Lis and I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year

Building up to Xmas

Yesterday the 11th December was  an interesting and stimulating day . The Court meeting affirmed its committment to the programme of activity by the FMGP and this was followed by a most enjoyable Xmas lunch .In the evening Lis and I ,accompanied by several other Water Conservators with partners and guests, enjoyed a candlelight Christmas Carol  Service at St Mary at Hill  . I had the honour of reading the third lesson  . We are supporters of this Service . It was  a lovely start to the Xmas season . Thank you for all  of the kind messages of suppport during this Season of Goodwill ;may Lis and I wish you all the very best for Xmas and the New Year

A busy week just gone
I have been tied up with a variety of matters paricularly in Wales .
On the 27th Lis went to a lunch at Tallow Chandlers  Hall as the guest of the Mistress Tallow Chandler ,Lady Snyder . The guest speaker was the Lady Mayoress . Lis reports a most pleasant event .On the 28th I attended the Past Masters' meeting in which we reviewed progess during my year and I reported the committment and involvement of many members of the Company .Lis joined us for the following lunch as did other  Past Mistresses.

An inspiring visit to St Pauls
On Wednesday 21st . Lis and I represented the Company at the Festival of St Celia Sevice for the Musicians Benevolent Fund . The Lord Mayor , Sherriffs  and Duchess of Gloucester were present .This year's specially commissioned Anthem was by Alec Roth to the words of Psalm 100 .It was truely joyful .Will Todd the composer gave the address  and this coupled with the lessons so eloquently read by music notables  Sir Williard White and Dame Kiri  Te Kanawa  left a lasting impression on how we can move forward in postive ways  .

Four in a row
Tuesday 13 November was dinner at Haberdashers Hall with the Worshipful Company of Gardeners . A very pleasant evening in impressive surroundings . The principal guest was the Earl of Selborne who spoke on sustainablity . This is a particular interest of the Master Rex Thornborough who I have met through WET10.
The next day was most interesting . Whe Lis and I were in South Africa in August we were in very rural communities and often these have antique shops and as you know we are incorrigible collectors . For a very small sum I bought some old spectacle lenses on the basis that we knew someone who collected them . Well we could not find who that was and I met the clerk to the Spectacle Makers at a dinner and told him about this . He told the curator, Neil Handley  of the British Optical Association , College of Optometrists  near Charing Cross . I visited him on the morning of the 14 November and was pleased to find that the lenses were of WW1 vintage and I donated them to the Museum in my capacity as Master Water Conservator .
After an interlude at Trinity House I went on to the Lord Mayor's Address to Masters , Wardens , Clerks and so on  ........ for those of you who read this I was distracted by a small challenge in Wales which  has consumed all my time .. so back to my blog ! The addres was inspiring and I was very pleased to hear the Lord Mayor say ... 'to stay true to the past , we must  change continually' . He said that he would be writing to Companies regarding his notion that we should build our capital through legacies which is  now more attractive under the inheritance taxation rules  under the title Livery Legacy ? I was honoured to be asked to ask a question regarding the changes to City Briefings which have been suspended pending a review which will completed in the New Year . So I added the compliments of the Company  and said that we would give consideration to his proposal .
Which is what I reported at the FMGP the following day - Thursday 15th - the four event in a row . Have a nice weekend  ! Finished Nov 17th

A Beautiful Day for Remembrance 11 November

Lis and I attended a Service organised by The Honourable Company of Master Mariners at the Merchant Navy Memorial  at Tower Hill in conjunction with Trinity House . This brought two parts of my life together .I wrote a message of condolence for our Company 'The waters of  the seas will conserve the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice '

I have also discovered the Walbrook Club which our Walbrook Warden is eligible to join . We must find out more.

The Lord Mayor's Parade
After an early wet start  at home , the weather was not too bad  in London when we got going with the parade . We were in the Modern Companies section , as usual  . The crowds were very jolly with lots of cheering and whistling - but it is a long walk and comfortable shoes are a must .I really enjoyed being with Roger North , Fleet Warden and Peter Hall, Walbrook Warden who did a sterling job in holding our placard . Lis tells me that we featured very well on the BBC transmission

Two special events in succession for Lis and me
Last night (8th Nov )was  a very special dinner at Stationers Hall in honourof His Majesty King Michael of Romania to celebrate his 75th year as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order  given by His Honour  Sir Gavyn Arthur . It was a splendid  and colourful affair with the Guard of Honour provided by the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers of the  Honourable Artillery Company . Sir Gavyn's speech stirred us all with the brave exploits of the King during the dark years of Fascism and Communism in Romania.

Afrter an overnight stay in London  , we went to the Silent Ceremony at Guildhall this afternoon .This is the installation ( Admission ) of the new Lord Mayor , Roger Gifford .Again lots of pageant . The robes for this ceremony are dark which contrasts with the scarlet used for the election - and today there were no posies - I am going to find out why there are these differences.Looking forward to the Parade tomorrow  . We are really enjoying the tradition of the City.

The start of a challenging week
Today in bright sunshine I placed across of remembrance on behalf of the Company  in the ceremony of the Opening of the Garden of Rembrance in St Pauls Cathedral .It was very moving and the memories of the sacrifices put all our problems into their proper perspective . But in many ways the sombre  mood was mixed with the brightness of the honour in the sacrifices that were made . Once more we see  opposites co-existing in life . Wardens - you do not need black ties , ordinary ones preferable a company tie will be fine

Then on to one of the last functions for the Lord Mayor - a lunch provded by Trinity House for the City of London Corporation . I was there as an Associate Brother but I was able to wear the badge of the Company with pride . The food and companionship were splendid .

