Centurions 1911 Annual General Meeting 2013 Held at the Union Jack Club, Gascoigne Room, Sandell Street, London SW1 8UJ at 1 pm on Saturday, 26th January 2013 Minutes Present: Dave Ainsworth C.540, Mick Barnbrook C.661, Richard Brown C.760, Sandra Brown C.735, Sue Clements C.950, Kathy Crilley C.933, Bob Dobson C.786, J. Errington C.693, Pam Ficken C.934, Martin Fisher C.788, Chris Flint C.849, Eric Horwill C.390, Steve Kemp C.1075, Ken Livermore C.386, Alan O Rawe C.791, Sean Pender C.1067, Ann Sayer C.599, Ian Statter C.968, Jack Thomas C.606, Ron Wallwork C.893, Bob Watts C.838, Ken Watts C.859, Tony Perkins C.685, Suzanne Beardsmore C.1094, Angela Alstrachen C.1095, Norman Smith C976, Danny Long C.877, George Beecham C.716, Bill Sutherland C.890, David Watson C.881, David Neagle C.527 and Pauline Wilson C.798. Welcome. 1. The President, Carl Lawton C.750, had sent a message explaining that regrettably he is unable to attend due to illness and wished the AGM all success. The Hon. Secretary, Chris Flint C.849, welcomed Centurions to the AGM. In accordance with tradition he invited the lowest numbered Centurion present to chair the meeting and Eric Horwill C.390 accepted the invitation [Ken Livermore C.386 having declined]. 2. Period of silence The Hon. Secretary announced the names of Centurions recently deceased, as follows: Philip Malins C209 Brian Scrivens C337 John Kelly C376 Theo Janssen C571, and Dy Bullard (nee Pegg) C608. Eric read a tribute to Philip Malins C.209 which had appeared in the Midlands Masters newsletter and obituaries had also appeared in The Times and the Daily Telegraph, and in 2003 he had received the Japan Society award for his post-war Anglo-Japanese reconciliation work. D. Ainsworth C540 mentioned that Major Malins had attended the Centurions 95th Reunion Dinner and Kathy Crilley C933 told how he had written to say how much he would have loved to attend the 100th Anniversary dinner but was unable to travel. Eric read a tribute to Brian Scrivens C.337, described as a man of courage and determination in the face of adversity. Dave Ainsworth paid tribute to John Kelly C376 who had became a Centurion in 1965 at Chigwell and subsequently achieved Olympian status (Mexico 1968), one of only a handful of Centurions to do so. Piet Janssen had sent a note to say that the CVN had attended the funeral of Dutchman Theo Jansen C571 who became a Centurion in 1975 at Ewhurst. Ann Sayer paid tribute to Dy Bullard C.608. They had both qualified as Centurions in the Bristol 100 in 1977, Ann in 20.37.14 and Dy in 22.05.30 to become the first female Centurions.
All present stood in memory of these Centurions who had made a significant impact on long distance race walking. 3. News of Centurions Steve Kemp C.1075 paid tribute to the many Centurions who had contributed to the overall success of the Olympics; Pam Ficken congratulated Dave Ainsworth C.540 on his election as a Life Member of the RWA; and Steve King C492 was congratulated on his election to the Hall of Fame in British Colombia, Canada. 4. Apologies for Absence. See attached list 5. Election of new Centurions The Hon. Secretary said the highlight of the AGM is the election to the Brotherhood/Sisterhood of newly qualified Centurions and that 8 competitors had achieved this at the Colchester 100, namely: Dominic King C.1098 in 18.13.11 Guido Vermeir C.1099 in 20.20.24 Dan King C.1100 in 20.51.59 Jantinus Meints C.1101 in 21.08.23 Steve Allen C.1102 in 22.08.57 Karen Ann Lawrie C.1103 in 22.23.40 Willem van Nieuwenhuyzen C.1104 in 23.02.57 Luc Soetewey C.1105 in 23.10.55 Unfortunately none were able to attend and in their absence all were proposed by C. Flint C.849 to be elected as Centurions and seconded by Richard Brown C.760. They were elected unanimously and their certificates would be forwarded to them individually. It was acknowledged that all had achieved exceptionally good performances. 