Trust 2005 Archive

This is a report on the kids Christmas party held at Cliftonhill prior to the subsequently postponed East Stirlingshire match on Saturday 17th December. (Report by David Herd)

Sixteen young Rovers turned up at Cliftonhill on the 17^th December to take part in the Christmas Party, and it was a great success.

Over the course of the afternoon, there were several games such as ‘pass the parcel’ and ‘musical chairs’, all accompanied by suitably festive music, and all the sweets, balloons and poppers that the kids would ever need to create havoc with.

The children even managed to show that they are much better on the karaoke than their elder counterparts!

The highlight of the occasion was the visit at the end by Father Christmas – along with several gate-crashing members of the first team squad – to dispense presents from under the slightly lopsided Christmas tree.

Even the late postponement of the afternoon’s fixture against East Stirling failed to dampen the spirits of the kids – all of whom had an enormously enjoyable time.

The Albion Rovers Supporters Trust would like to acknowledge the following for their assistance:

· And last, but by no means least, a certain bewhiskered VIP who came from the north (No, not John Reynolds – much further north than that).

Update
The trust is holding a children's Christmas party at Cliftonhill on December 17th (prior to the East Stirlingshire match) starting at 12 noon and ending around 1.30pm. If your Rovers supporting child wishes to attend and hasn't put their name on the list which has been pinned on the wall at the ground please email us on xmas@albionrovers.com including their name and age. The party is free!

At tonight's committee meeting your humble webmaster took the reigns of members secretary focusing on keeping lists up to date, members informed. membership cards sent out etc.

To use the service just dial 118821 or 1 1882 1 or 118 821 or perhaps you'd prefer 11 88 21. Calls cost 40p per call from BT lines, cost may vary from mobiles and other networks! Not presently available from Telewest lines - some mobile networks may not be ready for a couple of weeks.

1 search per call - a substantial amount of the proceeds go to Albion Rovers Supporters' Trust! Compare this 40p charge (no matter how long the call takes) to you normal directory service you may well be pleasantly surprised!

Committee (l-r) : Donald Ashwood, David Herd, Lew McWilliam, John McEwan, Bill Walker, David Crichton
Not pictured Frank Meade (behind the bar), Eddie Hagerty and Colin Millar (not present).
Photo courtesy of Shaun Millar

The first meeting held since the formal incorporation of the supporters' trust was held on Friday 7th October at Cliftonhill. The meeting was opened by trust chairman Lew McWilliam who welcomed the members in attendance and introduced David Herd the trust treasurer who was giving the secretary's report on behalf of Eddie Hagerty as well as his own financial one.

David revealed that the trust has around 85 members on two continents, including of course two committee members on the board of directors of the club (trust chairman Lew McWilliam and Frank Meade club chairman). He also highlighted the trust's complete revamp of the match programme which has been well received. He went on to hail the success of the joint Albion Rovers and Airdrie United quiz night at Cliftonhill which raised over £200 for our trust, the return leg having been pencilled in for March.

Achievements of the trust thus far were pointed out as running a bus to Dumfries for the Bell's cup match, painting, weeding and some maintenance of the stadium and the upcoming fund raising directory enquiry service. A Christmas party is also being planned and input about this and other projects were welcomed from all present.

With his treasurers hat on David said the current trust funds stood at £2756.74 (from membership fees, quiz night, donations and programme sales and adverts) although this didn't include some advertising revenue expected or indeed money earmarked for printing of the programme. The proposed Wee Rover fund was mentioned in which anybody can set up a monthly standing order giving an amount which they choose to the trust. It was later emphasised that membership of the trust was in no way dependent on the contribution to the fund and it's entirely voluntary. This shall be launched soon when the final formalities of the setting up of the trust bank account are completed in the very near future.

Next the meeting moved onto the election of office bearers, the steering committee stood down and was unanimously re-elected along with new member Sam Tennent although he couldn't make it on the night.

Donald Ashwood (programme)
David Crichton (web presence)
Eddie Hagerty (secretary)
David Herd (treasurer)
John McEwan
Lew McWilliam (chairman)
Frank Meade
Colin Millar
Sam Tennent
Bill Walker (programme)
Neil Welsh (co-opted business advisor)

Under any other competent business various subjects were raised from the assembled membership. Things such as a Coatbridge Schools Cup and admission prices. Moves to swing the balance of the ageing of Rovers supporters were also suggested, the club has a reciprocal deal with St. Margaret's school in Airdrie that the club gets use of training facilities in return for distributing free tickets to schools.

