march 2009 - Fitzwilliam College - University of Cambridge

Held in the Trust Room, Fitzwilliam College at 4.45pm
on Saturday 27 September 2008
The chair was taken by the President, Dinesh Dhamija,
having been taken in his unavoidable absence for the
initial items by Geoff Harrison as the senior Vice-
President at the meeting.
Others present were Professor Robert Lethbridge,
Master, John Adams, Peter Bates, the Rev Anthony
Brown, Jonathan Bryant, Dr John Cleaver, Dr Gerald
Coles, John Creasey, Alan Edward, John Gamlin,
Geoff Harrison, Dr Tim Johnson, Jack Lassman,
Garth Lancaster, Ron Lorimer, James MacQuhae,
Ken Olisa, Nicky Padfield, John Pearman, Noel Pilling,
Christopher Pratt, Jeremy Prescott, Iain Reid, Peter
Sanderson, John Sertin and Brian Wicks.
Apologies were received from Professor Alan Cuthbert,
Sarah Asplin, Dr Ray Kelly and Chris Rann.
Secretary’s Report
Jeremy Prescott reported as follows. In February,
the College President (Dr Michael Potter) hosted the
Society’s London Drinks Party, this year at the Pitcher
& Piano near Trafalgar Square. Again it was a wellattended
evening.
At the London Dinner in May, we enjoyed the usual
wonderful evening, with good food and wine (the
red wine again a gift from Graham Nutter’s vineyard,
Chateau St Jacques d’Albas) and fine speeches.
Attendance was slightly down on recent years, which
we attribute to holding the dinner on a Friday evening -
it will be held on a Thursday next year.
We congratulate and thank John Cleaver for another
magnificent issue of the Journal. 7,400 copies were
distributed to members (2007, 7,100).
As usual your committee has met twice in the year, in
May and yesterday. The meetings resolve any points
regarding the year’s programme and other Society
matters.
This Reunion is again a superb and well attended event
– with a record guest list of 424 (2007, 386) including
196 (2007, 170) from invited years, and with a total
attendance including student performers and sports
players participating in Reunion events of over 500.
Our congratulations and thanks go to the Master and
Fellows, to the Development Office team who make
the arrangements, and to all College staff. We enjoy
magnificent hospitality in surroundings for which
the gardeners in particular are to be commended.
We thank our President for a splendid year in office.
The next few years will be dominated by the College’s
150th Anniversary Appeal. The Committee has heartily
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
endorsed the Appeal on behalf of members. As marks
of its support for the Appeal, the Fitzwilliam Society
Trust (which was the charitable arm of the Society) has
recently transferred all its assets – some £200,000 – to
the College, and the Committee proposed that the
Society itself donate £10,000 to the Appeal.
Treasurer’s Report
Jeremy Prescott reported that the Society had achieved
a surplus of some £1,800 for the Society’s financial
year to 31 July 2008, compared to £1,900 in the
previous year.
Subscription monies received from current members
of the College were up by some £500, nearly matching
the increased cost of printing and distributing the
Fitzwilliam Journal to members, for which the cost
per copy was broadly unchanged. The Journal is funded
on a ‘pay as you go’ basis, with subscriptions from
current members of the College funding the costs for
current and past members, and the overall surplus will
therefore fall over the next few years unless the level
of life subscription fees (currently £63) is increased.
The London dinner achieved a surplus of some £200.
We budget to break even on this event, and the surplus
reflected the generous donation again of wine by
Graham Nutter.
The assets of the Society at 31 July 2008 were £31,167.
These are lent interest-free to the College to the benefit
of the Fitzwilliam Society Trust fund at the College,
income from which supports a range of student and
research activities.
He concluded by thanking the Hon Auditors for their
work.
Report from Fitzwilliam Society Trust Limited
John Adams reported that the assets of the Company,
totalling £203,133, have now been transferred to the
Fitzwilliam Society Trust fund at the College in support
of the College’s 150th Anniversary Appeal. Income
from that fund will be used to make similar grants in
future. The Company is now being wound up.
In the year to 5 April 2008, grants totalling £9,922
had been made by the Trust (2007, £8,533), the major
items being Research Awards totalling £4,652, Milner
Watson music and drama awards totalling £2,500,
a grant to the Fitzwilliam Chamber Opera of £1,200,
and a grant to the College Library of £750.
Election of officers and committee members
The following proposals were agreed unanimously:
• Graham Nutter be President for the year 2009–10
• The officers be re-elected
• The three retiring committee members, Sarah Asplin,
Nicky Padfield and Chris Rann be re-elected.
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