National Chairman's Annual Report

NATIONAL CHAIRMAN’S EXECUTIVE REPORT TO MEMBERS 2008

REVIEW
The Merchant Navy Association is growing bigger, stronger and fitter as an organisation. We are benefiting from continued stability and growth within our organisation and ever wider presentation of our aims and objectives outside our organisation…of course we still need to challenge what we are doing to see if we can do it even better.

We have come a long way in the last ten years and we must remember the hard work of our predecessors who railed and rallied to make themselves seen and heard before that time. Different ships, different wire splices, different times but we would not be where we are today without their commitment to WWII merchant seafarers. All have continued to work effectively, both locally and nationally, to build on the important advances the MNA has already made in its relationships with an increasing number of key decision makers and organisations.

Every organisation, especially those seeking recognition and social enterprise, has a strategy, a plan. The MNA’s Business Plan was first introduced in 2001. We benchmarked how the success of our strategies was measured and how you could judge our success as an organisation. Why we exist, what we work to achieve, how we position ourselves, how we do things and where we are going were all part of that Business Plan. We believe that the more people who share the vision, expressed in our Business Plan, the bigger the “story”. The bigger the story the more successful we will be in achieving recognition, respect and regard for the needs of merchant seafarers both past and present. Much of that Plan has now been achieved and we are now writing a new Business Plan to take us forward to 2012.

Our two websites have continued to receive incredible levels of interest from all over the world and in America in particular. Over the previous ten months the MNA site has received nearly 75,000 visits and 1,442,334 hits. The Red Duster site has been even busier with 115,944 visits and 2,655,739 hits. More work has been agreed for both these sites with a greater level of maritime history introduced to our Red Duster site. We have also introduced a page for the Merchant Navy Association Boat Club which began in July this year. The launch was very successful and I encourage anybody with an interest, even if they don’t have their own boat, to get in contact with the club’s Commodore and I am sure you will receive a great welcome.

Full Ahead goes from strength to strength and proposals have been agreed to introduce ideas put forward by members and those involved with producing the magazine. We are expecting the next MNA Benefits Directory to be available by the end of the year.

Changes in the operation of the National Archives and the release of seafarer’s records up to 1943 for commercial business such as Ancestry.co.uk have impacted on those seeking help from the MNA. In addition it is now much more difficult to obtain copies of records as some have been used for illegal purposes. Peter Sharpe has decided to step back from much of his individual research activity and I would like to ask for a vote of thanks for his many years of dedication and vast commitment in time and money on behalf of hundreds and hundreds of merchant seafarers and their families. Without his commitment and the issues he raised we would be poorer as a community of seafarers and certainly less knowledgeable. The work collecting the names of seafarers not yet commemorated will be continued by Billy McGee who has a great deal of experience in research and our thanks go out to him for his contribution. Many of you will have seen his excellent work on the open forum on our website where he continues to be a very positive influence.

So how have we done with the numbers? The membership enjoys steady and consistent growth of around 5% with a much improved retention of existing members. Our finances remain robust in difficult times. The MNA continue to sponsor and manage the MNDCS which cost around £6,500 but we receive an income of around £4,500. The balance was covered by money already held in this account but we do need a serious annual sponsor to cover all or at least the majority of the overheads for this international event. The National account demonstrates we have contained expenditure with just a 7% increase on last year. Income is slightly down on last year but this is perhaps reflected in a similar decrease in the amount of donations received this year. However, we still have in excess of £17,000 in our National account and remain very stable. We are hoping to generate another income stream from our websites. We have been trialling one site selling books who pay £20 a month and we hope to expand this to at least four more advertisers who would benefit from our very popular sites. We continue to enjoy great support from members using our shop and from many more seafarers around the world who now take advantage of using Paypal for their purchases. Sales this year are comparable with last year and we are grateful for all the hard work that goes in to maintaining such a popular ‘Slop Chest’.

You will see copies here today of the revised MNA Constitution. As you know we have been refused, on two occasions, for Charitable Status and on the last occasion we received a comprehensive letter detailing some of the areas we need to consider to amend the Aims and Objectives. This will not impact on what we do but merely how we express what we do to meet the needs of the lawful terms that construct the Charity Commissions remit. We will be sending copies to branches and if anybody needs to have their own copy, then they just have to contact our National Secretary. We will be able to e-mail to anybody who makes a request. Please agenda discussion in you branches and advise us of any further proposals which would be of benefit to achieving Charity Status. The main reason for many of the amendments will be that the MNA Charity will be governed in the same way as other charities; that is by a board of trustees. In our terms the Trustees Board will be called the Executive Committee and it is up to members to decide how many they would like to represent them on a newly constituted MNA Executive Committee.

ACTIVIES & ACHIEVEMENTS
National Executive Officers have attended events all over the country including the Russian Veterans Festival in London, the Hospital Society, Cutty Sark, HQS Wellington, Tower Hill, Trinity House, HMS President, All Hallows, St Paul’s Cathedral, Dover, Folkestone, Newport, Barry, Rye, Clitheroe, Redcar, Pangbourne, Weymouth, Chatham and more including many of their local branch meetings and events. It has been another very busy year and we still have more to attend before the end of the year.

The MNDCS has received some very generous comments but we still seek to gain a higher public profile and review every element of the programme. This year’s introduction of a Bass Baritone was very successful and the ‘Sea of Red Ensigns’ made a wonderful display in the sunken gardens.

