WESLEY COLLEGE OBU (UK)
Minutes of the 2nd Committee Meeting held on 30th March 2008 at 1600 hrs at Krishna Bhavan, 247 Northolt Road, Middlesex HA2 8HR
Present: Azahim, Brian,Ram, Rex, Tharanga, Senthil, Lhahir, Wimal, Frank George, Nihal and Ana.
Apologies: Shee Hung, Roshan and Anuradha.
1. The meeting commenced with Rex leading all those present in Prayers.
2. Presidents Welcome.
Senthil welcomed and thanked the committee for their attendance. He informed
those present that the secretary, Lhahir, had informed Azahim that he would be
delayed for todays meeting due to an unforseen event and that the meeting will
commence as scheduled with Azahim taking down minutes in the interim until his
arrival.
3. Minutes of the last Committee Meeting
The secretary Lhahir read out the minutes of the previous meeting and presented the committee members with hard copies.
4. Matters Arising
a. Auditors meeting
Senthil informed the committee that the meeting with Harry Balasubramanium
and Tharanga had not materialised as envisaged and that this meeting would
take place soon.
b. Correspondence
Senthil had met with Mohan re the SLRFU letter and a reply sent indicating
that a the committee had approved the sum of £300 for the sponsorship of a
Wesleyite on a Rugby scholarship.
c. Treasurers report – debtors
Senthil informed the committee that he had not been able to make contact with
Mike Cooke re the £200 o/s and that he would endeavour to do so.
Ram indicated that he had spoken to Siva regarding the £100 owed and that
Siva had informed him that a cheque for this sum had been issued. It was
ascertained that this cheque had not been processed through our accounts and
as such Ram was advised to pass this message onto Siva and have another
cheque issued and have the previous one cancelled.
Kusil’s £400 still remains oustanding and Lhahir delegated with the task of
writing to Kusil requesting payment.
Action: i. Ram to obtain a duplicate cheque from Siva for £100.
ii. Lhahir to send letter to Kusil requesting payment of £400.
iii.Senthil to try and obtain o/s £200 from Mike Cooke
d. Any other business
Senthil informed the committee that events had superseded the proposed action
agreed at the last committee meeting relating to his drafting of a letter about the
alleged corruption within the welfare society. He informed the committee of
discussions he had with Rev Ebenizer Joseph / L.R.Goonathilake / Prof Ismail
and others during his recent visit to Colombo where they had all expressed their
dissatisfaction with the state of affairs about the leadership of the incumbant
Principal and the Methodist church’s desire for a change.
5 Treasurers Report
Senthil proposed that the sum of £5000 be transferred to the deposit account. This was seconded by Rex.
Tharanga requested that a payment schedule for the DBD 2008 be prepared.
Action: a. The dance committee to prepare a payment schedule for the next
committee meeting.
6. Correspondence
Lhahir indicated that a written application had been received signed by more than ten members of the Wesley College OBU (UK) branch requesting a General meeting to adopt changes to the constitution as discussed at the last AGM.
He went onto to state that this SGM was called for on 13th April 2008 wthin the 21 days as specified in the constitution. However as the notices were sent out by email to the membership and referring them to the OBU website to read about the ammendments which the membership was being asked to approve, he informed the committee that this was deemed to be unconstitutional as notification had to be in writing with hard copies of the constitution to be adopted circulated to the membership. As such it was decided by the committee to notify in writing and provide each member with a copy of the constitution to be adopted at this SGM. The SGM was scheduled for the 25th May 2008
The question of a disciplinary committee was debated and found to be unnecessary.
Action: Lhahir to notify the membership attaching copies of the constitution to be
adopted.
7. Social and Double Blue Ball 2008
Azahim informed the committee that the social evening had been arranged for the 4th May at the Krishna Bhavan at a cost of £5 - £10 to include dinner
The dance sub committee had met and the date of the DBB was fixed for the 19th July 2008 at the Baylis House Hotel, Slough.