Pre-match and/or half-time penalty competitions for local schools were also mooted. The fact that many long-term supporters are not members was discussed and the misconception that they'll be expected to give a monthly donation was one possibility put forward for the reluctance of some to sign up.

Trust chairman Lew McWilliam asked those assembled if the steering committee had lived up to their expectations and the resounding answer was yes!

The committee expressed the need for more bodies on match-days for the sale of programmes and 50-50 draw tickets and the like. It was emphasised that time was more important than money from volunteers, a half hour before the match would be invaluable.

The floor was then handed over to Frank Meade and inevitably he spoke wearing both his trust and club chairmanship hats. He said that he found the trust incorporation process tortuous although others have taken much longer for example Raith Rovers 22 months. He expressed his surprise that from since the original trust meeting in February he has now become chairman.

He hailed the good start to the season whilst of course being disappointed with more recent form and did of course point out that 12 weeks ago the club had no players and that his priority as chairman was to ensure that the club is still there in a few years time.

The club is setting up a separate community wing with a 4 year programme funded by North Lanarkshire Council. He revealed that it was not a breeze but a hurricane blowing through the club and that everybody should get behind Jim Chapman and be realistic. On the subject of redevelopment he is unable to say much due to the commercial sensitivities and North Lanarkshire Council's planning system but that things are still under consideration.

Youth development shall stay as it is for this season while it's reviewed. People with commercial acumen would be very welcome at Cliftonhill to increase things such as the number of adverts at the stadium. The club under his stewardship intends to be ready for the (as he sees it) inevitable pyramid system, he sees Rovers as being a mid-table 2nd division side by the time of it's implementation.

In response to a question from the floor Frank revealed that the club's A.G.M. shall be held within a few weeks. He likened a football club to an oil tanker taking 3 miles to slow down and turn and pledged that the board of directors cannot be remote from the supporters, sponsors and community.

Trust Launch
A reminder to all members or potential members of the supporters' trust that this Friday (7th October) sees the official launch of the properly constituted organisation. The proceeding commence at 7.30 in the Rovers lounge, at this meeting the committee shall resign and elections shall be held for the new committee. All current committee members are expected to be standing for re-election and all members are entitled to stand.

A verbal report of trust activities and finances shall be given to those present. Chic Young shall be laying on food (free of charge) and the bar shall be open for refreshments (not free of charge)!

The Number's Up
The Albion Rovers Supporters' Trust today announces it is setting up a directory enquiries service. With the launch expected in late October the service shall cost 40p per call (costs from mobiles and non-BT lines may vary) with a substantial part of that amount going to the trust. The service provides one search per call and the costs compare favourably with most providers!

The number when it is operative shall be 118821 - or perhaps easier to remember 1 - 1882 - 1, the more astute of fans will have noticed that the club's year of foundation 1882 forms the middle section of the number.

The joint Albion Rovers Supporters' Trust and Airdrie United Supporters' Trust quiz night on Friday at Cliftonhill was a great success. Our genial quizmaster Pat Darlington did a great job!

There were 5 Rovers teams and 4 Airdrie ones each comprising of 5 or 6 members with the exception of "3D" who comprised of David Herd (Rovers trust treasurer), David Crichton (webmaster and committee member) and Donald Ashwood (co-editor of the programme and committee member), more of which later!

With hosts Frank Meade and Chick Young keeping people refreshed from the bar things ran smoothly. After a few rounds of questions on different subjects there was a break for pie and peas courtesy of Chick followed by the sale of raffle tickets.

A few more rounds of questions finished with 3D and a team led by another committee member Colin Millar tied. Pat Darlington was of course prepared for this and had a tie-breaker ready. The extra question was one of those that nobody would know the exact answer but the nearest guess would win. The question was "What is the record number of hot dogs eaten in 12 minutes?". Colin Millar's team guessed something in the region of 250 while secret weapon David Herd said he thinks he actually knows the answer and it's 53. Sure enough the answer was 53 and David stepped up to get the prize (ironically a bottle of whisky donated by Donald Ashwood). The Airdrie United trust kindly donated 5 bottles of sparkling wine, 3 bottles to the winners and the remainder going to the runners-up.

