a message from the new master mrs sue owen message from the new master mrs sue owen ... speech. our...

A message from the new Master

Mrs Sue Owen

Mrs. Sue OwenIt has been said many times to youthat it is a great honour and privilegeto have been installed as Master ofa Livery Company, but I make noapology for repeating the words. Iwas made a Freeman of thisCompany in 1998 (having beenproposed by Hugh Berridge) andwas welcomed to the WaterConservators by the then Master

Bruce Hewitt. How quickly thoseyears have passed.

First, I would like to thank mypredecessor David Jones, he hasworked tirelessly during his year topromote our Charity and has verykindly agreed to carry on workingwith the Charity during my year.Attendances at Company events

have never been higher, and Davidhas ensured there is a clear pathfor me to follow. I would like tothank David on behalf of theCompany and also personally for awonderful and most enjoyable year.David is going to be a very hardact to follow and I am conscious ofthe high standard he has set.

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It is also a great pleasure to have afirst class team to work with,Thames Warden, Colin Drummond,Fleet Warden, Ian Staniforth andWalbrook Warden Lorna Walker. Ilook forward to working with themas good friends as well as Wardens.

This next year I wish to build onthe work of my predecessors, andraise the profile of the Company inthe City, we have a unique title thatcrosses all boundaries andcountries. Water Conservation maynot always be a popular subject butit will always be a topical one, asthis year has proven: groundwaterlevels that are already low insoutheast England and have startedto further decline.

The hot dry weather has causedriver flows to drop. Low flows andhot conditions are causingtemperatures to rise in many riversincreasing the risk to the fish andother wildlife. There are manychallenges ahead for the industry aswe face criticism for hosepipebans, leakage and flood – all in thesame year.

The Water Conservation Trust isbeginning to gain momentum in itswork following our first event atSalters’ Hall in March and hasapproved expenditure to fund aweek’s holiday for ten disabledchildren for the next three years inconjunction with the Calvert Trust.Calvert operates from three centresin Northumberland, Exmoor and theLake District. The Charity hasagreed to fund this initiative for thenext three years. We are lookingto find new projects and wish toincrease the funds available to ourCharity. There is an extensiveknowledge base within our Liveryand we must find ways of utilisingthat knowledge particularly withinthe Charity.

In addition to our annual CompanyEvents we will be holding a

Common Hall at the Royal Collegeof Defence Studies in earlyDecember where we hope toattract many of our Liverymen todiscuss some ideas for how we usethe knowledge and expertise withinour Company.

We have been holding meetingswith the Chartered Institution ofWater and EnvironmentalManagement and the EnvironmentAgency regarding a tripartite eventat the Drapers’ Hall in March. Thiswill take the form of a debate onWater Conservation and is to bechaired by the Rt. Hon Sir JeremyHanley KCMG, with speakers fromthe media and politics. We hope tohave an interesting and livelydebate.

The Deputy Master gave me someexceedingly good advice regardingmy Year and tells me that one’syear as Master is about, ‘evolutionnot revolution’. I totally agree withthis advice. However, it wouldn’tbe me if I didn’t try to do somethinga little bit different as well asmaintaining the traditional companyEvents. I will be introducing the Citytradition of the Rosewater Bowl atour Annual Banquet, a very ladylikeaddition I hope!

My Installation lunch was held attheVintners’ Hall, one of the mostbeautiful City Halls, I was fortunateto have as my guest speaker,Professor Sir Fred Holliday,Chairman of the NorthumbrianWater, who as always, gave anentertaining and thought provokingspeech.

Our September lunch takes us toInnholders’ Hall for the first timeas a Livery Company and there ourguest speaker will be DameStephanie Shirley, Past Master ofthe Information TechnologistsCompany.

September is a busy month as we

have our visit to the Globe theatreto see an afternoon performance ofAnthony and Cleopatra, provingthat we are a cultured as well asconvivial Company. I will also behosting my own dinner for PastMasters and Court Memberstogether with their partners.Vintners’ Hall will again be thevenue.

The first Ladies Event for theCompany will be held in Octoberwith a private tour of the MansionHouse, followed by lunch in theMembers’ Private dining room at theGuildhall. This event is open to alllady Liverymen and partners ofLiverymen.

