In With A Bang!
An Unforgettable Ceremony and a Happy Dinner!
A tumultuous week, headlined by my Installation by IPM Geoff Llewellyn and an Address to the Members and guests at the end of the Ceremony!
The Installation Ceremony and Dinner will live in my memory. More importantly though, it was a celebration of our Company – looking back with pride and looking forward with expectation.
The speech of our Distinguished Speaker Alderman Sir Paul Judge, Sheriff of the City of London was a piece of hard sense about business sandwiched between some very good humour!
Interestingly also it was suggested that our Company might have had the rare distinction, at least among Modern Companies, to have both Sheriffs present! Certainly I hear the Sheriff’s office was most impressed to hear we have achieved that!
The whole evening seemed to be a success, judging by the noise volume and the numbers remaining when the Hall started putting out the lights!
Old Friends and an Oscar!
My tumultuous week though started seven days earlier, as weeks do! I attended the weekend Five Yearly reunion of my Business School. It always reminds me of the strong bonds one makes through shared and deep experiences , and I thought this time of how the Livery Company has also done that through its most distinctive activities and special members.
We had the great pleasure of a cinema viewing of the latest feature film of classmate Peter Fudakowski. “The Secret Sharer” is awaiting release and is a great telling of Joseph Conrad’s story. Peter’s account of getting permission to make a film in China was fascinating. My class is proud of Peter – he is the only Oscar winner in our business school, if not any business school! His statuette was for his film Tsotsi which he’d just won at the time our previous reunion! I urge you to see both when you can!
Welcome to Our New Clerk and Assistant!
It has been all change in the Office as well. The switchover seems to have gone smoothly, with Adèle and Jackie taking over from Leslie. I look forward greatly to working with them both!
The Immediate Past Master set a tempo of a fresh blog every week, sometimes more frequent. What an act to follow! It’s my aim!
Best wishes
Edward