What a wonderful night last night at the Banquet  .Over 100 people attended the event at Painters Hall . Lis and really enjoyed ourselves and appreciated the efforts which people made in organising and attending .I include the texts of my speeches

(Wardens, Liverymen, Freemen, Ladies & Gentlemen)

It is my pleasure to welcome you all here this evening . With my new found bilingual skills Hello, Good, Evening , Welcome . Helo, Nos Da , Croeso

To use the words of our alderman, you are all most welcome  emphasizing that all most is two words and not one

Before I say anything more about our guests I would like to take this opportunity to say something about the company . We are in very good heart and I am very pleased that we have a very active programme of engagement with the membership this year . Inevitably with so much activity there will always be challenges to deal with, but I would much rather deal with the sins of commission than the sins of omission and by golly we have lots of commissioning going on. I encourage those members present who have not become engaged so far to do so .

There are many things which I ought to mention but I do not have time . One which might interest our guests is our book . It is called Reflections on Water . This will be made up of individual views and experiences of water . They may be technical ( although not too esoteric) reflective , personal- with essays , poems, papers or anecdotes . It will involve contributions received and promised so far from perspectives as diverse as technical leaders on lighthouses through to the views of eight year children on reservoirs . So guests please do contribute – we really do want a diversity of views, thoughts and experiences .

So whilst I am talking to you as guests may I repeat my special welcome to you . Your presence adds lustre to our evening , but ,may I be very selfish for a moment and say that on behalf of the Members present with guests who are partners – domestic partners – how much we appreciate your support throughout the year . Welcome to our personal guests , Sue and Peter Cook who many of you will know were active in the Company but moved to France to be with their family , and our son Robert .

Lis and I are having a great time representing the company and by being strict on what we eat at home we are keeping our weights down . We could not do what we are doing without the support of the Wardens and our clerk Ralph Riley . Thank you all .

Now finally may I welcome our principal guest Sir Richard Dearlove . He has a very distinguished career in intelligence finally as C the Chief of British Secret Intelligence .He is currently the Master of Pembroke College Cambridge where I am sure that he is known appropriately as M,. although I have never heard him called that . His challenge is the same as mine and that of Masters of all Livery companies – how to honour tradition whilst encouraging change and experiment in this modern world .

I now come to the toast which will be in tap water – what could be a better expression in our belief in water conservation than doing this .It is genuine  treated Thames water supplied at fantastic value for money by Thames Water .

Sir Richard will respond to my toast on behalf of all the guests and so may I ask the members of the company to join me in that toast …….. the Guests

……………………………………………………………….

Sir Richard’s speech  referred to his life in the Secret Service and as Master of Pembroke and shared his thoughts on combining innovation and tradition. He concluded by referring to some issues on water conservation and fishing on the River Tamar and complimented the progress which had been made in co-operation with organisations like South West Water . He stressed the importance of conserving our natural assets. I responded briefly by referring to the new approaches to natural resources management as is demonstrated by the initiatives in Wales and the current reviews in England.

   

Sir  Richard that was a most interesting speech and we will add that to the compendium of views which we are collecting on this topic throughout the year . You honour us with your insights .

 I conclude by thanking the Worshipful Company of Painter Stainers for the use of their Hall – it is magnificent and  by thanking the staff for their attentive service and by thanking the caterers for the delicious repast .May I thank Huber for providing sponsorship for this evening

And of course on your behalf may I also  thank our singers from the Guildhall School of Music who entertained so well  with Welsh songs and sea shanties .

It is my bittersweet duty now to bring matters to an end this evening and to invite you to join me in a stirrup cup . The flower arrangements are constructed in a way which allows the ladies to take home individual posies . Lis and I thank you  once more for coming and we wish you godspeed and safety for your journeys  home.

Biodiversity of River Thames continues to improve

On Saturday the 27th October Lis and I went to Denton Gravesend went to the 40th City of London Fishery Research Experiment Organised by the City of London Corporation,

the Thames Angling Preservation Society and the Environment Agency.Additional funding is provided by the Fishmongers’Company and the Port of London Authority.

Yet again it was very jolly event not spoiled by torrential rain !! As usual the lunch was most enjoyable.  The following text is abstracted and added to from the brochure provided for the day.

The City of London is involved via its Port of London Health Authority and the base for the experiment and  the lunch is its Denton office .

The  first Thames Fishery Research Experiment took place in February 1966 and was organised by the Thames Angling Preservation Society with the Greater London Council and the PLA . There were over 500 participants and 578 fish were caught. The experiment was repeated in 1970 and

the City of London became interested in 1971  and after the GLC withdrew , the first

 joint experiment  was arranged  in 1973. It became an annual event which is now in its 40th year.

At the 1966 experiment, stewards were instructed to register fish that were caught before returning them to the river. This practice has now been adopted at similar events all around the country.

The Thames Angling Preservation Society also pioneered the zoning and points system used in the competition today. Judging is based on the greatest variety of fi sh caught and a scoring

system is used which was originally devised by Dr Wheeler of the Natural History Museum. The system rates fish according to scarcity and significance in the context of a cleaner river.

