Annual General Meeting 2013
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 9th April 2013
There were 37 members present
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Stuart Jeffs and Trevor Rose
The Chairman presented flowers to Hilary Hawkins as a thank you for her service to the club. Hilary will not be standing again as treasurer. The Club thanks her for her long service and wishes her the best for the future.
Minutes of the 2012 meeting – were accepted as a true record of the meeting.
Proposed by S. Cory Seconded by B. Pullman
Officers Reports
Secretary’s report
Thank you all for attending tonight. Due to the number who attended last year we have had to relocate to the Woolpack as there are too many of us for the National Trust’s room. I’d like to thank the Woolpack for allowing us to use their facility.
The committee have been working hard this year to try to improve your fishing experiences. We have continued the Crayfish trapping programme, collecting 8255 for 163kgs from March to October. In October, the National Trust gave permission to Tim Lobb to trap the Crayfish on all the lakes so the club have now handed the responsibility for the 11 Acre to him and hopefully he will start the trapping again soon. 2 club members have been the mainstay of this programme for the last 2 years, David Gillman and Mick Taylor. This has been a major commitment for them and the club are very grateful for the time and effort they have put into this project.
We have spent time on rebuilding old peg 18 to the National Trust’s requirements as it had eroded to the point where it was infringing on the pathway for visitors, and we have also updated and renewed the peg numbers.
We have continued restocking the 11 Acre Lake with 1000 6 to 8 inch Tench which came from Andrew Ellis, and 850lbs of small roach and bream from Brackley Club. We thank Brackley for giving us the opportunity to have these fish from them. Andrew Ellis also surveyed the lake and fish for us, his suggestions are being considered by the committee and the National Trust.
Due to the very wet summer and winter, it has been difficult to use the Club car park. The Club has now added 15 ton of crushed limestone into the entrance way to try and ensure the car park can be used. We will continue to monitor this but hopefully this will make access easier.
Steve Cory has kindly made the Club a notice board which will shortly be erected in the car park. Please check the notice board as any important updates will be posted on there as well as on the Club website. There are a couple of dates for Triathlons and other Club bookings that you will need to be aware of. The National Trust have also been running a pest control programme to try and manage the geese. This did cause a slight incident with Club members earlier this year so we have been promised that any future dates for this will be notified to us.
We renewed our agreement for the river stretch last season and intend to continue with it for the 2013/14 season as well.
We are now entering the final year of our current lease with The National Trust. We have started talking to them about renewing but things will not progress with this until later in the year. In the meantime, The National Trust have decided to take over the management of the lakes until the renewal has been organised. In view of this the committee has decided to leave fees the same as last season.
The National Trust have bought to our attention a few issues that they have had with security, which I would just like to pass on to you. Can you please ensure that when you are entering or leaving the property you do not allow anyone through the barrier who doesn’t know the code to get through. If you find the barrier open when you arrive or depart can you please ensure you shut it. The National Trust have had a problem whereby someone let a crane in through the barrier, which shouldn’t have been going that way, and they now have a bill for several thousands of pounds to repair the damage it caused. Can you also please ensure that you shut the field gates when going through into the car park. There have been 2 incidents in the last few months when the sheep have escaped and made their way on to the golf course. These are not necessarily incidents caused by club members as a lot of other people use these access points, but we just need everyone to be aware and vigilant.
I have also been asked to remind members of the rules regarding bivvys. Bivvy’s are not allowed to be erected more than 2 hours before nightfall and have to be packed away before 1000 am.
The Secretary’s report was proposed by S. Cory and seconded by M. Taylor.
It was unanimously agreed that the secretary’s report be accepted.
Match Secretary’s report
Last season saw a repeat of the 2011/12 season with very poor fishing and weights being down once again. I again had to cancel the pairs and the knock out competitions as to the dwindling match attendance due to the lack of fish being caught.
Trevor Fenables was for the second year running the man in form as he won the weight aggregate trophy with an impressive 27kg 705grms a very good weight for how the season fished, and he also won the C. Atkins points cup with 34 points. John Harris was the winner of the Stan Jones memorial cup with a 4kg 100grm catch.
