At the Annual General Meeting held last Monday 17th October, all current Officers and Committee members were re-elected for 2011/2012 with the exceptions of Bill Thomas who could not stand for office this year due to ill health and Bob Doggett who has, after many years’ loyal service, decided to devote more time to his other hobby, caravanning. He said he will carry on doing what he can for the choir. We all wish him well and he will be badly missed. The Choir also welcomed the addition of Lyn Gauntlett to the Committee. Lyn is embarrassed by the number of mentions he got (all complimentary) during the President’s, Chairman’s and P.R.O.’s speeches at the meeting. He is sure that there are many more choristers who put in much more effort and are worthy of greater praise. Another welcome addition to the committee is Doug Taylor who has agreed to continue with his responsibilities as ‘200 Club’ coordinator and Welfare.
For a full list of the newly elected officers and committee please click on Officials.
The choir is delighted that Jeff Williams has decided to continue in the role of P.R.O. Jeff is continuing in his individual style to bring the Choir to the attention of many organisations, not least Buckingham Palace, and to many areas of the media, including the BBC. In Jeff’s acceptance speech he suggested that, to him it was important to have a fresh style and approach to the reporting of concerts. He made the observation that many press releases are often merely a list of pieces sung and do not reflect the atmosphere and musicality of the event. It was essential to reflect on the needs and wishes of the reader to stimulate an interest in us.
On a positive note, everyone made complimentary comments about this web-site and the influence it is having on the promotion and accessibility of the choir and many thanks and praises were expressed to the web-site administration team and also to Frank Thomas who set up the first site a few years ago. Also tribute was paid by all to the work, commitment and dedication to the choir of the Chairman, Leon Jones and to all of the Music Team. Special mention must be made of the sterling work done by Ken Cooper on taking on the mantle of Secretary from the late Roy Shuck. Many thanks were expressed to all the members of the committee for the consistent loyalty and commitment made by each in supporting the choir in all its activities and functions. Wyn Goodwin said that calendars for 2012 would be available soon.
The President, Richard Evans and the Chairman, Leon Jones emphasised that plans needed to be finalised for the celebration of our 50th Anniversary, less than 18 months away. This will be a busy time for all the Choir and a huge effort needs to be made to make a success of the Anniversary Year. Richard Evans also made note of the names and number of deaths of choristers during the past year and expressed the sadness of the Choir as a whole on the passing of so many. He also announced that he would organise two more Race Nights but the support of all choristers is needed to sell tickets and to find new sponsors. The Treasurer, Roger Matthews produced the annual financial report and emphasised that enhanced efforts for future fundraising must be made if plans for the Anniversary Year are to be successfully implemented.
The Music Director Siân Hatton, conveyed her thanks and paid tribute for the work and professionalism of the Officers and Committee and to the musical quality of both the Choir and the Music Team, particularly at the Annual and Gala Concerts. However, on a negative note, Siân expressed grave concerns that not everyone is making the commitment to the choir that it deserves and stated that better attendance at rehearsals and concerts is required. For a choir of nearly 80 members, low attendance is not acceptable. She also indicated that more attention needs to be paid to the quality and provision of venues but was pleased to recognise that steps to improve this have already been taken.
The meeting closed with a short practice, led by Siân and Shirley Ann, of Gloria and Can You Feel the Love Tonight.