Re: item 5 on the AGM agenda
The Council wishes to clarify who should be eligible for the status of Honorary Member
of the Club. It is felt that the statement in the present Rules needs to be stronger. The
Council proposes that the word 'special' should be changed to 'exceptional'. In addition,
it is felt desirable to add a statement that the maximum numbers of Honorary Members
should be three, in order to preserve the degree of honour thereby granted. Thus the
new wording of Rule 9.5 would read:
Members of eminence in an area of natural histoiy, or who have rendered
exceptional service to the Club, may be approved as Honorary Members by
Council. They are not required to pay any subscriptions but will receive all the
benefits of membership. The number of Honorary Members shall not exceed 3
at any one time.
The position of Membership Secretary, and thus a Trustee, is currently held by Del
Smith, who lives in Aberdeenshire, cannot attend Council meetings. This dilemma was
discussed with the Charities Commission. They agreed that a Trustee who lived so far
away and could not therefore attend any Council meetings, should not continue to be
Trustee after the first year of absence, but by slightly changing the Rules Del could
continue to be our Membership Secretary, if this post, or any other from time to time,
was allowed to be exempt from the Council and thus a Trustee. Insertion of the word
'normally', with a change in the order of phrases in the text allows us to change things a
little from time to time, and eases the dilemma. The following change was suggested to
Rule 4.2, to make it less rigid in several respects:
The Officers of the Club shall be The President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer
and the General Secretary. The Assistant Officers, up to a maximum of five
people, shall be those deemed necessary by Council, and would normal ly include
various Assistant Secretaries.
Hugh Main: can anyone help with information?
Ted Benton 13 Priory Street, Colchester COl 2PY Email: tbenton@essex.ac.uk
I have recently discovered that Chester museum has lantern slides made by Hugh Main,
a key figure in the Essex Field Club during the 20s, 30s and 40s of the last century. I'm
trying to find out more about his life-story, and of associates, especially E.E.Syms, can
anyone help with information about surviving relatives or acquaintances? I'm particu-
larly intrigued by the connection with Chester.
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Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 55, January 2008