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Present: xxxxx (President, in the Chair), xxxxx (School Head), xxxxx (Hon. Treasurer), xxxxx (Hon. Secretary), xxxxx (News Editor), xxxxx (Governor), xxxxx (Staff Rep) and 46 others.

1. Apologies for absence were received from 35 members. (Their names were on display.)

2. Minutes of the previous meeting held on Saturday 3 October 1998 were approved by the meeting and signed by the President.

3. Matters arising from previous meeting
   1. Local Meetings Gratitude was expressed to all those who offered to host. Unfortunately the take-up, both in offers to host and in attendance, was insufficient to produce an accurate picture of the views of the Association. There was no evidence that the meetings particularly attracted younger members. Some of those attending felt that the Association was a contact organisation rather than an event organiser; others differed. Views on the database expansion varied - some were aware that the job of keeping it up-to-date was enormous, some feared intrusion, while others saw potential benefits. The problem could be balancing the benefits against the costs.

      One suggestion made was that the AGM should be moved to mid-May.

   2. Database Expansion The President reported on this in her report.

   3. Contact for Students For reasons of confidentiality, names of volunteers in a city would be given to those pupils studying there, rather than giving the girls' names to the adults.

   4. xxxx had sent thanks for being given, last year, the opportunity to revisit the School.

4. President's Report The President offered retrospective thanks to xxxx. At the Speech Day an acer from the Arboretum had been presented from the Association; xxxx sent her thanks to the Association. The President then welcomed xxxx as the new Head, and thanked the Executive Committee for their work.

   The Memorial Bursary had been awarded to xxxx, xxxx, and xxxx. In future the girls should be given, before applying, the criteria for the award - financial need and contribution to thee School.

   The President had met the Staff and explained that they could now join the Association.

   Database Expansion Both School and Association were keen that this should be held at the School - it would help satisfy the DPA as well. The budget of £5000 allowed extra staff time, as well as fitting in between other jobs. Costs would be recorded. A draft questionnaire was to be piloted using volunteers from the AGM; comments were requested. The full questionnaire would go out from the School in the Spring, 2000.

   There was a need to involve younger members, possibly by contacting 5 years after leaving, or using a web-site.
   The School had Open Days (early May Bank Holiday, and 1^st or 2^nd Saturday morning in October)

5. Hon. Secretary's Report
   1. Deaths Reported since the last meeting: Rowena Marshall (S5); Peggy Roper (Liddell S5); Edith Baird (Panton S6); Margaret Hooper (S10); Diana Sears (Lister S11); Diana Farr (Goldson S13); Sheila Weston (Mummery S13); Valerie Thompson (Woodward S14); Fidelia Somervell (Fogg S19); Judy Berryman (Neame S26); Susan Davies (Wade S30); Clare Whittaker (Chilton S36); Debbie Wade (Jefferson S37); Mrs Romay Annett (Staff, Science); Miss P M Snow (Staff, Classics); and, non-members of the Association: Lucy Battle (born 1973); Mrs Heather Larkins (p/t Geog); Carol Lawton (Brenard) aged about 60.

      xxxx spoke in memory of Miss Snow. She had taught at the School for over 20 years from 1943. She was a very fair person - she did not judge, she did not take advantage or have sentimental attachments. She left others to "do their own thing". She was keen on gadgets! She combined detachment with commitment, a very good house-mistress and teacher, and a good scholar in her right. She was well remembered and appreciated.

      xxxx had attended Miss Snow's funeral, representing the Association.

   2. Section Representatives Sec 13: xxxx had replaced xxxx. Sec 15: xxxx had replaced xxxx. Sec 58: xxxx was now married, with surname xxxx. Sec 68: Rep was xxxx; section included those early leavers who had been under the care of Sec 66 Rep - the first year of putting people into cohorts. One person was transferring up from Sec 64 to join her cohort, i.e. Sec 66.

   3. Reunions Reunions had been held (or planned to occur shortly) by Sections 8, 17/18, 37 (at the School), 50, 60. Section 44 were reuniting at the AGM to celebrate 25 years since leaving School. (Not only Sec Reps organised reunions.)

