THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION –CENTRAL BRITTANY BRANCH Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Le Manoir du Quengo, Rohan on 19th November 2009 Present: Maj Gen Graham Hollands– President Rodney Curtis – Chairman David Ball –Standard Bearer Alan Byron – Secretary Don Dykes – Treasurer & Membership Secretary Barbara Eastwood – Social Secretary Geoffrey Lace – Publicity Officer Kate Curtis – Poppy Appeal Organiser Adele Byron – Welfare Officer Michael Grainger – Chaplain 49 members signed the Attendance form plus the Auditor. 1. David Ball, the Standard Bearer presented the Standard to the President. The Chairman (RC) opened the meeting at 13h00. Michael Grainger, the Chaplain, delivered the Act of Remembrance and made a short prayer 2. Apologies received from Tricia and Michael Nemoz, Sadie Hutchison, Malcolm Dunford, David and Lin Totty, Freda Marshall, Elly and Michael Riley, Stuart Miller, John Whitbread, Pat & Peter Lacey. 3. RC welcomed all members, new and old, and introduced Major General Graham Hollands, Branch President 4.
Matters arising from the Minutes of AGM: None
5.
President's Address: Major General Graham Hollands
My thanks to the Committee for maintaining the dynamic reputation of the Branch and the very hard work they have all done in the previous year. The Jellicoe Shield Award was an indication of the growth of the Branch and it success. It is important to develop even wider networks through an increased membership. These networks should not just be reactive but sufficiently well tuned to identify those needing help before they got too far into difficulty. This is especially important in these difficult times. I note that there is some confusion amongst some members about the role of the President. I explained that I did not run the affairs of
the Branch - that was the job of the Chairman and Committee. My role is to operate in the background and provide advice and guidance where it was appropriate and needed to the Chairman. I also have a responsibility to exercise influence on behalf of the Branch when needed. 6.
Chairman’s Report: Rodney Curtis
Welcome to the 3rd annual general meeting of The Royal British Legion Central Brittany Branch. Many events have happened since our last AGM of which most of you will know about through our website. The highlight of the past year is the winning of the Jellicoe Shield. This is one of the most prestigious awards the British Legion presents. I was delighted to receive it on behalf of the branch at the AGM conference at Eastbourne in May of this year. In July, I was invited to attend the funeral of Harry Patch, in Wells Cathedral Somerset. This was a very moving occasion and one I will never forget. In August, I was asked to arrange a funeral at very short notice for an Ex-Royal Naval Officer. This I did. Michael Grainger our Chaplin conducted the service. On 31st July, our then President, Lt Col Simon Owen, left us to take up his new post in Lille as part of the French Fast reaction force. I am sure we all wish him well for the future. On 1st Aug Major General Graham Hollands took over as our President. He was unanimously voted in at our committee meeting in May. Our President has already helped the branch with advice on matters of importance. I am sure the branch will go forward with his and the committee’s enthusiastic support. All committee members have worked extremely hard throughout the year making this the most successful year for the branch. This is demonstrated by the substantial increase in membership. This branch is recognised to be the most active in France. Over the year our website, which is so well compiled by Geoff our Publicity Officer, has been visited by many people throughout the world. Our Treasurer Don Dykes and Membership Secretary has as usual has been very thorough with our accounts, and also has been very busy with our membership list.
Barbara Eastwood, our Social Secretary, has worked tirelessly setting up functions which have been very successful. It is our proposal to set up a social event for our members who live so far from Rohan. This will start in the New Year at Callac in department 22. Alan Byron, our Secretary has remained helpful in many ways with advice and suggestions. He is also on the welfare committee where, being a Doctor has great advantage for us. Our Standard Bearer, Dave Ball, has had a difficult year with medical problems. I am happy to say that he is now recovering. I am sure we all wish him well. Dave was able to carry out some ceremonies with the French Anciens Combattants that did not involve too much walking. Our Deputy Standard Bearer Ken Hartley had to resign due to an old arm injury. Jimmy Rowe kindly consented to become our Deputy Standard Bearer. This was agreed at a Branch committee meeting. In June the Standard was taken to Normandy for the D-Day Commemorations. Unfortunately due to Dave’s health he was unable to attend. Our Deputy Standard Bearer Jimmy Rowe carried out these duties of which over the three day period there were over twenty ceremonies. By kind invitation of the Wells branch in Somerset, the Standard and Deputy with me and two members went to Belgium for the ceremonies at the Menin Gate at Ypres. This was all part of the memories for our soldiers who died in the First World War. In particular in commemoration of Harry Patch who died in July of this year; he was commonly known as the ‘Last Tommy’. Adele Byron has proved to be an excellent Welfare Officer and has helped people through out the year. This is not an easy role to have on the committee as it involves a lot of time and travelling. Kate Curtis, the Poppy Appeal organizer, has also had a difficult year with her health but is on the road to recovery. I am pleased to say she is now walking much better since her operation on her back. The last two months have been very busy with many requests for Poppies and wreaths. At this point in the proceeding I would like to on behalf of the Branch and committee thank Ann Grainger our Independent Auditor for her support during the year, also Michael our Chaplain.