We are exceedingly fortunate tohave as our guest speaker at theAnnual Banquet, Professor JulianHunt whose current position isProfessor of Climate Modelling inthe Department of Space & ClimatePhysics, and the Department ofEarth Sciences, and HonoraryProfessor of Mathematics atUniversity College London.

I would like to thank the DeputyMaster for reviving the Companyweekend away, which was held inCornwall and which included a tripto the Eden Project. The onlymistake he made was to offer topersonally pay the drinks bill fordinner which I believe didn’t quitemake four figures.

Next year we hope to continue thesocial side by travelling to York racesin June, starting with a dinner at theMerchant Taylors’ Hall in York andthen Ladies Day at the races – hatsand new outfits required

I am looking forward to this yearwith immense pleasure andanticipation, this will be a very specialyear for me, one that I will alwaysremember.

I would also like to say that as well



as the honour and privilege of beingMaster, it has been an even greaterprivilege to have made so manyfriends in the Company over thelast eight years. I look forward tosharing this year with as many ofyou as possible at our Company andSocial Events.

Sue OwenMaster

About the newMaster

--------------------

About the newWalbrook Warden--------------------

Sue Owen is the CommercialDirector of AES Ltd, anenvironmental company providing awide range of high qualitymonitoring, analysis and technicalconsultancy throughout the UK andIreland. A member of the AESboard, Sue is a key player in theongoing commercial success of thecompany and has helped to build thebusiness into an environmentalconsultancy with a first classreputation for high quality customerservice. She is responsible for thedevelopment, implementation andcontrol of all aspects of thecompany’s commercial strategy.

Sue has worked in a number ofcountries around the World with herwork in Standardisation including;most European countries, Japan,USA and South Africa.

She has been involved in the waterindustry since 1980, working in theRiver Management Laboratories atwhat was then North West WaterAuthority, moving to NorthumbrianWater plc in 1989 just afterprivatisation, and now with AESLtd, a wholly owned subsidiary ofthe group.

Sue has substantial expertise inenvironmental trace analyticaltechniques, specialising in theanalysis of organic pollutants inwaters and soils. Co-author ofseveral technical papers, she is

acknowledged as an expert inenvironmental organic massspectrometry techniques. Herexperience is utilised within severalnational and internationalcommittees for British StandardsInstitution, DTi, Society of ChemicalIndustry and the EnvironmentAgency. These include; StandingCommittee of Analysts Maincommittee; MCERTS(performance standard for thechemical testing of soils) SteeringBoard, Environmental TestingProgramming and Advisory Group,UK Delegation Leader forChemical methods of Analysis(Water Quality).

Sue is divorced and lives in Durhamwith her teenage son. She has aPrivate Pilot’s Licence which sadlyis not utilised in her business travels,the rail service from Durham toKings Cross being both quicker andless stressful.When in London, Sue enjoys theatmosphere and peace of theReform Club to escape from thebusiness world.

For relaxation, Sue enjoys cookingat home with quality food and finewines. She is an avid reader andwhen walking for relaxation, enjoysthe beauties of the Yorkshire,Durham and Northumberlandcountryside.

Our new Walbrook Warden isLornaWalker. Lorna is ManagingDirector of Lorna WalkerConsulting Ltd. She has set up thiscompany to concentrate onproviding strategic and practicalconsultancy on sustainabledevelopment, urban regenerationand urban policy.

Until March 2004 Lorna was a

Director of Ove Arup & Partnersand the leader of Arup’s globalEnvironmental business.

She is a Chartered Chemist andqualified Civil Engineer with over30 years experience in these fields.She has led and participated inmulti-disciplinary teams on a rangeof projects, from feasibility studiesto project commissioning. As aProject Director, Lorna’sorganisational and leadership skillshave been used in managingspecialist teams working on manyprojects for a variety of private andpublic sector clients in the UK,Europe, Africa and East Asia.

Lorna is a recognised authority inthe fields of sustainabledevelopment, urban regeneration,water quality and waste treatment.She is also a member of a numberof policy-making panels in the wastetreatment and remediation industry,and is frequently asked to assist inthe preparation of proofs ofevidence, and to act as an expertwitness, for planning enquiries andlitigation cases.

