An exciting, fascinating and comprehensive list of Circle meetings for the immediate
future was unveiled by our new Meetings Secretary, Jon Aitchison, at the Annual General Meeting on May 5. It was a great shame that
so few members – only eight – were present to hear the details (see below) of what promises to be an impressive and intriguing time
for members over the next couple of years. But perhaps the attendance had something to do with the opposing attractions of a bank
holiday weekend and blazing sunshine in London.
The Minutes of the 2017 Annual Meeting were approved; there were no matters arising.
Chairman: The Chairman hoped for a year with fewer sad losses than in 2017, and that negotiations to continue with the sale of
our former Chairman Peter Andrews’ collection would bear fruit.
Secretary: The Secretary reported a net loss of four members over the year, due largely to non-payment of subscriptions.
Seventeen new members had been welcomed, but he warned of more lapsings to come. UK and EU members were urged to sign and return
the new Europe-wide data protection regulation, and the meeting voted to accept one new member – welcome to Michael Ryan of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The Chairman hoped for a year with fewer sad losses than in 2017, and that negotiations to continue with the sale of our former Chairman
Peter Andrews’ collection would bear fruit.
Votes for the MacArthur Award, intended to encourage members to share their interests in the QC, had been depressingly few, and there was
discussion about how to make voting more popular. The 2017 award, richly deserved for a fine piece of research, went to Peter Grech (ESC 266),
for his 1957: Rejected Egyptian Mail.
Accounts: The Treasurer’s report, delivered in his absence, noted a year on year increase in the accumulated surplus of £2339.
Income increased by £1537, due mainly to increased auction commission, which of course requires material of top quality to attract high bids;
but also to a slight increase in advertising. Expenditure was roughly in line with 2016, but £400 was saved on website costs. At the end of the
year we had £16,583.58 in the bank. The accounts were approved and a Vote of Thanks to our auditor, Stephen Bunce, was approved with acclamation.
Auctions: The Secretary reported on the success of postal Auctions 55 (September 2016, commission £1037) and 56 (September 2017, commission £1806),
the latter boosted by material from the families of Peter Andrews and Erik Menne Larsen. Live Auctions at Stampex (February 2017) and in November last year
were only moderately successful, largely because viewing was limited and illustrations unavailable. After discussion, it was agreed to plan for a postal/live
all-day Auction, with material on display in the morning and the sale in the afternoon. Material won may then be carried away.
Editor: The Editor reported with a sigh of relief that the Edmund Hall tribute QC had been well received, and the December and March issues had followed
on smoothly, thanks to the efforts of a very few senior contributors. The June issue is ready for the printer, but as ever he appealed to members to produce
material to keep the magazine up to date and lively. He apologised to those whose material had not yet been published, and warned that the small backlog of
articles would not last for ever.
Webmaster: The Webmaster noted that it had taken some little time to come to terms with how the website had been put together, but assured the meeting
that the uncharted territory was now understood and looked forward to changes in both appearance, with larger and clearer fonts than were originally available,
and ease of use. He and the Editor appealed to members to contribute any information about Egypt and its philately to maintain news and current material on the
site.
Librarian: The Librarian announced that sales of back copies of the QC had realised a net income of £72.60 over the past two years, and urged members to
borrow material from the extensive Library.
Election of Officers: No elections were necessary.
Next year’s AGM: Saturday July 6 (to be confirmed)
There then followed the regular “ten sheets” meeting, with the following displays:
John Davis, Greek Post Office in Alexandria, with several covers;
Mike Bramwell, a British Museum article suggesting that the Sphinx and Pyramids illustrations became popular only in the nineteenth century;
Peter Grech, illustrations of how Egypt’s major hotels developed over the years;
Mike Murphy, with recent correspondence hinting that new Egyptian regulation
no longer requires stamps for registered material;
Jon Aitchison, a miscellany of envelopes and first-day covers largely dealing with the Canal area.
Monacophil 2019 The Entry Form can be Found by clicking HERE
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