The band EXCEED would be in attendance on the night at a cost of £1,000. Plans are in progress to cater for 250-300 people at a ticket price of £40
Action: a. Azahim to arrange to meet with Baylis House / Band and negotiate
contracts.
8. FOC 2008
Azahim and Roshan attended a meeting of the FOC. Azahim indicated that a Team photograph was required.
Captain of the Wesley team would be Roshan.
Azahim informed the committee of a shortage of players and that Russel Kern was being approached to play for the team during his visit to the UK.
FOC scheduled for July 13th 2008 at Winchmore Hill.
Action: All members to promote the DBB at this event.
9. Newsletter and website
The committee again showed its appreciation for the good work of Dr Nihal Amarasekara for volunteering to maintain the OBU (UK) website. The website is being updated on a regular basis and could be accessed at http://www.wesleycollege.org/obuk
Minutes of the first committee meeting have been uploaded.
10. Date of next meeting
It was felt that it would greatly assist committee members to schedule their busy diaries if future committee meetings were known in advance. As such it was decided that that the committee would meet on the last Sunday of every second month commencing in March 2008.
Thus the dates of the next three committee meetings for 2008 would be as follows:
1) May 25th . 2) July 27th , 3) September 28th
Time: 3.30 pm for a 4.00 pm start.
11. Any other business
Following his recent visit to Colombo, Senthil briefed the committee about the discussions he had with various officials of Wesley College.
* Met with Rev Joseph Ebenizer – Head of the Methodist Senate
* The Methodist senate is well aware of the troubles at Wesley
* Wesley College and Methodist College are the obvious comparisions and are polls apart.
* The College authorities had not cooperated with the senate for approx 3 months
* The Methodist senate is still awaiting replies to their correspondence to the college and the senate is exasperated at having to chase up for replies from Wesley College.
* Price Waterhouse are being asked to carry out a review at Wesley at the request of the Methodist Senate.
* Wesley College operates 7 bank accounts
* The Methodist senate proposed closing down 5 of these and Wesley college had not complied with this proposal.
* Methodist College do not rely on the Senate for funding and are thus proposing to become a private school and this is likely to receive the go ahead from the Methodist Senate in view of their reputable track record.
* The welfare society of the college remains responsible for the upkeep of the buildings.
* However the welfare society does not appear to be transparent in their financial dealings.
* Senthil has requested L.R.Goonathilake to try and obtain a copy of the Welfare Society’s financial statements.
* As such Senthil recommended that no more monies ought to be sent to the college until matters within the College are resolved.
* Brian Mack proposed that a letter to the Methodist Senate be drafted from the UK OBU bringing to their notice the inadequacies of the Welfare Society
Action: Senthil to draft a letter relating to the inadequacies within the
Welfare Society for presentation to the committee at the next exco
meeting if possible.Copies to be sent to the Principal / Welfare Society /
Colombo OBU.
As there was no other business to be discussed, the meeting was brought to a close with appreciation to Tharanga for making available to the OBU the venue to meet. And the singing of the college song.
M. Lhahir
Secretary
Wesley College OBU (UK)
Minutes approved by:
Seconded by:
Check Mail Compose
Search Mail:
Our Get-Together 11th May 2008
It was indeed wonderful to meet and greet old friends and fellow Wesleyites. The reunion was well attended and represented by old boys from several decades and eras. There was much laughter and good humour as we reminisced. Our thanks to Azahim for organising such a fine event. Many thanks to Tharanga for allowing us to use the venue and its facilities. Thanks to Mr and Mrs Ramakrishnan for organising the interesting quiz. The President and the Committee would like to thank all those who attended the event to make it a success. The ladies indeed added colour and grace to the reunion. We hope this is the first of many such events.
Minutes of the 1st
Committee Meeting held on 17th February 2008 at 1500 hrs at
Krishna Bhavan, 247 Northolt Road, Middlesex HA2 8HR
Telephone: 020 8864 6598
Present: Azahim, Brian,Ram, Rex, Tharanga, Senthil, Lhahir, Wimal, and
Ana.
