(Regular meetings are held every Second Sunday of the month)
The Meeting started at 5.30pm with an opening prayer by M. Osafo.The previous minutes could not be read, as members could not find it on the internet. Dr E. Asante to confirm if he posted it on the net.
Meeting Times:
It has now been arranged and agreed with ELBWO Management that; the doors shall be opened by 5pm and meetings shall start at 5:30pm prompt once there is a quorum. Members are therefore reminded that the previous starting times after 6pm are past and gone forever.
Hockey Sticks etc
New hockey sticks, goalkeeper’s outfit, shine pads, balls, jerseys etc have been purchased at a total cost of ?667.21 for the school. They have been taken to Mr. Adjei Baah’s shipping agent awaiting shipping or airfreight to Ghana. The secretary confirmed that he has sent a letter to the British Hockey Association in connection with the hockey sticks and other items. He was still expecting a reply from the association.
Letter to Headmaster
After deliberations, it was decided that the Chairman should send a letter to the Headmaster outlining the following to him.Whenever the headmaster requires items for the school, he should write or inform the Association giving us ample time rather than the short notice given to us when he wrote to us recently to request for hockey sticks and other items. It should be pointed out to him that, members of the Association have to discuss whatever the requirements are in a general meeting which is held once a month before a decision is taken as to whether the items are to be purchased or not. The other point to be taken into consideration is the availability of items in question. Sometimes items are not in stock and have to be ordered which takes time.
Internet Appeal:
The appeal made on the Internet by Dr Asante on behalf of the school for the purchase of hockey sticks; has fallen on deaf ears. According to Dr Asante as at the time of the meeting only one person had hinted his willingness to contribute. This is quite shocking considering the number of old boys who have signed to join the association. It’s a disgrace if we compare what other associations are doing for their old schools.The appeal still stands and therefore any old boy who is willing to contribute is free to send in their donations.
Father Clement’s Appeal Fund
It has been acknowledged that; the ?500.00 that was sent by UK Branch for Father Clement’s burial; has been lodged into the Father Clement’s Appeal Fund.
Techny Account
Dr Osei Twum of Saudi Arabia has confirmed that; the money, which was in the above account, has been transferred to SVD Account in Ghana. It was categorically stated that; the money was solely for St. Peter’s School and it should be transferred to St. Peter’s School Account.The Ghana Branch is to conduct an investigation as to the whereabout of the cash.
Group Insurance:
The Secretary, K. Boama, confirmed that he has spoken to the Financial Adviser on the Group Insurance who assured him that he was still expecting feedback from Financial Institutions. The secretary was asked to confirm this by asking for a written letter from the advisor.
Communications
It was confirmed that; a regular communication link has been established with the Old Boys in Accra. However, the reverse was the case with the headmaster. We have realized that the headmaster only communicates with us whenever he needs some assistance from us. A typical example was the recent hockey sticks letter that was received from him in early January requesting new hockey sticks by the next month. Members felt that the headmaster should have kept in touch with the London Branch as to the conditions of the old hockey sticks, which apparently were purchased by the London Branch. We came to the conclusion that; we do not need to request for information about the school from the headmaster. Rather; the headmaster should feel proud and communicate with us with regard to academic results, sports, inter-college’s etc.
Association’s Bank Balance:
The Association’s financial standing is now very shaky after purchases made to the school. This is because members do not attend meetings and neither do they send their monthly dues by post. Members are being reminded that without the dues we cannot do anything and therefore they should endeavour to send their dues by post to the Treasurer (Mike Osafo, 14 Rochdale Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 8JF).
Standing Order Forms
The secretary has confirmed that he has received standing order forms from Abbey National PLC Bank. These forms would be posted to all members and those ready or are prepared to pay by Standing Order should feel free to do so into the Association’s account.
Agenda:
The secretary was urged to include agenda when sending out invitations for future meetings. He confirmed that from April 2002 he would consult the Chairman & other executive members prior to sending the invitation letters to discuss the headings or topics to be included on the agenda.
Easter Party:
The 2002 Easter Party has been postponed due to commitments and it was agreed that we should be able to plan ahead for next year’s party.The proposed summer trip, which was cancelled last year due to unfortunate circumstances, would be discussed during the coming meeting.
Home Coming:
We have read the minutes of the ‘Home Coming’ from the Old Boys based in Ghana and we hope the organization for this year shall surpass that of last year.
National Executive Committee
The UK Branch of the Old Boys Association is to request for a position on this committee. Members concluded that because we support the school financially and in other ways; it is about time we had a voice on the committee.A letter is to be forwarded to the Committee for this request.
Closing prayer:
The meeting ended at 7:15pm with a closing prayer by Abed Bright.
Minutes taken by Kwasi Boama and adapted for Internet by E. A. Asante |
