ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1998
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT TO THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
31 JANUARY 1998
Ladies and Gentlemen - It is my very great pleasure this afternoon to give my first report to you as Chairman of the Society. When I was first asked to take on this role, little did I expect the vast amount of time and effort required by the position. In fact, more often than not, now it seems to have become a full-time "job". I was, as you know, the Vice Chairman to Meryl Catty for some time prior to taking on the lead role. But I now know much better what is required behind the scenes to assist the membership and to promote the Society.
I saw my role as being one of giving direction to and assisting in the co-ordination of the work carried out by the various Branches and Committees of this Society, who after all are the people who do the actual work for and on behalf of you, the Membership. My principal aim this year was to promote the Society as a whole, and not as a number of smaller organisations working independently on their own as has been seen in the past. We are, or should be, a friendly organisation working together dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of family history. To promote this aim I have tried to visit not only the various Committee Meetings but also the Branches themselves. I have largely succeeded in this, with the exception of the Bishopsgate Branch whose dates unfortunately clashed with other commitments; it is an omission which I intend to correct as soon as possible. These visits have given me the opportunity of meeting with and discussing the Society with many members at Branch level and it is a policy which it is my intention to continue if re-elected.
Firstly, I am sorry to report that Judith Taylor, our General Secretary, has decided for personal reasons not to seek re-election. Judith you will recall was elected at our AGM last year for a second term as General Secretary (she was holder of the post for a number of years prior to 1995). The Executive Committee had hoped that she would continue this year but sadly this is not to be. On your behalf therefore I would like to thank Judith for her work and wish her well for the future. While Judith will be leaving the Executive Committee she will not be dropping out of sight completely, as I'm sure she will be continuing with her projects indexing work and the more important job of making the tea at the Havering meetings!
This year I am pleased to report that membership has increased by over 10%, with present membership standing at 2741. Fred and Margaret Brown, our Membership Secretaries, have now been carrying out the work for over twelve years. During this time the membership has increased by over 300% - clearly you will see what a tremendous task this is. Members will not be aware however that, during the past few months, Fred has not been at all well, in fact shortly before Christmas he had to go into hospital for a serious operation. I am sure that all members would join with me in thanking both Fred and Margaret for the work they do on our behalf and would send Fred our good wishes for a speedy recovery.
While the Membership Database is now up and running, however, like all databases problems are likely to be experienced. If you have any problems with information held on the database or in receiving your copy of Cockney Ancestor would you please contact me directly, at the address on the inside front cover of CA. I would remind you that unless your membership is renewed promptly after 1st September each year you may experience problems with the delivery of the Autumn magazine, I would also remind you that lapsed members will be purged from the system after the Winter edition of the magazine (this policy is in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act).
Our Editor Joan Renton, who looks after our quarterly publication Cockney Ancestor, continues to provide members with a magazine of the highest quality, a magazine, which I am sure you will remember, has already gained a runners-up spot in the Elizabeth Simpson Award. I am pleased to say that she continues to receive many letters from members all over the world, complimenting her on Cockney Ancestor, an accolade which is well deserved. While she receives many compliments on her work, she would also like feedback from you. It is after all your magazine, so if there are any ideas or items of interest which you would like to see included, let Joan know. She always looks forward to receiving articles for inclusion because they not only help bring our magazine to life, but can also be a great help to other members, for instance highlighting pitfalls found during research, or telling others of how you carried out your research. So now's your chance to tell the membership in general about your own family history, by providing just one short story for Cockney Ancestor in the coming year. Who knows, it may start you off on a whole new career.
Debbie Earrey, assisted by Jacqui Crompton, heads the Society Projects Sub-Committee. It is with regret that I have to report that they both have asked to step down this year. Since 1995 they have reorganised the workload, revitalised those projects which had stalled through lack of earlier commitment, and co-ordinated the work of the Branch project managers who look after the volunteers, the people who actually carry out the work on the various projects.
From the many letters received, it is clear that many members eagerly look forward to our indexes and publications. But what is also clear is that many cannot understand why our projects take so long to complete. The answer is quite simple: it is entirely due to the fact that this work is undertaken by a group of dedicated volunteers. The research, inputting, checking, corrections and final layout is all undertaken by them before the work can be passed to the printer for final printing. Each separate part will therefore of necessity take time to produce a finished project worthy of the task. These volunteers give as much time each week to this work as they can possibly be asked to contribute. Many have full-time jobs, run the house and look after a family. They cannot be given any strict time constraints to complete their task, for, if this were so, then there would be no volunteers to undertake the work at all. Indeed suitable volunteers are hard to find. We need many more members willing to help with inputting and checking work, so if you can give a few hours each week to help with a project. Please contact your Branch Project Manager for further details, as volunteers are always welcome.
However, now on a more positive note, this year has seen the publication of the indexes to the Poplar 1821 and Hackney 1831 Census, the Woodford Tithe Award 1840 and the Guide to Parish Registers for Newham. I can also report that the inputting work on Hackney & Whitechapel 1851 census and Crow Lane and St Mary Magdalen, East Ham burials is now nearing completion. These are expected to be available for publication later this year, so I would ask members to be patient, as the inputting work is only just the start of the process. The work on the Poplar and Bow, and West Ham census, and the Frogley Manuscript continues at this time.