The results of the 40 Fishing Experiments have demonstrated that the River Thames has recovered since the 1950’s & 1960’s when a person was placed in quarantine if they fell into the

water! Over the years, Dick Hodges and Reg Butcher of the Thames Angling Preservation Society have been key figures in organising the annual competition and their hard work and enthusiasm

continues to be greatly appreciated by all who take part. Reg has a long history with the river, having begun working on barges as a teenager. In 1966 he caught the first cod in the Thames for 100

years, from Gravesend Promenade. He also featured in a 1970 film about the Thames.

I became involved again in 2006 when I joined the board of the PLA and by 2007 we , the Water Conservators,  had introduced the Biodiversity Prize ,one of our miniature tankards , for the catch which best demonstrates the continuing improvement and conservation of the River - we thought that this captured the original spirit of the competition .

Eight teams compete for the Lady Howard Trophy which is awarded to the team with the highest

number of points.

Th e teams were:

Charles Stanley Angling Team

CoL Invitation Angling Team

Essex County Angling Team

Kent Angling Team

PLA Angling Team

Porth Health & Environmental Services Committee Team

Public Services Team .... winner presented by  the present Lady  Howard , former Lady Mayoress of London and daughter in law of  the previous Lady Howard  

Thamesiders Angling Team

Fishmongers’ Cup

Anglers compete individually for the Fishmongers’  Cup which is presented to the angler who has caught the largest and/or best fish during the competition ..... winner Rick Hodson of the PLA team with a whopping 9 lb cod ! presented by a representative from the Fishmongers

Bio-diversity Award

Th e Worshipful Company of Water Conservators  present an award for the catch which most demonstrates continuing healthiness and improvement of the River Thames .... winner Phil Baxter of the PLA team prize presented by Peter Matthews Master Water Conservator

PLA Schools Trophy

The  following teams competed:

City of London School

City of London School for Girls

Gravesend Grammar School ... winner presented by Peter Matthews

Best individual catch by an adult  won  Paul Longmuir – Public Services Team

Best individual catch by school team – Matthew Perry – Gravesend Grammar

The event was rounded off with a vote of thanks from the Captain of the Essex County team

A week late but better than never .
Last Wednesday 17th, Lis and I went to the Founders' Lunch at Butchers' Hall . We had a delightful time and the food was excellent . It was good to meet friends of many years standing .The opportunity to dine there is available  and perhaps we ought to make more of it . I am late with our report because I went straight off to Cardiff and I have been tied up ever since . Back off to Cardiff again tomorrow !

October 10
Another busy day . Lis and I had been in Wales for over a week and came back this morning to Denbies wine estate  near Dorking for a lunch organised by Roger North our Fleet Warden and his wife Chris. We missed the vineyard tour but enjoyed the food and company of about 30 others . This proves that the notion of regional  Company lunches is very good and we will have more . Well done and thanks to Roger and Chris. 

Roger and Chris dropped me off  at Dorking Station , now changed into black tie and I made my way to the  Worshipful Company of Musicians Annual Masters' and Clerks' Dinner in Armourers Hall. The Master is of course Ald Andrew Parmley  , who we all know from our Company , and he gave a most witty speech in response to the guest speaker Sara Mohr-Pietsch radio three presenter and broadcaster . She was a former pupil of the Master and beween them they recalled some very happy days .A very entertaining duo - thankyou . The surroundings and the company of fellow members of the Livery made for a memorable evening

Finally thank you to Chris and Roger who agreed to step in for a very early morning event on the 12th - the send off of the taxi drivers sponsored trip to Paris from Docklands  - we all  contributed with the collection from the Installation lunch .

Tradition and innovation once more in partnership

Today I went to Common Hall at Guildhall  for the purpose of electing the Lord Mayor . It was spectacular . All the gowns , uniforms , hats , bonnets and badges made a very colourful occasion .It really brings home the tradition of the City . Alderman  Roger  Gifford was elected . Congratulations ! He will be very good - I heard him speak at the Paviors dinner - check one of my earliest blogs. But I was also fascinated by the Report of the Livery Committee  . It recommended that the practices of the City be brought up to date in respect of the election and appointment of auditors of Chamberlain's and Bridgemasters' accounts . There was no hint that ....things had been done differently in the past and so change was not appropriate . We can all learn from this and if there are things in our Company which need improving, we should not flinch and we should follow the lead of the Livery Committee and Common Hall .

Michaelmas Court and Lunch 26 September 2012
On the whole it went well today . The Court  admitted 8 Freeman and clothed 5 Liverymen; we celebrated the time that we knew Marj Richards . I really do feel good about the way in which we are moving forward but building on the past - and that was the subject of an excellent speech by Steve Morris MD of Huber whcih will be posted on our website and included in our book Reflections on Water .This is the text of my speech .

MASTERS  MICHAELMAS   LUNCH SPEECH PEWTERERS HALL SEPT 26^TH 2012

Wardens, My Lord ,Visiting Masters  Liverymen, Ladies & Gentlemen

Thank you Steve for a most insightful speech. The resonates very well with the aspirations of  our company 

I invited Steve to speak to us today  because ,as I have said before  one of my objectives is to strengthen the link between our company and the water industry. We have listened to speeches in the past from utilities , regulators , consultants , academics , but this is the first time, to my knowledge ,that we heard from a very important sector and that is process technology . I am sure that you will agree with me that Steve has plugged that gap. Thank you

We will publish his speech on our website and other locations.  If you want to read it at your leisure  you can do so.

