Annual General Meeting

Annual General Meeting

The One-hundred and sixteenth Annual General Meeting of the Club was held at the Club Centre in Aberdeen on Monday 26 March 2018, with Mr Alan Campbell, the Vice-President, in the Chair. The Chairman reported as follows:

The past year has been a challenging year in the annals of the FP Club. Members will know from communications during the year that the already precarious financial position of the Club and Club Centre has been compounded by the termination of the lease of 1 Bayview Road, with the consequent loss of an annual income of £27,000 which had been shared equally between the Club Centre and the FP Club. The Executive Committee considered all the options available and concluded that the only viable option was to market 86 Queens Road and 1 Bayview Road. This was a step which was taken with the greatest regret, as the Club Centre has been a focus for the Sports Sections and Club generally for nigh on 50 years. A number of us in this room this evening were very active in the concept and opening of the Club Centre. The management of the Club Centre have done an excellent job in really difficult circumstances and have been innovative and hard-working, but changing social habits have made the operation of social clubs such as ours an unviable proposition.

The Executive have taken extensive independent professional advice on how best to market the site, bearing in mind the condition of the property market in Aberdeen following the oil and gas recession. The property has now been on the market since the beginning of February and if the Executive Committee consider that an acceptable offer has been received then a Special General Meeting of the FP Club will be called to consider their recommendation before a decision to sell is taken. I should point out that it will be a condition of any possible sale that the Club Centre will continue to operate at No 86 until the end of the rugby season 2018/2019.

On a more cheerful note the Canadian Centre continues to set an excellent example and during the year made a presentation to The School of £2750 to be used for facilities in the newly refurbished library. The presentation was made by our President, Gillian Thomas who is, of course, a long-serving office bearer of that Centre. The School greatly appreciate the support and funding from the FP Club and a future meeting of the Executive will be held in the new library and will hear from the Head Teacher.

This is the first year of the innovation of having a President Elect of the FP Club and I am delighted to say that the nomination is of Iain Hopkin –also known as Hoppy – who is well known and respected for his support of FP matters.

In conclusion I would like to extend my thanks to those who, through hard work and commitment, give us the various activities both sporting and social which make The Club. In particular may I refer to the Annual Dinner, which we 47

thoroughly enjoyed on Friday, and The Magazine, which is a highlight of the year. Many thanks on your behalf to Neil and Brian and, indeed, to all those who give freely of their time and talents.

General Business Section Reports

Reports were submitted by representatives of the various Sections and of the Club Centre, and similar Reports appear elsewhere in this Magazine.

Accounts and Treasurer’s Report

The 2017 Accounts (reproduced at the end of this Magazine) showing a surplus of £9,847 were submitted and approved. The Treasurer stressed how dependent the Club remained on the generosity of members who had responded positively to the Appeal made in late 2016. Attention was once again drawn to the consequences of supporting the Club Centre while it is under pressure, although it was pleasing to record that the Centre had again shown a profit in 2017.

Election of Office-Bearers

A proposal carried forward from the previous AGM that a President-Elect be identified who would succeed to the Presidency a year later was adopted and Iain Hopkin was elected as the first holder of this office. Other officials were elected in accordance with the list published elsewhere in this Magazine.

Auditors

Messrs. Bower & Smith, CA, were unanimously re-appointed Auditors of the Club and Section Accounts for the coming year.

In closing the meeting, the Chairman again expressed his thanks to the members of the Executive and of the Club Centre Committee and all those others who have given their time to support the Club’s activities.

Former Pupils’ Club A.G.M.

In terms of the Constitution, the Annual General Meeting is held on the last Monday in March.

The 2019 A.G.M. will therefore be held on Monday, 25 March at 7.30 p.m. in the Club Centre, 86 Queen’s Road, Aberdeen