AGM Minutes 9th May 2003 ‐ At the Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh

1. Minutes to the Last AGM held in London on 19th April 2002
The minutes to the last Annual General Meeting, held in London on 19th April 2002, had been distributed to all members and were adopted on the proposal of Geof Heaps and seconded by Eric Walker.

2. Election of Nominated Fellows to Council
The following Fellows had been nominated for Election to Council:

Captain C. F. Spencer, Mr. J. S. Lillie, Mr. D. J. Walker (all nominated by London District)

It was proposed by Bruce Smith and seconded by Geoff Heaps that these nominations be accepted. Agreed unanimously.

3. Presentation of Audited Accounts for year ended 31st December 2002
Selected pages of the Audited Accounts had been distributed to all Members, the full Audited Accounts being available for inspection by any Members at this Annual General Meeting. Members were informed that Council had accepted the Accounts on the recommendation of the Finance Committee. The Secretary answered some questions from Members.

4. Appointment of the Society’s Auditors for the Ensuing Year
The current Auditors, Goldwyns, were proposed by Ken Overton and seconded by Geof Heaps for reappointment, agreed by all present.

5. To receive the announcement of Office Bearers for 2003/2004
President Mr. Kjell Nilsen-Nygaard (Scottish District)

Immediate Past President Captain John Wallace (London District)

Vice President Captain Chris Spencer (London District)

6. Investiture of new President and remarks of retiring President
Address by retiring President, Captain J. V. Wallace, FCMS

My Presidential year has been one where I have been very proud to represent this Society at many Social Occasions, commencing with the North West District Dinner & Dance, The Association of Average Adjusters, The Installation of the Master of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, (of which somebody had researched my Marine Career, with a few antidotes, which was a little embarrassing as there were two Admirals on the Table.), Followed by reception at the “Dorchester” meeting our splendid NKK hosts. And of course the excellent Det Norske Veritas luncheon, amongst the other functions I have attended.

At our annual dinner the venue of which was on the HQS “Wellington”, a very excellent place for The Society, our principal speaker was Alan Cubbin one of the Directors of the MCA, on the other side was the Chief Executive of the MCA, Maurice Storey, who incidentally is a member of this Society.

During all these functions I have endeavoured to put forward the aims and credulousness of this Society of which I believe to be a Premier Society. Indeed only this last Tuesday I was putting forward the aims and outstanding abilities of the Society to a learned body of persons in Kent.

Now, lest it be thought that the Office is purely a Computer, let me state that it is through the excellent work that our Secretary Capt. Paul Owen (ably assisted by Peter Hicks who has always been an asset to this Society), has done in the last years in maintaining the running of the Society’s business, and also making sure that I personally sign over 289 Certificate’s of Compliance for Small Commercial Vessel’s, which will now increase as we have been given the Authority for Tonnage Measurement of Vessels.

This certification of Small Commercial Vessels could not be done without the Help of a few dedicated Fellows/Members of the Society, including Ross Hunter, Paul Johnson, and Norman Finlay, our MCA Coordinator & Representative to the MCA, these three have worked tirelessly in ascertaining that the Harmonisation of the Code of Practice is carried out without too many problems.

My hope during my year was to encourage new members to the Society, but in this difficult and economic period it has not always been possible.

I am convinced that we as a society should always be prepared to improve and develop. We should be ready to change our approach, so that the Society itself will continue and standards do not decline but constantly improve. Some people have suggested that the Golden age of British Maritime Engineering and Ship Surveying has past. I cannot accept this.

Think Positive! We may be worse off than we were yesterday but we are better off than we’ll be tomorrow.

Finally I pass the presidency on, and into the safe hands of Kjell Nilsen-Nygaard.

Past Presidents, Honorary Fellows, Fellows and Members, Gentlemen I thank you for the kind support shown to me during this past year, and trust Kjell will serve as happily as I during his year.

The Investiture of new President Mr. Kjell Nilsen-Nygaard, FCMS, then took place.

7. Receive the new President’s inaugural address.
The incoming President explained that he had been proposed as Vice President by Ian Burrows and he is now very proud to be elected President before those present today. He stated that there are tasks to be done in particular to attract new members. And that the Society must keep up the quality of what we are doing and the people that we attract and reach out to surveyors who do not yet know the advantages of joining the Society. The NewsLink is one avenue for achieving this. On behalf of all present he expressed sincere Gratitude to Captain John Wallace for all he had done during his Presidency.

There being no further business the President declared that Annual General Meeting closed at 1530 hours.