Peter handed over to me at about 11.30 on 3rd July. First of all let me say that it was a day of
mixed emotions. Losing Marj last year
was a hard blow to take and she was so excited at the prospect of me being Master
and her playing her part. So Marj was in
my thoughts on Wednesday. Nevertheless
the last year has been one of building excitement and anticipation. The support that I had from members on
Wednesday was palpable and for that I thank them all most sincerely.
The whole event of Installation and greeting guests for
lunch was spectacular. Almost my first
action as Master was to install my son David as a liveryman by way of
Patrimonial Redemption; if you want to learn more about this process then
contact the Clerk. I then welcomed two
new Court Assistants, Robert Casey and David Lloyd Owen along with a new
Journeyman Rose Norman and then our new chaplain the rev. Canon Flora
Winfield. So the Court got me off to a
flying start.
Reception and lunch aboard the HQS Wellington was just fine
with the reception and drinks on the quarter deck on what turned out to be a kind
morning weather-wise.
There were about 115 at the lunch including four Masters
and an immediate Past Master. My
principal guest was Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, an old friend, who is Chairman of
the Welsh Assembly’s committee on the Environment and Sustainability and is
therefore in frequent contact with our new Deputy Master Peter Mathews. Dafydd was up to his usual tricks in bating
the English very gently about ‘Welsh Lions’ and talking about the new approach
to our management of the environment in Wales.
It all went down extremely well and as expected he occupied more than
his allotted time, not that anyone was bothered in the slightest.
For my part I felt that I had to provide a short portrait of
what makes me ‘tick’ and where this leads me in plotting my year ahead. I have a most supportive team of wardens, Roger North, Peter
Hall and Keith Tozzi, and an excellent pair in my ‘backroom support’ in our Learned
Clerk and Mr Beadle; I am looking forward to an enjoyable and productive year.
There will be a ‘Message from the Master’ issued in hard
copy very shortly and there will be more ‘words’ from me in the Conservator
later in the year. You will find a few
points of commonality between all of these items; they have all been written in
the last couple of months.
Arrangements for the ‘Master’s Weekend’ in Ruthin are
virtually complete and a programme and instructions notice will be issued very soon.
My address at the installation Lunch has been placed on the
web site.
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