AGM of the Ampleforth Society 2008
The Ampleforth Society held the 128th Annual General Meeting at Ampleforth on 12 October 2008.
The Treasurer, Captain Michael O’Kelly (C45) reported on the accounts of the Society. Following decisions made a year ago to sell a number of investments to increase liquidity, over 50% of the Society’s total assets were held in cash deposits. Thus, although new investments had reduced in value since 31 December 2007 by approximately 17%, the value of the Society’s assets had fallen by only about 8%.
Reporting on behalf of the Trustees, Sir David Goodall (W50) said that the Address Book of the Old Amplefordians would shortly be available on the OA website, and that newly designed OA website would soon be operative. The Address Book [last published in 2007, and not due again until 2013] and the Address Book Supplement [due 2009, then 2011] will not in future be issued as a paper based publication. This is because the cost of producing an Address Book was so high and it is now possible to produce an Address Book on the internet which would be always up to date. The Trustees had a discussion on the Ampleforth Journal. The Journal is the publication of Ampleforth Abbey, not of the Society – but the Society had much interest in the Journal: about 80%of Journals went to Members of the Society as Members and the Journal was the record of the affairs of Ampleforth. The Trustees had expressed the hope that the Journal should continue but that it should continue in a modified format. They recognised that the current Journal had become highly costly and that it needed to be smaller and produced at less cost. At the Committee Meeting, there had been a discussion of the relationship between, on the one hand, the Society, and on the other hand, both OA sporting societies and OA events. The Committee agreed with the Trustees that such links should be strengthened. Discussions were continuing as to how this should be organised.
The Hon Gen Secretary, Fr Francis (D57), reported.
Fr Geoffrey Lynch (D44) , Patrick Tolhurst (C99), Peter Rosenvinge (O75) and Francis Dearlove (W57) were elected to the Committee.
The Deputy President of the Society, the Headmaster, Fr Gabriel Everitt reported to the Society about the school.