We don’t usually post the AGM minutes for Bromley Humanists on our pages but – with the deaths of a couple of prominent members that some of us will remember well, the resignation of long-standing secretary Asad and some important developments and changes in the group – we thought it worthwhile posting them here.
BHG held its AGM on the 11th January 2023, deferred from December 2022 by bad weather.
The well attended meeting began with obituary notices:
Graham Bell died in November, 2022. Graham had been a staunch member of BHG, attending most of our meetings, giving talks and always leading interesting discussions at meetings. Graham had also been a member of the Cuban Solidarity Campaign (CSC), (he had made several visits to Cuba), and a member of the Chomsky Readers Group (CRG). Several members of BHG will meet Graham’s sons one Saturday evening in February, together with members of CSC and CRG. I will let SELHG know of the date of this meeting when arrangements have been finalised.
Les Bracken, a leading member of BHG, in a previous incarnation, and a leading light in Croydon Humanist Group, has died, and Denis Cobel will officiate at the funeral.
To mark Asad’s resignation as Secretary of BHG Tallulah Gordon presented him with letters of appreciation, and gave flowers to Shanaz, Asad’s wife. Asad thanked everyone for the letters and flowers and stated that he wished to have a meeting in which he talked about his life and Humanism. It was suggested that we find ways and means of recording this meeting. The Chair of BHG will be grateful for any advice and help is organising such a recording.
The meeting then moved to the election of Officers of BHG. Ken MacGowan was elected as Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, because no one else was willing to stand for any of these positions. Without so standing, BHG would effectively have collapsed.
The meeting then considered plans to develop a younger leadership. This entailed two strategies. Firstly, that the Chair would continue to try to find speakers for the monthly afternoon BHG meeting. Secondly, the Chair will attempt to find eight speakers from HUK, talking on HUK campaign topics. The first four of these evening talks will be by Zoom, in February, March, April and May, and the remaining four talks will be face-to-face meetings in the evenings in June, July, August, and September. The hope of this strategy is that the evening group will develop its own younger leadership.
The AGM agreed that the next AGM would be moved to the Summer, when the future of the evening and afternoon groups would be reconsidered.
There being no further business, the Chair closed the meeting by thanking everyone for attending, and opened the Spring Feast, for which members had brought food and drink.
