PRESENT:    John Cole, President
Ed Maisey, Commodore
Dennis Hill, Vice-Commodore
Bob Taylor, Treasurer
Bob Ward, Secretary
John Douse
Carol Graham
Jill Hill (Minutes Secretary)
George Jarman

Apologies for absence had been received from:  Sarah & Gary Woolmer (Committee), John & Penny Breeds (Nimrod III), Michael & Anita Buckwell (Sheer Luxury), Colin & Diana Dean (Slopalong Placidly), Roy & Sue Farman (Baglady), John & Pauline Gould (Jabrad), Chris & Janice Humphreys (Andrasta), Chris & Dee Kendrick (Polonaise), Robin & Christine Longdin (Bluetail), Joe & Georgina Paris (Sadiebelle), John & Joyce Robinson (Little Chusan), Robert & Sally Sale (Hegre), John & Jean Talbot (Malian).

The Meeting was opened by the Commodore at 4.45 p.m., when he welcomed all those attending.  It was again an excellent turnout.    He then introduced some guests who had been invited to attend  --  Alan Mitchell (new landlord of the Swan) and his wife Linda, representatives from the RNLI who had a small stall selling gifts and cards, Ian Sillence (a volunteer from Sobell House) and Adrian Swift from the EA.

For the benefit of new Members who may not know him, John Cole, Club President, was also introduced.  John then outlined the founding and growth of the Club and expressed his delight at how well it was progressing.

Ed Maisey then invited Ian Sillence to accept on behalf of Sobell House Hospice a cheque for £700 which had been raised at the Eynsham barbecue.   After giving a brief summary of the work of Sobell House, he expressed their sincere thanks for the Members generosity.

Matters Arising from the Minutes of last year's AGM:

1)   Dennis Hill pointed out that as Bob Ward had been elected only for the one year in office that Ted Strange had remaining as Secretary, he was, therefore, due to be re-elected this year.   This would be included in the Election of Officers.

2)    The Meeting was informed that the First Aid Course which it had been hoped would be held this year, had had to be postponed.  However, if sufficient interest were shown it could, hopefully, be arranged for next year.

There were no further matters arising and acceptance of the Minutes as a true and accurate account of last year's AGM was proposed by Vera Lazarus (Stealing Time), seconded by Louise Roberts (Solveig II) and carried unanimously.

Treasurer's Report:

                        Copies of the Club's Income and Expenditure for the year to 1^st September 2002 had been issued to Members attending the Meeting and Bob Taylor briefly ran through this.  The greatest expenses incurred by the Club were for the hiring of two marquees for Fun Day and the Eynsham barbecue, and these were starting to be insufficient due to the growing popularity of both these events.  This gave rise to the question from Fred Martin (Lady Merrin) about the possibility of actually buying our own marquees, but this had already been investigated by the Committee and would give rise to many other problems, not least the matter of storage.  In an attempt to alleviate the overcrowding, the Committee will be looking into the viability of hiring trestle tables and chairs for these events.

                        Acceptance of the Accounts was proposed by Paul Hayes (Mr. Pimms),  seconded by Phil Brown (Wild Thyme) and carried by the meeting.

                        Following this, Bob Taylor informed the Meeting that after 7 years on the Committee as Treasurer (and Vice Commodore for some of this period) he was now standing down and handing over to George Jarman.  On a lighter note, he advised George to be on his guard when going on holiday as the Committee always seemed to purchase new equipment during his absence!!  He then officially handed over to George the "Treasurer's Red Bag".

                        On behalf of the rest of the Committee and Club Members, Dennis thanked Bob for all his work as Treasurer and for arranging inspections and tests for the Boat Safety Scheme.  He also thanked him and Roni for the photocopying, envelope stuffing and posting of the Newsletters.

COMMODORES ADDRESS 2002

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It only feels like a few weeks ago we were all gathered here for the last AGM. When you think of all the great events we have had over the last few months and all so well attended, it make’s you feel you want more   -   the season is so short.

