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Present: Mr F E Bull (Vice President) Mr P Brown

Dr R P du Parcq (Vice President) Mr C Shea

Mr M A Arnold-Gilliat (Chairman) Mr D Cooke

Mr P L Rawkins (Vice President) Mr A Rawkins

Mr N J Wylie (Vice President) Mr R Rivlin

Mr E C Ford (Vice President) Mr D Grimshaw

Mr A Cox (Captain) Mr M Collier

Mr R Arthur Mr S Gourevitch

Mr P Leffler Dr N Jackson

Mr I Golder Mr A Rawkins

Mr R E Lambe (Hon Secretary)

Were received from Messrs P A S Sly, L Huggett and Miss M Israel.

Having previously been displayed on the Club notice board for general viewing, both were agreed a true record.

As action on all relevant matters had been carried out there were no matters arising.

The Annual Report which had been circulated to all members was adopted 'nem con' and is appended to these minutes. .

Mr Lambe reported that the future of the Boathouse could be in doubt after the end of the lease in 2008. This was because of the possible unwillingness of the Civil Service Sports Council to support rowing, as relatively few members of either club were Civil Servants. Resulting from this there had been an informal meeting of senior members of both the BBLRC and Cygnet the day before. This meeting had urged the Hon Secretary to revive the Amalgamation Working Party, which was investigating the possibility of the two clubs becoming one. Action by this group had been postponed until the BBLRC financial situation could be made clear. The Hon Secretary promised that action by the Working Party would be expedited.

After a discussion it was promised that the Special General meeting to discuss the various recommendations would be held at a weekend and that written representations could be made.

Mr Rivlin requested that a 'Straw Pole' be taken at that moment to see whom out of those present supported a possible merger. Both Dr du Parcq and Dr Jackson opposed the idea and a poll was not taken.

The report was approved.

The report had been circulated to all members in the Newsletter at the same time as the Annual Report. There were no questions and the report was adopted. It is appended.

As an update Mr Cox commented that the racing programme had been fully covered in Newsletters and also the record of wins. He was particularly pleased with the two Novice successes. Crews had raced in the Rhine Marathon which was gratifying as it pleased him to visit our friends at Benrat.

Mr Cox then detailed repairs and refurbishment to the 'Second Line' boats. It had been a good year as there had been no serious damage to craft. Most of the damage that had occurred happened in the boat shop, in particular rigger dents.

Two crews would enter for the Head of the River and three in each of the Business Houses Head and the Hammersmith Head.

No new boats had been bought and none were needed. A new trailer had been bought jointly with the BBLRC. A new launch and engine was about to be ordered and it was hoped that it would be delivered in time for the Business Houses Head. There followed a discussion on the specification of the new launch.

At this point in the meeting the chairman proposed the following new member be elected: -

Robert Neaverson Chartered Surveyor Born 8 March 1976

Mr Neaverson was duly elected without dissent.

Dr Jackson opened by stating that safety must be tightened up and that it was everyone's responsibility. Some of the repairs that the Captain referred to confirmed that that our boats were being kept up to ARA standards.

Action was being carried out in bits and pieces, there will be more and the notices must be read as well as the ARA Safety Rules. The new boating log indicates when a boat is due back and if overdue whether or not action needed to be taken.

He continued that we must all be trusted, as we are all adults, to get rowing but do it safely. Each person must do what is sensible; this includes suitable and adequate clothing and medical fitness. Do nothing hazardous or pressurise others to take hazardous actions. The law is becoming involved so how would an accident or problem sound in court. All aspects of safety were being tightened up.

Presentation and Adoption of the Audited Accounts.

Dr du Parcq distributed copies of the audited accounts, which are appended. He identified certain matters of particular interest and explained items in the Statement of Accounts.

Whether or not cox boxes were covered by insurance was queried.

The Accounts were adopted.

The meetings thanks to the Treasurer and the Auditors are hereby recorded

Mr Lambe presented the report (appended) which was adopted.

The Chairman requested that the Club's thanks be recorded for Mr Lambe's and the Bungalow workers' efforts.

Report and Accounts for the year 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001

The 300 Club has had a most successful year. Ticket sales topped 600 for the first time, and there was a record prize payout of £3,000 (49% of sales). The 300 Club produced a surplus of £3,171 for Cygnet, which represents about 40% of the Club's annual fundraising target.

During the year, the 300 Club's deposit account with Nationwide was closed and a new one opened with Scottish Widows Bank. This will simplify administration and generate significantly more interest income in future years.

Income Expenditure

£ £

Ticket Sales 6,160.00

Interest 19.46

Prizes 3,000.00

Expenses 7.83

Surplus of Income over Expenditure 3,171.63

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Mr Cox further reported that 50% of subscribers now paid by Standing Order. He also proposed to re-vamp the prize structure and was open to suggestions. He considered the lower value prizes less attractive than they had once been. He thanked all who had helped.

Nominated by the Management Committee the following were re-elected: -

President: P A S Sly Esq. TD

Vice Presidents: F E Bull Esq., V H Reeves Esq. ISO, M J Hughes Esq., M A Arnold-Gilliat Esq.,

Dr R P du Parcq, R E Lambe Esq., E C Ford Esq., P L Rawkins Esq., N J Wylie Esq.

Trustees: F E Bull Esq., M A Arnold-Gilliat Esq., R E Lambe Esq.

The following nominations were received and all were elected as Officers and Committee Members. No ballot was necessary.

N J Wylie M A Arnold-Gilliat F E Bull

R E Lambe M A Arnold-Gilliatt F E Bull

Dr R P du Parcq N J Wylie P L Rawkins

W R Arthur N J Wylie S Gourevitch

D Cooke I Golder M A Arnold-Gilliat

I Stevenson N J Wylie A Cox

I Golder N J Wylie P L Rawkins

PL Rawkins N J Wylie A Rawkins

S Dargan N J Wylie P Rawkins

There being no further nominations the above were duly elected.

Mr Wylie thanked Mr Arnold-Gilliat for 18 years of loyal and dedicated service. He had worked long and hard and hoped that he would help him in his new post as Chairman.

The following were appointed without dissent.

M J Burman Esq. T N Davison Esq.

Resulting from changes to the committee at this Annual General Meeting held 25 February 2001, Mr Nicholas Wylie having replaced Mr Michael Arnold-Gilliat as Chairman, Mr Nicholas Wylie is to have authority to sign financial orders. Mr Michael Arnold-Gilliat's authority to sign financial orders is therefore rescinded. Mr Alan Cox's, Dr Richard du Parcq's and Mr Damian Cooke's authority to sign financial orders are to continue.

None had been notified.

At the end of the meeting Dr du Parcq emphasised the need to recruit additional Civil Servants.

Mr Wylie reassured those present that all would have the opportunity to make their views known regarding amalgamation with the Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club.