Apothercary 2016

Livery Committee Chairman’s Report
2015-2016
Last year’s report was the valedictory report of my
predecessor, Simon Bailey, who served as Chairman
with such distinction. I personally owe him a huge debt
of gratitude which I acknowledge now and I thank him
for his thoughtful and hardworking stewardship of the
previous three years.
The work of the Livery Committee continues as
before, with an interesting programme of events,
varying in location, diversity and length.
Space limitations prevent anything but the barest
bones of individual reports on events, but to continue
the narrative from where Simon’s report finished, our
Secretary, Jane Carey-Harris organised a tour of East
Malling Research Centre and Bradbourne House in
September 2015. Two guides related their talks to the
Society. In October, Chris Khoo and Simon Bailey
organised a visit by Bampton Opera to the Hall for a
lively and engaging performance of Joseph Haydn’s
opera “Lo Speziale”, (The Apothecary ). The two had
just returned from the Livery Committee’s annual
“away trip”, which they had organised, to the
Peloponnese. 32 travellers enjoyed a week visiting the
majority of the most famous sites of the region including
Nafplio, Salamis, Corinth, Mycenae, Epidauros, Tiryns,
Sparta, Mistras, Olympia and Delphi. October
concluded with a visit organised by Ibby Ibrahim to the
annual Regent Street Motor Show.
In November, Brian Matthews and Alan Collett
organised a visit to Spencer House, restored by Lord
Rothschild to one of London’s most splendid residences.
The visit concluded with lunch at the nearby Mark
Mason’s Hall. Later that month, John Harcup organised
the annual UK “away trip”, this time to Bath for two
nights. The packed programme included tours of the
city, the Roman baths, the Pump Room and new
thermal spa, the Royal Mineral Water Hospital and the
Old Theatre Hall, rounded off by seeing a production of
An Inspector calls. The final visit in November,
organised by Judith Dixon and Vanessa Jenkins, was to
the Parliamentary Archives in the Houses of Parliament.
Two groups were given escorted tours of the Well and
Original Act Room. The Apothecaries Act of 1815 and
other relevant documents had been specially prepared
for the visit.
In December we had our AGM when I had the
honour and privilege to be elected Chairman for the
next three years. Eight members of the Committee were
due to rotate off, another resigned for personal reasons
and yet another changed roles. Our current Master had
relinquished his position as our long term Treasurer
earlier in the year to become Senior Warden. I thank him
for the tremendous amount of work he has put in over
about nine years, in getting and keeping our accounts in
such good order before handing over to Harry Crook
(an appropriate name for a treasurer perhaps?). Celia
Palmer, due to rotate off the Committee anyway,
became Mistress before the year end, having
contributed massively to the activities of the Livery
Committee as did Ibby Ibrahim, Tony Taylor and David
Verity. Others were later co-opted back onto the
Committee following vacancies after the elections. We
therefore started 2016 with a very strong Committee
consisting of new blood and experienced “old” hands –
an ideal situation. As ever, our annual Carol Service
followed by supper, organised this time by Nicholas
Cambridge, rounded off a busy year.
The events of 2016 started in mid-January with a
wonderful four day trip to Venice for 24 Apothecaries
and partners organised by Celia Palmer. Entitled
“Music and Medicine”, the group enjoyed visits to sites
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