This Branch is lucky have members who have helped the committee on many occasion. This does not go unnoticed and I wish to say many thanks to them all on behalf of the Branch. Next year our aim is to increase the membership and the Poppy Appeal. In these difficult times we would also like to help as many members and families of the Armed Services as we can. Thank you all for your attention. 7.
Reports of Committee Officers
Treasurer’s Report: Don Dykes We began this financial year with total assets of 2,347.00 euros with a liability of 357.00 euros to be paid to the Branch Poppy Appeal Fund as final proceeds from the Troc et Puces held in October 2008. This has been cleared. Various functions were held which our Social Secretary will tell you about, all of which were self supporting financially. The monthly Social Meetings continued to generate the bulk of our fundraising activities from the Raffle, Sale of DVDs, Books, etc. The Christmas Draw also boosted our funds considerably. During the year we were able to open a designated Benevolent Fund with an initial deposit of 1,000.00 euros. Some of this money has already been utilised and our Welfare Officer will be touching on this in her report. Chains of Office for the President and Chairman were purchased. Many compliments have been paid that it is now possible to identify our President and Chairman on important occasions. Branch Membership Fees are now being collected for cash paying members but some 30 members have not yet indicated their intentions to continue membership. This report does not cover the Branch Annual Poppy Appeal as that Appeal does not conclude until the 31st December 2009 but our Poppy Appeal Organiser will no doubt advise on its progress to date. We close this year with total assets of 5,137.00 euros and no liabilities.
Membership Secretary's Report: Don Dykes Our membership as at 1 October 2008 stood at 110: 22 members did not renew their membership for last year, however some 58 new members joined up to the 30th September bringing the membership at that date to 146. A further ten have joined since that date, five have not renewed their membership for the coming year so as at the date of this meeting the membership stands at 151. Social Secretary’s Report: Barbara Eastwood Since our last AGM we have held around 25 social events varying from Monthly Social Meetings and Winter Games Nights here in the Manoir to our very successful overnight Trip to Jersey. We have held two Troc & Puces in Le Sourn, the latter of which raised around 1,000 euros thanks to a lot of hard work by some of our members. As well as a couple of meals - one a Chinese, the other a Fish & Chip supper - we visited St Cyr, the base of our former President Simon Owen, had a picnic in the grounds of The Musee de la Resistance, St Marcel and 4th July BBQ which quickly sold out. I wish to thank most sincerely the people who continually support these events and hope to see more new faces in the future. We have an exciting Calendar of Events for 2010, which you should all now have, and despite it being fairly full I would welcome any additional suggestions, along with new ideas for 2011. Finally, I hope you have all now bought your Christmas Draw Tickets and anyone wishing to add their name to our Christmas Lunch List please see me after this meeting. Let me end by saying, your support of our events not only enhances our own social lives here in France but gives us the knowledge that monies raised through raffles and Troc & Puces is in turn supporting people who need our help. Thank you. Poppy Appeal Report: Kate Curtis More than 4,000 euros have been deposited this year so far, and we have not finished counting yet. This is only possible because there
are so many kind people who deliver boxes around Brittany and beyond, as well as the ones who sell the poppies. So many people help in different ways that I am unable to mention them all. Thank you everyone. This year started with our usual Burns Lunch, which was on the actual day, January 25th and raised £300. Next year we hope to have another on the nearest Sunday. Please watch the website for details of all the events. The Anzac tea party and auction was well attended and raised 607€ for the Appeal, and the coffers were further swelled by a coffee morning and greetings card sale, making 57 euros. A copper board, which made £31.50 and of course the sponsorship which has made £97.00 to date. Next year's Appeal has already started with the: “guess the name of the bear” competition. For this, we have to sell all the names before the winner can take her, as an independent person has chosen the name from the list. It will be interesting to find it out! In August we hope to hold a fete to celebrate VJ day. But we will need lots of willing helpers, if this is to go ahead. Thank you everyone for helping so much, especially this year, with all the problems in the world, and the newly bereaved families that will need our support. Welfare Officer’s Report: Adele Byron Many visits have been made by the welfare case workers all over Brittany from Finistère to Morbihan. Advice and support has been provided to a number of members both by telephone and in person. A motorised scooter has been purchased from welfare funds of The Royal British Legion and Coldstream Guards for a member. I am proposing to set up a support organisation for people to be visited by local volunteers where distance is a problem. I have left a form to list those interested for volunteers to sign. Publicity Officer’s Report: Geoff Lace Most of my time is taken up with keeping the Branch’s website up to date; I make regular changes, sometimes two or three times a week. I sincerely hope that members find the website useful and
take a look at it often. There is always a list of forthcoming events, news on recent Branch activities – remembrance and social - and, especially, feedback on where and what the Branch Standard has been up to. We now have some 150 photographs on show and many useful links for members’ information. I would like to point you to our “Friends”. They are to be found on the Home and Links pages; this is where a number of local businesses contribute a small sum to Branch funds each year in return for us promoting their services to our members. Please support them and they will come back next year. The other main form of direct communication with members comes with my regular email newsletters designed to inform of upcoming events and to report back on recent activities. I also spend a lot of my time printing. Printing draw tickets, posters, leaflets, visiting cards and other stationery all produced in support of committee and Branch activities. I am in regular contact with all the English-language publications in Brittany and they often list our upcoming events. Each year, in October, we take a stand at the AngloInfo Expo – an exhibition aimed at the expat community in Brittany and used by businesses and other organisations to promote their services. This year we were in Pontivy and it was a great success. There was huge interest in the Legion and the Poppy Appeal; and we signed up quite a few new members. Finally, back to the website; you will see there are a few personal accounts of remembrance events. If any of you would like to record similar experiences, especially in France, please contact me. Also, I hope to publish a list of all UK and Commonwealth war graves and memorials in Brittany so, if anyone knows of any, please let me know. 8.