Lorna Walker



With a long track record of bothon-site and office-based projectwork, Lorna’s experience isfrequently called upon forindependent technical reviews ofher peers’ work, offering high valueadvice on projects either individuallyor as part of a multi-disciplinaryreview team. This role relies on herwide experience and depth ofknowledge on highly technical work.

Lorna was instrumental indeveloping Arup’s response to thechallenges of sustainabledevelopment - particularly in relationto the construction field. Oneoutcome of her work in this respectis Arup’s Sustainable ProjectAppraisal Routine (SPeARO),developed as a toolkit to facilitatethe benchmarking of project designsagainst indicators of sustainabledevelopment.

Lorna has been a member of LordRogers Urban Task Force since1998, which is at the forefront ofUK initiatives in urban regenerationand the reclamation of brownfieldland. The UTF published ‘Towardsan Urban Renaissance” in 1999 and‘Towards a Strong UrbanRenaissance” in 2005.

Lorna is currently a Royal Academyof Engineering Visiting Professor inEngineering Design for SustainableDevelopment, at the University ofSheffield; a member of the FIDICSustainable Development TaskForce; and she is on the judgingpanel of the ODPM SustainableCommunities Award panel. InMarch 2006 the UK Departmentof Culture, Media and Sportappointed Lorna as CABECommissioner Elect.

Deputy Master’sReport 2004/2005.............................II was always advised by PastMasters that one’s year in officegoes very quickly. I use to think tomyself that a year is a year and whyshould this be any different. It doesnot seem a year ago since I stoodbefore members and guests for thefirst time at my Installation toannounce the successful bid for theLondon Olympics. It was greetedwith rapturous applause. One of mymembers turned round to me andsays “enjoy it whilst it lasts”.

I am pleased to say that I did enjoythe whole of my year and it was aprivilege and an honour to be Masterof the Water Conservators. A yearago I set out to achieve three things.First for all of us within the Companyto have fun. Secondly to raise ourprofile within the City Livery. Thirdlyto help develop our Charity. Inapproaching my year I was veryconscious that it should be on thebasis of evolution rather thanrevolution whilst accepting andunderstanding that unlike in businessmembers give their time to theCompany for free.

As to the first I am pleased to reportthat as a Company we seemed tohave had fun. Numbers for all ourlunches were up by a third. We hadthe highest number in attendance atour annual Banquet since we held itat the Mansion House on the yearwe were granted livery. At theinstallation of our new Master in Julywe had over 120 people which wasdouble the number two years ago.In addition to our normal socialevents we went to see the LeicesterSquare Players. This is a mostentertaining Victorian Music Hallextravaganza which was kindlyorganised by Bill Halson. I thendecided on a more ambitious eventnamely 2 nights away to visit theEden Project. This was our first

Company trip away for over 15years. At the Master’s dinner onour first night in Cornwall I wasdelighted with an attendance offorty two members and partners.From all the pleasant letters Ireceived everyone seemed to enjoythe event. I am particularly gratefulto Anne Curtis of Aspen Travel fororganising the accommodation etcand to Richard Cunis, our principalguest at our Banquet and a Trusteeof Eden Project for arranging ourintroductory tour.

As to raising our profile I attendeda number of events within the City.We continue to develop goodrelationships with a number ofcompanies including by way ofexample the World Traders, thePlumbers, the Coopers, the Paviors,the Firefighters, the Fuellers, theSolicitors, the Accountants, theButchers, the EnvironmentalCleaners, the Arbitrators, theBuilders Merchants, the Architects,the Constructors, the ManagementConsultants, the Engineers, theLaunderers, the InformationTechnologists and the Watermenand Lightermen. In addition I wasvery fortunate to have RichardCunis and Adrian Watney , bothformer Masters of the Mercers andFrancis Bergin, former Master ofthe Bakers, as my principal gusts. Iwould also like to take thisopportunity of thanking our othertwo principal guests Baroness JoValentine and Ian Croxford QC.

I was very pleased with theresponse and outcome of our firstCharity event. We had over ahundred people attend our lightopera evening in March at SaltersHall. We raised over £3000 half ofwhich went to the Lord Mayor’scharity, Treloars. I am most gratefulto Andrew Parmley for producing,directing and starring in the eventwith his three opera singers and toGill Wilson for organising it.



