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MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HELD AT SOMERSET HOUSE MONDAY 1st JUNE 2009.
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
These were received from John Williams, Reg Smith, Denys Gage, Colin Wright, Malcolm MacDonald, Margaret Emerson, Brian Viner.
2. MINUTES OF THE 2008 AGM
Acceptance proposed by George Goodall, seconded by Neville Biden and agreed nem con.
3. PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2008/9
Time passes and so sadly do members. CSPS has lost a number of members this year, probably best known was John Thame, up until his mobility was restricted he was a regular attendee at the club nights in Somerset House.
For the first time that I can remember a club meeting was cancelled. This was due to the very cold weather and heavy snow fall which disrupted public transport. Although under threat of eviction the club nights will continue to be held in Somerset House until we are advised otherwise. We have had a wide spectrum of displays both by invited speakers and members. Some display nights have been enlivened by asking a number of members to bring along items, this has been very well received not only does it show the wide variety of “themes” that our members collect, but gives an opportunity for those items and collections to be displayed that otherwise would not be available. Thank you to all those members who have taken part.
I am sad to report that two long serving members of the Council are standing down this year. John Dennett has decided to turn his last page as Librarian. He has put in many long hours pulling together a very fine collection of loose leaf files holding hundreds of pages of philatelic fact and interest culled from the philatelic press and other sources. These are available to any members wishing to consult them. John also held the post as event organiser for meetings at Somerset House and was a packet superintendent for some years. Thank you very much John for your dedication on behalf of CSPS.
The other retirement is that of Denys Gage who for a very long while was a group leader of one of the London groups. For the past five years of so he has bravely taken on the role of postal auctioneer. Although held only once per year this takes a huge amount of time, to coordinate all the listings, organise reception, collection and careful storage of all the submitted items. To follow there are many long days needed to reconcile the accounts and to pack and send the items to successful bidders, a service for which many members unable to come to the London meeting have cause to be very grateful. To this I add the thanks of Council, perhaps now Denys will have more time for his own collections.
To the other members of the Council who have in the face of declining membership taken on multiple roles for CSPS, may I say a big thank you for your support. To Derek Rock as VP and long time membership secretary, for carrying meetings in my enforced absence and generally keeping council on track. To Margaret Emerson for doggedly enduring as secretary, and in particular as our much respected Bulletin editor, the quality of which has improved immeasurably under her care and control. To Ian Briant who continues to keep CSPS in fine financial health. He has also overseen the changes in accounting needed in the reshaping of the Exchange branch. His other duties are to the Insurance Committee and as our membership secretary.
A big thank you also to the ex-officio members of the Council, Peter Harris, for organising the visiting speakers and for looking after them before and during the meeting. I would like also to thank Ron Oughton who, although not a member of Council, has been of assistance to Peter Harris and is a regular attendee at the club meetings.
Robert (Bob) van Goethem
4. CHIEF EXCHANGE BRANCH SUPERINTENDENT`S REPORT 2008/9
This year has been one of great change for the exchange branch. The final two groups of the London circuits, those that used to be reached via the IDS van, have closed and the London Commonwealth and Spacefiller sections of the E.B are but a memory. This means that from now on all E.B business will be conducted by post, except for a few members who are able to make the monthly club meetings at Somerset House.
A new section of the E.B. has now been established. Its aim is to take account of those members requiring more that a “single country” service. This section is titled Spacefiller, a well known and understood title. Vendors are able to send in books which will not be accepted by “One Country”, e.g. those of low value containing mixed material. Fuller details will be published in the Bulletin. I am writing to members to obtain confirmation of addresses and contact details, from which I am making up circulation lists. If you wish to see packets of Spacefiller material then please contact me either by letter or e-mail.
I am very pleased to say that the E.B. run by Reg Smith is in a healthy state and is not affected by any changes. The “One Country” section run by Derek Ward continues to gain in popularity. Again any member requiring this service please contact Derek direct either by post or e-mail.
My thanks go to Reg Smith and Derek Ward for their hard work and continued support in running the Exchange Branches. Also to all the vendors who have accepted the need to submit material in the form of “One Country” books. For Spacefiller, all items, as before, must fit into a standard club book as these are now packed into slightly smaller packets for postal distribution. All other items, eg large FDC’s, can be put into the annual postal auction, or sent to me for the Grand Auction in December.
Finally my thanks to all the buying members for their support, may I wish you a happy and rewarding 2009/10 collecting year.
