The 76th Annual General Meeting of the OP Society was held at the College on Sunday September 6th.

The AGM was held in the Peter Points Library following lunch in the Mess Hall generously provided by the College. About 25 OPs attended including, most felicitously, Honorary OP Peter Points. 

In his report outgoing Chairman Ian Williams (61-63) summed up "a very busy two years" as chairman. A copy of his presentation may be read elsewhere on this site. But overall 2008-09, in particular, had been both enjoyable and successful with a special highlight being the Hurlingham Dinner on April 30th attended by a record 160 OPs. 

Ian stated that the key challenges facing the Society during his term of office had been its relationship with younger OPs, its inability to find a successor to Hon. Sec. Lionel Stephens, the need to maintain an up-to-date data base, the problems involved in working within tight UK privacy laws and the importance of improving financial management.

Over the past two years, he reported, the OP Society had gone some way to meeting these challenges. It had become part of the new Pangbourne Assocaition, launched a new website, absorbed significant changes to the way it is financed, resurrected the Year Group concept and almost completed the transfer of the Harry Sykes Memorial Trust to the College.

Following this report Mark Dumas (64-68) was elected the new Chairman of the Society. Six members of the old committee were reelected. Five new members joined the committee (Alexander Smith, Charlie Parry, Niall Kilgour, Jeremy Hodgson & Anthony Clifford). Resignations were accepted from Simon Harvey, John Millensted, Alex Hunter and Danny Lee.

In the absence of the Hon. Treasurer, Mark Dumas presented the 2008-09 accounts. These showed a deficit in the Income & Expenditure Account of £2,016 compared to a deficit of £9,181 in 2007-08. General Funds totalled £32,499 as of April 5th, 2009, compared to £34,515 a year earlier. The accounts were approved unanimously after some discussion about the lower membership subscription income in 2008-09 which was due to the transition to membership of the Pangbourne Association. 

For his part Lionel Stephens recorded his appreciation for the huge support he had received from Ian Williams over the past two years and proposed that Ian be appointed a Vice President of the Society. This was accepted by acclamation. In turn Ian proposed that Steve become an Honorary Vice President of the Society. This, too, was accepted unanimously.

The meeting ended with an upbeat presentation by the Headmaster, Thomas Garnier. Both academic and sporting achievements at Pangbourne during the past year had been outstanding and real progress had been made to improve the College "fabric." He revealed to the audience that no less than 417 pupils had enrolled at tPangbourne for the Winter term - nine more than in 2008 (despite the recession) and just three short of the all-time record.