The raffle prizes largely went to Rovers folk although one visitor from Airdrie did win a small statue/ornament! The evening ended with an impromptu couple of hours of karaoke for those who stayed.

The evening made a fair bit of cash for the trust through entry fees and raffle sales (prizes for which were all donated), the club also made a decent sum from bar sales in return for supplying the venue free of charge. A return match in Airdrie has been pencilled in for March.

Programme
This Saturday shall see a much bulkier programme for the Berwick Rangers match, there shall be no less than 8 extra pages. The new pages shall consist of 4 in colour with ads and a team photo and 4 in black and white containing mostly articles and maybe some pics too! There shall not be a rise in the cover price becomes even better value at just £1.

Quiz
As previously advised Friday the 16th of September sees quiz night arranged by the supporters trust at Cliftonhill, 5 teams of 5 people with an entry charge of £10 per team are required to go head to head with 5 teams from Airdrie United's supporters trust.

Incorporation
The Albion Rovers Supporters' Trust committee is delighted to announce that the formal incorporation process has now been completed, therefore it's all systems go! In addition we have now taken delivery of membership cards which shall be distributed shortly.

Quiz
On Friday 16th September a quiz night has been arranged by the supporters trust at Cliftonhill, 5 teams of 5 people with an entry charge of £10 per team are required to go head to head with 5 teams from Airdrie United's supporters trust. A warning to those of a sensitive constitution Rovers are at Elgin the following day!

Papers Signed
The papers to officially register the trust with The Financial Services Authority and consequently Companies House were today signed at Cliftonhill by committee members Lew McWilliam, Frank Meade and David Crichton. It's expected that the incorporation process will take around a fortnight after which a trust meeting of all members will be called and the committee members will all resign and elections will be held for a new committee.

Membership Cards
The process of obtaining membership cards is in hand and is not expected to take much longer.

Bus
The bus to Palmerston was fairly full and we're glad to have helped many fans make it to the match.

Airdrie Donation
Airdrie United Supporters' Trust has sent our trust a donation of £100 in recognition Rovers have given them, in particular helping out with organising a schools cup.

40!
On the occasion of his 40th birthday head-coach Jim Chapman is presented with a bottle of champagne on behalf of the supporters trust by it's chairman Lew McWilliam.

Supporters Bus
As JJ isn't able to make it to Dumfries on Saturday (30th July) the Supporters' Trust has stepped in on a strictly one-off basis to arrange a bus for the Bell's Cup match. A 24 seater has been booked and it shall leave at 12.30pm sharp from Owen's. Prices are expected to be £10 adults and £5 concessions.

Programme
The plans for the trust to produce the programme for the following season are taking great leaps and bounds. The committee is however looking for advertisers.

Prices are as follows, colour ads will be available if enough are purchased.

The programme shall have a full colour cover with (unlike recent years colour editions) the opposition etc. printed on the cover. It shall include guest columns, substantial stats, editorial, club and trust news, pics, 3rd division round-up, away match reports etc. etc.

We are also looking for player sponsors who'll have their names printed in each edition next to a pic of their player. The price for that is £30 per player or £50 for 2 per season. Anybody wishing to sponsor a player before the season can pick their man at a later date of just have one allocated.

The trust intend to offer a programme subscription service which can be for home matches only or home and away (or just away matches if anybody wants it). It's intended that programmes will be posted on a weekly basis (at latest on the following Monday) but fees can be reduced for less frequent dispatches. Distribution via email of an electronic version of the programme is also envisaged at the cover price.

If you're interested in taking an advert in the programme, sponsoring a player or subscribing to the programme subscription service please email us on sponsorship@albionrovers.com.

Groundforce
The groundforce team will be having a major push to getting the ground ready this Saturday (9th). Volunteers are once more invited along for painting/weeding etc. The "event" kicks-off at 10am and fans are invited along at any time and for as long as the like between then and around 5pm.

The painting took another large step forward today. The crew consisted of all but one trust committee member and 2 others.

80% of the fence on the far side and the small building on the terracing are now very red! Half of the front facing roof on the far side has been painted by our contractor so far. Much of the enclosure was powerwashed in preparation for painting.

At our lunch break we discussed trust plans for the programme. If they pan out fans should be pleased by the production which we hope to do without increasing the cover price.

