| Date | 1930 |
|---|---|
| Reference | EE01-0046 |
| Volume | Eton Excelsior Rowing Club, Volume 1 |
| Collection | Eton Excelsior |
Transcript
EERC 79th Annual Meeting
Mr. C. D. Dyson was elected Captain of the Eton Excelsior Rowing Club at the 79th annual general meeting, held at the Royal Albert Institute on Monday evening. There was a good attendance of members, and before the Captain was elected, Mr. A. H. Dyson was voted to the chair.
The Annual Report
Mr. L. BARRETT, Hon. Secretary, read the 79th annual report, which stated, inter alia:-
THE PRESIDENT. Although the President’s health did not improve so quickly as anticipated, it is reassuring to know that Sir George is now much better and has great hopes of being with us again in the corning season.
MEMBERSHIP. The membership shows little change, the number at present being 75, against last year’s figure of 72.
OPEN REGATTAS. The Club was represented at most of the Thames Regattas. At Reading the eight, rowing for the first time with swivels, showed promising form, winning the first heat against Anglian B.C. and afterwards losing to Lensbury R.C. Following Reading the crew, after various changes were made, coupled with the absence of a regular coach, did not improve, and the only other partial success was at Kingston where the final was reached. The Junior crews, however gave some good displays at all the regattas entered, one crew reaching the final of the Junior Fours at Cookham, and great credit reflects on Messrs. W. and L. Blane for the excellent coaching of the junior crews. The following represented the Club at open regattas: L. Barrett, G. W. Bayley, W. Bedford, T. R. Bill, S. H. Brewell, W. A. Brown, F. W. Buck, E. C. N. Gower, N. Haines, V. H. Hobbs, S. W. L. R. Lucking, A. J. Merson, N. H. Mills, R. C. Mills, G. Newton, G. Y. Ray, A. Sharratt, J. Stauffer, W. A. Street, R. R. Taylor, F. Turner, J., G. White, F. Wilkinson, and V. A. C. Wood.
CLUB RACES. Successful crews were as follows: “Devereux” Fours – A. Sharratt, F. Turner, W. A. Street, J. G. White. “Robert William King” Cup – W. A. Street (bow), V. H. Hobbs, W. Bedford, L. Barrett (stroke). “Herbert” Swimming Cup – L. Barrett. “Peters” Cup Windsor v. Eton (Eights): the race for the President’s cup was again closely contested, Windsor winning by the marrow margin of 2 feet.
ANNUAL REGATTA. This fixture took place on August 24th in exceptionally fine weather, and from a racing point of view was a great success, but unfortunately from a financial standing was very disappointing a loss of £16 being shewn, this resulting from the non-support of the members with regard to subscription cards.
NEW PREMISES. On April 15th a public meeting was held at the Guildhall with the Mayor (Lieut.-Colonel Stephen Wright) in the chair, and two propositions were detailed to those present, one for rebuilding our present premises, and the other to erect a boathouse on Deadwater Eyot. It was finally decided to go forward with the Island Scheme, and following an appeal the club, at the moment, has raised or had promised £470 out of the required figure of approximately £1,500. The Club are indebted both to Mr. A. H. Dyson for the launching of this scheme and the raising of the amount mentioned, and to all who have kindly subscribed to this object.
HEADQUARTERS. At an extraordinary general meeting it was decided to affiliate to the Royal Albert Institute, and in future make this our Headquarters.
THANKS. The members wish to thank Sir George and Lady Peters for the great interest shewn in all the Club affairs during the season, and to all who have subscribed to the Club Funds; to donors of prizes and subscribers to the Regatta; to Eton College Authorities for their great help to us in all matters; to Mr. Calvert for allowing the Club boats to be moored off his premises; to all those gentlemen who gave their services at the regatta, and to the Press for their great help.
The Committee hope that the coming season will be a success in all ways and hope that all members will do their utmost for the Club in every respect.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the adoption of the report, said it was a satisfactory one, but he was sorry to notice from the balance sheet that a sum of £12 12s., members’ subscriptions, was still outstanding. This sort of thing caused the Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer a great deal of trouble, and he trusted the amount would soon be forthcoming (hear, hear). Mr. A. M. L. THOMSON seconded, and the proposition was unanimously carried.
The Balance Sheet
Mr. V. A. C. WOOD (Hon. Treasurer) submitted the balance sheet, which showed the following receipts: Balance on current account, £31 9s. 11d.; balance of deposit account, £93 9s. 6d.; subscriptions, £118 13s.; hon. members’ subscriptions, £14 7s. 6d.; Social Committee, £26 17s.; club races, £1 7s. storage of private boats and private entrance fees, £2 17s.; private cartage to regattas, £1 10s.; sale of fixture cards, 6s.; profit of Derby Subscription Fund, £33 8s. 9d.; deposit interest, 10s. 7d.; total, £324 16s. 3d. Subscriptions not included in the above amounting to £12 12s. are outstanding. After all expenditure had been met, there remained a balance in hand of 2d.
