Anniversary Dinners 2011 to 2016
In spite of rising costs, we have been able to offer a value for money evening at a reasonable price. Although numbers attending the Dinner have been lower than we would perhaps wish, we have been able to continue with the Dinner. The Dinners were held in February until 2014 when it moved to May and 2015 and 2016 to April to avoid other engagements.
Leeds Seventeen, Nursery Lane, Alwoodley, was booked for the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Dinners. The 2015 Dinner was held at Headingley Golf Club, which was the venue for the 2016 Dinner. This will probably be the last formal dinner the Association will hold. The low number of Members attending, is not reflected positively by the amount of work involved in finding suitable main speakers, venues and the general organisation of a complicated function. Future Dinners will be more of a social event.
The choice of Menu selectable at the table or by prior ordering, continued to prove popular. Despite rising costs, the ticket price has been maintained at a level to encourage attendance.
Many thanks to Alex and Anne Rogers, and Gordon Toulson who have done much of the work in organising recent Dinners.
We have continued to extend a warm welcome to representatives of kindred organisations – Hull, York and Keighley Associations, the Welding Institute and the IEE. Our President has also represented our Association at their functions.
The Toast to “The Bishops, Clergy and Ministers of All Denominations” was proposed by:-
2011 Barrie Yates, Esq.
2012 Professor Andrew Day.
2013 Dr. Richard Johnson.
The response was by our Chaplain Rev. Canon Tony Bundock.
The Braime trophy was formally presented by the President at the Dinner to:-
2011 Gordon Heap.
2012 Tony Mathers.
2013 Steve Stacey.
2014 Kevin Hegarty.
2015 Steve Stacey.
2016 Jaswinder Shergill.
The Toast to “Our Guests” was proposed by the President, and the response was by the Lord Mayor of Leeds. “Prosperity to the Association” was proposed by the Principal Speaker of the evening, with a short response by the President, prior to closing the Dinners.
John Kelsall, Schneider Trophy winner, with Mrs. Christine Hall and her Daughter Lisa at the 2014 Dinner.
The Lord Mayor of Leeds Attendant, and Sergeant at Mace, John Wilson, has joined us at the Dinner for many, many years.
Mr Francis Atkinson and his Japanese wife Noriko at the 2015 Dinner.
President Andrew Kibler with the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor David Congreve, Lady Mayoress Janet Harper J.P. and Ian Buxton, President of Keighley Association at the 2015 Dinner.
President Barrie Yates presents Jaswinder Shergill with the Braime Rose Bowl at the 150th Anniversary Dinner 2016
Member Graham Roper at the 2016 dinner. See Graham in his workshop on page 43.
Anniversary Dinner 1925
In 1925 a Diamond Jubilee was held, and in papers of the late Bill Shelton we discovered a photograph showing members and guests from kindred Associations . A hand written note in the border informs that there were two surviving members still alive in 1965 at the time of the Centenary Dinner. These were Messrs. A. W. R. Huntley and Thos. Clarke who was president in 1925. We also note that the Association had a “Librarian” on the Council of Officers.
The custom at that time, was to have an invited Chairman of the Dinner, usually a distinguished gentleman. The Chairman, (fourth from the left in the middle row was Sir W. H. Ellis G.B.E., D.Eng., J.P. who was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.