Presidential Address 2010

Geoff Wainwright’s final anniversary address struck a fond note of farewell as he talked about the importance of Fellowship, the inevitability of change and the future of the Society as he sees it.

After a review of the achievements of the year, including the launch of the Making History Development Campaign, successful lectures and seminars and new publications, the departing President reported on the excellent response he had received from Fellows following his letter to them in May 2009. More than 450 Fellows from around the world were moved to answer his question, ‘What does it mean to be a Fellow?’; Geoff highlighted some memorable personal statements which summed up the views of many:

 ‘It means belonging to an international, cutting-edge community of learning;  it keeps me abreast of major advances in my academic interests; and it means being made aware of issues that need resolution and discussion in the field of conservation and protection of antiquities.’

A subject close the heart of Fellows was the need for regional groups for those who are unable to come into Burlington House. This set the context for the work done by Philip Lankester and Alan Aberg, who were awarded the Society Medal for their work with regional groups in Yorkshire and Wales.

‘Getting people together – either by traditional means or by using new technologies – is regarded as one of the most important roles we can play in the modern world’, said Geoff. This led to the importance of communications, which more than 40 per cent of Fellows commented on in their responses. Among the suggestions made was the creation of a forum on the website to allow better communication between Fellows wherever they are based. Referring to the year in which Geoff himself was elected, the subject of contested elections came up – but was seen as a positive sign of maturity and democracy:

‘After 300 years the Society is mostly mature enough to accommodate contested elections as a manifestation of a healthy organization, not one at war with itself,’ he commented.

What will the Society be like in 30 years’ time? The outgoing President presented his vision of the future, in which there would be more, younger Fellows – perhaps with differing levels of membership and affiliation – a regional structure, mergers with other Societies, and a ‘paradigm shift in the relationship between the Society and its Fellows’ in the creation of of Fellowship Council.

To download a copy of the 2010 Anniversary Address, click here.