6. Election of Officers and Committee Election of President The President, Carl Lawton C.750, had decided to stand down due to illness and the opportunity was taken by the committee to widen the election process by asking for nominations for the post of President. A strong response via email (around 50%) necessitated a ballot held at the meeting resulting in Ann Sayer C.599 being elected as President. Captain Sandra Brown was re-elected as Captain (nominated by Sue Clements C.959 and seconded by Martin Fisher C.788) Hon. Treasurer - No nominations had been received. Bob Dobson C.786 proposed Richard Brown for the post, seconded by Kathy Crilley. All present voted in favour. Merchandising Officer - No nominations had been received Ian Statter C.968 decided to stand down from this post after a number of years. The Hon. Secretary said this was is an important position as merchandise sales provide a steady income to the Centurions, and if no-one is willing to take on the office he would do so pro tem in addition to his other roles. He was nominated by Richard Brown and seconded by Pam Ficken. C. Flint was duly elected as Merchandising Officer. Committee The Hon. Secretary told the meeting that he would like to keep the Committee small; Ron Wallwork C.893 pointed out that traditionally any Centurion could attend and it is agreed that any Centurion is welcome to attend the Committee meetings. It was proposed by Pauline Wilson C.798 and seconded by Steve Kemp C. 1075 that the current Committee should be re-elected en bloc, and agreed. Archivist - No nominations had been received
In the absence of nominations for the post the Hon. Secretary asked Bob Watts C.838 if he wished to take up this post again. Bob declined as he is heavily engaged in British Legion affairs and regrettably would not have the time to devote his attention to our archives. It was agreed there should be a specific point of contact on the Committee who could look after the archives. Kathy Crilley C.933 volunteered as did Sue Clements C.950. In a show of hands Sue Clements was duly elected. It was explained by the Captain that the Centurion archives are now housed at the Surrey History Centre in Woking and that the Committee wishes to build on this arrangement as the Centurions memorabilia is carefully stored and indexed, and available to be viewed on application. Now that this safe storage has been agreed it is hoped that Centurions would be prepared to allow press cuttings, photographs, programmes, etc of 100 mile/24 hour events to be archived. Recently, George Beecham C.716 had donated a number of items dating back to 1951 and Chris encouraged others to do the same. Bob Watts commented that the material at Woking is not immediately accessible. This was noted. Dave Ainsworth C.540 proposed a vote of thanks to Carl Lawton who was standing down as President and also to Hans Rennie C.915 standing down as Hon. Treasurer. Both had made a significant contribution to the ongoing success of the Centurions, and Hans had done an excellent job in reconciling the accounts. Seconded by Mick Barnbrook C.661. All present wholeheartedly agreed that both had been influential officers of the Centurions and thanked them for their commitment. 7. Minutes of last AGM (28 January 2012) The Minutes were read and some minor corrections made, and the Hon. Secretary apologized for omitting Norman Smith C.976 and George Beecham C.716 from the list of attendees. It was proposed by Ron Wallwork C.893 and seconded by Pam Ficken C.934 that the Minutes should be accepted as an accurate record and agreed. Signed by the chairman in the absence of the President. 8. Matters Arising None 9. Hon. Secretary s Report (Chris Flint) Chris read his report and was thanked by Eric Horwill. The report was accepted unanimously. (A copy is available through the Hon. Secretary) 10. Hon. Treasurer s Report including Merchandising Accounts (presented by the Hon. Secretary) Hans Rennie had prepared a written report in which he apologized for the absence of detailed accounts. He explained that there had been acute difficulties in reconciling accounts submitted by the Merchandise Officer and consequently the figures that the Treasurer produced were to be treated as information only - not as an accurate and audited report. The Hon. Secretary commented that he had been aware of the difficulties and much effort had gone into establishing a working relationship between the Hon Treasurer and the Merchandise Officer. The Hon. Auditor was aware of the situation and had made a strong plea for the situation to be regularized quickly. This view was endorsed by the AGM which whilst acknowledging the situation expected a full set of accounts to be available at the next AGM. Merchandising accounts - report (Ian Statter) Whilst 2012 was a good year, it was actually down on 2011 with a net income of 209.00. He explained that he had been trying to build up stock. The chairman thanked Ian and asked that his accounts should be reconciled with the Treasurer s accounts as soon as possible. It was agreed that Ian Statter would liaise with the Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer over the next few weeks.
