The AGM from a French Perspective

From left to right: Mathias Ferber, Florence Bury, Asako Tamaki, Avril Quarrie, Raphaëlle Orgeret, Corentin Lefèvre

This year Paris Branch were looking for a delegate to attend the 87th AGM of the RSCDS in Perth. Mathias, the Paris delegate, was able to convince Corentin, Paris Branch Board member, to join the adventure. We landed at Edinburgh Airport on the Friday night and decided to hire a car. Driving for the first time on the left, in the dark, and in the rain, was our first introduction to this most exotic weekend. We arrived just in time for the Friday evening dance, a perfect way to get into the mood for dancing, thanks to Marian Anderson and her Scottish Dance Band. So far, it was the largest social dancing event we had ever attended. On Saturday morning, the weather was cold and … beautiful! We met with our many friends from the UK for lunch, all of them young delegates with a lot of experience. They gave us interesting warnings about the AGM meeting. In a sentence: “it will be long!”. The AGM started, and we were separated. Mathias was sitting with all the delegates, while Corentin, free from all duties, was sitting at the side, watching carefully. After a VERY formal opening, which was surprising to our French habits. (It was, after all, the first time ever we were welcomed by the message of an actual Queen), we found the meeting very enlightening. Corentin did not miss any part of the financial report: did you know that the annual budget of the RSCDS is as high as £850,000? Two other highlights were the nomination of the new chairman, Helen Russell, and the award of Scrolls of Honour to distinguished members of the Society. We were very pleased to learn that one was awarded to Avril and David Quarrie, two very dear friends who mean a lot to us. For the first time this year, the AGM was broadcast on social media, which allowed several of our members from Paris to follow the event live. Corentin was of course texting all the missing details to them. Meanwhile, Mathias, safely installed between Rachel Shankland and Fiona Mackie, was very efficiently encouraged by good advice and a supply of sweets! We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the city centre, and were delighted to spend some time in Perth Art Gallery. Finally came the highlight of the weekend, the AGM ball. A fantastic evening with Jim Lindsay and his Scottish Dance Band. The crowd was even larger! We had never seen so many people on the dance floor, and counting the sets to the bottom took quite a long time. Overall, how did we enjoy our weekend in Perth? It was an overwhelming time spent with so many great friends from everywhere! Dancing here was amazing thanks to the excellent level, beautiful music, and nice atmosphere. You all may enjoy joining the AGM next year, but make sure you tell your friends that you are coming, otherwise you might not see them throughout the whole weekend. And the AGM itself? Well, it was one of the shortest in history! Mathias Ferber and Corentin Lefèvre