Volunteers from 7.30 onwards next Thursday and 10am onwards next Saturday are once again encouraged to come along!

Painting Day Report
Albion Rovers Supporters' Trust have been painting the town (well Cliftonhill anyway) red. The purpose was of course to spruce up the old ground for what's hoped to be it's last season before redevelopment.

The first painting day took place yesterday when several volunteers turned up to help out. More volunteers are invited along this Thursday (23rd) from around 7pm and again next Saturday (25th) from 10am. Volunteers don't have to be trust members or have to stay all evening or day they can pop in for as long as they like! Paint has been provided by the trust and brushes are also available as are some snacks/refreshments!

Other projects include weeding and general tidying-up as well as doing up the toilets. The trust have paid for contractors to repair guttering at the enclosure and attend to painting and repairing roofing at the terracing side of the ground.

Painting Day
As previously indicated the Cliftonhill painting day will be next Saturday (18th). We'll be starting at 10am although people are invited to turn up when they can make it.

Chic Young will be laying on some refreshments, a barbeque may be arranged if the weather is suitable. Even if the weather isn't conducive to painting in the open-air there are things that can be done under cover so still come along.

If you have any brushes/rollers (2 inches wide being preferred) that may not be worth using again after use on the day please bring them along!

Please remember that although it has been the trust committee that has been organising these activities we would like any and all fans to turn up an help out as this is your club!

Groundforce
Six turned out last Thursday (one non-trust committee member). Five members of the supporters' trust committee comprised the force today at Cliftonhill and were mostly occupied preparing some surfaces for painting next week.

7th June 2005

Update
Since the end of the season the trust committee have been meeting on a weekly basis to decide on the way forward. The actions taken so far have been with a view to tarting up Cliftonhill for what shall hopefully be it's last season before redevelopment.

Last Thursday saw 10 people turn up a Cliftonhill for some basic weeding/tidying up, this Thursday (9th) starting around 7.30pm we shall be doing it again so come along! The Supporters Trust committee are arranging for contractors to repair the guttering at the front of the enclosure and paint and repair the front of the roof on the terracing side of the park.

They're also purchasing the necessary amount of paint needed to cover the parts of the ground that need it, the stairs and various walls and fences. The painting day is scheduled for Saturday 18th June and snacks and refreshments will be laid on (possibly even a barbeque if the weather is conducive).

Trust Launched
The Albion Rovers Supporters Trust was launched tonight at Corsewall Street Community Centre. The crowd of a round 30 (including the committee members) turned up.

Trust chairman Lew McWilliam (in the yellow jersey) opened the meeting and handed over to Frank Meade who explained the current state of play about the impending incorporation of the trust. The aims of the trust to involve the community in the club and have influence at the club, a run down of membership costs. The launch of the Wee Rovers fund where members pay a monthly donation via standing order to the trust was briefly explained as was the intent of the committee to launch it at the 1st meeting once incorporated.

The first public meeting following incorporation will be held at Cliftonhill where all shall be welcome. There will be a ceremonial signing (by 3 interim committee members) of the trust paperwork which will be the final formality of incorporation. The whole committee shall then resign and elections shall be held by members of the trust.

The Trust (financed by some committee members) has sponsored this Saturday's match against Queen's Park and a draw was made later on to decide which trust members attend as sponsors. The person who drew the names out of the hat wishes to remain anonymous but picked names in this order Eddie Hagerty, Ian McLeod, Ronnie Boyd and Cathie O'Hare. A ceremonial handing over of the sponsorship cheque shall take place on Saturday.

It was explained that the club shall have no control (although shall of course be free to suggest projects) on what the trust spend money on. Funds could be used to aid the local community. The trust shall be very democratic with every member owning 1 share even if they pay in more than other members. The shares are non-transferable and will cease to exist if the member resigns or fails to renew membership.

The committee will be empowered to make decisions but any major decisions will be made in consultation with the membership. The committee itself will consist of up to 12 elected members and a maximum of 2 co-opted members which could come from local business or the local council.

It was explained that the current memberships will run until 31st December 2005 which is the end of the trusts financial year.

The trust hopes to involve sections of the local community which are currently under-represented, primarily women and the disabled. Encouragement of the return of women's football at the club is being considered. Frank Meade revealed that he has joined the clubs board of directors, not specifically as a trust representative. The possibility of a direct trust representative on the board was mooted.

