proposed by the Chairman and agreed by show of hands. Hon. Treasurer: Martin Miles, Actuaries. Proposed by the Chairman and agreed by show of hands. The chairman thanked Martin for his work during the year. Hon. Secretary: Ian Locks, Stationers. Proposed by the Chairman and agreed by show of hands. The chairman thanked Ian for his work during the year. Hon. Membership Secretary: Michael Godbee, Tax Advisers, as nominated at Open Committee. Proposed by Ian Locks and agreed by show of hands. Hon. Events Secretary/Chairman Events Committee: Ian Locks proposed Stephen Bernhard, Nic Birtles and Gwen Rhys as nominated from open committee. Agreed by show-off hands.
Election of Financial Reviewer (Currently David Illingworth, WCO Chartered Accountants) Martin Miles thanked David for carrying out the role of Financial Reviewer and proposed his re-election. This was agreed by show of hands.
Other business
Programme for 2019
Upcoming event: 31 January - Fourth Gala Dinner hosted by Nick Bence-Trower at Drapers’ Hall. We have 94 signed up: we needed another 50 or so to make this a successful evening in this lovely hall. The cost was being heavily subsidised from subscriptions so the Chairman hoped all would make every effort to attend. He asked whether the meeting was happy to let members bring guests at the unsubsidised rate of £115 per head. After discussion it was agreed that those members wishing to bring two guests in addition to their Consort might do so provided this did not exclude members from attending.
Programme for 2019
31 January - Gala Dinner, Drapers’ Hall
April/May Visit to CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research - Patrick Draycott.
June/July - boat trip: Jeremy Randall and Tony Watson to investigate visit to the Cutty Sark, Greenwich
11 September - Open committee/Autumn lunch
27/28 September Visit to York: John Shonfeld and Dr Alan Suggett - Hotel and Merchant Adventurers Hall booked provisionally. Deposits will be required
October - Dinner , Lincolns Inn - Tony Watson
4 November - AGM and Dinner
Ian Locks
Hon. Secretary
The meeting was followed by a wine tasting presented by thee Chairman, Jeremy Randall, and Supper.
MAGNA MASTERS ASSOCIATION
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th JUNE 2018
Following a meeting of Livery Company Masters at Ironbridge on 7th June 2015, the Magna Masters Association (MMA) was formally established at a meeting in London on 14th September 2015. At that meeting the subscription for membership was set at £50 to cover the period to 30th June 2016 and a Bank Account for the MMA with Lloyds Bank was opened shortly afterwards.
The Accounts of the MMA for the year ended 30th June 2018 are attached. The corresponding figures for the period 1st July 2016 - 30th June 2017 are shown for comparison.
The Notes referred to in the Accounts are set out below. This Introduction and the Notes which follow are an integral part of the Accounts
Notes
1. It was agreed that the subscription should remain at £50 for the 2017-18 year. Exactly 100 members (101 in 2016/17) paid £50 each for their 2017-18 membership of the MMA.
2. A number of formal and/or social events took place during the year. The finances for the events in which the MMA had a formal involvement and its Bank Account was used are summarised below:
AGM, Wine-tasting and Dinner 6th November 2017
£1981.00 Income (40 members)
£2006.00 Cost of Event
£ 25.00 Net Expense
Fishmongers’ Hall Dinner 1st February 2018
£13296.00 Income (146 members)
£15817.00 Cost of Event
£ 2521.00 Net Expense
Not mentioned above are events organised by individual members which were self-funded, the finances/ticketing being controlled by the individual members concerned. For such events, the MMA Bank Account was not used, no profits were made and any losses (minor administrative costs, flowers for a helper or whatever) were carried by the individual organisers concerned.
3. General expenses relate to website (domain fees etc), printing, prizes for golf day and costs associated with the Open Meeting on 27th September 2017
Martin W Miles