As I have stated I am sorry to report that both Debbie and Jacqui have asked to step down. You may have read that Colleen Mitchell had indicated that she would be willing to take on this role for the coming year. Unfortunately due to recent health problems she has been unable to accept the nomination. Debbie however has indicated that she would be pleased to assist any nominee to ensure that a successful hand over takes place. I would also like at this time to thank the Branch Project Managers for the effort they have put in to support the work, Christine Patient (Barking & Dagenham), David Groen (Bishopsgate), Jack Jackson (Havering), Rose Mint (Newham & Redbridge). On behalf of you all I would also wish to place on record our appreciation to Debbie and Jacqui for the way in which they have together, laid down a new foundation for the projects sub-committee to continue.
This year saw the inception of our computer group, which was formed on a trial basis for six months. The object of the group was to be a self-help forum, reviewing computer software and hardware, and to assist members with computer work in general. It held meetings on a monthly basis alternating between Trinity Church Upminster and Gants Hill Library. The Group was formed as a separate branch and, like all Branches, is an autonomous section of the Society. The Group is run by a Management Committee which is chaired by Jacqui Crompton assisted by Derek Reynolds as Secretary/Treasurer and Peter Palmer.
Initial interest for the formation of this group was quite good, with over 50 members attending its first meeting. Regretfully this interest did not continue and attendance's slumped dramatically, to the extent that at the end of its trial period it was feared that it would have to close. I am pleased to report however, that with the support of the Executive Committee, rather than to close the Group down the Group Management Committee has decided to relocate the monthly meeting to Upminster for a further six months in an attempt to increase members support. This meeting will now take place from 12:30-1:30pm prior to the normal Havering Branch Meeting on the first Saturday in the month. But it must be stressed that this in no way forms part of the Havering meeting itself, the change being purely for financial reasons. The Group Management Committee however, would be pleased to help other Branches in setting up similar meetings, if the membership wished it. I would therefore urge all members who have an interest in the use of Computers to support the Group or regretfully it will have to close.
Our Bookstall Manager is David Filby, who, apart from his normal workload of providing a very well-stocked bookstall at the various Branch meetings, as he has for this AGM today, has with his team of volunteers travelled to six other major functions this past year. These ranged in size from the SoG Fair to the Kent Family History Society Fair at Chatham. In addition to this David also runs the very successful Mail Order Service for members who cannot attend our meetings in person. This year, that service has dealt with over 900 orders, many of which came from overseas, bringing in nearly 10,000. You will understand the size of the task that David undertakes on our behalf when I tell you that David's turnover last year was over 20,000, the profits of which are put back into the Society funds and go a long way to keeping our membership fee to one of the lowest in the country. We are indebted to David and his team for all their hard work in providing this valuable service to members.
Our Members' Interests Secretary Eileen Pullin reports that enquiries have remained constant throughout the year. She has found that approximately 58% of new members submit their interests for inclusion in the Index but apart from two members who update on a regular basis very few others do. She feels that for those members, some who first registered their interests over ten years ago, some records could now be seriously out of date. Members may wish to consider this and contact Eileen with any required changes. It is regretted that publication of interests in Cockney Ancestor cannot always be guaranteed for the edition following their submission. Members will appreciate that, due to the volume of interests submitted and magazine deadlines, some must of necessity be held over for the next issue. In this matter the editor's decision must be final. To Eileen and her team of helpers, Ken Baker who takes care of the Index, and Enid Thorogood, who helps Tony Benton prepare the Interests for publication, may I offer our thanks for a job well done
Due to our commitments to other projects, the computerisation of member's interests has had to be delayed. But you will appreciate that this will be a considerable project in itself with over 30,000 records to be inputted. However both the Executive and the Projects Committees will keep the matter under review.
Our Courier service continues to be provided by Bob Drummond who reports that while requests for this service have dropped off somewhat this year he has never-the- less processed 128 Birth, 78 Marriage, 49 Death certificates, 28 Wills and 4 Census returns. Due to this service Bob has been able to donate some 700 to Society funds. He looks forward to continuing the work this year. Thank you Bob.
As reported last year, we have our own Internet Home Page. This was given a completely new look and updated earlier this year. I am pleased to report that this site has generated a lot of interest on the World Wide Web, not only from our current membership, but also non-members alike. Since its inception the site itself has logged over 12,000 visits, and the level of enquiries is now approximately 50 per day. The Home Page contains information on the Society, membership details and a break down of the services we offer and also gives general information on the East of London area itself. The Home Page is looked after and monitored by one of our overseas members Dave Jordan, from his home in New Jersey. It is interesting to note that both our Membership secretary and our Bookstall Manager report new members and increases in book sales due entirely to the Internet. Thanks Dave, for all your help with this important project.
I would like to send my personal thanks, not only the committee members, who have supported me during my year of office, but also to all those members who continue to help out behind the scenes. Without the contribution made by you all the society would not continue to be a success that it is.
John Reynolds
Chairman East of London FHS