Our Charity, the WaterConservation Trust also becameinvolved with the Calvert Trust. Wewill be supporting as a Companyevent a week of “water sports/education for the disabled” over 3years at 3 different reservoirs inNorthumbria, Yorkshire and Devon.This is an extremely good cause andI hope that we can develop moreworthwhile projects.

With any year there are always somegood-byes to say and some thanksto give.Sadly we lost Past MasterGeoff Truesdale. He will be fondlyremembered by all of us who knewhim in the Company. It was lovelyto see his wife Beryl and the familyat his memorial service in March.We are also saying good-bye to PastMaster Peter English and courtassistants Jim Urquhart and IvorRichards. They step down from theCourt, having all made substantialcontributions over many years. Wewill not be loosing touch as Peterremains involved with the PastMasters and Jim and Ivor remaintrustees of the Water ConservationTrust.

I would like to thank my Beadle andmy clerk for looking after me in myyear. I very much appreciated theadvice and assistance from the PastMasters. I am also very grateful tothe immense contribution of theCourt particularly in committeemeetings discussing and finallyagreeing our new Standing Orders.

I would on behalf of the Companythank Past Master Roy Harris forhis gift of the delightful “miniature”water tankard and to past MastersTed Flaxman and Ted Jackson forthe magnificent silver water tankard.

A Master’s year could never besuccessful without the support ofone’s wardens and my year was noexception. Sue Owen, ColinDrummond and Ian Staniforth wereinvaluable to me. Sue in particular

was always very supportive and Iwish her every success andhappiness in her year as Master. Iam confident that under herstewardship the Company willcontinue to grow and prosper.

Lastly I would like to thank my lovelywife Jean for her continuing supportand interest and for attending anumber of functions with me.

As I said at the beginning of myreport it has been an honour and aprivilege to have been your Masterin 2005/06.

Financial Report

We began my year in a cautiousmood having seen a decline in thecapital reserves of the Company inthe previous 12 months. It wastherefore very important that wemade certain that everything wasbudgeted for and so far as is possiblewe stayed within budget.

I am able to report that we had asmall overspend of 2%. The primaryreason for this is that we partiallyfund our lunches to keep the priceat a reasonable level . This meansthat the more who attend the greaterthe risk of not hitting budget. Withnumbers rising this was always aproblem (albeit a healthy one)particularly in regard to the Banquet.However the long term gain is thatapplications for membership arerising and as such over time ourCapital reserves should bereplenished.

David JonesDeputy Master

Deputy Master’sEvents 2006

.............................July 2005•Installation Court & LunchBarbers’ Hall

•Prize DayFreemen’s School•Sheriffs & Recorders FundOld Bailey•Jug PresentationMansion House•Garden PartyBuckingham Palace•Summer Dinner Sea Cadets

Maidstone

September 2005•Social gatheringDaveys Wine Bar•Annual Inspection Sea CadetsMaidstone•Battle of Britain Cocktail PartyRAF Northolt•Modem Companies DinnerGuildhall•Thames Nelson FlotillaRiver Thames•RC13S Dinner

Greenwich•Trafalgar Great River RaceRiver Thames•The TempestGlobe Theatre•Michaelmas Court & LunchHQS Wellington•Musicians EvensongSt Paul’s Cathedral•Election of Lord MayorGuildhall

October 2005•Launderers’ DinnerGlaziers Hall•Butchers’400th AnniversarySt Paul’s/Guildhall•Blacksmiths’ LunchPainters’ Hall•Paviors’ DinnerCutlers’ Hall•Master’s DinnerReform Club•UN Church ServiceSt Paul’s Cathedral•Arbitrators’ DinnerVintners Hall

November 2005•WaterwiseHOC•Annual BanquetMercers’ Hall•Wreath LayingSt Paul’s Cathedral•Social gatheringDaveys Wine Bar•Silent CeremonyGuildhall•Lord Mayor’s ShowCity of London•Wreath Laying



Trinity House•Marketors’ LectureCass Business School•Festival of St CeciliaWestminster Cathedral•Meeting with Lord MayorMansion House

December 2005•Joint Carol Service with Fuellers’St Michael’s/Little Ship Club•City University Graduation DayGuildhall•Sea Cadets PresentationMaidstone•Christmas Court & LunchReform Club