This is why Ollie’s idea of a weekend away with all your boating friends at the end of January is so good. To blow that Christmas stuffing away a blast of sea air is just what we need to get us all ready for the real fun bit of boating  -  standing in a cold, wet field with a blue paint roller in your hand!;  to have a boat safety examiner tell you that "your gas leaks;  your fuel pipes have the wrong numbers on them, and there's not one cabin on the boat you can safely breathe in; your wiring is more like a cross between a bowl of Spaghetti and a coots nest!, and you must be joking if you think those two buckets of sand will do for Fire extinguishers", as the smoke slowly clears the cabin, following the failed spill test.  "Yes, two sugars in tea thanks", he says, as he fills out a failure notice!

But not long after all that, your boat is back in the water, the sun comes out, and you just know it’s the best family hobby in the world.

We have a video which Nigel Stanton (Anatolia) has made of all the club events held during the season which will be shown as we have our meals. You will have the opportunity to order copies after.   (For the benefit of  Members who were unable to attend the Meeting, this is an excellent video and makes a wonderful memento of the year.  Cost is £5 and if you would like to order, please contact Nigel).

Going back to the well-attended club events I have a few observations to make. The events themselves are organised mainly by the committee, but this doesn’t mean the same old faces do all the work.  As some of the most willing helpers are not so young or fit as they were, it gladdens me to see some of the newer members are more than willing to help.

These events are for the fun and enjoyment of all, so I see no reason for turning up at the given time, thoroughly enjoying yourselves, and then first thing in the morning jump on your boat a leave. Yes, I appreciate that sometimes this has to happen due to other commitments, but to be a good club member and part of the family, we need your help, however small, so it will be easier and more fun for all of us.

Still on the subject of club events, Committee members are increasingly receiving complaints about dog mess, and dogs around when food is being eaten.  A few seasons ago, we had signs put up at B-B-Q’s and, following the last Committee meeting, it has been decided to reintroduce this. Dogs must be on leads around food and, whereas it is appreciated that our events take place on public land and other dogs may use it, any mess members dogs leave on the field should be cleared up by their owners, which I know is already done by the majority of our responsible dog lovers.  Please can we have your co-operation on this matter?

Now on a much lighter subject, the Committee approached Alan, the new Landlord of the Swan, to see if he would accept the position of Vice President  -  the landlord has traditionally held an honorary position in the club. I am so glad to say he has accepted and the club looks forward to a long and friendly relationship.  Alan & Linda are here with us tonight, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.

As you may know, we have a new Treasurer (George Jarman - Just Julie), so I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bob Taylor (known by the rest of the Committee as the Jack Benny of boating) for looking after the clubs finances so well. Thank you Bob, you have done a fantastic job, and may I wish George the very best of luck;  you have a hard act to follow!

How about that donation to Sobell House!  Seven hundred pounds!  You are so very generous, give yourselves a big hand.

On the subject of charities, the Club has been approached by numerous good and deserving causes; some supported by our membership.  The Committee position at the moment is that we support two charities:  the RLNI, (as we have done from the very first AGM) and Sobell House Hospice.   Sobell House came about because when we approached Chris Jones, the landowner at Eynsham, regarding a site for a club B-B-Q and the cost of mooring fees, Chris said he would like the fees to go to his preferred charity, which was Sobell House. 

Next season will see the Club's "coming of age".  First formed in 1985 we will be celebrating the clubs eighteenth birthday. I think you can safely assume that something special will be planned  - hopefully with a big Birthday cake.  Any ideas?  If so, please pass them on to a Committee member.

In closing, I have enjoyed my first year as Commodore; I thank the Committee, and club members for all their help. A big thank you From Ann and me.

                                                               

Election of Officers/Committee

                        Bob Ward was proposed to serve as Secretary for 3 years by Paul Hayes (Mr. Pimms), seconded by Steve Hatter (Tempted), carried unanimously.

George Jarman was proposed as Treasurer by Tom Richardson (Bilbo

Baggins Too), seconded by Olivia Stanton (Anatolia), carried unanimously.

Committee members standing for re-election:

1)   Carol Graham  -  proposed by Ann Brown (Wild Thyme), seconded by Vera Lazarus (Stealing Time), and carried.

