Presidents Letter 2015/6 Season
Greetings to all you members, I am honoured to serve as your President for the second time, as I held the post from 2001 until 2003. May I welcome you to a new programme of events? This time we have tried to arrange as many visits as possible, and although we all enjoy lectures, it is usually the visits that are the most popular.
I want to come clean about the future of the association. Over the past few years we have seen a demise in the size of our membership. Quite frankly, we now have two choices. Firstly, each and every one of us invites friends and colleagues to consider joining our group to keep a vibrant membership. The second option is to do nothing and watch the whole thing wither and die, which is unthinkable especially as we are celebrating our 150th anniversary.
Traditionally we have set aside the last Thursday in the month for our events, but now circumstances have changed and some events will happen on other week days, and some at the weekends. Also we will have to accept the fact that some daytime visits will be necessary. There are several reasons for this. Many firms are really busy towards the month end trying to dispatch their products due to the absurd invoicing culture we have in the UK. As you may have already guessed, it is the dreaded Health and Safety culture which is a great way that firms politely telling us that we are not welcome. Another factor is that some firms don’t work a night or evening shift, but would welcome us in the daytime.
Over the time I have been a member, we have also been more welcoming to ladies, and enjoyed social events with them. Some of us have encouraged our wives and partners to attend out visits and lectures also. I think that this is a positive occurrence and is to be encouraged. The social side has blossomed, and we tend to repair to a local pub for a chat and a drink after our meetings. This has been very successful, as it enables us to get to know one another and to welcome new faces.
So please will you all really try to keep the association in rude good health. We have asked this before but now it really is up to you all to give a hand to keep it alive and well. So in conclusion, attend as many events as you can, including our annual dinner, and bring someone new with you.
On behalf of all of us on the council we look forward to meeting you all again soon.
Kind regards.
Barrie [B J Yates]
President