Our matches against Brackley saw us losing three of the four with us only winning the first match at home at the beginning of the season. The matches against Buckingham saw a tie with us winning at home and losing the away match.
For the first time last season we saw the return of Pike matches which were run by Trevor Fenables over the winter period, and from the reports that I have received there was some very nice ones caught, including a 20 pounder plus. The overall aggregate winner was Paul Hayden with three fish for 33lb 1oz which I believe were all caught in one match.
Our first match this coming season will be once again on the St James’s lake at Brackley on the 26th May.
I have also managed to arrange for the coming season a home and away match against Calvert A/C. The away match will be fished on Claydon Lake on the 22nd September.
As from the start of this year’s match season there will be a new rule introduced, which will see the usage of electronic alarms as an aid to bite detection no longer permitted during matches. So all match anglers please take note!
Finally I will put my other cap on as the clubs website operator, and on behalf of the club would like to say thank you to all the anglers who have sent in their photos of their catches last season. These are very much appreciated and are welcome additions to our website. So please keep sending them in, as the rest of the club and myself would like to see a lot more of them.
Match Secretary’s report was proposed by D. Ridgway and seconded by A. Hawkins.
It was unanimously agreed that the match secretary’s report be accepted.
Treasurer's Report
The treasurer gave the income and expenditure report for the year. She reported as follows:
Total income from membership and guest tickets was £4,648.01.
Expenditure was as follows:
Printing, stationery and postage £ 271.05
Trophies and engraving £ 275.92
Angling Trust Membership £ 240.00
General Maintenance £ 349.22
Boat £ 555.00
Fish Stocking £4,000.00
Fish pellets and Crayfish Bait £ 93.40
Fishery Management Survey £ 450.00
Total £6,234.59
Excess of expenditure over income being £1,686.58
Added to our bought forward balance this gives us a total balance of £2,858.06
General expenditure remains much the same as in previous years however we have several one off payments i.e. new boat and fishery survey costs. Restocking has cost us £4,000.00 and we have spent a little more on general maintenance £349.22.
This will be Hilary's last Treasurer’s report spanning 30 years plus.
Treasurer’s report was proposed by S. Horwood and seconded by S. Cory.
It was unanimously agreed that the Treasurer’s report be accepted
Membership Secretary's Report
Current membership remains full and stands at 150 Adult Members, 11 Juniors, 8 Honorary and 10 Complimentary tickets.
The waitlist currently has 31 names on it.
Last season we were able to offer places to 30 prospective members on the waitlist and 26 took up the offer and no replies from the other 4.
Membership permits and security cards for the coming season which will commence at midnight on the 31st May 2013, will be sent out in the middle of May.
There will be a change of padlock number for the swing barrier; the details will be included with your new permits.
The Octagon will be partially drained or emptied at some point during the summer to allow some essential work to be carried out on the Cascade to comply with the Reservoir and Dams Act. Should the lake be drained then the club has requested that the majority of the fish be moved to the 11 Acre Lake. The National Trust have therefore told us that there will be no fishing on the Octagon Lake this season.
Membership Secretary’s report was proposed by D. Ridgway and seconded by M. Grace.
It was unanimously agreed that the Membership Secretary’s report be accepted.
Election of Officers
Samantha Gillman proposed Phil Rose be re-elected as Chairman, Graham Brigginshaw seconded. This was carried unanimously.
Phil Rose proposed that the remaining committee be re-elected on block. This was carried unanimously.
General Resolutions – Mr Paul Hayden had made an application with regard to the netting of the Octagon Lake. This has become irrelevant due to the probable draining of the Octagon and the necessary moving of the fish.
Steve Cory questioned if the tench will be returned to the Octagon. The committee felt that it would be unlikely as it would be impossible to recapture the fish once in the 11 Acre Lake.
Any Other Business
Stuart Shepherd asked if it is possible for the Club to be consistent with weights as some things are in lbs and ozs and others are in kilos. He expressed a preference for lbs and ozs but as all the club scales are in kilos, we will have to stick with kilos for the foreseeable future.
Mark Fenning asked a question regarding insurance as there was no mention of insurance costs in the treasurer’s report. Hilary confirmed that this is included within the Angling Trust annual cost.