Apologies: Nihal, Shee Hung, Anuradha and Frank George.
1. The meeting commenced with Rex leading all those present in Prayers.
2. Presidents Welcome.
Senthil welcomed the new committee. He indicated that the committee was
the
back bone of the union and wanted to have a healthy debate amongst the
committee in a gentlemanly manner. He advised the committee to refrain
from
criticising other Wesleyites in the open as this was not what the
culture of Wesleyites are about. He went on to state that this restraint
was absent last year and had caused damage to the goodstanding of
Wesleyites throughout the world. He stated that he would like to start
2008 with a clean sheet. He informed the committee that he had just
returned from Colombo where he had paid a visit to the college and met
with officials of the college.
3. Minutes of the last Committee Meeting
The secretary Lhahir informed the committee that all previous meetings
were minuted as audio files on a CD and that he was having difficulty
with transcribing them into the more conventional written format. As
such he was unable to present the minutes of the last committee meeting
other than in the audio format, for which no suitable equipment was
easily available.
4. Matters Arising
He indicated to the committee that in future all meetings would be
minuted in writing and presented to the committee either before or on
the day of the next committee meeting.
5 a.Treasurers Report
Tharanga presented a report to indicate that there was a Bank balance of
£6,634 ( Six Thousand Six Hundred and Thirty Four Pounds) as of 30th
Novemebr 2007.
A total of £760 relating to advertisements for the DBB 2007 remained
outstanding as follows:
i. Mike Cooke - £200 iii. Transil Travel £60
ii. Siva - £100 iv. Kusil £400
Action: a. Tharanga to prepare financial statement for the next
committee
Meeting.
b. Harry Balasubramanium – Auditor to sit with Senthil / Tharanga
and offer Tharanga guidance.
c. Senthil to try and obtain o/s from Mike Cooke and Ram to try and
obtain o/s from Siva
5 b. Administrative Expenditure for 2008.
The auditor had informed Senthil that Admin expenses needed to be shown
in the Financial statements to ensure that the membership is made aware
that running the OBU has an associated cost.
It was thus agreed that the membership secretary / treasurer / secretary
submit reciepts for reimbursement for expenditure incurred.
6. Correspondence
Letter received from SLRFU regarding the sponsorship of a Wesleyite on a
Rugby scholarship.
Action: Senthil to contact Mohan to clarify matters. Agreed in pricipal
to support
the Wesleyite to the tune of £300 once clarification is sought.
7. Double Blue Ball 2008
A dance sub committee comprising Azahim / Senthil / Lhahir / Tharanga /
Anuradha / Ram & Rex was agreed upon.
The venue for the DBB 2008 to be Baylis House – Slough
Bands: Gypsies / Misty / Foreign Affair
Azahim requested Senthil to speak to Sunil/Gypsies re the DBB 2008.
Gypsies are due in Germany in August 2008 and thus there was a
possiblity of them coming over to the UK.
Ram indicated that the Gypsies were an overpriced band these days and
that he felt that the Gypsies out benefitted the Wesley OBU (UK). He
suggested that the OBU explores the possibility of another band for the
DBB.
Action: a. Azahim to convene a meeting of the Dance sub committee prior
to the
next meeting and draw up a spreadsheet of estimated costings and
email the committee.
b. If the Gypsies are to be involved Azahim to negotiate the contract.
8. FOC 2008
It was felt that an experienced candidate was required to support Roshan
as Wesley’s FOC representative. Thus Azahim’s name was proposed by Ana
and Azahim accepted this nomination.
Tharanga was nominated and accepted to being an alternative
representative.
Action: Senthil to send out letter to FOC regarding this matter.
9. Newsletter and website
The committee showed its appreciation for the good work of Dr Nihal
Amarasekara for volunteering to maintain the OBU (UK) website. The
website is being updated on a quarterly basis and could be accessed at
http://www.wesleycollege.org/obuk
10. Date of next meeting
It was felt that it would greatly assist committee members to schedule
their busy diaries if future committee meetings were known in advance.