Auditor’s Presentation of Accounts: Anne Grainger
I am your Independent Examiner for 2009. Branches of RBL are not independent charities and are therefore required to apply the same standards as HQ, as your accounts will be consolidated with theirs. I am happy to confirm that Don has been faithfully recording the transactions of your branch. The official form is less complicated this year and it has been possible to photocopy this for you. Because this gives the receipts and payments alongside each other it is easier to see at a glance whether there has been a surplus or a
deficit at each section. One of the duties of an Independent Examiner is to make sure that Branch Entertainment Events are recorded separately from Fund Raising Events and that entertainments are self-funded and not a charge on the branch. As you can see (8 on the form), this is the case and I am happy to confirm that this is also true of the individual events. I was also pleased to note that your Treasurer had incorporated the recommendations I had previously proposed. This has resulted in a more transparent picture and I am happy to sign the Branch Certificate and Report. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have on my role. Acceptance of the Accounts was proposed by Dave Ball and seconded hazel Dewhirst. Accepted 9.
Election of Committee members
Vice Chairman Two Candidates: A. Mick Berrill; proposed by Geoff Lace and seconded by Don Dykes B Arthur Curtis: proposed by Geoffrey Baldock and seconded by David Glossop Each candidate gave a presentation of their career and suitability for the position. Two scrutinisers - Anne Grainger and Michael Horgan - counted the votes cast which showed a majority for Mick Berrill by 33 to 12 with four abstentions. Mick Berrill was congratulated on his appointment and was invited to attend the post AGM Committee meeting. Chairman Single candidate, Rodney Curtis: proposed by Geoff Lace and seconded by Michael Grainger; passed by show of hands Secretary Single candidate, Alan Byron: proposed by Barbara Eastwood and seconded by Don Dykes, passed by show of hands
Treasurer Single candidate, Don Dykes: proposed by Kate Curtis and seconded by Alan Byron; passed by show of hands Publicity Officer, Geoffrey Lace and Social Secretary, Barbara Eastwood; passed by show of hands Extra Committee member It was explained that the committee had decided to appoint an extra Committee member: Harry Eastwood had proved an indispensable asset and Dave Ball proposed he should be accepted onto the committee; seconded by David Whitbread; passed by show of hands 10. Appointment of Standard Bearer It was agreed that David Ball should continue with Jimmy Rowe as Deputy 11. Appointment of Delegate to represent the Branch at The Royal British Legion Annual Conference There was a possible volunteer whose approval to be ratified at the subsequent committee meeting. 12. There followed a number of questions and suggestions to improve the running of the committee. • • • •
A request was made for breakdown of costs of Management administration Another was: “how much money was raised at the last Troc et Puces at Le Sourn?” Answer: 1,000 euros Adele was asked for her contact details. Answer: it was available on the website There were two questions posed by a member: One; Is the welfare provision provided by the RBL only available for service personnel and ex service personnel and their families? Two; Does this mean that RBL members such as myself and my husband are not entitled to request to the RBL for any welfare support since we have never served in any of the British Forces nor with any of the other entitled personnel?
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The reply was that only those serving or who have served in the armed forces of the Crown, their spouses, children and dependants are so entitled to Financial support Non financial support is available to members who are not exservice or related to ex-services as above. Normally they would be Associate members Other non RBL ex-service people could get help from SSAFA or the RBL Welfare Officer and Committee The Treasurer, Don Dykes, mentioned that there are 794 war graves in 84 known locations in Brittany. David Glossop said that the responsibility for liaison with the War Graves Commission should go to the committee Other questions and comments were ruled to be inappropriate since they were not related to items on the Agenda. All queries could be responded to by the secretary in the normal way
David Glossop proposed and John Dearden seconded the acceptance of reports; passed by show of hands 13. There being no other business the meeting closed at 15h30 14. Date and place of next AGM to be notified - November 2010