In July I said that we had a number of objectives and we are now on the road as a team to deliver those and we have a very diverse programme of activities . If  Members are interested you will be able to find the programme on the Members area of the website  . One initiative is that the collection from today is being made available to our members who have submitted bids for project support ‘ I am glad to announce that the joint winners are Ruislip High School and CIWEM.  The money will go towards a new Aquarium for Ruislip High School and Tomorrow's Water  - CIWEM's annual Youth Water Prize.  Both will have the responsibility of managing the use of  this money and to report back to us .   Further details of each project are printed on the back of today's Menu. Thank you to Court Assistants Jo Finely and Sue Paterson for their work on this.

 We are planning lots of new activities including the production of a book of essays , short pieces , poems’ or whatever you like, called Reflections on Water . At the very  least it will be published or linked into our website and I encourage you to contribute . Court assistants Nick Reeves , and David Johnstone  and Bailiff David Lloyd Owen are leading on this.

I have said that an objective of mine is that we should reach out and involve as many members as possible beyond attending lunches . I am pleased to report that we are well on the way . We had almost 50 people on the Cromer weekend and nearly 40 at the Globe visit

Lis and I are having a great time attending events and the blog is proving a very useful vehicle for us to report back to you all .We enjoyed the launch of the Maidstone Sea Cadets Boat , the Conservator ,which the company  supported and I would like to express my particular thanks to court assistant Trevor Harrington .

I have had to miss one or two events because I have taken on a new task in Wales in setting up a Natural Resources Body . This is giving me  an opportunity to demonstrate what I spoke about in July ,which is the combination of innovation and tradition – indeed I have cited the Water Conservators as an example of this. In fact as you know we are moving on in Wales to the concept of natural resources management in which we are trying to implement affordable sustainability for real rather than by rhetoric and if anyone here today has any bright ideas on how we might do that or on how the Company could contribute its wisdom – please do contact me .

 But what I have learned as I grow older is that life is about the co-existence of opposites , and tradition coupled with innovation is apparently  just that . But if you think about this idea there are many examples – bitter- sweet is just one . But a most poignant co-existence in life  is that of joy and sorrow . And in the midst of the joys at a personal level and as a country over the weeks since the Installation , we are very saddened by the sudden loss of Marj the wife of our Thames Warden Ivor Richards . She was a  lovely lady, who genuinely loved her involvement in our company and I am sure that you all join with me in expressing our sadness to Ivor and in celebrating the time that we spent with her. Ivor has written a eulogy to Marj and you can read this on our website under Ivor’s Who’s who contribution

It is now time for me to pass on congratulations .

First as you know our ladies team won the PLA Challenge cup again , well done . We have the cup before us today suitably engraved .

              We admitted  Martin Baggs, Dylan Barker, Ro Bhimadari, Malcolm Butchers, Karen Gadd, Paul Jenkin, Peter Jones & Guy Titman to the Freedom of the Company. Congratulations . Please can you all stand up

               We Clothed  Clare Deanesly, Andrew Kirkman, Steve Kippin, Nigel Mattravers & Robert Owen as Liverymen. Again Congratulations please stand up

               And finally we admitted Sir Neil Chalmers as an Honorary Freeman of the Company, Sir Neil was Warden of Wadham College Oxford with whom we have had a very productive relationship and to whom  we have provided bursaries . He was instrumental in building our  early partnerships with academia .Congratulations please can you stand up.

As I have said we  are planning some more  great events this year . The next one is the regional lunch in Dorking on October 10^th  please contact Roger North our Fleet Warden . The we have the  banquet on 1 Nov and thereafter the Carol Service which is being re-instated in a different venue at St Mary at Hill near Monument tube station on Dec 11. Please do support these and watch out for announcements on other events and activities being planned by various teams right now  Once more, please let me know what you would like to do and if you would like to be involved in the planning.

Thank you to the Wardens and clerk for helping me out and will most certainly do the same for them when it is their turn to represent the company . Lis and I continue to be deeply honoured by our roles and we will do continue to do everything we can in our year for the Company.  Finally, thank to all of you for coming today and in particular thank you to Steve  once again. May we invite you to join us for a stirrup cup afterwards

May God go with you and may we wish you all a safe journey home.  See you in October ,November or December

Busy Busy
Yesterday evening ( 24 September ) I went to the meeting of the WET10 committee and finished up ,as the new boy , agreeing to take the minutes , but they will have to wait for a day or two . It was exciting to hear that there is going to be an outstanding debate next year on March 4th around the topics of weather , climate and risk to be held at the Glaziers Hall ; but I leave the committee to tell you all about it  . The committee was also pleased to hear about our dinner debate to be held at the Reform Club on 11 April being organised by Court Assistant Nick Reeves ; the guest speaker is Martin Baggs CEO of Thames Water . It was also interested in making contributions to our book Reflections on Water and we will be hearing more about this in due course also from Nick annd other Liverymen and Court Assistants, who are working on this project.

Meantime Lis was at a CIWEM musical evening sponsored by Arup  also in London. She tells me that it was most enjoyable and that the perfomers were really talented . She wants me to rcord that it was very well organised and she wishes to add her thanks to the sponsor.

