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FROM OUR 47th AGM held on 21st January 2009
The Mayor, Councillor David Berry, opened the meeting and welcomed those present. Apologies were noted and the minutes of the 46th AGM were approved.
Chairman's Report.
Last year there were several new initiatives to raise the profile of the Society, but these had to be set aside to start work on the forthcoming Heritage Open Days. The society does all the donkey work for this event and this should be appreciated. The programme of work had also been disrupted by the sudden, sad death of Tony Leitch. Immediately the Committee had been confronted with the urgent need to get out a newsletter before the AGM and to find other ways of discharghing the duties so ably carried out by Tony.
At the townscape awards meeting Councillor Frances Moseley had praised the work of the Society in ensuring that good design standards were maintained. This project had been masterminded by Brian godding with the technical assistance of Jeff and Jackie Morgan and thanks were owed to them for all their hard work.
The committee had been re-organised. In particular Marguerite Perkin had joined the production team for the Newsletter which had been got out in time for Xmas. Now it was necessary to take a longer term view of the running of the society and the web-site.
The report was closed by marking the retirement of Ken Peay. He had joined the society in 1979 and was soon on the Committee. Ken had chaired the Society for a time and had done this with dispatch and efficiency. In 2003 the committee was meeting in Ken's home when the successes of the campaigns to protect the Surbiton filter-beds from development and to keep the Magistrates' Courts in Kingston had been announced. Ken had provided champagne to celebrate the victories. Such moments were rare however; hours and hours of detailed hard work , such as Ken put in, were the only means of eventually enjoying them.
As a token of the Society's gratitude Ken was presented with a framed print and the sentiments were endorsed from the floor.
Following the Treasurer's Report, election of Officer's and Committee and a discussion of future activities, there was an address by The Mayor and a vote of thanks to him. The meeting was then closed.
STOP PRESS
Jennifer Butterworth
Chairman