President ‘s Blog 2019-2020
Gentlemen it was a very nervous Andrew Mackereth who stood before you at last year’s AGM in Torquay wondering if I had done the right thing in standing for the 74th National President of our great organisation. This has been the most fantastic experience, I feel both privileged and honoured to be given this opportunity to represent 41 club and I thank you all. The reception I have received has been amazing and nothing has been too much trouble with all the clubs I have visited. Also as a guest when home hosted by members of both 41 Club and Tangent. Mildred my wife has accompanied me on many of my trips, and echo’s my view that the friendship shown to us both has been outstanding. It was noted that the spare bedroom had a recent coat of paint on a couple of occasions prior to our visit.
I have covered many miles by Car, Train and Plane and travelled North, South, East and West and abroad. I have had over 129 nights away in my year as President. Although enjoying every moment it will be nice to be able to spend more than 2 nights a week at home. I know there is an ever increasing list of jobs to do at home. The support from both Board and Council this year has been incredible with everyone working together and if we have had a problem it has been sorted in a quiet and understated way. This year we lose Past President Phill who has been a great friend and mentor. Sean who has been my wingman as Secretary, you will now be able to walk the dog in peace without a call from me. David Leach our Treasurer who kept our finances in check in a cool and a collective manner, finally Tom Atkins our National Council Officer who has represented the Councillors and kept their best interests at heart. We also lose a number of experienced Council members and I thank them all for their service. I wish to thank all members of the Board and Council for your support and patience during the year. This is very much a team effort. We must not forget the role that the retired Past Presidents’ play in supporting the President. They are always there to listen, advise and do not pass judgement. I would personally like to thank in no particular order Drew Cochran, Martin Green, and Ian Mckenzie. The joint charity with Tangent Clubs has been a tremendous success having reached our target of £50,000 raised for the RNLI. This has been so well supported by both 41 Club and Tangent. The 5 water rescue craft we have been able to purchase will be seen on our beaches in the UK. 41 Club has achieved much this year with the new CAS system about to come on line and thanks must go David Leach and his team of National Councillors, for their work on this. This system will prove to be a great asset to the organisation. We hope to be having a YAP incoming tour this year and will be welcoming young adults from many parts of the world depending of course on the virus lockdown. Andy Ventress as IRO is working on this to ensure that this is a trip our guests will remember for the welcome, fun and friendship. Under our Membership Officer Glen Lyon much work has gone into forming new 41 Clubs and retaining existing members, also helping Round Table move forward. The relationship with Round Table is as good as it has been for many years. I was hoping to be able to induct Round Table President Paul Agnew into 41 Club today but obviously that has had to be delayed. Without the help and support of a small team, my role would have been more challenging. I would personally like to thank David Nevinson my Driver Coordinator. Sue Nevinson who organised my Diary so efficiently, she probably knew where I was before Mildred. Pauline Ormerod who did all the Design and Publicity work for me. And of course Mildred, who has always encouraged me and supported me every step of this incredible journey. Our incoming 75th President Peter Good has a number of exciting events planned for his year, which because of the dreadful virus affecting us has had to have some dates changed to later in the year. Please support him as you have supported me. Peter enjoy every moment and make every moment count, make special memories. With no clubs meeting at the moment contact between clubs, themselves and National is now vitally important to stop them feeling alone and isolated. We have lost several of our members already to Covid 19 they are in our thoughts today. To all our members I would say in this time of National emergency please keep safe and we will come out of this in the next few months hopefully to a more caring and less materialistic society. When you become President, you are a representative of 41 club. It is not about me, it is about every member of the organisation to help move 41 Club forward to adopt, adapt and improve. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity which holds very special memories. Andrew Mackereth
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It was a great privilege, pleasure and honour to be elected the 74th National President of 41 Club at our AGM in Torquay. Where has the year gone too? A year full of special memories, all of which are unforgettable. I have done much travelling over the whole country and the hospitality we have received has been amazing. At the AGM I hand over to President elect Peter Good and I wish Peter all the best for his year in office.
