Notice of Fourth AGM - 4 November 2019
Notice is hereby given that the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Magna Masters Association will be held at the The Royal Air Force Club, 128 Piccadilly, London W1J 7PY on Monday 4 November, 2019 at 6pm
AGENDA
Welcome by Chairman
To approve minutes of Third Annual General Meeting - 6 November 2018 (attached)
Apologies for absence
To receive the Chairman’s report (Minutes of Committee Meeting 11 September 2019 attached refer)
To receive and adopt the Financial Report and Accounts to 30 June 2019 (attached below)
Election of Officers Chairman: (Current holder Jeremy Randall, Watermen and Lightermen) Vice Chairman: (Current holder AVM Patrick O’Reilly CB, Engineers) Hon. Treasurer: (Current holder Martin Miles, Actuaries) Hon. Secretary: (Current holder Ian Locks, Stationers and Newspaper Makers) Hon. Membership Secretary: Michael Godbee, Tax Advisers Hon. Events Secretary/Chairman Events Committee: Nic Birtles (Information Technologists); Stephen Bernhard (Gardeners); Gwen Rhys (Glass Sellers) Current officers are willing to stand for re-election. Other nominations should be sent to the Hon. Secretary.
Election of Financial Reviewer (Currently David Illingworth, WCO Chartered Accountants)
Other business
Ian Locks
Hon. Secretary
The meeting will be followed by a wine tasting at 7.00pm and Supper at 8.30pm. Event Concludes at 10.00pm
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
AGENDA
1. 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.
2. Minutes of Second Annual General Meeting held on 6 November 2017 were approved.
3. Apologies for absence: As listed above
4. 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
He said a big thank you was due 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 the chairman, Jeremy Randall, and Supper.
====================================== 2018/19 Accounts of MMA
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Assets at start of year = £5132.45
(= bank balance at that date after allowing for a couple of small prepayments)
Assets at end of year = £6498.93
(= bank balance at that date after allowing for a couple of small prepayments)
So Surplus for year = £1366.48**
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INCOME
£5050 (= 101 Masters paying subs of £50 each)
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EXPENDITURE
£539.33 Open Committee Meeting
£130.20 AGM, Wine Tasting and Dinner
£2902.00 Gala Dinner
£111.99. Miscellaneous Expenses
£3683.52 TOTAL EXPENSES
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**So Surplus for year = £5050 - £3683.52 = £1366.48
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MINUTES of an open committee of the MagnaMasters held on Wednesday 11 September 2019 at CÔTE BRASSERIE - ST PAUL'S, LONDON 26 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7DR commencing at 12 noon followed by a light lunch.
Attending: Chris Ford, Stephen Bernhard, Martin Miles, Peter Williams, Sir Roger Vickers, Jim Conybeare, Patrick Chapman, Michael Godbee, Ian Locks, Nic Birtles, Tony Alston, Raymond Layard, Neville Chamberlain, Barrie Stewart, Geoffrey Lewis, Patrick O’Reilly, John Jackman, Tony Watson, Richard Herbert, Jeremy Randall (Chairman), Debby Ounsted
Apologies: Heather Hawker, John Hayton, Gwen Rhys, Mike Felton
1 Chairman’s welcome and intr