As such it was decided that that the committee would meet on the last
Sunday of every second month commencing in March 2008.
Thus the dates of the next three committee meetings for 2008 would be as
follows:
1) March 30th. 2) May 25th 3) July 27th
Time: 3.30 pm for a 4.00 pm start.
11. Any other business
Social secretary to explore the possibility of organising a membership /
fellowship social in April 2008.
Brian sought the views of incorporating a DDR scheme for membership fees
and the possibility of increasing the membership fees. The committee
felt it appropriate to seek the views of the wider membership on this
matter and felt that it would be prudent to discuss the increase in
membership fees at an AGM.
Senthil read out a report prepared by Roshan Perera – Sports Secretary
to the committee.
Following his recent visit to Colombo, Senthil briefed the committee
about the discussions he had with various officials of Wesley College.
* Campbell Park was being developed by the Cricket Development Council
* In comparison other schools in Colombo were well ahead of Wesley in
terms of developing their sport and facilities
* In view of the foregoing the possibility of the OBU funding cricket
scholorships amounting to £250 pm was discussed. Of this sum £125/mth
would go towards funding a coach for 6 months. 3 months worth of this
coaching funding has already been subscribed to and paid for by members
of the OBU (UK). Funding for the remaining 3 months remains an
outstanding issue.
* The welfare society of the college appears to be working independently
and appears to have a separate agenda or an agenda of its own to that of
the Principal of Wesley. As such the needs & requirements of the
Principal for and on behalf of the students and welfare of Wesley is
becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile. As for example the leaking
roof / increasingly deteorating condition of the staircases. Estimates
and monies collected for these vital projects are apparently being
misused by the welfare society members to benefit their own.
* As such Senthil recommended that no more monies ought to be sent to
the college until clarification is sought about the internal politics
within the College.
Action: Senthil to draft a letter relating to the alleged corruption
within the
Welfare Society for presentation to the committee at the next exco
meeting if possible.
As there was no other business to be discussed, the meeting was brought
to a close with appreciation to Tharanga for making available to the OBU
the venue to meet. And the singing of the college song.
M. Lhahir
Secretary
The 15th AGM was held at the Krishna Bhawan in South Harrow on the the 27th of January 2008. There was a large gathering of around 60 old boys. The democratic process of the election of office bearers was completed and Senthil Sinniah was re-elected as President. He stressed the importance of unity and outlined the plans and projects to help Wesley College. There was much friendship and good humour during and after the meeting. The meeting ended with the singing of the school song. We hope this would be a template for future meetings and gatherings. The President and the new committee would like to thank all the old boys who attended the AGM despite their other commitments and helped to make it a success. We were particularly pleased to welcome Brian Mack who is an old boy of the Cartman/Oorloff era and a contemporary of Lou Adihetty. His forthright views and contributions to the meeting were well received. On that evening I personally felt proud to be a Wesleyite.
We are grateful to Iyar Muthu for his draft constitution for the OBU-UK. It is to be discussed further at an SGM before it is ratified.
We thank the out going office bearers for their support and help throughout last year. A special thanks to Ranjit Chandrasena for bringing this organisation into the digital age with record keeping.
Our special thank you to Tharanga Jayasinghe for allowing the use of Krishna Bhawan for the AGM
MEMBERSHIP OF THE WESLEY COLLEGE OBU UK
TO JOIN THE WESLEY OBU UK PLEASE CONTACT Rex Davadason MEMBERSHIP
SECRETARY for a
Membership form on: 0172 782 8026 or print the form given below and post
to Rex.
Membership Fees: Associate Membership £10.00
Student Membership £ 5.00
Membership fees for 2008 is now due Please send your cheques payable to
Wesley College OBU UK.
5 Napier Close
Perham Way
London Colney
Herts AL2 1LD
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