Robert (Bob) van Goethem C.E.B.S.
Acceptance proposed by Derek Rock , seconded by John Dennett and agreed nem con.
5. MEMBERSHIP AND RECRUITMENT SECRETARY’S REPORT 2008/9
At last year’s AGM I took on this, not very onerous, additional role from my excellent predecessor, which fits well with the Treasurer, in terms of recording any new members fees – not that there are many. As you can see from the attached accounts, in fact, we had no new recruits this year, although there were some enquiries but these have, so far, come to nothing.
My main task, other than the occasional change of address, is to record the sad but inevitable passing of our colleagues – fortunately less than half a dozen during the last 12 months - plus someone who has given up collecting and wanted to be removed from our mailing list! Is there really a hobby more interesting than philately?
Ian Briant
Acceptance proposed by Roger Clarke, seconded by George Goodall and agreed nem con.
6. SECRETARY`S REPORT 2008/9
Another year has gone by and the Society continues albeit with a dwindling membership. We have enjoyed a wide selection of talks and displays in the past year and I am grateful to Peter Harris for arranging our visiting speakers and cajoling others, including me, into producing a full display. Thanks are also due to John Dennett for keeping on top of our membership list at the security desk. We have welcomed back a few faces to our meetings, it is nice to see you again. As always I would like to thank those who help by setting up and removing the display boards, to Ron Oughton and George Goodall for being our auction scribes and accountants, to Derek Rock who acts as auction runner and to all those who help keep things ticking over.
I would like to thank Peter Harris for the kind donation of six plastic boards for use at our meetings when talks and displays are given. These have been kindly donated to the Society following the closure of Thurrock PS and I am sure they will serve us well over the coming years, wherever we are based.
Despite our efforts with publicity in the philatelic press to mark our Diamond Jubilee last year, we have not exactly been overwhelmed with people wishing to join our ranks. I receive some correspondence from other Societies, so we do register in the philatelic world. If we get a chance to mention the Society we should seize the opportunity, remembering the restrictions on membership. Our venue continues to be uncertain but your Council has noted concern from members attending our meetings that we are finishing rather late. There will be a chance to discuss this matter tonight and we welcome views from the floor.
I offer myself for re-election as your Secretary for another year.
Margaret A Emerson
Acceptance proposed by Neville Biden, seconded by Derek Ward and agreed nem con.
7. TREASURER`S REPORT 2008/9
I am pleased, as your Treasurer, to present the attached accounts with this report for last year.
We continued to be able to largely balance our outgoings by income, with a year-end deficit of £37.88 (much as expected) against a surplus of £18 the previous year. This was despite the additional cost of the Jubilee of £573 – although this was largely covered by the transfer of the Insurance Fund surplus of £548 agreed at the AGM.
Bank interest continued to fall (by over £100) with the reduction in interest rates. Other income was similar to the previous year although the net contribution from the Exchange Branch was down by £35 despite an increase in sales, mainly due to rising postage costs. In addition, although the Postal Auction receipts had reduced by £13 expenses were kept even lower leaving a net deficit of only £7 this year.
Ian Briant
8. EXCHANGE BRANCH INSURANCE COMMITTEE`S REPORT 2008/9
Once again this has been a fortunate year with no significant losses to cover but also no exceptional gains either. Income from premiums was maintained with an overall increase in the Fund from our target £7,000.
Although we will not have the additional expenditure of the Jubilee during the coming year, there will be continuing pressure on our overheads with no sign of a return to a useful level of interest from our bank deposits. Therefore, the Council again recommends that the AGM agree to transfer the balance in the Fund of £302.94 over £7,000 to the General Account during the current year.
Ian Briant
Acceptance of Treasurer’s Report and Exchange Branch Insurance Committee Report proposed by Roger Clarke, seconded by George Goodall and agreed nem con.
9. POSTAL AUCTIONEER`S REPORT 2008/9
I have completed the auction, my fifth and as I have already advised you, regrettably my last. My health has deteriorated and Thelma requires more help all the time, we are both well into our eighties! Eleven members submitted 282 lots and I added a further 90 on behalf of Benenden Hospital. Only 31 members submitted bids and the total sales were just over £860. After deduction of expenses it will result in just over £60 going to Society funds, just over half of last year’s figure. The more classic items attracted the most interest, which in an older average age membership is to be expected with mixed lots and thematics not showing much interest. Approximately half the lots did not attract a bid. I hope that you will have luck in obtaining another volunteer.