After a refreshment break questions from the floor were taken. One bone of contention was the proposed new strip which was met with near unanimous disapproval. A request for inclusion of a terracing section in the redevelopment plans was made and Frank Meade said this would be suggested and that financial considerations would be balanced against it.

The interim committee
Rear (l-r) Colin Millar, David Herd (treasurer), Lew McWilliam (chairman)
Front (l-r) Donald Ashwood, Frank Meade, David Crichton, Bill Walker

Trust Launch Meeting
The meeting to launch Albion Rovers Supporters Trust will be held on Thursday 21st April at Corsewall Street Community Centre. The meeting starts at 7.30pm and soft drink and nibbles will be supplied. The interim committee shall of course be there to answer questions and take suggestions.

Four of those present will be chosen at random to enjoy sponsors privileges at the home game against Queen's Park the following Saturday.

The latest meeting of the interim committee as we now call ourselves took place before the Cowdenbeath game at which new member John McEwan was also present.

a) Individual - £10
b) Family- £15 (only entitles the family to 1 share and 1 vote)
c) Junior - £5 (under 16's)
d) Concession - £5 (OAP's and Unemployed)
e) Corporate - £50

It was decided that the committee will be up for election at the first meeting of the constituted trust (not the launch). Members shall of course be able to stand for election to it as will current committee members who wish to continue on it.

The meeting pencilled in for Thursday the 21st of April at Corsewall Street Community Centre is expected to go ahead although this has still to be confirmed - sometime in the next few days. At this meeting we will not have (as previously thought) guest speakers but do hope to have soft drinks and snacks. We shall be signing people up for the trust at this meeting so bring along your bank details etc. The committee shall of course be on hand to answer any questions you may have and take any suggestions for projects or fundraising etc.

The formalities of the incorporation of the trust are not likely to be concluded by this time but the committee thought it important to get the ball rolling and to that effect the trust intends to sponsor the home match against Queen's Park the following Saturday. This will give 4 trust members a ticket for the match, a programme, pre-match drinks, half-time hospitality as well as post-match drinks and a man of the match award to give to their chosen player. The 4 trust members will be chosen at random from those assembled at the launch meeting.

People will be able to fill in forms at the meeting and it's intended that the forms will be available on this website for download before the meeting so that they can printed and filled in before arriving at Corsewall Street.

It is intended that membership and the trust's accounting term will both run from January 1st until December 31st.

The paperwork to incorporate the trust has been lodged with lawyers and will (due to legalities it can't have the word "trust" in the title) officially be called Albion Rovers Supporters Ltd. although will be known by the name Albion Rovers Supporters Trust.

As previously advised Lew McWilliam will be chairman of the trust and David Herd has put himself forward as treasurer, finding a secretary remains a priority for the committee although Frank Mead will continue in the position until someone can be found.

A public meeting to launch the trust is being planned and is likely to be held at Corsewall Street Community Centre on Thursday 21st April this is yet to be confirmed. We hope to have a guest speaker or two and something to eat at this meeting and shall of course let you know nearer the time what to expect.

a) Individual - £10
b) Family- £15 (only entitles the family to 1 share and 1 vote)
c) Junior - £5 (age limit t.b.c.)
d) Concession - £5 (OAP's and Unemployed)
e) Corporate - £50

In addition to the annual fees detailed above members will be encouraged to pledge a monthly donation (minimum £5 - no maximum) and although no extra voting rights will be accrued by doing so this additional amount will go a long way to helping the trust and the club. It's intended that monthly contributions will be paid by standing order from the members bank account and that the annual fee also be collected in that way unless the member prefers another payment method.

Frank Meade has been at pains to point out that with redevelopment plans being progressed for Cliftonhill the proposed move to Airdrie put forward last year is absolutely out of the question now. Frank also made the point that the trust will not be acquiring large shareholdings in the club anytime soon (unless they're gifted to it).

Numerous ideas were discussed during the meeting including the trust taking responsibility for the match programme which came 9th out of 10 in the division in a recent award - Peterhead's being rock bottom.

The steering committee had another meeting prior to tonight's match. Lew McWilliam joined the committee as prospective chairman and JJ resigned from it due to pressure of upcoming legal exams.

