Committee >> Minutes >> AGMs >> 2004 AGM

 

Centurions Annual General Meeting The Resource Centre, Holloway Road, London, N7. Saturday, 21 February 2004

Attendance A total of 28 persons attended, as follows: Jill Green C. 898, Ron Wallwork C.893, Ken Munro C. 370, Dave Ainsworth C.540, Dave Sharpe C.578, Bob Dobson C786, George Beecham C. 716, Carl Lawton C.750, Colin Young C.317, Bob Watts C.838, Ken Watts C.859, Alex Ross C.854, Ken Livermore C.386, Charlie Weston C.584, Richard Brown C.760, Kathy Crilley C.933, Sandra Brown C.735, Chris Flint C.849, Dave Evans C.998, Alf Short C.993, Ann Sayer C.599, Sue Clements C.950, Danny Long C.877, John Eddershaw C.299, Ian Statter C. 964, Peter Markham C.526, Pam Ficken C.934 and Brian Scrivens C.337. Apologies The following 24 Centurions tendered their apologies: Guy Goodair C.327, Jim Skidmore C.367, John Moore C.658, Brian Ashmead C.565, Gheorge Mitchell C.450, Denis Ashenden C.241, John Dunsford C.734, Cath Duhig C.986, Jack Thomas C.606, Bill Sutherland C.890, Pauline Wilson C.798, John Stubbs C.982, Alan O’Rawe C.791, Bill Nichols C.374, R.P.Manning C.415, R. Thorpe C.381, Len Taylor C.371, Eric Horwill C.390, M. Haigh C.390, M. Burn C.870, J. Dowling C.331, Roger Le Moine C.802, Dave Boxall C.464 and Paul Sargent C.430. Period of Silence The President called for a Period of Silence in Remembrance of those fellow Centurions who have passed away since the last AGM on 26 October 2002 at Sheffield, as follows: Cecil Phillips C.184, John Leech C.358, J.E.Todd C.285, Hub Coenen C.729, Daniel Zoerardt C.931, Johan Bakker C.889, Leo Scholten C.392, Charle Megnin C.288, Theo Jongen C.882, and Sue Browne (wife of Ollie Browne C.789). 1.0 Welcome by the President John Eddershaw C.299 welcomed all present to the Resource Centre at Holloway and congratulated ‘Man of Steel’ Peter Ryan on his win at Newmarket and becoming Centurion 984. He gave fulsome praise to Sandra Brown C.735 for being the 1st Lady to finish not only the Newmarket 100 but also the 28 hours Roubaix classic in September 2003. John congratulated the London Vidarians Walking Club on its Centenary celebrations at the RAF Club in December. He reflected on the retirement from the Centurions Captaincy of Colin Young C.317 and also the resignation of Ken Munro C.370 as Honorary Secretary. John was thanked by all Centurions for his Presidency and for his unstinting support of the ideals of Centurionism. 2.0 Election of New Centurions The list of new UK Centurions was read out and Ron Wallwork proposed and Ken Munro seconded that the following should elected as Centurions following their successful completion of 100 miles within 24 hours, as follows: Peter Ryan C.984, Cath Duhig C.986, David Jones C.987, Jim Bisham C.990, Alf Short C.993, Andrew Wilmot C.997, Dave Evans C.998, John Searson C.999 and Wendy Watson C.1000. Their election was agreed and all were congratulated on becoming members of an exclusive body of walkers. Alf Short and Dave Evans were present at the meeting. Sandra Brown asked that a message be sent to those successful Continental walkers welcoming them as UK Centurions, as follows: Sylviane Varin C.985, Paul Altena C.988, Wil Botman C.989, Adrie Zoon C.991, Marc Vandevoorde C.992, Frans Devoght C. 994, Jan de Vos C.995, and Jos van Gorp C.996. 3.0 Minutes of AGM held at Sheffield on 26 October 2002 Copies were available to all present. It was proposed by Jill Green and seconded by Ken Munro that they be accepted as an accurate record of the last meeting. Agreed. They were duly signed by the President. 4.0 Matters Arising At Item 12 Bob Dobson C.786 said he has the John Prior stopwatch. The valuation is £100 and he would ask for further valuations. At Item 15, under ‘Sword’ or ‘Spear’, it was proposed by Ron Wallwork C.893 and seconded by Pam Ficken C.934 that the lapel badges and all merchandise, letterheads, etc would show the sword, as agreed at the 2002 AGM. Agreed. At Item 16, under Centurions Guidelines, a proposal by Jill Green C.898 and seconded by Ken Munro C.370 that the Committee’s recommendation not to convert the Guidelines into Rules was accepted. At Item 19, under Any Other Business, the whereabouts of Minute Book No.2 covering the period from 1946 to 1959 was discussed. It is now accepted that it has been destroyed. 5.0 Hon. Secretary’s Report Chris Flint C.849 in his role as Acting Hon. Secretary following the resignation of Ken Munro gave his report (copy attached). It was proposed by Richard Brown C.760 and seconded by Colin Young C.317 that the report be accepted. Agreed. Bob Dobson asked both Sandra Brown and Jill Green to stand and he asked all present to join him in congratulating them on their individual and respective successes during the year. Sandra and Jill expressed their appreciation. 