Burns Howff Club
Report on Annual General Meeting 2008
At the Annual General Meeting of the
Burns Howff Club held in the Globe Inn, a link
with the past was made when David Miller was installed as president for 2008/2009.
His grandfather, also David Miller was president in 1948 and honorary
secretary for many years in the 1950’s and 60’s. Mr. Miller, a Chartered Surveyor, took over the Chair from Alistair
Johnstone and paid tribute to Mr. Johnstone’s
term in office, which had been one of the most successful in recent
years. In his retiring address, Mr.
Johnstone reviewed the highlights of his presidential year and spoke of the
pleasure he had in representing the club at numerous gatherings far and
wide. He expressed thanks to members for their support. The president welcomed the club’s two honorary lady members,
Maureen McKerrow and Jane Brown of the Globe Inn
and thanked them both for their help and cooperation during the year. Mrs. McKerrow congratulated the club on a very successful
year and stated that the major structural repairs to the Globe Inn would be
put in hand later in the year and it was hoped for completion before the
club’s social events in the Globe Inn commenced in October. In presenting his 36th annual report, honorary secretary
David Smith covered a wide range of social, cultural and other activities.
The club’s 119th Anniversary Dinner on 25th January
was memorable when the principal toast was proposed with wit and sincerity
by Alex Fergusson MSP. A special guest was the Consul General of Ukraine
who addressed the company and stated that school pupils in the Honorary treasurer David Baird presented a healthy balance sheet
and reported that fund raising to finance the programme of events for the
250th anniversary year of the birth of Robert Burns in 2009 was
ongoing and thanked members for supporting the club’s “Spring Fling” ceilidh at the Crichton. He reminded members that as
agreed at the AGM in 2007, the deadline for payment of subscriptions was 24th
May. During the year, the club had
donated £1000.00 to the Southern Scottish Counties Burns Association to
assist the financing of a DVD on Burns’ Dumfries Years and it was hoped
this would be available in 2009. Other donations included £200.00 for book
token prizes for the annual Schools Competition. Auditor Robert Hastings confirmed that the accounts and supporting
documentation had been examined and the balance sheet had been certified
correct. He congratulated the treasurer on his skill. The honorary librarian, Gordon Johnston reported on a number of
acquisitions including an eight volume set of Peter Westwood’s “Definitive
Illustrated Companion to Robert Burns”, in 4600 pages and is a valuable
research tool for scholars of the poet.
Mr. Westwood also presented facsimile correspondence circa 1907,
between the club and the Trustees of Burns Monument Museum regarding the removal
and sale of window panes from the Globe Inn, inscribed by Burns. A programme was in hand to convert the
anniversary dinner audio cassette tapes to CD’s for posterity. Office bearers and committee were elected for 2008/2009. Senior
vice president, John Caskie; junior vice
president, Neil Johnston; honorary secretary, David Smith; honorary
treasurer, David Baird; honorary librarian, Gordon Johnston; auditors,
Robert Hastings and John Lauder. Executive committee, Godfrey Bedford, Ernie Currie, William
Johnston, Frank Manson, Keith Martin, John Melrose, Ted Murray, Alex McHallum, Ian McIntyre, Derek Paterson, George
Templeton, Robert Walker, together with past president Alistair Johnstone. The president reported that Lord George Robertson KT would propose
the toast to “The Immortal Memory” at the 120th Anniversary
Dinner in January 2009 and a resolution was agreed expressing members
delight that Queen of the South had reached the final of the Scottish Cup. The president thanked members for their confidence in electing him
president and looked forward to an interesting and rewarding year. Past president Bill Welsh moved a vote of thanks to both chairmen.