Mr. Wood also submitted the Regatta balance sheet, which showed a deficit of £16 15s. 6d. Mr. Wood said they had had very big expenses during the year, and he showed the difference in various amounts in the balance sheets of 1913 and 1921 and the present time. There had been a great advance all round.
The CHAIRMAN proposed the adoption of the balance sheet – Mr. BAYLEY seconded, and it was carried with unanimity.
Election of Officers
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the re-election of Sir George Peters as President, said they were all glad to hear that he was in much better health, and they all hoped to see him amongst them again (applause).
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Sir Clive Wigram and Mr. A. W. P. Harrison, on the proposition of the CHAIRMAN, seconded by Mr. CROFT.
The CHAIRMAN said with regard to the election of a Chairman, he was sorry to say that the Committee had received a letter from Mr. Thomson resigning the position. He had done a great deal for the Club, and had helped them considerably, especially in connection with the Fete which was held in the grounds of “Long Walk House,” and in many other ways. He would like to propose a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Thomson for his splendid services to the Club.
The vote was carried by acclamation.
Mr. THOMSON said he thanked them very much for the way in which they had received the vote of thanks. He had done his best for the Club, and he was sorry that during the past year he was not able to do as much as he wished, owing to business reasons. They would remember, however, that two years ago, when he was elected Captain, he said he was prepared to go on for one year only, but they pressed him to continue for another year. He would like to thank all those who held office in the Club during his captaincy for the splendid way in which they had helped him. He wished the Club every success, and said if he could do anything for it in the future he would be only too pleased to do it (applause).
Mr. H. A. BAKER proposed that Mr. C. D. Dyson be elected Captain of the Club. He said he had always had at heart the welfare of the Club and had worked tremendously hard for it. He was a most suitable man for the post, and he had done much in connection with obtaining funds for the erection of a new boathouse (hear, hear).
Mr. CROFTS seconded, and the proposition was carried unanimously.
Mr. C. D. DYSON, having taken the chair occupied by his father, returned thanks for his election as Captain. He said he was greatly interested in the Club, and he would continue to do his best for it. He was a “Wednesday” man, and he would have to get the Vice-Captain to represent him at the Saturday regattas, but he would always do all he could (hear, hear).
Mr. A. H. DYSON then proposed the re-election of Mr. V. H. Hobbs as Vice-Captain, and said he was a most suitable man. Mr. J. WHITE seconded, and it was carried with unanimity. Mr. HOBBS briefly returned thanks.
On the proposition of Mr. W. BUCK, seconded by Mr. BAYLEY, Mr. Wood was unanimously re-elected Hon. Treasurer, and tributes were paid to him for his work. Mr. Wood, in returning thanks, said the Regatta deficit was a very bad one, and he appealed to the members who had not paid their subscriptions to do so at once, as he had no money to go on with. He trusted all the members to rally round the officers and assist them all they could (hear, hear).
The CHAIRMAN proposed, and Mr. HOBBS seconded, that Mr. Barrett be re-elected Hon. Secretary. Both alluded to the splendid way in which Mr. Hobbs had carried out his duties. The proposition was carried with unanimity.
Mr. BARRETT, in returning thanks, appealed for more support from the members. He said that it was not his Club or anyone else’s Club, but the members’ Club, and they should all assist to promote its welfare. If they would support him he would do his best to carry on (hear, hear). He then proposed Mr. W. A. Brown as Assistant Secretary. Mr. CROFTS seconded, and it was carried. Mr. BROWN returned thanks.
On the proposition of Mr. CROFTS, seconded by Мr. HOBBS, Messrs. А. H. Dyson and M. Lightfoot were re-elected Auditors and thanked for their services.
Mr. Dyson, in returning thanks, said he felt very proud that his son Cyril had been elected Captain. Many members of his family had been connected with the Club. He had been a member of it for fifty years; his brothers Tom and Frederick had also held offices in the Club. With regard to the balance sheet, the Hon. Treasurer had prepared the accounts so admirably that he and his colleague had had no trouble at all. Mr. LIGHTFOOT also returned thanks, and appealed to the younger members to back up the efforts of the officers during the coming season.
The Committee
A ballot was taken for the election of a Committee, and the following were declared elected: Messrs. Buck, Baker, Bedford, Bayley, Crofts, White, Marment, and Mills.
Mr. Cowley’s Illness
On the proposition of Mr. T. J. CARTLAND, seconded by Mr. CROFTS, it was decided to send a letter of sympathy to Mr. A. H. Cowley, a Vice-President and a very old member of the Club, in his illness, and express a hope for his speedy recovery. It was stated that Mr. Cowley had undergone an operation on one of his legs successfully.
A Proposed New Boathouse
The CHAIRMAN and Mr. DYSON, senr., gave some details as to the progress of the Fund for the proposed new boathouse at Deadwater Ait, and appealed to all the members to do what they could. It was stated that the Albert Institute Operatic and Dramatic Society were kindly producing a piece at the Institute for the funds. The Chairman hoped that this would be well supported.
Other Business
A question as to whether a more uniform and distinctive club blazer and cap should be adopted was referred to the Committee. Votes of thanks to Mr. A. H. Dyson for presiding at the commencement of the meeting, and to the Press, concluded the business of the meeting.
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