OCTOBER 2018

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Well, here we are in October, and as I write it’s definitely Autumnal ! It’s also the first opportunity to briefly tell you about the main perennial event of our Group’s year – our Annual General Meeting – that required, regular, ritual, recording (what a lot of “r s”!) of the yearly business of the Group.

Our Speaker for the evening was Simon Dell, a former long-serving police officer who gave a very interesting and informative (and often humorous) account of policing in the West Country between 1850 and 2000, including very many old and not-so-old photos of places and characters from Devon and Cornwall. The Chairman thanked the Speaker, and commented on the high standard of our Speakers throughout the year. He also thanked the Group’s Secretary (Derek Hore) for his efforts in booking and arranging our programme of Speakers and for already arranging our programme for the whole of 2019.

The Chairman told of the very sad loss of no less than five of the Group’s longstanding Members within the last few months, namely Audrey Turner, Winnie Staddon, Joan Ewing, Margaret Povey and Peter Ward. All will be remembered not only for their long membership of the Group, but also for being supporters and participants of various Village organisations and events for most of their years in Marldon,

The Chairman referred to the Group’s new, revamped and updated website as the Group’s outstanding achievement of the year, for which thanks were entirely due to our Secretary Derek and his wife (and Committee Member) Julie, who spent countless hours earlier this year transferring our old website to its brand new format. The address is very simple – www.marldonlocalhistorygroup.com. He urged everyone to visit the website, which is being added to continually.

The Chairman also said that the Group were continually grateful for the donations of books and memorabilia from both Members and non-members, all of which are being added to our new website, and he singled out the donation of six complete yearly sets of old Parish Magazines, from the very first issue in January 1913, which will form a valuable addition to our already large collection of past Parish Magazines. Also mentioned was the continued success of the Group’s DVD “The Story of Marldon”, and our booklet “Memories of Wartime Marldon”, both of which are still available, either from the Group or our former Post Office “Marldon Cards & News”.

The final business of the Meeting was the election of the Officers and Committee, who, despite the Chairman’s annual appeal for new faces, were re-elected en-bloc. Nevertheless, we are always looking for, and welcome, new Members.

The Group’s next Open Meeting is our Christmas Social Evening, details of which will be sent to Members shortly and will be advertised in the Magazine and on the Village Notice Boards. If you have any queries about the Group, please telephone our Secretary Derek (529859) or our Chairman Tony (521419). Thank you.

Tony Chidlow .. Chairman