President	Tom Straiton
Chairman	Dennis Paterson
Treasurer	Dennis Paterson
Vice Chairman	Don Edwards
Secretary	Rick Richmond
Membership Secretary	Brian Cox
Social Secretary	Shirley Winn
Welfare	Ken Waugh
Newsletter Editor	Brian Hooper
Website & Publicity	Brian Cox
Slops	Derek Moore
Archivist	Ken Waugh

 

Over the years we have lost several shipmates who worked for the association as committee members. Bob Blackburn and Ray Ellis worked hard for the association in its early years and although I did not know them at the start they both became good and valued friends. In 2006 our chairman and my good friend, Ken Elsy, crossed the bar. We were fortunate that our social secretary, Shirley Winn, was able to arrange for Ken's ashes to be scattered at sea during our 2008 reunion at Scarborough.

Now it is my sad duty to report that our secretary Bill Gee lost his battle with ill health and died just a week after our Scarborough reunion. Like so many others, I did not know Bill before we met through the association but we became good friends. Bill was the very best kind of Matelot, hard working and fun loving. He was a thoroughly decent bloke.

Our sad year continues with the death of Jack Bell our welfare officer. Jack has been ill for some time and died on Friday 12th September. Shipmate Arthur Newton put it better than I could "So sorry to hear that 'big' Jack had crossed the bar. Both Sheila and I thought he was a lovely man - one of nature's specials. He will most certainly be missed, not just for his work for the Association, but just for being Jack. On the dance floor his line dance was something special. May he R.I.P". Jack's pal Shipmate George Lancaster, Tom Straiton and Dennis Paterson represented the association at the funeral.