OBA Annual General Meeting - minutes

1. NOTICE
The notice convening the meeting was read.

2. PRESENT
C D Loadsman, J P N Aiken, F Aiken, D S Gold, A E N Whitestone,
A J Symonds, S J Cockburn, P F Cockburn, P G Lobo, C P Pett, D Blake,
J Blake, A Bremer, N Abraham, R Abraham, A Abraham, O Lund, D Chalmers

3. APOLOGIES
P Bowles, I White, D Nelson-Smith, P Miller

4. MINUTES OF THE LAST AGM
The minutes of the last AGM on Saturday 29 November 2008 were taken as read, approved and signed by the President.

5. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE LAST AGM
The President reported that the relationship between the Bursary Dept. and the Association has improved with the dedicated services of Ben Tomlinson in the Accounts Dept.

6. ACCOUNTS
The out-going Treasurer, Paul Lobo, reported that costs have been considerably reduced. Investment income was also reduced due to low interest rates from approx. £14,000 in 2008 to approx. £8,800 in 2009.
He clarified that the ‘prior year adjustment’ which appears in this year’s accounts was because Kate Graham-Pole, Brighton College’s Director of Finance’s predecessor, left no working papers relating to the Association accounts so an adjustment had been made by the school in the Association’s favour. The accounts were approved subject to the adjustment of the figure of £16,983 to show it as a positive not a negative sum.

7. PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT
The President thanked Fiona Aiken and the committee for their support and hard work throughout the year. He also thanked Tim Loadsman for remaining as Hon. Secretary for a final year before the amalgamation with the College and the out-going members of the committee, David Gold, Della Keighley and John Aiken.
He noted that the position of Treasurer would remain vacant for this year and the responsibilities would be met jointly by himself, Tim Loadsman and Fiona Aiken.

8. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The following were proposed, seconded and passed unanimously:
President        Tony Whitestone
Hon Secretary    Tim Loadsman

9. ELECTION OF THE COMMITTEE
The Committee was elected en bloc:
Chris Pett
Nicky Stanton
Giles Stubbs
Alex Bremer
Ben Chandler
Ros Jones – parent rep
Andrew Symonds – Council rep

Ex officio members are the Headmaster and F Aiken, as Administrator.

10. AMALGAMATION RESOLUTION
To consider and if thought fit to pass a resolution that with effect, from 1st August 2010, the assets of the Association be transferred to Brighton College, Registered Charity No: 307061, subject to the condition absolute that Brighton College fund, administer and continue the Association and activities for the benefit of current and future members and that the assets of the Association be held by Brighton College UPON TRUST for the benefit of such members or bursaries and/or to provide from the income therefrom a bursary towards the education at Brighton College of children of Old Brightonians or local children at the discretion of Brighton College and that the Committee of the Association be empowered, without further General Meeting, to make such changes to the Rules of the Association to give effect to the resolution as may be consistent with the aims and objects of the Association as set out in the current Rules.

The above resolution was passed with three abstentions after lengthy debate. Oskar Lund, the College’s Strategic Director, responsible for all non-fee based income and international business, explained that the Association’s assets would be transferred into the school account where it would be managed and grown by the Bursar. However, this sum would be accounted for separately in the school’s annual accounts and used to fund a bursary as detailed above.
The Association would continue to have a committee and all pupils who leave the school will become members as future subscriptions will be a compulsory part of the school fees.
It was also agreed that the Committee would regularly update members on the progress of preparations for the change in management of the OBA’s affairs and an assurance was sought, and given by Oskar Lund, that the OBA would continue to have its own identity.

11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.

The meeting closed at 7.23pm.