PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR 1971
I have very much pleasure this evening in presenting to you my Annual Report of our Society for the calendar year of 1971.
Membership:
The total number of members on our books for the year has remained remarkably static. Our losses in membership during the year numbered 23, and of these 3 were due to deaths while the remaining 20 were due to resignations tendered because of departure from the Colony on transfer or on retirement. This loss was balanced by the 24 new members who joined during the year, giving us a net gain of 1 for the period, and making our total membership on the 31st December last stand at 525.
Two other changes in membership call for special mention in this Report. One is that two of our Ordinary Members became Life Members during the year, and the other is that in October last, our Patron, Sir David Trench, left the Colony on retirement and our Society now records its grateful thanks to him for his Patronage during the years of his Governorship of the Colony. His successor, Sir Murray MacLehose, arrived here on the 19th November 1971 and immediately assumed the duties of his high office. He has since honoured our Society by becoming its Patron in succession to Sir David, thus perpetuating the close personal association that has always existed between us and our Governors. This association began with the Colony's second Governor, Sir John Francis Davis, when he became our first President in 1847. This traditional association was revived in 1959 when this branch was resuscitated and the then Governor Sir Robert Black became its Patron. We look with pleasure to welcoming personally our new Patron when he attends as he has expressed the hope of soon being able to do, one of our ordinary meetings.
Meetings:
A.G.M. The Annual General Meeting of the Branch was held on the 3rd May 1971.
Lectures: The following is the detailed list of lecture meetings held during the year and it is hoped that the various speakers will accept this record as a further token of our gratitude for