I am writing this note of appreciation of the services of Clive with the blessing of your Chairman.
It is indeed a momentous occasion - nearly 40 years of loyal service - I have been a member for 55 years, and only two Secretaries, it must be some record.
The appointment of Clive took place at a Council meeting on the 14th November 1967. Three people had been invited for interview. A small committee chaired by Roland Harris had done a preliminary selection from the five applicants, naming the three with a recommendation that we should appoint Clive, this we did after consideration.
I had a letter from the then Secretary within 48 hours saying quote "he did not think Pritchard would last six months" and Percy Filkins our Treasurer agreed. How wrong they were.
Clive has served us well from January 1st 1968 until the time of my writing this.
The duties of a lone Breed Secretary are numerous and varied, too many to mention. Clive has been scrupulous in all his dealings with correspondence, records, accounts etc., and all the many arrangements to be made that came his way.
Clive's pinnacle of achievement was the Centenary celebrations in 1991, which was such a huge success this was due 90% due to Clive (I should know I was President at the time).
The Society has grown from around 50 to 250 plus during this time which is partly due to Clive, he would not claim entirely.
I'm afraid Clive's salary has not increased in proportion. During my years as Treasurer we spoke of this many times, and taking into account our bank statements we would agree to put forward a modest increase to Council.
He would say that it was the friendliness of the members and many that invited him into their homes that he appreciated.
Hugh T Clark M.B.E.
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November 1967 was the first Council Meeting I attended as Secretary. This was before the present Chairman was born. (I remember you, Alan, in your bonnet and a pretty sight you looked ). For some reason Hugh T Clark was not present at that meeting but he had been at the previous meeting in May and was at the next one in February 1968.
At my first meeting there were only twelve present and at the 1968 AGM also held at the Farmers Club in London, the total attending was fourteen, including two ladies – Mary Clark and Vera Maxwell – a far cry from the 150 or so who have attended AGMs in recent years.
Before I was Secretary the Society had started having a Field Day and under the direction of Hugh T. Clark, MBE the AGM was held at a farm with a Field Day and the first one was at Moulton on Hugh & Mary Clark’s farm. When I became Secretary the latest number given to a new Flock was 101 and that was Peter Ballard. In January 2006 Helen and Stuart Pullin joined and their Flock No is 903. This does not mean that we have 900 or so members – it is always round about the 300 mark as, like in everything else, members come and go.
The oldest Flock used to be Jane Paynter, Number 5. When her flock was dispersed H. George Hughes' Flock No 83 claimed the title, his flock being founded in 1958, but Adam & Caroline Brown inherited Flock No 64 from Caroline’s father, Colin King, and that flock is said to have been started in 1964. From the date it should be George Hughes’ flock that is oldest.
The first Flock Book, published in 1967, started with ram number 32507; now I have just registered 52592 which means some 20,000 rams have been registered. In the ewes it was 32339 and now it is 71795 which means just under 40,000 have been registered since I started. Is this a record? – I think not – it is just quietly getting on with the registrations as they come, plus all the other work.
I have made lots of mistakes but I hope that I have admitted them and tried to put them right. The Society is in good shape with new members coming all the time. They are all very keen which is good. The only problem is the lack of decision making at Council meetings and that is holding the Society back. Eighteen plus on the Council is too many and I am glad there are moves to reduce this to fifteen over the next three years, which means that one less will be elected each year. The Council members often leave matters where a decision should have been made and then complain about it afterwards. The Council are at fault here and should do something about it.
In one way I do not want to give up as Secretary and shall miss it but I want to go whilst I am at the top, so to speak, and not leave it till people say ‘why has he not retired’ and that is why I have made the decision to go now. Thank you all for your support. I am sure that the Society is in good hands with Gail Sprake.
Clive Pritchard 2006
Clive Pritchard’s book ‘ Treacle in the
Morning’ is available, price £20 plus £5 postage and packing,
from Clive Pritchard, 300 Cople Road. Cardington. Bedford MK44 3SH
Click here for order form for the book, which can be printed out and mailed
Keith Stickels on holiday in Spain