The committee plan to meet on Saturday (26th) which is a free Saturday due to the international match. This meeting should get the work to incorporate the trust done. A public meeting will be held to launch it once incorporated and this meeting is expected to be held in early April.

Flyer issued 5th March 2005

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ALBION ROVERS

FOOTBALL CLUB SUPPORTERS TRUST

Dear Fellow Supporter,

You may be aware that a number of ARFC supporters are looking into the establishment of a Supporters Trust. Almost 50 people attended a recent fact finding meeting and agreed that forming a Supporters Trust would be a positive step. A small Working Party volunteered to develop the idea and report back to a broader meeting towards the end of March 2005.

For a Supporters Trust to be viable and successful we need your commitment and cash. Initial thinking is that there will be an annual membership fee which will be set by the first elected committee, supplemented by the option to contribute a monthly amount to Trust funds (suggested minimum £5 per month) to enable the Trust to undertake activities such as funding a player or organising Kids Coaching Courses to help the club and the community. Please note that all monies will be payable by Standing Order into a Supporters Trust bank account, which will be opened on incorporation of the Trust. All members are equal and own 1 share in the Trust, so there is no voting preference given to a member who contributes £20 per month to the Trust and a member who pays only the annual membership fee.

Any of these individuals will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Please try to promote the idea of a Supporters Trust among your friends, family and colleagues in the community, and make a point of attending the follow up meeting towards the end of March. We will advise the proposed date in due course.

When you attend the meeting please bring your bank details with you, as we will be looking to sign you up on the night. For those supporters who are unable to attend the meeting there will be an opportunity to sign up via the website, or at any home game between now and the end of the season.

Trust Meeting 3/2/05
The initial meeting to discuss the proposed formation of Albion Rovers Supporters Trust took place tonight at Corsewall Street Community Centre. A very creditable 40 fans turned up for the meeting arranged by Eddie Hagerty and Frank Meade. In attendance was James Proctor of Supporters Direct which is a Scottish Executive funded organisation which advises on how to set up trusts and funds some of the costs involved.

After introductions James Proctor spoke about his organisation and its goals. The first trust was formed by Northampton Town fans when a "White Knight" failed to appear to bail them out of their financial woes, there are now over 120 such trusts in Britain (28 in Scotland). The Scottish Executive fund the Scottish arm to the extent of £95,000 a year.

It was explained that a trust can be very flexible in it's activities. As long as activities are based locally and vaguely to do with Albion Rovers and/or other community activity (running youth competitions or supplying equipment etc.) there are no real restrictions. The organisation would be an Industrial and Provident Society - effectively a cooperative which basically operates like a non-profit making company. Of course the trust would hopefully make a profit which is ploughed back into it's activities.

Some questions as to what the trust can do were taken from the floor of the meeting. The trust can hold shares should it wish to and set any objectives for it's future activity (such as staying in Coatbridge). Supporters Direct supply draft constitutions for trusts which can be suitably amended to take into account local circumstances and members desires.

Next to speak was fan Frank Meade. He pointed out that with the amount of cash being raised by the trust (something in the order of £200 if all the people at the meeting signed up at the possible minimum subscription of £5 per month) it was not a viable option to take control of the club in the short term. It's likely that an annual membership fee will be set, possibly at £5 with under 16's being given free membership. A minimum commitment to subscribing for one, two or three years will also be considered. It was made clear that payment of subscriptions will be by standing order direct from members bank accounts rather than in cash.

Frank pointed to the board of directors being open to investment and (constructive) suggestions from the trust and indeed fans in general. He went on to give some details of the Clyde Supporters Trust which he has studied in some detail. He hopes that the trust will engage the local community to raise funds via various routes such as advertising at the club with boards and in the programme. Other possible fundraising events such as dinners were mentioned as Clyde have raised substantial amounts for their club in that way.

Frank stated that it's likely that all members of the trust would have exactly one vote however much they contribute monthly and that the trust was to be an inclusive rather than exclusive organisation.

Volunteers from the floor of the meeting were requested to join the steering committee to oversee the practicalities of writing the constitution and setting fees etc. The members of the committee shall be David Crichton (your humble webmaster), Bill Walker (programme editor), John McGoogan (bus convener), Frank Meade, Colin Millar, Donald Ashwood and David Herd.