Meeting closed 2000 hrs.
There were 37 members present
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Stuart Jeffs and Trevor Rose
The Chairman presented flowers to Hilary Hawkins as a thank you for her service to the club. Hilary will not be standing again as treasurer. The Club thanks her for her long service and wishes her the best for the future.
Minutes of the 2012 meeting – were accepted as a true record of the meeting.
Proposed by S. Cory Seconded by B. Pullman
Officers Reports
Secretary’s report
Thank you all for attending tonight. Due to the number who attended last year we have had to relocate to the Woolpack as there are too many of us for the National Trust’s room. I’d like to thank the Woolpack for allowing us to use their facility.
The committee have been working hard this year to try to improve your fishing experiences. We have continued the Crayfish trapping programme, collecting 8255 for 163kgs from March to October. In October, the National Trust gave permission to Tim Lobb to trap the Crayfish on all the lakes so the club have now handed the responsibility for the 11 Acre to him and hopefully he will start the trapping again soon. 2 club members have been the mainstay of this programme for the last 2 years, David Gillman and Mick Taylor. This has been a major commitment for them and the club are very grateful for the time and effort they have put into this project.
We have spent time on rebuilding old peg 18 to the National Trust’s requirements as it had eroded to the point where it was infringing on the pathway for visitors, and we have also updated and renewed the peg numbers.
We have continued restocking the 11 Acre Lake with 1000 6 to 8 inch Tench which came from Andrew Ellis, and 850lbs of small roach and bream from Brackley Club. We thank Brackley for giving us the opportunity to have these fish from them. Andrew Ellis also surveyed the lake and fish for us, his suggestions are being considered by the committee and the National Trust.
Due to the very wet summer and winter, it has been difficult to use the Club car park. The Club has now added 15 ton of crushed limestone into the entrance way to try and ensure the car park can be used. We will continue to monitor this but hopefully this will make access easier.
Steve Cory has kindly made the Club a notice board which will shortly be erected in the car park. Please check the notice board as any important updates will be posted on there as well as on the Club website. There are a couple of dates for Triathlons and other Club bookings that you will need to be aware of. The National Trust have also been running a pest control programme to try and manage the geese. This did cause a slight incident with Club members earlier this year so we have been promised that any future dates for this will be notified to us.
We renewed our agreement for the river stretch last season and intend to continue with it for the 2013/14 season as well.
We are now entering the final year of our current lease with The National Trust. We have started talking to them about renewing but things will not progress with this until later in the year. In the meantime, The National Trust have decided to take over the management of the lakes until the renewal has been organised. In view of this the committee has decided to leave fees the same as last season.
The National Trust have bought to our attention a few issues that they have had with security, which I would just like to pass on to you. Can you please ensure that when you are entering or leaving the property you do not allow anyone through the barrier who doesn’t know the code to get through. If you find the barrier open when you arrive or depart can you please ensure you shut it. The National Trust have had a problem whereby someone let a crane in through the barrier, which shouldn’t have been going that way, and they now have a bill for several thousands of pounds to repair the damage it caused. Can you also please ensure that you shut the field gates when going through into the car park. There have been 2 incidents in the last few months when the sheep have escaped and made their way on to the golf course. These are not necessarily incidents caused by club members as a lot of other people use these access points, but we just need everyone to be aware and vigilant.
I have also been asked to remind members of the rules regarding bivvys. Bivvy’s are not allowed to be erected more than 2 hours before nightfall and have to be packed away before 1000 am.
The Secretary’s report was proposed by S. Cory and seconded by M. Taylor.
It was unanimously agreed that the secretary’s report be accepted.
Match Secretary’s report
Last season saw a repeat of the 2011/12 season with very poor fishing and weights being down once again. I again had to cancel the pairs and the knock out competitions as to the dwindling match attendance due to the lack of fish being caught.
Trevor Fenables was for the second year running the man in form as he won the weight aggregate trophy with an impressive 27kg 705grms a very good weight for how the season fished, and he also won the C. Atkins points cup with 34 points. John Harris was the winner of the Stan Jones memorial cup with a 4kg 100grm catch.