The one event that stands out was representing 41 Club at The Remembrance Day in London, meeting all of our armed force veterans both young and old. A very humbling experience for everyone present. The 2 minute silence was observed so well, I have never heard London so quiet. I have been too both small and large events and have enjoyed them all whether talking to 6 members or my largest number which was 146 guests at The Red Rose Dinner closely followed by The Norwich Wensum and Yare Forecast night with 138 guests. These events don’t just happen overnight and a lot of hard work goes into organising them. I thank you all for the welcome and support I was given at these events. The support this year from Board and Council has been wonderful with all members engaged in moving our great association forward. The hard work put in by the CAS2 team has been an example of this and the Capitation invoices that our appointed consultant, Carl Smalley, has produced are second to none and I look forward to seeing the rest of CAS2 which should be unveiled before the AGM and a website to follow. The Presidential Jewel has been renovated and extended and now looks fantastic. As many of you are aware at The National Sporting Weekend in February 2019 National Membership Officer Nick Morcumb suffered a serious heart attack. Since then Nick has seen some improvement and is borderline as to whether he needs a heart transplant, the Welsh Health Service have deferred this decision for 6 months. At this time Glen Lyon was appointed as acting Membership Officer but since has been appointed as Membership Officer after Nick resigned. Hopefully Nick is going to attend the Conference in Cardiff. Special thanks to both Nick and Glen for all the work they have put into developing membership. We will have 12 new clubs this year with more in the pipeline. With the help of 41 Club Round Table have formed several new Round Tables a case in point is the new Ringwood Round Table which goes from strength to strength. It has been a pleasure to work with Paul Agnew as Round Table National President and I look forward to inducting Paul as a member of 41 Club at the AGM. Last year we joined The Young Ambassador Programme (YAP). This is organised by 41 International. Last year 3 young adults visited South Africa. All returned overwhelmed by the welcome and the experience and the friendships that had been formed. In July we will welcome an incoming tour of 10 young adults from India, South Africa and Europe. For the first time in many years, both Tangent and 41 Club decided to have a joint charity the RNLI. This has proved very successful and the total we have raised will be announced at The Joint Presidents Ball on the Friday night before the AGM. It has been a real pleasure to work with Tangent President Sue Hill. At the AGM we lose 4 Board members Phil Ellis (Past President) Sean McCormack (Secretary), David Leach (Treasurer), and Tom Atkins (National Council Liaison Officer). We also lose Ray Hill as Honorary Webmaster. All have given wonderful service to 41 Club and I thank them on our behalf. Thanks must go to my small support team, David & Sue Nevinson, Pauline Ormerod and my wonderful wife Mildred. I am so grateful for all your help. Yours in Continued Friendship, Andrew As I write this article it is only a month to go until I hand over to my successor Peter Good. Being the representative of 41 club is both a privilege and an honour. The past year will always be special, and remembered. The support I have received over the year from the Board and Council has been second to none and we have achieved much this year and I personally thank them for their support.
Our joint charity with Tangent the RNLI received a massive boost at the Joint Presidents’ Ball recently with in excess of £5,000 raised. A magnificent achievement brought about by the generosity of both guests and members of both 41 club and Tangent. The night was a great event with 250 attending with good food, fellowship and great music. I should like to thank our sponsors Fred Olsen Cruises and everyone else who contributed to make it a very memorable and successful night. As of the 1st of March we have raised around £45,000 towards our target of £50,000 and we are in touching distance of being able to purchase the 5 water rescue craft, which is our aim for the year. In the last month of my Presidency I have 14 events in my diary and I will be crossing the country making it one of the busiest months of my year. At all the events during my year I have been made to feel so welcome, thank you guys. Many new friendships have been made on my travels. The Annual General Meeting which this year is to be held in Cardiff on Saturday 4th of April is open to all members please come and support our great organisation. Finally I should like to thank my support team, including my wife Mildred who has always ensured I have the correct dress code for each event. Regards Andrew I wish all our members of 41 Club a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