11. Motion by Sandra Brown C.735 (seconded by Martin Fisher C.788) "Those elected to the positions of President and Captain of Centurions should not generally serve for more than three consecutive years. Nominations for these positions as with other posts would continue to be invited annually, and elections would be held annually, as required. Sandra explained that the motion is designed to bring in new people and talents to these important posts, and whilst former holders of such posts had held them with distinction over a number of years there was now a mood that the process should become more open and give others the opportunity to lead the Centurions by limiting these terms of office. The Motion was opened for discussion. Bob Watts C.838 said he had reservations about a nomination for President every year as this could undermine trust in the President. It was agreed that the Motion would not stop the President or Captain from being re-elected again after 3 years. Ann Sayer said that after 3 years in the post it should be time to relinquish it to another Centurion. After a vote: 30 in favour, 1 against and 1 abstention. The motion was carried. 12. Reports 12.1 Colchester -Sandra Brown C.735 Sandra thanked Carl, Ann and Pam for their work at the 24 hour race, and also thanked Chris Flint and Kathy Crilley for organising the event which overall had been a successful one held with the support and patronage of Colchester Harriers AC. She also recognized the hard work of those who had marshalled, judged and supported the race throughout the 24 hours. The race had seen eight participants qualify as new Centurions. The Dutch RWV (Rotterdam) won the team race. 12.2 Diamond Jubilee Walk - Kathy Crilley C.933 The first Centurions Social walk was held in July 2012 - just a couple of weeks before the start of the London Olympics. This had presented a few problems as the route had be to changed several times due to diversions near the Olympic Park and other Olympic venues. 21 Centurions and friends turned up on a dry and sunny day to enjoy the 65 kilometre walk. Details and report can be found on the Centurion s website. Sandra reported that there would be another social walk taking place in June 2013 and the route would be Bristol to Bath. Details would follow in a future Captain s Letter and on the website. These social walks are an opportunity for Centurions to meet informally and walk together. All are encouraged to participate. 12.3 Enfield & Haringey AC Centurions League - Ron Wallwork Through his organisation of the Enfield League races, Ron had celebrated the participation of Centurions in these short events during the Centenary year. He had arranged for the presentation of a memento (a lead Centurion) to each Centurion which had been greatly appreciated. Pam Ficken said she has sold many Handbooks at the League events which are popular, and Chris Flint thanked Ron for giving Centurions a high profile at the races. 12.4 Centurion Handbook and sales- Sue Clements During the year 135 copies had been sold; 379 copies remained in stock. The publishing costs had been 1500.00 therefore it only needs to sell a further 15 to break even. Chris Flint asked Sue to distribute any amendments and updates from 2010, and the chairman asked everyone to send any updates to Sue Clements. 12.5 Centurions Website - Kathy Crilley C.933 The website continues to inform and communicate with fellow Centurions around the world. It is important that so many more Centurions are now connected to the Internet and email. In December, there was a significant increase in the number of Christmas letters sent out by email and copies were published on our website. Similarly many of our events have been publicised on the website such as the July social walk, the
Colchester 100 miles, as well as this AGM. Kathy commented that sadly not much material is sent in by Centurions - what is received is mostly from Essex Walker courtesy of Dave Ainsworth. It is strange that some Centurions send their reports to the Australian Centurions and not to their own Centurions. There are plans for additional material to be added to the archive section which will include short histories of the most famous races which Centurions have taken part in. This will complement other historical material including old photos and also footage published on You Tube and other social media channels. Kathy asked that if anyone has anything that could be published on the website to send it to the webmaster. It was reported that some Centurions material belonging to the recently deceased Brian Scrivens C.337 had been found and would be sent to the Hon. Secretary. 12.6 Job Descriptions - Kathy Crilley C933 In 2011, the Assistant Secretary (Kathy Crilley) was asked by the Committee to produce job descriptions for Officers and Committee members. This was to give some focus and context of the respective roles and responsibilities for existing Committee members, as well as prospective members who would want to know what is involved. The job descriptions were distributed to those present and Steve Kemp said a lot of thought had gone into the compiling of these draft descriptions. 13. Any Other Business 13.1 Chris reported on the Remembrance Day 26 miles walk organised by Norman Smith which had started at Bicester airfield and at one church the walkers attended an open air service in memory of a number of pilots who had died during training in WW2 in the area. The walk was enjoyable and would be repeated. 13.2 Chris further added that the trustees of Brian Scrivens estate are considering a financial contribution to the Centurions which could be put towards a memorial trophy. 13.3 Dave Ainsworth proposed that Kathy Crilley should be elected a Vice President as she had made a major contribution to the Centurions through her works as Assistant Secretary, webmaster and organiser of the July social walk as well as helping the Hon. Secretary organise the 100 mile races. The proposal was seconded by Mick Barnbrook and carried unanimously. Kathy thanked Dave for his kind words. 13.4 Ron suggested that the Committee should record their expenses even if they were not claimed and these should be shown as donations. This would assist in showing just how much it cost to maintain the Brotherhood of Centurions. It was agreed to take this forward to Committee to discuss. 13.5 Future venues were briefly discussed and it was agreed to hold the 2014 AGM outside London. The Hon. Secretary agreed to look for a suitable venue. Finally, the chairman asked the Captain, Sandra Brown, to make a presentation to Ann Sayer of the Presidents chain of office. Ann said she was honoured to follow in the footsteps of Carl Lawton and his predecessors. 14. Date of next meeting The AGM would be held on the last Saturday in January 2014. The Chairman closed the AGM at 5 pm and thanked all those attending for a constructive meeting. Signed.. President Date
Apologies Doug Fotheringham C.373 Tom Tidy C.298 Ken Munro C.370 Peter Addison C.860 Peter Hodkinson C.848 Karen Lawrie C.1103 Colin BradleyC.853 Geoff Fitzgerald C.855 Carl Lawton C.750 Charlie Weston C.584 John Eddershaw C.299 Steve Allen C.1102 Dominic King C.1098 Dan King C.1100 Kevin Marshall C.1001 David Findel-Hawkins C.1056 Alex Ross C.854 Mark Wall C.1069 Steve Till C.768 Ian Garmston C.899 Cath Duhig C.986 Colin Young C.317 Wendy Watson C.1000 Jill Green C.898 Cliff Royle C.148 Guy Goodair C.327 Mark Pickard C.743 Maurice Jones C.697 Bill Lawrence C.872 Richard Vlotman C.529 Hans Rennie C.915 Tony Perkins C.685