Page 5 - QARANC Vol 14 No 10 2015

Happy New Year, to all our readers and contributors.
Firstly let me apologise to Maj Major L Blake for incorrectly attributing your article re Graduation to Maj O’Grady I have re submitted the article with pictures.
Once again a really big thank-you for all who have contributed a little more to our great history by writing articles and sending pictures (a heartfelt plea however, please do not embed your pictures into the articles send them separately). If anyone would like to send in letters or observations I would like to have a letters page, abstracts of articles and papers that people are slaving over would also be welcome.
The first part of our history written by Yvonne McEwan is available and Lt Col Gary Kenward has written a review, copies can be bought through our Regimental Secretary.
By the time you get this edition your editor should hopefully be preparing to return home from Sierra Leone, I had almost forgotten the beat up required for a deployment and clearly thought my deployment days were over but
no, as a reservist I was asked if I would be a willing volunteer I agreed but thought there would probably be lots of people to choose from and I would be at the bottom of the list, however at the time of writing this I am due to depart to Chilwell on Sunday (the day before my birthday) to do the required military training in preparation for the collective training in AMSTC prior to my deployment, all being well I will get the all clear and then off I go.
Of course I will keep you all informed of my experiences!
Earlier last year I was asked if I would be willing to have my hand sculptured
and used for an exhibition in November last year (Lest we Forget) alongside sporting heroes and Living legends, My Husband and I were invited along with other models (for want of a better word) to attend the opening of the exhibition. This was a lovely day but really weird to see my hand the finished article on display.
I would like to say a big Thank you to Louise Giblin MA, MRBS http:// www.louisegiblin.co.uk/index.html the sculptress for choosing me and inviting us along to The Gallery Different. Michael Portello, Rubin and Heather Mills were also present and models.
THE GAZETTE QARANC 3
Chairman’s Message
I was extremely privileged to have been appointed as Chairman to the QARANC Association as, I believe, the activities of the Association form an integral part of the work of the Colonels Commandant and of course the increasingly important moral component of our special Corps.
I wish to record a very public and sincere thank you to Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Lesley Wright OStJ who undertook the role of Chairman with diligence and commitment over the last eight years. She led the Central Committee or Board of Trustees (as we now call ourselves) providing the leadership and continuity required for the changing and challenging environments, as well as ensuring the Association remained capable of delivering its charitable ‘objects’. Following two months as Chairman I commend Lesley’s stamina and hope she enjoys a very well deserved rest!
As always there is much ongoing activity - the Board of Trustees have completed a Governance Review and are about to seek professional advice on the way forward. It is imperative that we ensure we remain compliant with our statutory and regulatory responsibilities and we keep abreast of emerging initiatives. Above all we must protect our assets and promote the longevity of the Charity. This year will be critical in ensuring our current Constitution is ‘Fit for Purpose’ and to that end the Trustees hope to brief the membership at the Annual General Meeting in May 2015 on their progress and make recommendations to
members on an appropriate way forward.
It is important that we strive to increase our membership.
Although membership from serving Officers and Soldiers is good, we believe there is a large contingent of retired and reservist members of the Corps who appear not to have explored options for membership.
We also recognise there is a need to improve our communications and I urge you all, where possible to access our website, www.qarancassociation.org.uk to ensure you are kept up to date on information, activities and events. We are working hard to establish a ‘Members Only’ area to permit the publication of more information. However please do keep in touch and feel free to contact Regimental Headquarters with any suggestions or requests you may have.
We also hope to increase the ‘cross fertilisation’ between Association Branches and attempt more integration with serving units. It is an aspiration to establish another Branch in the South namely the South Downs Branch. We also hope that many members will support the Turning the Pages at the National Memorial Arboretum on 3 June 2015. Further information is published in this Gazette and on the Website.
I look forward to having contact with as many members as possible and hope that we can continue to promote and foster our Association motto - ‘Friendship’.
Colonel Sue Bush RRC Colonel Commandant QARANC
Editor’s report