Cowbridge U3A History Group

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Thursday, 21 February 2019

The meeting was opened and chaired by Steve Monaghan, the Group Leader.

Preliminary Announcements

Steve welcomed everyone, especially Isobel Brant and Kath Biggin who had both been absent for a while due to health problems.

Fire exits were pointed out as usual. Steve then informed those present that we would now have to do a head count/register at each meeting, due to the implementation of new fire safety procedures appertaining to the Town Hall.

Steve gave the sad news that John Long, one of the Group’s members, had passed away recently and gave details of his funeral arrangements.

Main AGM Business

Valerie Monaghan had agreed to take the Minutes.

Apologies

These had been received from Hilda Long, Ruth Jenkins, John and Anna Andrew, Isabel Jeffreys, and Dennis and Rhona Horobin.

Minutes of AGM in 2018

Steve pointed out that these had been on the webpage for a year and that they had been recently circulated within the Group. Nevertheless, he gave a summary of the contents. Approval was proposed by Gavin Davies, with Derek Day seconding.

Group Leader’s Report

Steve gave a summary of all the talks and activities that the Group had had during the previous year, as follows:

March 2018: The Balloon Girl by Rosemary Chaloner (guest speaker)

April 2018: Freedoms by Rev. Norman Williams; a short history of the Borough of Cowbridge and the tale of the Ebsworth Casket, made to hold the scroll granting Mr Ebsworth the Freedom of Cowbridge, and which John Andrew managed to fetch from its safe within the Town Hall and bring in for everyone to see.

May 2018: The Sinking of the Laconia by Helen Charles (guest speaker, who had been rescued as a baby from the ship).

June 2018: The Bayeux Tapestry by Sally Mabey (guest speaker).

July 2018: The Court Martial of Edwin Dyett by Gavin Davies, in which the audience was asked to act as the jury.

August 2018: The History of Llantrisant by Dean Powell (guest speaker).

September 2018: Cardiff Churches through Time by Jean Rose (guest speaker).

October 2018: Are you being served? (a history of Welsh-owned department stores) by Gwerfyl Gardner.

November 2018: 2 short talks and a Quiz – Old Cardiff in Photos by Roger Bradshaw; the Cowbridge History Society Digital Archive by Betty Alden; a Quiz on 5 Vale of Glamorgan historic houses by Dafydd Evans.

December 2018: The view from the Rocking stone by Brian Davies (guest speaker) followed by the Christmas buffet and drinks.

January 2019: History on the Edge by Rosemary Scadden (guest speaker).

Steve thanked Hywel Davies for acting as Treasurer.

He stated that the main problem had been booking the Lesser Hall for meetings for 2019. All administrative personnel at the Town Hall had changed in 2018, leading to a break down in the booking system, which had previously continued automatically from one year to the next, as our slot on the third Thursday of the month had been going on for years. This had not happened under the new staff, and by the time Steve was aware of it, 5 of our regular slots had been taken by other meetings. For those 5 dates, Steve had secured the Upper Hall in the Town Hall, at the same cost as the smaller Lesser Hall, but the problem was that the steep stairs leading to the Upper Hall make it difficult or even impossible for those with mobility problems to access. Steve apologised for this. He stated that a lift was planned for the Town Hall, and it was hoped that it would be in place by the end of the year.

Steve circulated a list of this year’s talks, with those which would take place in the Upper Hall clearly marked.

Treasurer’s Report and Subscriptions

This was given by Hywel Davies.

Hywel said that he had already been collecting subscriptions for the new subscription year that morning at a rate of £10 each, but that that sum actually needed to be approved. He reminded those present that they had enjoyed a relative ‘sub holiday’ of just £5 each for a few years, which meant that the Group had effectively been running at a deficit, deliberately to reduce a surplus of funds which had built up over the years.

He pointed out that if we had more in-house speakers it would keep costs down, and that less had been spent on victuals at the last Christmas buffet than previously (apparently less wine had been drunk).

He had calculated that if the annual subscription remained at £5 each, the Group’s assets would be obliterated within 2 years.

He therefore proposed that the subscription be raised to £10 each.

Gwerfyl Gardner asked how much was typically paid to outside speakers. The answer was that it was normally between £30 and £40, with the most expensive speaker wanting £45. Gavin Davies confirmed that these sums were the norm for outside speakers.

Steve pointed out that even at £10 a year each, the subscription remained incredibly good value for money, as it was easily possible to consume £10 worth of wine at the Christmas buffet! He also told everyone that the £10 subscription would pay for the chairs to be put out and put away after the meeting, without the Group members having to do it.

A vote by a show of hands was taken about raising the annual subscription to £10 and this was approved virtually unanimously.

Steve also proposed that visitors to any talk should pay a small fee of £2, which is similar to what happens in the Art Appreciation Group, and this was accepted by a show of hands. He said that if they then joined the Group, this sum would be deducted from their subscription.

Election of Group Leader and Treasurer

Steve stated that both he and Hywel were both willing to continue in their respective roles, but would happily stand down if anyone else wanted to take over. Laughter ensued! The only comment made was, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’

A.O.B.

i) Steve announced that plans were afoot for a trip in August to Stradey Castle, Llanelli, and gave details.

ii) He reminded those present of the U3A Open Day on Saturday 30 March 2019 in the Lesser Hall, when all Groups would be required to put on a display. He said that any help or support with this would be appreciated.

Thank You

Mags Buchalik thanked Steve and Hywel for their hard work on behalf of the whole Group.

The AGM finished at 10.25am, and was followed by the traditional Show and Tell.

Valerie Monaghan (acting Secretary)