President's Message

As this is the last year that I shall be serving you in the office of President, this will be the last time that I write a message. I thought therefore that I would stray from the usual format of trying to forecast the future and talk instead of the past and the changes I have seen.

I was elected President in 1989, taking over from a real stalwart of the society - Jack Cooper - who occupied many offices in his time. This may look a long time that I have been your President but it is nothing to the time that our present Chairman has served in that office. He was elected to it in 1984 and in many ways has carried the Society through good and not-so-good times. I know that you will all join me in hoping that he will not even consider resigning from the office.

Other names we must not forget are Beryl Carpenter still alive and kicking, her husband Bob and her mother Mrs Delderfield; “what a family”. In the mid 1980’s, we only had a few badly attended monthly meetings, but now following mostly my efforts - I served as Social Secretary for 12 years - we meet every month and have both interesting speakers and a regular attendance of members. This is what holds the Society together..

Enough of nostalgia !! The Society goes along and we new and young members on the committee who, not like the old geezers, know all about computers and websites. One of them now edits our yearbook, all done on computer.. So we are progressing and may we continue to do so. For too long, we have relied on the older generation.

Now I will return to the future and hope that your garden will blossom this year and many more to come.

E J N Cakebread, November 2011