   4. Honorary Members xxxx's Honorary Membership was confirmed. xxxx (Head of Drama, 10-11 years at the school, now retiring) and xxxx (English, leaving early for family reasons) had been elected as Honorary Members. xxxx had been elected as a Vice-President. It was agreed by the GCM that Honorary Members would receive the Association News free for 5 years.

6. Hon. Treasurer's Report The balance (including prepayment subscriptions and advance receipts for the Association News) was £15558 (of which £2000 was advance subscriptions for the Association News). 39 leavers, 2 others, 5 Current Staff - a new category - had joined. The AGM gave a Vote of Thanks to xxxx for his work as auditor, and accepted the accounts. xxxx was also confirmed as Auditor for the next year.

   An increase in the Life Sub to £54 (recommended by the GCM as an interim arrangement - the Exec Comm would look at the income flow and consider rates of increase, types of subscriptions etc) was proposed by xxxx, seconded by xxxx and passed.

   The President thanked the Treasurer for her work over the year.

7. Hon. Editor's Report The News cost £5.00. The Editor apologised for the delays. Six sections had produced nothing. In future, Silver Tassie results would appear in the following year, to avoid delaying type-setting by a month. Obituaries and interesting pieces to appear at the start of the magazine should be sent early.

8. Head's Report xxxx said that xxxx, as Head of Berkhamsted, had written her UCAS testimonial for entry to St Andrews, and so set the path to her becoming Head of Westonbirt! In her three years as Head of Modern Languages, she had realised that the School was a good school, producing confident (but not overly so), sparky, friendly, have-a-go girls. The School had good links with the Arboretum, regarding the trees in the Pleasure Gardens, and had recently appeared on "Live and Local" TV. They were running a Millennium Ball for the locality (and others associated with the School, such as Old Girls). The GCSE results in the Summer had been the best ever. The School was still quite small, but becoming increasingly attractive to day girls; they also had flexi-boarding (one night, free, a week), and some then changed to boarders. Sedgewick has gone - the numbers were too small, and this had sometimes caused internal tensions. xxxx was the new VIth form house-mistress. Events such as a "Blind Date" dinner with Cheltenham boys, and the ability to go to Bath/Cheltenham (in groups with the house-mistress) enabled the girls to do some of the activities normal for their age-group. The School felt that those who stayed for A-levels were likely to get 2 grades higher than if they had changed. As an example of the School's life, the weekend of the AGM was an "Active IT" weekend and the GCSE Drama week-end, with bowling and McDonalds for those not involved in either.

9. Representative from the Governing Body's Report xxxx (Sec 38) had been elected by the GCM to replace xxxx. xxxx was thanked for her work during her term of office. She had been asked to be an independent Governor for a year. xxxx said that the Governors were delighted to have appointed xxxx as Head. The last and the next 10 year periods were challenging to women, because of pressures on their time. The Head and the Staff would be taking the School forward; the Association's contribution included "selling the story" to the outside world, but all were advised to realise the significant changes the School had gone through since they had been pupils.

   xxxx (Sec 45), a Chartered Surveyor, had been appointed as a Governor. She would be able to help the Bursar and the Vice-Chair (also a Chartered Surveyor) with the building's fabric, and with such matters as an approach to look at residential development of the estate yard (swimming-pool area) - this was on hold, but other such matteers needed consideration at times.

   The Chairman xxxx had been awarded a knighthood in January 1999 for service to the Church of England; the Association agreed its pleasure at this.

10. AROPS / FIS No-one had been able to attend the 1998-1999 meetings (there are two meetings a year). The advice received on paper (automatically, and by request) was a support and resource to the Committee, and thus the Association.

11. Date / venue / format for the 1999 AGM The Executive Committee recommended the first Saturday in October for the next three years. The AGM on Saturday 7 October 2000 was agreed to be at the School.

12. Rule changes The Rules had last been reviewed 5 years earlier. The proposed changes were to allow "cohorts" of leavers (in the future) rather than grouping all ages leaving in a single year, to allow those asked to leave to be able to join the Association after a period, and minor changes for clarity. The Rules (dated 1999) were accepted.

13. Any Other Business
    1. Miss Snow It was suggested that anyone wishing to mark Miss Snow's death with a donation should send it (cheques to Westonbirt School) to the Head, explaining its purpose, and asking that it be directed to the Library Fund.