This evening ( the 25th ) I went to the Fuellers Annual Energy Lecture and listened to Prof David Mackay of Cambridge University  and Chief Scientific Adviser to DECC . He spoke about keeping the lights on in 2050- can we do it and what will it cost . I suppose my simple analysis of the answer was 'yes 'and 'a lot '.Much of what he talked about is the use of  a calculator of models or processes which enabled different options to be costed terms of  technological solutions , behavioural patterns and  risk appetites . It is likely that energy saving , renewable nad nuclear power will all have a role to play . The discussion revealed that there is enthusiasm for all kinds of renewable energy such as that generated from waste and biomass - but in the long term fusion and vast solar arrays in desert areas will also play a role .

Now off to bed - it is a long day tomorrow with the Court Meeting and Lunch and then I am straight off to Cardiff .

I am just back from a 'roadshow' meeting staff in Wales and explaining to them how we are setting about creating the new Natural Resources Body for Wales . Anyone who has any bright ideas on the practical realisation of the concepts of natural , social and economic capital management - please do share them . For this resaon I was not able to go to the Modern Companies dinner on Tuesday 11 Sept and I very much appreciate the support of Peter Hall our Walbrook Warden ,who went in my place .

But Lis has been active  and she respresented the Company at a Luncheon for Modern Company Mistresses and Consorts at the Information Technologists Hall organised by the Mistress Tax Adviser yesterday 13 Sept . Lis reports that she had a great time and was very impressed by a short address by Alderman Fiona Woolf who will be a candidate for election as Lord Mayor in two years time ( I think that this is the correct expression ) . The  theme of her address was the challenges of equality for women in business - and this resonated with most of the Mistresses present

'Taming of the Shrew' best Globe visit yet on Sept 5

38 of us went to the Globe Theatre to see Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew . It was a wonderful production with a very funny start that had several of us wondering if there was a genuine intruder to the proceedings . The Globe Theatre Company really does understand that plays like this were meant to be light entertainment - the equivalent of our comedy programmes like Hello Hello or like the Whitehall Farces . Just sit back ( although a little difficult on the Globe seats ) and enjoy yourselves - and that is what we did .

It was full day for some of us . We had a meeting of the Finance and General Purpose Committee and endorsed a full programme of activities for the year and more will unfold as time goes on .

AUG 31

Lis and I are back from our holidays . We are very sad that, whilst we were away ,Marj Richards , the wife of our Thames Warden,Ivor, passed way after a short illness . She was  a lovely lady and inspired us with her affection for, and committment to, our Company . We will be saying more about her in due course .Meanwhile our thoughts are with Ivor and his family.

Launch of the Conservator

Last Saturday, August 4th , Lis and I went with Court Assistant Trevor Harrington and his wife  Annette for the launch of the new rowing boat of the Maidstone Sea Cadets in Madistone on the River Medway .Of course the Trinity 500 boat is called the Conservator ! Our Trust raised £2500 towards its purchase . It was a great thrill for us to be with the leaders and young people , particularly as we come from that part of the world . Trevor made a great job of launching the boat , but even more in his efforts to work with the cadets on our behalf ,and in raising the money .
Trevor and Annette thank you very much . Trevor will do report for our website .

MEA CULPA

It was my intention to keep the blog virtually instantly up to date and that is what I will do in future . But the last few days have seen a massive event - for me at least - which has distracted me . I have been appointed as the Chair for the new body which is bringing the functions of the Environment Agency Wales , the Countryside Commission of Wales  the Forestry Commission Wales and the functions of Marine Regulation of the Welsh Government , into one body which will be operational as from 1st April next year . For various reasons I have had to go from nought to the speed of light very quickly ; and the post was effective from just a week ago although it seems longer !!!. This is going to challenge me with time planning over the next few weeks as we recruit the CEO and Board  ,but with care , discipline and the friendship of my colleagues I will cope. It is a really exciting challenge and I am looking forward to it very much . The concept of natural resources management behind the new organisation is totally consistent with our aspirations and what I was saying at the Installation Lunch .

But I did manage to fit in my meeting with Ralph and the Wardens last Friday and I am very pleased that we have a really good programme of activities, which  we will propose to FMGP  and we are excited by the contributions which a substantial number of our members wish to make . Thank you so much .

I have now typed up my speech to the CIWEM AGM and added it to the blog for the 18th July

Today the 19th of July has been another special day. Lis and I have been involved in two events.
Lis represented the Company at the Annual Service of the Imperial Society  of Knights Batchelor at St Pauls Cathedral. She says that it was a very moving Service with traditional hymns and the most colourful regalia .Why was I not there ? Well I was with the Lord Mayor , Alderman David Wootton and his Lady,Liz,  in the Mansion House.

On the 14th July  1197 King Richard 1st sold the Thames Conservancy to the City of London  for 1500 Marks . To celebrate this memorable event , we present the Lord Mayor with a jug filled with Thames water , after which we all partake  a glass full of this healthy product . This resonates well with our decision that we toast the health of our guests with Thames water in our lunches and banquet . That presentation was today. I was in the Mansion House with Ralph Riley our Clerk , Ivor Richards, the Thames Warden and Steve Sansom, the Company Jeweller who was charged with procuring the jug.It was a very enjoyable occasion.

