First of all I will give a brief resume of the activities for the past twelve months. The Dinner Dance which was arranged for last November (as reported at our Annual General Meeting last January) had to be cancelled owing to circumstances over which we had no control. Every effort was made to try for alternative accommodation, but no booking was available. However, this year we were fortunate and we were able to hold the Dinner Dance at the Headstone Hotel, North Harrow on Friday, 8th October. Though this was held on a Friday and the main course on the Menu was Fish, we had a most enjoyable and successful evening with 114 people attending. We would like to arrange this annual event for a Saturday in future, but so far I cannot obtain a free Saturday evening in a Hotel within reasonable distance of the College for November 1966. Failing this, it has been suggested we hold the Dinner Dance next year on a Wednesday. If anyone has any suggestions or comments on this I would be only too pleased to hear from you.

Our usual events which take place each term - namely the Chess evening and the Wine and Cheese Parties have also been quite successful. For those Parents who do not know what goes on during a Wine and Cheese Party, I would like to tell them that these evenings are very sociable and for the few shillings admission charge, no restrictions are placed on what you can eat and drink. With reference to the Chess evening it is for the third year in succession I have to report a 'clean sweep' by the Boys when playing the Parents. Well done lads. Whilst on the subject of the successes of the boys when in competition against the Parents, the College won a handsome victory last July in the annual Cricket Match v. the Parents. We must try and do better next year. The O.S.A. also won at Cricket again this year. Unfortunately the date of this match was on the Sunday of the Feast of Corpus Christi and the Parents did have some difficulty in raising a team together.

We enlarged our effort at the Summer Fete and again we had reason to be encouraged. The School Sports day at Whitchurch Playing Fields provided a new 'sideline' for the Association this year. We were asked to undertake the supply of Refreshments. We are able to show a small profit on this which has been added to the Sports Facilities Fund. The Careers and Hobbies evenings were not very well attended, but were most interesting. It is certainly very enlightening to see some of the Hobbies that some of the lads have gone in for. Last November we held our first Christmas Bazaar and though the attendance could have been better, a reasonable profit was shown.

Here I must mention a couple of items - firstly, on behalf of the Committee I would like to say a sincere thank you to all those who have helped the Committee at any of the functions during the past 12 months. As time goes by we find that we are adding slowly but surely to the faithful band of helpers who turn up regularly to help out. Without these people, life indeed would be very grim for the Committee. Secondly - on behalf of the Committee I would like to congratulate Very Rev. Fr. Aloysius on his appointment as Father Provincial. We regret however that his new appointment will mean that we do not see as much of Fr. Aloysius in the future as we have done in the past. I know that Father knows he is always very welcome to come along and visit us whenever he can find the time to do so.

The past year has seen one important change in the F.S.C. At the last A.G.M. it was agreed that the membership and financial year should coincide with the School year, instead of beginning each February. This change was made because we found it was very difficult for administrative purposes to have the majority of membership fees due on the 1st February and asking the parents of the boys who joined the College in September of each year to become members for the remainder of the year at half-price and ask them to rejoin again the next February. I must point out that the Committee do take a most sincere interest in the Membership of the Association. This is the only regular source of revenue the Association can obtain during the year with which to finance the day to day costs of running the Association and I should make it absolutely plain that we are entirely self-supporting and we do not impose in any way upon the College for any item of stationery or postage. Every family of each boy at the College receives a newsletter giving details of the events which are being held throughout the year and when there are 520 boys at the College you will readily appreciate the amount of paper, envelopes and postage stamps which are used, particularly when approximately eight letters are sent out each year. We do not feel that a Membership fee of 10/-d. for each family is too much. This means that all members of the same family living at the one address are members. We know there are some boys at the College who have lost one of their parents and also if there are daughters in the family of school age, we do appreciate that other schools have similar organisations to our own. It was with this in mind that the Committee were insistent in retaining the individual membership at 5/-d each. Our ultimate aim is to have at least one Parent from each family enrolled as a member. This would give us a minimum membership of 500 and we have never even approached this target. Were it not for the generosity of a few people who have donated paper and envelopes from time to time the funds of the F.S.C. would be very low indeed. All monies which accrue as profit during the year are used to purchase various items for the College which are not provided by the Local Education authority, so in the long run all the boys at the College do benefit. May I suggest that a new year's resolution be made to enrol as members of the F.S.C. straight away. When you consider it is just a fraction over a penny for each week of the year for each person it is not very expensive.

The Annual General Meeting will be held at the College on Friday, 28th January, 1966 at 8 p.m. This is the time when all the Officers and Committee Members resign and the new Committee is formed the following year. If you would like your name to go forward for nomination at this meeting please write and let me know. However, if you cannot see your way to give time to the Committee but you would like to put some suggestions forward please do not hesitate to write to me. For your information I have asked Mr. A. Green the Hon. Treasurer to supply an abbreviated Statement of Accounts which is appended below.

Arthur Mellins,
Hon. Secretary.