New Chairman's Comments - 3rd April 2013:

I write this as a first task, following my appointment as Chairman of U3A Carrick, during  our annual AGM on 3rd April at Perranarworthal  Village Hall. We had a full house, with an impressive turnout, in excess of 130 members, well over our quorum, as set down in our Constitution.  Members may remember last year, when we had members out in the lobby, busy on their mobiles, to get those nearby members into the hall to enable us to reach our constitutional requirement to allow us to start the AGM! 

Perhaps it was the inducement of free tea or coffee and biscuits for members this time!  I am sure that the clear, bright weather helped, although still with cool temperatures!

Marion took us through the agenda with the minutes of the last year’s meeting being accepted without any difficult questions being raised and we were soon on to the presentation of officers seeking election and the approval of three new committee members, all of which was quckly undertaken and the old committee then stood down and I found myself voted as our new Chairman.

Thanks were made both by Marion Tapp as retiring Chairman and myself, with thanks being offered to those important ‘back-room' members who continued with tasks across the group, with membership growth at a healthy level as reported by Sue Swinchatt, who was standing down this year.  John Dearman confirmed the state of our funding this year, to a question from the floor, which although reduced at this time, is due for its annual uplift as membership renewals would be coming in from May! Bill Brown was also thanked for his long service in the organisation of the annual Spring Lunches and latterly, having taken over the monthly Sunday Lunch sessions. This latter role is now being organised by Mary Alford.

The formal part of the meeting then closed with the Committee presenting bouquets of flowers to both Marion Tapp and to Sue Swinchatt for their work through this past year.

Then, after few moments delay, whilst setting up the projector and screen, the meeting was treated to a presentation by John Harris of the time, a couple of years back that John and his wife June decided to invite the ‘Cash in the Attic’ team to make a visit to their home. 

John, himself a practised video camera enthusiast, amused us all with his comments and his own video shots, taken of the film crew, intermixed with the BBC team’s own work, destroying for us all, the manner in which these TV shows are put together, with constant re-takes and scenes all muddled up in sequence through the day and with a mix of locations, on the basis ‘It'll be all right on the night!’

We will all watch these home visit programmes in future with a large pinch of salt, as we learnt the truths as how these shows are put together!  I felt that perhaps John’s favourite sequence was his filming of presenter Jennie Bond, doing the washing up of tea things in June’s kitchen sink!

So now it's down to the serious stuff of keeping U3A Carrick on track for the coming year, when I shall look forward to the support of my fellow committee members across all those tasks, where many hands make light work!

Duncan Tribute

3rs April, 2013