2)   John Douse  -  proposed by Phil Brown (Wild Thyme), seconded by Peter Bird (2^nd Chance), and carried.

3)   Gary Woolmer  -  proposed by Bill Order (Juslovitt), seconded by  Lynn White (Risky Business), and carried.

New Committee Members standing for election:

1)   Paul Hayes (Mr. Pimms)  -  proposed by Ann Maisey, seconded by Chris Gingell (Low Flier), and carried.

2)   Alan Hill (Andante III)  -  proposed by John Douse (Pegasus VI), seconded by John Jones (Ateala), and carried.

Proposals:

                        Dennis Hill proposed that the Club Constitution, Item 9, Signing Powers, be amended to read "Cheques may only be drawn against the S(R)CC account when signed by any two of the following officers:  Treasurer, Secretary and either the Commodore or Vice-Commodore" …..   The proposal was seconded by Tom Richardson (Bilbo Baggins Too) and carried unanimously.

Any Other Business:

            1)            Paul Hayes expressed his pleasure at the big improvements that had been made to all the overhanging trees, but pointed out the increasing problems of river shallows and the growing number of buoys as a result.  Adrian Swift of the EA informed the Meeting that "the dredger had been found and repaired and was ready for action".   The first 3 places in the upper reaches to receive attention would be the weir pool at St. Johns, the buoyed sandbank between Radcot Lock and Rushey, and also the sandbank above Rushey Lock.

                        The issue of the increasing numbers of narrow boats was also raised and Adrian was asked if this would result in increased facilities.  He confirmed that discussions were in progress and some improvements already in the pipeline.

                        Ted Strange (Blue Iris) commented that the 24 hour public moorings at Lechlade were always full of the Riverside Marina hire boats and unavailable for public use.  Adrian promised to look into this.

                        The problem of fishermen using roach poles which extended, in some places, over more than 2/3rds of the river was raised by John Jones (Ateala).  It was suggested that Alan Graham (Captain Toad) our representative at RUGS should raise this at their next meeting.

                        The Committee and members thanked Adrian for his input.

            2)            Bob Ward mentioned the charity boat trip which had been cancelled due to a change of organisers, and informed the Meeting that we were now planning another charity boat trip this time for "Seesaw" which helped young children come to terms with bereavement.  Would volunteers contact Bob Ward.

            3)            The Club was informed of the sad news that Norman Order (Lillian Rose), a long standing member, had suffered a serious heart attack and was on life support.  The Club extended its best wishes to Norman and his family.

                        (Since the Meeting we have learnt that Norman has regrettably died.  His funeral will take place at 2 p.m. on Thursday, 19^th September at  Swindon Crematorium).

            4)            Dennis Hill raised the issue of high winds on crane out day.  It was possible that if the wind was bad enough the crane driver would not be able to carry out the lifting and the Club would still be liable for the cost of hire of the 2 cranes for a day, approx. £1,500.  We are unable to insure against this as it is considered "an act of God".   We will, therefore, have to make the decision whether or not to cancel the day before and any Members being craned out this year are asked to telephone either Bob Ward or Dennis Hill on this day for confirmation that crane out will be going ahead.

            5)            Quiz:  As most members will already be aware, Chris and Heather Winter (Heclantis) write the clues for our Quizzes.  If there were sufficient people who would be interested in a quiz based on music questions only, they would be happy to arrange one for sometime in February. 

Cock-up of the Year Award:

            Dennis Hill briefly went through the entries that had made their way into                                  

"Jill's little notebook" and then showed the Members the new (and very apt) award.  The winner this year was Colin Fisher (Gypsy Princess) whose Seagull outboard engine was too long and tangled in all the weeds when in use on his dinghy.  He knew that Seagull outboards could be shortened  - so he did.  Unfortunately, his measurements must have gone wrong somewhere as, when he put it back on his dinghy, the propeller no longer reached the water!!

Ed Maisey once again thanked everyone for attending and the Meeting was closed at 6.15 p.m.

Following the meeting and Nigel's Video, the remainder of the evening was taken up with Sue Johnstone once again trying to teach us all to line dance. As you can see from some of the pictures, some of us found it a little too much for our alcohol addled brains