As I write this report it is under 3 months until I hand over to President Elect Peter Good. Time certainly does fly by. This has been a year that I will certainly never forget, and I take with me some wonderful memories. I wish Peter all the best for his year in office. I have travelled North, South, East and West in the last 9 months, visiting many clubs, all different, but all with the same aim. This year I have learnt more about Robbie Burns, as I will attend 4 Burns Suppers this year namely Haverhill, Inverurie, Moseley and Christchurch 41 Clubs. The support so far this year from Board and Council has been wonderful with all members engaged in moving our great association forward. The hard work put in by The CAS 2 team has been an example of this and the Capitation invoices that Carl Smalley has produced is second to none and I look forward to seeing the rest of CAS 2 when it is unveiled soon and the website to follow. Recently we have joined the Young Ambassador Programme (YAP) and we will be welcoming an inbound tour of the UK later this year which will be the first. Our GB&I family members went abroad last year and had a great time as has been showcased in the magazine. The joint charity with Tangent has been the RNLI with the aim of purchasing 5 water rescue craft. The Rescue crafts will operate from the beaches saving lives. At present we have purchased 3 and we are heading towards a 4th. My grateful thanks to all in supporting this worthwhile charity. Our joint ball has already 240 guests booked in and we are very close to putting up the sold out signs. I thank all the clubs that I have visited for the welcome and friendship that has been shown to me on my visits. I look forward to the final busy 3 months. Regards Andrew. Since becoming 41 Club National President in April. The Fellowship that I have received when visiting clubs has been both friendly and very welcoming. Mildred and I would like to wish all our members and families a Happy Christmas a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
Regards Andrew & Mildred As I write this article we are at the end of November. The last couple of months have been really busy with Regional Lunches, Dinners and Club events. All of wish have been different but equally enjoyable, with the same remaining factor of fellowship. My thanks to everyone who has organised these events
The highlight of the year has been representing 41 Club at The Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. 41 Club were allocated 6 tickets from The Royal British Legion. I was so proud to be in the company of veterans of many conflicts around the world some of whom suffered life changing injuries. This was a very humbling, and thought provoking experience, and will always remain in my memory. The reception we received from the crowd of onlookers even though we were towards the end of the procession was both emotive and amazing. Recently I attended the funeral of Richard (Dick) Stanley who had suffered ill health for many years. Dick was a National Councillor and then became 41 Club National Conference Officer. He was always the happy smiley face who met you at Conference. I am sure I speak for all of 41 Club members who knew Dick when I say that he was a true Gentleman and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with Dick’s widow Mo. Our joint charity this year with Tangent is the RNLI and our aim is to raise £50,000 to purchase 5 Water Rescue Craft. To date we are close to being able to purchase our 3rd Water Rescue Craft. On my travels many clubs have made generous donations to this outstanding charity. The Men and Ladies who work on the Lifeboats risk their lives every time they have a call out. I have nothing but immense admiration for the work that they do keeping us all safe at sea. At the recent National Council meeting it was decided that the Presidential jewel needed a bit of TLC. Within 2 years there would be no further space for the Presidents’ name to be added, also this would give us the opportunity to repair damage that had happened over the years. It was decided that Thomas Fattorini Ltd from Birmingham would be responsible for the update. It is expected to take until early January. Regards Andrew RNLI Article Question and Answer
Q. Why did you pick the RNLI as your charity? A. I wanted a charity that covered the whole of National GB & I 41 Club. The RNLI stood out for the work they do not just in rescuing around our coasts, off our beaches but also when there are floods inland. Tangent President Sue Hill and I decided we would make the RNLI our joint charity for the year. Q. How can we help with the appeal? A. 41 Clubs can have fundraising events. Collections of loose change at meetings. Individual donations. Attend the Joint Presidents Ball to be held at Crewe Hall on the 29th of February 2020. Raffle tickets are also available with amazing prizes, this will be drawn at the Ball. 41 Club and Tangent Calendars are available, the profit from the sale of these will be go to the RNLI. Q. What is your Aim? A. Our aim is to raise £50,000 to purchase 5 Water Rescue Craft to work off beaches to rescue swimmers, surfers and anybody who gets into trouble close to the shore. The work of the RNLI has been featured recently in the BBC programme Saving Lives At Sea this has included the work of the beach lifeguards and the use of water rescue craft. Q. How do we donate to the appeal? A. Please do not pay donations direct to the RNLI as they will not be credited to our account. Please either send a cheque made out to the RNLI and forward to ; The Association of Ex Round Tablers, Marchesi House, 4 Embassy Drive, Birmingham. B15 1TP OR Contact [email protected] or ring 07588123590 and I will give details of direct bank transfers. Q. How is the appeal progressing? A. We have purchased 1 Water Rescue Craft already and a second should be purchased by the end of October. Sue and I will be delighted if we can reach our target by April 2020. This can be achieved if we all work together. Please help us to reach our target for this worthwhile charity. |
Andrew MackerethIt was a great privilege to be elected the 74th President of 41 Club in Torquay at the National AGM. The reason we are here today is because of one man Louis Marchesi who had the foresight to found Round Table in 1927. His words are so relevant today. There are things we must do. There are things we can do and there are things we should do. Wise words which we can all adapt, adopt and improve. Archives
April 2020
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