Today 18th July has been one of  an emotional roller coaster. It qualifies to be on the blog because I was asked in my capacity as a retiring CIWEM Trustee and as the Master Water Conservator to address the CIWEM AGM as our main website shows. I went to a CIWEM Trustees dinner last night where some very nice things were said.  I was presented with a  lovely picture of pelicans -chosen very carefully with great thought by Lorraine Nick Reeves' PA . This is especially significant because the small consultancy company ,which Lis and I have run for several years, is Pelican Portfolio( although not much has happened in recent years ). Thank you .
Today ,before the AGM and unfortunately during most of the prior Trust meeting ,I attended my first meeting of the General Lighthouse Authority in Trinity House - a very interesting experience . This coupled with the role as Master is a new beginning, as I retire from  the CIWEM  Trust Board ( although I will still help the Trustees )  and have retired recently from the PLA and my job in NI . These were all poignant experiences.
I used some handwritten notes for my speech and I have yet to type them up . I hope to do so this weekend and I will post them then.
This is now done and added below

ADDRESS  TO THE CIWEM AGM JULY 18 2012

Fellow Members of CIWEM

I was honoured to be asked to address this AGM.  I wondered what I could say which drew a common thread between ending my time as a CIWEM Trustee, after 17 years of service, and starting my time as Master Water Conservator.  It caught my breath to realize that I have been a member of CIWEM for 45 years, but I remember, with pride, my year as President in 1998/9 and the President’s Award in 2002 .

What could I say, which might be insightful, even helpful, but which is not egocentric?

So here goes

• Be prepared to learn
• Be prepared to take advantage of opportunities
• Believe in what you are doing
• Do what you think is right
• Be prepared to admit that you are wrong and not be stiff necked
• Value yourself as a unique individual, but value your place in a team

But first I would like to say something about the role that CIWEM and the Water Conservators have been, and will be, as part of my life. I have always believed in the role of the third sector in life  and in turn it has helped me. But everything I have achieved has been as part of a team and I will return to this in due course. I would like to acknowledge the contribution and friendship, in particular of Nick Reeves – his OBE was well deserved.  We have created some good things together ; for example, the ideas around the confederation of environmental bodies – ultimately becoming the Society for the Environment.

Be patient with me because what I am about to say might seem passé, even quaint, but at the time the ideas I describe were novel.  I remember that, when I started, one of my first jobs was to calibrate Spiralarm lamps, which were modified miners’ Davy lamps, to monitor  atmospheres in the London sewers.  But I did oversee the introduction of the very first instrumental monitoring systems, including the use of Draegar tubes.

Be Prepared to Learn

This cuts right to the heart of what CIWEM is all about . I have been fortunate in moving from one job to another, partly due to fortunate opportunity and partly because I was prepared to tackle new challenges. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of saying ‘ I do not know – tell me’ . During my time with Anglian Water, we decided that the motivational forces of learning would the catalysts for the changes we sought.  So, we started by determining that we would be a Learning Organization and we joined the European Consortium of Learning Organizations.  In this concept , explicit knowledge – so called book learning- is combined with experiential learning in a formal structure.  Everyone had to participate.

An organizational persona of this concept is the Knowledge Management Organization, but we were fortunate enough to have the vision to create the learning alter ego for the Company – the University of Water, which was considered to be one of the most successful corporate universities of its time. This led to the insight that knowledge management is not good enough . We needed to evolve into wisdom management.  The feedback loop, so beloved of experts in this field,  is data and experience to information to knowledge to wisdom to creativity to innovation to more data.  This is more a forward moving spiral than a loop.  Let me exemplify this with a topic familiar to you all – the problem of nitrate in drinking water.

Data are the observations that drinking water and raw water can exceed statutory limits . It will also include data on soil chemistry ,rainfall , human health and so on. 

Information is the interpretation that  the data  show the correlations of rises in concentrations in water with time of year, rainfall and land use.  There will be a number of feedback loops with other data sets such as those of soil quality.  It enabled us to determine the natures of the various sources of nitrogen in water.

Knowledge is the understanding that most of the nitrate in water comes form the conversion of organic nitrogen in the soil, rather than excess fertilizer use and hence it is farming practice which is the primary cause of any perceived problems.

Wisdom is the ability to decide sensible courses of action in changing practice to abate problems. It brings together a number of knowledge strands, such as those on the effectiveness of various treatment techniques. It balances the virtues of treatment of raw drinking water  and of sewage effluent  against those of changes in farming practice . In fact that debate- that wisdom- is still very much in the centre of how to deal with nitrate in water as part of the price controls set by the economic regulators.

Creativity is a concept more difficult to grasp. Some people are born innately creative, without any experience, but for most of us it comes out of the wisdom of knowing what works and what does not work.  But none of this is related to age.  Younger people can be wise and older people can  unwise ;young people can fail to be  creative, whereas older people can be creative . In the example I have used, creativity would be the conception of new ways of farming , new kinds of fertilizer , new strains of  crops and so on .

Innovation , finally, is the practical application of creativity, I call it research and marketing.

So with all this new thinking I was appointed Director of Innovation for Anglian Water in 1994 and in fact I was the UK’s first Director of Innovation and  I did a lit of work with the DTI Innovation Unit. We created one of the first really big websites in the water industry and I remember having to argue very hard at the Board to do this . This included an intranet, which we called the Encyclopedia of Water. This is rather quaint, but back in 1994 , not so long ago, it was a big step forward.

This is the essence of CIWEM – we are  a learning organization.  CPD is essential – I know that keeping records is a pain in the bottom, but that is the price we have to pay. The Institution today has talked about recruitment and stakeholder engagement – well I can tell you that in talking to employers we have to learn to use their  language on management, such as about learning at work, rather than trying to sell expertise on land management or water services or whatever.