Our matches against Brackley saw us losing three of the four with us only winning the first match at home at the beginning of the season. The matches against Buckingham saw a tie with us winning at home and losing the away match.
For the first time last season we saw the return of Pike matches which were run by Trevor Fenables over the winter period, and from the reports that I have received there was some very nice ones caught, including a 20 pounder plus. The overall aggregate winner was Paul Hayden with three fish for 33lb 1oz which I believe were all caught in one match.
Our first match this coming season will be once again on the St James’s lake at Brackley on the 26th May.
I have also managed to arrange for the coming season a home and away match against Calvert A/C. The away match will be fished on Claydon Lake on the 22nd September.
As from the start of this year’s match season there will be a new rule introduced, which will see the usage of electronic alarms as an aid to bite detection no longer permitted during matches. So all match anglers please take note!
Finally I will put my other cap on as the clubs website operator, and on behalf of the club would like to say thank you to all the anglers who have sent in their photos of their catches last season. These are very much appreciated and are welcome additions to our website. So please keep sending them in, as the rest of the club and myself would like to see a lot more of them.
Match Secretary’s report was proposed by D. Ridgway and seconded by A. Hawkins.
It was unanimously agreed that the match secretary’s report be accepted.
Treasurer's Report
The treasurer gave the income and expenditure report for the year. She reported as follows:
Total income from membership and guest tickets was £4,648.01.
Expenditure was as follows:
Printing, stationery and postage £ 271.05
Trophies and engraving £ 275.92
Angling Trust Membership £ 240.00
General Maintenance £ 349.22
Boat £ 555.00
Fish Stocking £4,000.00
Fish pellets and Crayfish Bait £ 93.40
Fishery Management Survey £ 450.00
Total £6,234.59
Excess of expenditure over income being £1,686.58
Added to our bought forward balance this gives us a total balance of £2,858.06
General expenditure remains much the same as in previous years however we have several one off payments i.e. new boat and fishery survey costs. Restocking has cost us £4,000.00 and we have spent a little more on general maintenance £349.22.
This will be Hilary's last Treasurer’s report spanning 30 years plus.
Treasurer’s report was proposed by S. Horwood and seconded by S. Cory.
It was unanimously agreed that the Treasurer’s report be accepted
Membership Secretary's Report
Current membership remains full and stands at 150 Adult Members, 11 Juniors, 8 Honorary and 10 Complimentary tickets.
The waitlist currently has 31 names on it.
Last season we were able to offer places to 30 prospective members on the waitlist and 26 took up the offer and no replies from the other 4.
Membership permits and security cards for the coming season which will commence at midnight on the 31st May 2013, will be sent out in the middle of May.
There will be a change of padlock number for the swing barrier; the details will be included with your new permits.
The Octagon will be partially drained or emptied at some point during the summer to allow some essential work to be carried out on the Cascade to comply with the Reservoir and Dams Act. Should the lake be drained then the club has requested that the majority of the fish be moved to the 11 Acre Lake. The National Trust have therefore told us that there will be no fishing on the Octagon Lake this season.
Membership Secretary’s report was proposed by D. Ridgway and seconded by M. Grace.
It was unanimously agreed that the Membership Secretary’s report be accepted.
Election of Officers
Samantha Gillman proposed Phil Rose be re-elected as Chairman, Graham Brigginshaw seconded. This was carried unanimously.
Phil Rose proposed that the remaining committee be re-elected on block. This was carried unanimously.
General Resolutions – Mr Paul Hayden had made an application with regard to the netting of the Octagon Lake. This has become irrelevant due to the probable draining of the Octagon and the necessary moving of the fish.
Steve Cory questioned if the tench will be returned to the Octagon. The committee felt that it would be unlikely as it would be impossible to recapture the fish once in the 11 Acre Lake.
Any Other Business
Stuart Shepherd asked if it is possible for the Club to be consistent with weights as some things are in lbs and ozs and others are in kilos. He expressed a preference for lbs and ozs but as all the club scales are in kilos, we will have to stick with kilos for the foreseeable future.
Mark Fenning asked a question regarding insurance as there was no mention of insurance costs in the treasurer’s report. Hilary confirmed that this is included within the Angling Trust annual cost.
Meeting closed 2000 hrs.