6.0 Hon. Treasurer’s Report In the unavoidable absence of Paul Sargent C.430 who was attending the 60th (and last) Anniversary of the successful RAF raid by 19 Mosquito aircraft on the prison at Amiens, the Treasurer’s report was presented by Alex Ross C.854, the Centurions auditor. He said the Centurions finances remain fairly static despite generous donations by Centurions. The figures show that : As at 30 September 2002 = £1013.42 As at 30 September 2003 = £1279.24 As at 21 February 2004 = £1081.02 The Centurions stock of assets (ties, badges, handbooks, fleeces, etc) would be audited with Sandra and Richard Brown who have kindly taken on responsibility for merchandise. Alex reported that Paul Sargent has decided once again not to claim his expenses. Centurions were asked to make donations to improve the financial situation, and also to purchase stock. It was proposed by Ian Statter C.964 and seconded by Chris Flint that the Hon. Treasurer’s report be accepted. Agreed, with thanks from Centurions to Paul for his careful handling of the Centurions finances and to Alex Ross. 7.0 Proposal to amend Sections 6(b) and 6(f) of the Centurions Guidelines Ken Munro proposed that Section 6(b) be amended. It had been agreed that in future all AGM’s would be held in the first quarter of the year and therefore the financial year should end on 31 December (at present it is 30 September). The proposal was seconded by Alex Ross and agreed. The Guidelines would be amended. Ken Munro then drew attention to Section 6(f) of the Guidelines which states that: "All new Centurions shall be proposed and elected at the AGM, where their badges and certificates will be presented to them". Ken pointed out that there is a need for consistency with Section 4 of the Centurions Trophy Conditions. A wide ranging discussion ensued, and Peter Markham C.526 commented that Section 6(g) also needed review as it is unlikely that Centurions-elect present at the start of an AGM would not elected. The was a strong body of opinion that said it put an unfair burden on Officials to check the results and ensure no mistakes were made in the short time between the end of the race and the presentation of prizes. Others were of the view that badges and Centurions certificates could be awarded at the end of the race but that election to the Centurions should wait until the AGM. Some felt that it was appropriate for each finisher to be presented with a certificate to mark their successful completion of the race. At the conclusion of the discussion it was agreed to retain the wording as at 6(f) and (g), and that there is consistency with Trophy Condition No. 4. 8.0 Proposal to delete ‘amateur’ from the qualifying definition Dave Ainsworth C.540 proposed that the word ‘amateur’ should be deleted. It was pointed out that the Centurions Guidelines do not contain the word amateur and following discussion the proposal was withdrawn. 9.0 Proposal to delete the word ‘existing’ in respect of the Hammond Cup and Bristol Trophy John Eddershaw, the President, proposed that the specific conditions for the award of the Hammond Cup (1st male Centurion) and Bristol Trophy (1st lady Centurion) should be amended by deleting the word ‘existing’. Charlie Weston C.584 and others argued that these two trophies are particular to the Centurions and are not RWA trophies, and that the Hew Neilson Trophy is awarded to the 1st new Centurion, whether male or female. After further discussion the proposal was seconded by Richard Brown and by a majority vote of 18-2 the proposal was carried. The specific Trophy Conditions would be amended. 10.0 Proposal to amend the Centurions Trophy Conditions Ken Munro presented his proposal for a change of the criteria for the award of Centurions trophies. A vigorous debate ensued and Alf Short C.993 commented that as no written proposals had been circulated prior to the AGM the matter should revert to the Committee for detailed review. It was suggested that this review should include the earlier proposals by Dave Ainsworth and John Eddershaw (items 8 and 9 above). It was proposed by Peter Markham and seconded by Dave Ainsworth that the decisions already agreed should be kept. The Committee should consider Ken Munro’s proposal at their next meeting. Alex Ross tabled a counter-proposal, seconded by Alf Short, that as Items 8-10 of the Agenda are interlinked they should all be reviewed by the Committee which would take note of the decisions made at this AGM. The President put Alex’s proposal to a vote. 16 voted against the proposal and 10 in favour. Motion lost. The Committee would review the criteria for the award of Centurions trophies and report. Agreed. 