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EAB News 2005-05-07 London AGM

(The 28th EAB Annual General Meeting took place in London during 2005 because there was no British Congress that year; members had been invited to attend a joint European congress in Boulogne, and/or the Scottish centenary congress in Largs, instead.)

London AGM

(This is a "stop press" summary. A more complete and authoritative report will appear in the July-September issue of EAB Update)

Around 30 people took part on the AGM Day in the Bloomsbury Baptist Church, London on Saturday 7th May 2005. In the morning John Wells gave a stimulating lecture "Aŭtoritato kaj lingvo: la Adademio de Esperanto" about evolution and standards of languages - both national and Esperanto.

The AGM itself covered the formal business: the minutes of the previous AGM were approved (with one correction); the trustees' report for 2004 and annual accounts were approved (the Honorary Treasurer reporting that the association's finances are healthy); the independent examiners (who perform the auditing function) were re-appointed; the annual subscriptions were left unchanged.

The members of the new management committee (and hence Trustees of the charity) were elected by a ballot, in which there 20 voters present and 66 postal votes submitted. Arthur Prent and Arthur Sly acted as vote-counters and scrutineers. The results of the election were:

Thus all the candidates were elected, and John Wells was re-elected as the (uncontested) president of the association.

Terry Page presented a report on the Boulogne 2005 congress and linked excursion to Folkestone and Dover, which had resulted in local press coverage.

Joyce Bunting presented a summary of the 2005 Charities Bill, which the previous AGM had asked the committee to monitor. Because of the general election, this bill did not receive parliamentary time and so has not yet become law, but has cross-party support so may be presented in a future parliamentary session. Its main impact will be on larger charities than EAB, but we may be required to clarify certain operational and strategic details, and to handle valuation of "heritage assets" (which might encompass the Butler Library) differently. Edmund Grimley Evans reported on the advice he had received from the Charity Commission concerning membership and liabilities, and Ian Fantom complained that he had received contradictory advice.

John Wells read out a list of members who had passed away in the previous year, and there was a moment's silence in their memory.

Members raised comments and suggestions to the committee, which were discussed. The topics covered numbering of the AGM; obituaries; membership; promotion; young people; public attitudes; Esperanto in primary schools; the Esperanto lobby; an Esperanto translation service.

On Esperanto translation, David Kelso announced that David Curtis is co-ordinating a translation panel.

On Esperanto in primary schools, information and downloads of the Foreign Language in Primary Schools (FLIP) pilot scheme can be found at the esperantoeducation.com teaching section

- Vilĉjo Walker

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