The MNA and many more merchant seafarers and fishermen were represented at three events on Remembrance Day in 2007. We were invited to Tower Hill, The Cenotaph and St Paul’s. It is hard to believe that just 8 years ago the Merchant Navy marched behind the scout movement at the Cenotaph…now we are Column E, No 3 and next year Column E will lead the parade.

“Veteran’s Day is a celebration of the contribution made by those who have served in the Armed Forces as well as those in the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who served in support of operations”. That was a direct quote from the Veterans World Newsletter issued by the MoD confirming the role of merchant seafarers alongside vets in the three Armed Services.

The MoD sponsor three events every year and National are always represented at the London event, which was in Trafalgar Square. I had been to Downing Street for a Veteran’s Reception on 26th June so stayed overnight to help with our stand in Trafalgar Square on the 27th. Members of the London Branch of the MNA joined us and we were delighted when Des Browne, recent Secretary of State for Defence, came to our stand and talked to us telling us about his brother who had been a merchant seafarer. Later that afternoon Boris Johnson came to the stands and, as we had many more vets than any other stand, they decided to focus their photo-shoot in and around our stand with Boris amongst our MN veterans. These photographs later appeared in publications distributed by the office of the Mayor of London. The new Veterans Minister is Kevan Jones who is the MP in Durham. Tim Brant and I were at a meeting with COBSEO on 8th October when we were all introduced to the new Minister and look forward to meeting him personally very soon.

There are still many exciting opportunities for individuals to have a wonderful career at sea in the Merchant Navy as well as in one of the many associated industries in the shipping industry. We receive an average ten contacts a week from parents and others seeking information about seagoing careers. The UK fleet has increased by over 150% in the last ten years and there is a world shortage of skilled and professional people.

We continue to take part in meetings with groups in the maritime sector throughout the year to listen and learn from many of those who work in the voluntary sector. In the last month I have been to seven different events and there are more in the diary over the next four weeks. The new Nautical Welfare guide was presented to MPs and others just two weeks ago. That was the second meeting of that day; the first was the Shipwrecked Fishermen AGM at Fishmongers Hall. This charity also presents a number of very special awards every year to those who have risked their lives to rescue seafarers in distress. All of them have demonstrated amazing courage, skill and defiance of the elements and I was particular impressed this year with the Torbay lifeboat crew who rescued 8 crewmen from the Ice Prince. When their citation was read it was simply outstanding. At another event in All Hallows we remembered all those who have no grave but the sea. The British Maritime Charitable Foundation provides a memorial book for all those who have died at sea with no known grave or memorial of their passing. It is a beautiful handwritten book and costs £45 for the name of a loved one to be included. Next year the service will be changed slightly to accommodate some of the suggestions proposed by the MNA and Commander John Ludgate DL who is one of our great supporters.

Earlier in the year Tim Brant and I were at a reception in the Cutty Sark shop the night before she caught fire. Somebody has advised me that there are bits of burnt timber and other artefacts that have now been collected and put into a small sandwich shop in the town which they have named the ‘Butty Sark’.

On Thursday, 2nd October, the Indian Maritime Foundation and the Pune Municipal Corporation held a ceremony to commemorate the lives of 7,955 Indian seamen who were killed in the two World Wars. Most of these men served in the British Merchant Navy and records of their names have only recently been discovered. Those once forgotten heroes now have a unique memorial in a public park in Pune and through some excellent contacts, by Malcolm Mathison, a Mr Peter Wynne-James laid a wreath on behalf of the British Merchant Navy.

LOOKING AHEAD
I have recently been made aware of a proposed new initiative where seafarers could join with others outside their area by conference calling on the telephone. This would allow up to eight seafarers to talk to each other over an open telephone line completely free of charge. I did ask, on your behalf, if they would also supply a glass of rum but was told this could not be included in the package. However, the idea sounds very good and we would welcome your comments.

At the beginning of the year Tim Brant and I visited the Hospital Society and I have since been to their AGM. We are the only national organisation able to ‘flag up’ the needs expressed by our merchant seafarers and it is important that we reflect our member’s needs and help establish greater unification of ideas in the maritime sector. Seafarers are very independent and often a little too proud to ask for help but if you don’t ask for something who will? People in greatest need often have the least awareness of just what is available and how they can access help. This is why branch activity is so important as we learn to look after each other, remembering birthdays, anniversaries and thinking ahead as well as reliving some of the happiest days of your life across a wind-swept bar-room!

Next year is our 20th Anniversary as a National Association and it is hoped to have a special event to promote what has been achieved since those very early beginnings and bring as many members together as possible. Once again we would welcome your ideas to mark this significant anniversary.

We need to share our knowledge and expertise to tackle common problems to benefit the whole of the seafaring community. If we are to do this effectively we need the input of members and a clear vision of how our sector needs to evolve.

I have just received a letter from the Seamen’s Hospital Society advising me of a change of name in the Seafarers Benefits Line. It is now to be called the “Seafarers Advice and Information Line” (SAIL). We have been advised that the future is SAIL. Established in 1996 the Advice Line is operated on behalf of the Seamen’s Hospital Society by the Greenwich Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). CAB’s are soon to disappear and be replaced by Legal Advice Centres. The Hospital Society may be moving as their premises are part of a large redevelopment of the town centre of Greenwich…we will keep you advised.

Lastly may I thank you all once again for being here today and on a personal note may I thank you all for the very kind cards on my 60th birthday in August. When I look back to my 20 year career, nearly 25 years ago, I can remember a time when seafaring was safe and sex was dangerous, it now seems to be the other way around.

Thank you for all you do for this Association and in the wider community of seafarers…long may it continue to grow.

SIGNATURE & DECLARATION

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