11.0 Report on the 2003 Newmarket 100 Miles Championship Ron Wallwork C.893 said that the event had attracted a good field and an encouraging number of new Centurions had completed the race within the 24 hours. He was pleased that the numbers of Centurions has reached 1000, and the support from other organisations such as the LDWA has helped the numbers participating. Ron thanked all those who had officiated and assisted the race organisers. The President on behalf of the Centurions thanked Ron for his organisation of a very successful event. 12.0 Centurions Web Site Kathy Crilley C.933 introduced herself as the new web master, and explained that there was still some dependence on Roger Le Moine’s web site and she would be making changes. If Centurions would forward material to her she would ensure that it is put on the site, and this could include forthcoming AGM agendas and, in future, the dates and Minutes of Committee meetings and the AGM. Kathy was thanked by the President for taking on this important role which would enable better communication between Centurions and also establish links with other Centurions websites overseas. The web site is www.centurions1911.org 13.0 Centurions Merchandise Sandra and Richard Brown have volunteered to manage all Centurions merchandise, and stock details have been added to the website, including the new fleeces which art being sold at a very competitive prices. It was agreed that only Centurions shall be entitled to wear clothing bearing the Centurion logo. The Centurion’s Handbook and merchandise as designated by the AGM can be sold to the general public. 14.0 Trophy Insurance The President stated that it is the responsibility of individual winners of Centurions trophies for their safe keeping, and it was suggested that they be added to a householders contents insurance as a special item. It was also suggested that trophy holders should take a photograph, and that they sign a card accepting responsibility. The Committee was asked to look into these suggestions and possibly include in the Centurions guidelines. Agreed. 15.0 Up-date of Centurions Handbook Centurions Archivist Bob Watts C.838 was asked to add a new chapter to the Handbook, especially as the landmark 1000th. medal has been awarded, and also bring up-to-date the names of new Centurions. This would lead into the Centenary edition (2011). Bob said he would hope to have the updated chapter completed by the end of 2004. It was revealed that there are still 52 copies of the existing Handbook unsold. The price is £4 per copy. 16.0 Venues for Future Centurions Races Ron Wallwork agreed that it is an increasing struggle to field appropriate venues which are traffic free and have good lighting and other facilities. He suggested that the Committee should consider a bi-annual event and in the intervening years give support to the Dutch 100 Miles. It was also suggested that the Centurions should try to get sponsorship and put on its own events, especially as so few clubs are willing to host 100 miles/24 hour events. This was supported by Dave Ainsworth although some disappointment was voiced if no race was held in 2004. Alf Short, a member of the LDWA, suggested a review of the structure of events for long distance races, and others suggested Blackpool (which has offered to host the event in either 2005 or 2006) and Pierrepoint (Nottingham). These would be considered by the Committee. 17.0 Election of Officers The AGM elected the Officers as shown on the list of nominations received and circulated with the Agenda prior to the meeting. No posts were contested, and there was no nomination for the post of Assistant Secretary. At the conclusion of the elections, Sandra Brown gave a moving tribute to John Eddershaw as out-going President, as did Bob Dobson for Colin Young, the retiring Captain, and Pam Ficken for Ken Munro, the retired Hon. Secretary. All Centurions applauded the tributes. 18.0 Roubaix 2004 There is a need for a new organiser to take over from Peter Selby who has undertaken the role with distinction for the past few years. The matter would be considered by the Committee. The meeting finished at 5.30 pm with thanks from John Eddershaw and he wished everyone a safe journey home. President: Date: 19th. February 2005

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