Be prepared to take advantage of opportunities

If you are prepared to learn, it is amazing what happens.  I would say that my career has been one of hopscotch. When one  door closes another opens.  I left Anglian Water, joined the Environment Agency Board on the basis of my water knowledge, then I left the EA and joined the board of the PLA on the basis of what I knew about environmental management and rivers in particular. I left the PLA  four months ago and on the basis of what I had learned previously, and in particular my knowledge of ports and navigation, I have just joined the Board of the General Lighthouse Authority in Trinity House.  A common thread is that fact that CIWEM is a very credible reference point of value to employers.

Believe in what you are doing 

I guess that this connects to the notion of doing what you think is right. Whilst I would not advocate allowing one’s heart to rule over one’s head, it does no harm to show passion about your work. In Northern Ireland , where I worked with your Chairman Jim Oatridge in the Utility Regulator, we developed an organizational persona, which is objective , focused , evidence based and transparent, but through that transparency our customers and stakeholders could see that there was a beating human heart, which cared for the 45 % of the population of Northern Irish people deemed to be energy poor.

It was this innate sense of what is right and what is wrong which led to  CIWEM developing a Code of Ethics ; this now forms the basis of the codes of several of our sister bodies in the rest of Europe and forms a very substantial basis of the code used by the Society for the Environment.

Be prepared to admit that your are wrong

I can say now with the benefit of hindsight, that I must have been a pain  to work with from time to time, but I have been lucky in working with some forgiving people. I have learned that there are times for putting one’s hands up and saying that..

 ‘I  give in I was wrong’.   Pursue what you believe in but listen and respond to others  It is amazing what comes out of this dynamic.   But what I can share with you is the understanding which came out of  my time with the University of Water.  People make decisions in two ways:

·        Easily  and quickly using instinct, but find it hard to change their minds because it feels threatening to them as a person and to their reputation.

·        With difficulty and great persuasion based on hard knowledge – but they find it easier to change their minds if new knowledge emerges.

The truth is that we are all a mixture – a variable mixture – of these traits and we need to understand how we must manage our own characters and how we can spot them in other people.

Value yourself but be a team member

‘I can do it ‘ That is what I can pass on to you , but remember you can only do it with others . That is my final gift to you, based on my experience in CIWEM. Do not be daunted by challenge, because you always have your family around you . That is what I take forward to the Water Conservators , which after all is a progeny of CIWEM . Honour tradition, but innovate ; try your ideas out on your colleagues and you will be surprised how much they will support and help.  Maybe you will not be surprised because your presence here today shows, I think , that you understand these messages very well.

So good luck to the Trustee Board – I will help them for another year , good luck with the new Headquarters . But finally, I would like to recognize all the help that Lorraine Poole , Nick Reeves’ PA has given me over the years and to thank her formally. 

Sun shines on the Water Conservatives !

41 of us, including guests, got together at West Runton for the 'Cromer Weekend ' from Friday 13 to Sunday 15th July. It was  a difficult start for some folk as the weather was awful and there was a bad accident which closed the A11. But we all made it in time for a very jolly evening. Next day was altogether different and a cloudy start turned into a warm, sunny day. We did all sorts of things - bird watching ( during which some rare spoonbills were seen ) , rambling ,  golfing , photographing ,going on the preserved railway to Holt, and visting stately homes , Cromer , Sheringham , Holt , Norwich and of course a crabbing competition( two crabs caught, but four crab cakes eaten !).  After another splendid  meal ,we all went to the End of Pier Show in Cromer for a lovely evening and lots of laughter . And herein lies the mysterious tiltle . We had arranged to be welcomed by the compere as the Water Conservators, but he got it wrong and described us as  the Water Conservatives !!!!!!!!

Sunday was another beautiful day and we dispersed or stayed on for seal trips , more stately home visits or even the odd glass of Pimms. We all enjoyed ourselves with this mini holiday, but we thought of absent friends particularly one or two who had to pull out because of health problems. We all hope that you recover soon .

Thanks to everyone for coming , particulary those who had to drive for serveral hours each way
With a bit of luck you should find some photos on the website .

Today 11 July Lis and I went to the Port of London Challenge on the Thames . And once more our ladies streaked ahead to win . Well done .Lis joined the PV Salient at Westminster Pier and I joined our team at Temple Pier expecting to be the passenger in the cutter and ready for rain. But our Bargemaster Johnny Dwan made it plain that I was too heavy and I was not needed as a passenger !So I followed our team with the Deputy Master Barry Dennis and his Lady Jan on our Bargemaster's boat . The race was beween the Embankment and Chelsea .We all then gathered for the prizegiving and refreshments on the Salient . It was a very pleasant evening with only infrequent showers !!! Thank you girls and Johnny . I will write a fuller report for the web.

Went to the Paviors Court dinner last night( 10 July ) in Charterhouse - their new home . Lovely old building . Paviors received their Ordinances in 1479 but are still 56 in the Order of Precedence - so it shows just how old the Livery movement is  . Met some Liverymen who are interested in water  affairs and in WET 10 - so this might be worth pursuing . Excellent speeches by the Master  - Alderman and Past Lord Mayor Sir Michael Bear, and Alderman  Roger Gifford from the Musicians Company , as principal guest. A very enjoyable evening with good food - thank you .

Visit to the City of London Freeman's School 5 July

Lis and I went to our first engagement on the very day after Installation . It was a beautiful sunny afternoon in Ashstead and we went for the Headmaster and Governors' Lunch and Senior Prizegiving .We were very impressed with pupils and anyone who fears for the future should take heart from what we saw at the School . Well done to you all . There were numerous Prizes given by Livery Companies and I will be reflecting  on what we can do from the Water Conservators .

