Well I decided to take the Presidency after all, so here I am typing my presidency letter and wondering what to say.
It was not an easy decision to take this on. My work being some distance from Leeds means it is not always possible for me to attend our functions, so I had concerns regarding being a functional president. Having discussed this with council members, their kind words of support made my decision much easier. Not to mention how desperate they were!
The fact is that without the council members, the time they give up and their dedication to the Leeds Association of Engineers we would simply not exist. What I will say is that being president of this bunch and the association members is a position I promise to fill to the best of my ability.
My thanks to Barrie Yates for volunteering to become the vice-president. I can not think of a better person to follow me and hopefully become our president in what will be our 150th year. My hope is that we can work together and maybe try to put forward some new ideas over the next couple of years.
Well that’s the easy part over with. What happens next and indeed over the coming years is not just down to me and the council members but to all association members. I for one would like to see more involvement, ideas and participation from all of you. So to all members, I am calling on you to get more involved and come along to our visits and lectures. We have had some truly interesting ones over the last years. More importantly, let me have your thoughts and/or ideas, so that we can work together to make our association interesting to all of you. I promise to answer all correspondence personally.
Speaking of membership brings me to the next subject I would like to address. We all know that engineering in Leeds is not what it used to be but we cannot accept this as an excuse for lack of membership. That’s the easy way out and I for one am not going to take it. But what can we do?
One of the easiest ways to address this (suggested many times) is for all members to endeavour to introduce a new member over the next 12-months. Yes, I know this is easier said than done but I am asking all members to give it your very best efforts.
Having started my engineering career in Leeds and before my good friend Malcolm Murray introduced me to the association (not forgiven him for this yet), I have to admit I had never heard of the Leeds Association of Engineers. I suspect this is very true of most of the engineers in Leeds today, so as president, I would like to take on the mission of making our association known to the engineers of Leeds. Hopefully this will bring new interest and membership.
Finally, a note to any non-members who are reading my letter. Should you have any interest in seeing or hearing about engineering outside of your own experience, then I can guarantee that at least some of our lectures/visits will be of interest. So take look over our programme for the coming year.
Should anyone have any questions, suggestions or comments, then I can be contacted through our website and would welcome all correspondence.
Andrew Kibler
President – Leeds Association of Engineers