Successful year for North Coast Association of the National Trust

Members were joined by special guests, Roy Bailie, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Region of the National Trust, and his wife Paddy, and Max Bryant, North Coast Manager, and his wife, Fiona. Also present was Vice President Gordon Craig.

Sadly, Dan McLaughlin, President of the Association, and committee member David Buchanan, were ill and unable to attend. The meeting sent its best wishes to both.

In her report to the meeting, Anne Moore, Chairman, thanked the committee for having organised yet another very successful programme of events, all of which were well attended and which had allowed the Association

to make a substantial donation to the National Trust.

She then presented Roy Bailie with a cheque for 12,000, which represented 8,000 for the Giant’s Causeway appeal, 3,000 towards the continuing excavations at Downhill, and 1,000 for Florence Court

In the elections that followed, the following were elected to serve for 2011: Chairman, Mr P. Tilling (Coleraine), Vice-Chairman, Mr J. Hunter (Coleraine), Secretary, Mr D. McClelland (Coleraine), Programme Secretary, Mr T. Surgenor (Coleraine), Treasurer, Mr T. Atkins (Portstewart), Membership Secretary, Mrs J. Surgenor (Coleraine), Minutes Secretary, Mr W. Dalzell (Portstewart). Committee: Mr D. Buchanan (Coleraine), Mr N. Gault (Eglinton), Dr R. Henderson (Finvoy), Mrs T. McIvor (Portstewart), Mr G. Parry (Coleraine), Mrs F. Scott (Portrush), Mrs M. Shillington (Ballycastle), Dr M. Temple (Coleraine).

Following the elections, Vice President, Gordon Craig, thanked the retiring Chairman, Anne Moore, for her six years of dedicated service, during which she had proved herself to be an outstanding chairman, dedicated and hard-working. He presented her with flowers and a gift as an expression of the committee’s thanks.

Further presentations were made to Kathleen Stewart, retiring Treasurer, Gwen Dalzell, retiring Minutes Secretary, and retiring committee member, Marjory Geary.

The new chairman, Philip Tilling, also expressed his thanks to Anne Moore and called upon the various organisers to describe next year’s programme of events. The chairman then introduced Roy Bailie, the newly-appointed and very distinguished regional Chairman, who informed the meeting of his impressions of the work of the National Trust after six months in office.

Although he was still finding his feet, he felt that one of his principal aims should be to encourage local people to identify more strongly than they often did with their local National Trust properties.