Today  July 4th was my Installation and my wife Lis and I are so proud and honoured by this .The ceremony and lunch all went smoothly . I was especially pleased that Pamela Taylor CEO of Water UK gave an inspiring after lunch speech . I really do recommend that you read it on the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators  or Water UK websites .We really do need to build our connections with the water sector and we look forward to doing more things with Water UK . Rather than repeat all my ideas and thoughts I think that it might be more efficient if I just reproduce my speech . But before I do so , can I say quite genuinely that I would not be doing this today if it had not been for a wide circle of friends in the Company . Thank you .Together we can  do some great things .

MASTERS  INSTALLATION  LUNCH SPEECH TALLOW CHANDLERS HALL JULY 4^TH 2012

Wardens,Mr Alderman Liverymen, Ladies & Gentlemen

Thank you Pamela for a most insightful speech and for your kind words.  The resonates very well with the aspirations of  our company .

I invited Pamela to speak to us today  because  one of my objectives is to strengthen the link between our company and the water industry.  I hope that you will agree with me in saying that this was a very  successful first step.

We will publish her speech on our website and other locations.  If you want to read it at your leisure  you can do so.

May I thank our Deputy Master Barry Dennis for his leadership over the past year.  I am sure that you will agree with me that he will be a hard act to follow.  His generosity in his gift of a Master’s Goblet is deeply appreciated and provides a lasting reminder of his year.  I acknowledge that Barry and his wife Jan are true water conservators having been on the River for many hours in our cutter in the Jubilee Thames Pageant.

May I now welcome the Wardens installed today , Ivor Richards who is the Thames Warden, Roger North as Fleet Warden and Peter Hall, the latest recruit to the Wardens team as Walbrook Warden.  I know that we are going to make a great team working together.  Teamwork will be one of my key objectives for the year. 

I think that water management  has much to offer the wider business and social  communities. We should not just to be good at what we do, but we should be role models. Water has always been at the heart of society and indeed our motto – without water there is no life- demonstrates this.  Never has a time felt so right, when we have the subjects of flood and drought in  people’s minds, for us to be at the forefront of society championing the virtues and benefits of water conservation.

A second objective is to draw together tradition and innovation. Creating new traditions to add to the old  if you like, and this was an underlying theme in Pamela’s speech.

A third objective is to engage with the membership to create new ways of working together and this resonates with my second objective  of teamworking. I want as many members as possible to be active in my year.  Not only  do I hope that  members of the Company will  feel satisfied by this, but  that it will act as a beacon of attraction for new members .

I will develop and elaborate on these themes at future events.  I will not be accounting to you for all of my activities on your behalf in luncheon speeches,  but in the spirit of moving forward I have taken a deep gulp and Lis and I will be using modern social media and we will  keeping a blog going through our  year – but not beyond. The address is http://masterwaterconservator.blogspot.co.uk.

We  are planning some great events this year . We have the visit to the Globe theatre in Sept. , a Carol Service on Dec 11.  But much more important,  please let me know what you would like to do and if you would like to be involved in the planning.

We will be having a great time in Cromer the weekend after next if you want to come at this   stage we will try to fit you in but we cannot guarantee it .

The retiring collection  today will be for the Hackney Carriage Drivers Disney trip – so please give generously.

The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers organise a trip to Disneyland Paris on a three-day trip of a lifetime for children with life threatening diseases. A convoy of over 100 London taxis, escorted by the Police, London Ambulance Service and A.A. assist throughout the trip.

They are  planning their nineteenth event to Disneyland Paris, and it is by the support of the Livery, general public and corporate sponsors that they  are able to undertake such an event. 

The families involved are unable to take holidays alone because of the children’s health.  This  support to gives them peace of mind and allows them to  enjoy a break from treatment and therapy. The drivers give their vehicles and time freely and the event is organised by unpaid volunteers.  3500 children have benefited from the trip.

You heard from Court Assistant Keith Tozzi in his welcome that we have the winner of our Company Dissertation Prize with us today.  Please can   Lucinda Gale  come forward to receive her prize for the  dissertation: 'Empowering individual carbon footprint reduction:  Development of a tool to assess the impact of lifestyle choices on carbon footprint and to personalise emission reduction alternatives” - which she submitted in fulfilment of her degree of Master of Science in Climate Change Impacts and Sustainability at Brunel University Institute for the Environment. Congratulations .May I take this opportunity to Welcome Alan Kay the MD of Costains who was admitted to the Freedom of the Company this morning.  Alan was instrumental in arranging sponsorship for the Brunel Lectures which are now one of our annual highlights in our programme.

It is an honour for me to offer congratulations to Past Master Colin Drummond for the award of an OBE in the Birthday Honours list. Unfortunately he cannot be with us today.   It is well deserved and brings credit to us all.  And whilst on the topic of congratulations please can you join with me thanking and congratulating Court Assistant Sue Paterson who did a sponsored City abseil down the Lloyds Building  recently.  However I think that in being our webmaster she found it easy to spider her way down the side of the building. 

Thank you to the Company for electing me . Lis and I are deeply honoured and we will do everything we can in our year for the Company.  Finally thank to all of you for coming today and in particular thank you to Pamela once again.

May God go with you and may we wish you all a safe journey home.  See you in Sept at the Michaelmas Court and lunch.