Club Office-Bearers 2019-20

Club Centre Committee

DAVID LEIGHTON – Chairman CHRIS CLELLAND – Secretary

COLIN BROWN – Treasurer BEN JOHNSON – Membership Secretary

S.A.C. ESSON, J. LAWSON, K. McDONALD, J.C.A. MICHIE, D.G. MOIR, G. MORRISON, H.E. MORRISON, H. SMITH, G. THOMSON, L. TOMKINS

Club Consuls

Australia – JIM W. HOWISON (1937-50), 98A Hull Road, West Pennant Hills, New South Wales 2125, Australia, E-mail: howison@tech2u.com.au Tel. 00 61-2-9875-1296

Australia – Dr. FORBES J. SMITH (1945-57), 242 Main Creek Road, Main Ridge, Victoria, 3928, Australia E-mail: forbessmith@alphalink.com.au Tel. 0061-3-5989-6234

Canada – GORDON B. SINGER (1949-50), 2421 Erlton Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2S 2V9 E-mail: singsing@shaw.ca ; Tel. 00 1-403-266-6448

Canada – DAVID R. AULD (1947-61), 2187 Lafayette Street, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8S 2P2 E-mail: davidauld@shaw.ca ; Tel. 001-250-595-0616

Corsica – IAIN WARES (1941-52), Via G.M. Angioy 34, Cagliari 09124, Sardinia, Italy. Tel. 0039-070-652508

Hong Kong – MARSHALL H. BYRES (1960-69), 2A Hatton House, 15 Kotewall Road, Hong Kong E-mail: marshall.byres@hk.ev.com ; Tel. 00852-2846-9878

Ireland – ANDREW M.M. STEVEN (1936-50), 5 Beechhill Avenue, Saintfield Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT8 6NS. Tel. 028-9070-2315.

Thailand – Prof. ALASTAIR M. NORTH (1937-50), 79/78 Soi 7/1 Mooban Tararom, Ramkhamhaeng Road Soi 150, Saphan Soong, Bangkok 10240, Thailand E-mail: amnorth@ksc.th.com ; Tel. 0066-2-373-2818

United States – MICHAEL G. KING (1951-60), 806 Northpointe Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103-3346 USA E-mail: michaelking806@comcast.net Tel. 1-801-363-3097

Annual General Meeting

Former Pupils’ Section The One-hundred and sixteenth Annual General Meeting of the Club was held at the Club Centre in Aberdeen on Monday 25 March 2019, with Mr Alan Campbell, the Vice-President, in the Chair. The Chairman reported as follows:

The past year saw the unusual occurrence of a Special General Meeting on 2 July 2018. A proposition from the Executive Committee was put to the membership at that meeting that a conditional offer to purchase the Club Centre property at 86 Queen's Road and 1 Bayview Road be accepted. As previously reported this step had been taken with great regret as the Club Centre had been a focus for Club and Sports sections for nearly half a century but changing circumstances had made its continuing operation financially unviable. It was noted that the financial position of the FP Club and Club Centre was only being sustained at the present time through the generosity of individual FPs who had made interest-free loans available.

The essence of the offer to purchase was that the developers obtain planning permission for a care home with 55 residential units in terms acceptable to the developers. It was reported that discussions were on-going with the planning department of Aberdeen City Council but that no conclusion had been arrived at although the developers had until the end of August 2019 to submit a detailed planning application.

It was also reported that the costs incurred for maintaining 1 Bayview Road were extremely high and steps would require to be taken to reduce costs compatible with a proposed sale.

The Sub Committee of The Executive had identified The Sportsmans Club as a possible and acceptable alternative venue for Club and Sports activities. Productive discussions with that Club had taken place but nothing would be triggered re membership transferring etc until the Club Centre was no longer trading.

In relation to the Luther Smith Bequest a sum of £514,000 was in a separate account in the FP bank. Discussions were taking place with the School about how best to organise a new way of introducing golf in school such that the objective and ethos of the legacy were met.

The School had received a truly outstanding report from the inspectorate and were the envy of secondary schools the length and breadth of the land. Special commendation had gone to Alison Murison and her senior team for leadership, culture and enthusiasm.

The Chairman offered the Club's appreciation to Gillian Thomas who had just served an unprecedented two year term as President during which time, in pursuit of FP Club business, she had travelled something of the order of 100,000km from her base in Calgary entirely at her own expense. She was presented with the traditional Quaich with the Club's gratitude and affection.