Denys Gage
Acceptance proposed by Derek Rock, seconded by Roger Clarke and agreed nem con.
10. BULLETIN EDITOR`S REPORT 2008/9
The Bulletin is back to black and white again now after the splash of colour last summer and always seems to contain the usual scattering of typing mistakes. I blame those on the speed reading that is a necessary part of my job, but it does keep readers on their toes and does at least show members read it!
I hope members still enjoy my efforts and I would like to thank those who have contributed full articles for inclusion or passed me pieces that I can edit and include. Pictures can be included as you see but I have to be constrained by the printers instructions on that matter and we have to be careful with the length of the Bulletin, so as not to fall foul of the posting regulations for minimum second class postage. I would also like to thank those who help with the mailing operation.
The Catford Print Centre continue to do an excellent job for the Society at a competitive price. Ian very kindly collects the Bulletin from Catford when it is ready, saving the Society postage costs and also by paying with our order, we save in total 12% on the final price. The company has also given us a 5% loyalty discount voucher and we are able to make use of one each year.
I offer myself for re-election for the next 12 months.
Margaret A Emerson
Acceptance proposed by Derek Rock , seconded by Neville Biden and agreed nem con.
11. LIBRARIAN`S REPORT 2008/9
There has been relatively no change since last year’s report regarding the original section of the library, with the exception of a few donations and no weeding out of old books. The 4-ring binder section did receive some additions, many in the GB volumes.
It is with regret that I am unable to continue being your Librarian and therefore I shall stand down from this post at the end of the philatelic year. I will be available to assist whoever takes up this post if required. I have found that being guardian of the CSPS Library has been most rewarding, particularly the 4-ring binder section, as these articles bring new knowledge, even correcting the old, which is not possible in the hard-back books. Both sections complement each other in so far as they offer information for the researcher way beyond the catalogues.
May I take this opportunity to say a big thank you to those thoughtful members, who have made donations of books and magazines, with special thanks to Margaret, Bob and Ian for their unstinting generosity over the years, without which the (euphemistically called) paste-ups would not have been possible. There is another minor section in the library, which somehow never got reported before and that is the non-stamp section, which I call the Yellow Book section, for obvious reasons. There are 30 4-ring binders and articles on inks, paper, glues/gums, watermarks, exhibitions, how to write up album pages, and all sorts of things, such as accessories, perfins and lots more. When visiting the Library and wishing to delve into these Yellow Books, please note that there is a list of contents fixed inside the door of the filing cabinet.
Lastly, many thanks to all the members who have written to me about their Philatelic enquiries. I apologize to those who have not had their queries solved and perhaps, my successor will have more luck. Thank you all for your support in so many ways.
John A Dennett
Acceptance proposed by Ian Briant, seconded by Peter Coe and agreed nem con.
12. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Secretary had a nomination for the current Officers to be re-elected but with two vacancies due to John Dennett standing down as Librarian and Meetings Organiser and Denys Gage standing down as Postal Auctioneer.
Nominations proposed by Brian Viner and seconded by Ron Oughton.
The Council is :-
President: ROBERT VAN GOETHEM Vice-President: DEREK H ROCK
Secretary: MARGARET A EMERSON Treasurer : IAN BRIANT
Membership Secretary: IAN BRIANT
Chief Exchange Branch Superintendent: ROBERT VAN GOETHEM
Librarian and Meetings Organiser: Currently vacant.
Ex-officio Members of Council:
E B Superintendents:- REG A SMITH; DEREK G WARD
Bulletin Editor: MARGARET A EMERSON
Postal Auctioneer: Derek Rock 2010 only otherwise vacant
Speaker’s Secretary: PETER HARRIS
Recommendation of acceptance of the nominations was put to Members and the motion was agreed nem con.
13. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
13.1 It was agreed that meetings would start in future at 1800 hours.
13.2 Derek Rock updated members on Somerset House. We can still meet there in July 2009 and there is a 50 per cent chance of being at the same venue until July 2010. Roger Clarke knows the manager of the Civil Service Recreational Centre in Chadwick Street, behind Channel 4, and would arrange accommodation for us on a temporary basis if we are asked to move from Somerset House at short notice.
13.3 The meeting closed at 1905 hrs.
13.4 13 members were present.
ROBERT VAN GOETHEM MARGARET EMERSON
President Secretary
The above accounts were signed by the President, Robert van Goethem and the Secretary, Margaret Emerson, as being a true record.
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