Downing 2010 cover opt b_Layout 1 - Downing College - University ...

DOWNING COLLEGE ASSOCIATIONVALETEThis year I have decided to hang up my editorial andsecretarial boots with the intention that a youngerperson will bring fresh thoughts for the Association. Ihand over with confidence to my successor, BarrieHunt (1966), whose experience in the University ofCambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (operatingas Cambridge Assessment) and other educational postswill, I am sure, lead him to test, examine and improvethe Association.Coincidentally John Hall (1955) will be retiring as Assistant Secretary thisyear; he was already in that post before I became Secretary. John and I wereundergraduates together; he has been of great assistance not only in compilingthe Newsletter but as Minutes Secretary to the Executive Committee as well asin the annual stocktaking before the merchandise range was expanded. I wouldlike to thank him for the great help he has given me in all three areas.My role started at an Association event some twelve or more years ago whenmy predecessor, the late Colin Hill, said to me“You are retired aren’t you?”“No, why?” I replied.“Would you like to take over from me as Honorary Secretary and Editor?”.Colin was a man whose requests one just didn’t peremptorily refuse so after ashort time for reflection I agreed. I was then running my practice as a one manconsultant engineer but I allocated part of many Monday afternoons to the jobin College. As my retirement from my professional activities later graduallyproceeded I was able to spend more time in College.In my early days the Association was a fairly passive organisation but in a fewyears time we were to have a succession of energetic Presidents supported bylike minded people on the Executive Committee who saw that we could play awider role in the life of the College, in particular by offering an expandedfinancial support scheme to students. Until then we had distributed about£1000 annually to undergraduates for books and other “educational media”,the latter turned out to be mainly model making materials for architecturalstudents and a few law books. Our income was mainly from members’subscriptions and the sales of a few rather sad prints of the College. The newdeal was to identify products, identified with the College, which we would sellto a wider set of customers. So we sold table mats, wine coasters, mug mats andbathrobes. Peter Thomson, then Treasurer, used his business experience toassess the Association’s financial reserves in terms of need and was able to addto the fund which at the same time he separated from the subscription income42