January 2006•Myddelton LunchVintners’ Hall•Presentation DinnerMaidstone

February 2006•Master Mariners LunchHQS Wellington•Geoff. Truesdale’s Memorial Service

St Michael’s/Little Ship•Plumbers’ LectureCollege of Physicians•Constructors’ DinnerSkinners’ Hall•Coopers’ LunchCoopers’ Hall•Livable City AwardsMansion House•World Traders’ Tacitus LectureGuildhall

March 2006•Charity EveningSalters’ Hall•Inter Livery BridgeDrapers’ Hall•City DipLondon•Modern Companies DinnerWax Chandlers’ Hall•Rivers LectureDrapers Hall•Social gatheringDaveys Wine Bar•Plumbers’ DinnerMansion House•Social EventPlayers Theatre•Masters & Prime Wardens Dinner

Mansion House•United Guilds’ ServiceSt Paul’s Cathedral

April 2006•SABRE ReceptionMansion House

•CIWEM DinnerDrapers’ Hall•Election Court & LunchTallow Chandlers’ Hall•Chartered Accountants LunchDyers’ Hall•Management Consultants DinnerCutlers’ Hall•Firefighters’ LunchGuildhall

May 2006•Tudor PullRiver Thames•Eden ProjectCornwall•Environmental Cleaners’ LunchArmourers’ Hall•Sons of the Clergy ServiceSt Paul’s Cathedral•Inter Livery GolfWalton Heath

June 2006•Social gatheringDaveys Wine Bar•Lord Mayor at Royal ShowCornwall•Cricket DayOval•Golf DayEllesborough•Livery WeekendIronbridge•Admirals ChallengeRiver Thames•Election of SheriffsGuildhall

A silver Tankardand a copperplate

map-------------------------The silver Tankard which TedJackson and I presented to theCompany was designed andproduced by Steven Sanson, thesilversmith who already has closelinks with the Company. He hasproduced the Master’s chain, theWolf’s head on the Beadle’s staff,the Water Conservator’s Cross andof course our tear badges.

The silver Tankard is nine incheshigh and holds about one and aquarter pints. This is the thirdTankard now owned by theCompany. The first being thefull-size 6 gallon version which wasrecently transferred on long-termloan to the Cooper’s Company for

exhibition in their museum. Thesecond being the half-size versionmade by Roy Harris for relievingLiverymen of their loose change atfunctions for the benefit of theWater Conservation Trust.

Our purpose in commissioning thissilver version was that it could beused by the Master as a water jug,possibly making a useful“conversation opener” with guests.Not many modem companies canshow off the original tools of theirtrade dating as far back as 1276.

The Deputy Master, David Jones,was enthusiastic about the idea ofa silver version of the Tankard, andarranged that it should be presentedto him at the Annual Banquet heldin the Mercer’s Hall in November2005. As Ted Jackson was unableto attend it was my job to make thepresentation and I arrived atMercer’s Hall in good time. Whilewaiting for my better half to emergefrom the Powder Room I was idlystudying a series of framedtapestries on the wall of theAmbulatory when I was brought upshort by one which clearly showedthree Tankards standing in the streetoutside the Mercers’ Hall in Tudortimes. A small caption showed thatthe tapestry was based on acopperplate map of the City of



London dating from around 1550.The tapestry had beencommissioned by the Companybecause it showed their first Haft,built from 1517 to 1524, which hadbeen destroyed in the Great Fire of1666.

Subsequent correspondence withthe Archivist of the Mercers’Company, Gary Haines, and withJohn Schofield at the Museum ofLondon illustrated why theTankards were shown, and alsorevealed the extraordinary story ofthe copperplates used to producethis very early map.

None of the fifteen copperplates,which are believed to have madeup the whole map, was known tohave survived. Until, in 1962, adealer contacted the LondonMuseum to say that he had apainting of the Tower of Babelattributed to a Flemish artist whichhad been painted on a sheet ofcopper, the back of which was partof a Tudor map of the City. Thiswas clearly a major discovery, andfortunately the Museum was ableto purchase the plate. It showed asection of the northern part of theCity from Moorgate to Shoreditch.Remarkably, a second plate was

then found to be in privateownership and this was purchasedby the Museum when it came upfor auction in 1985. This secondplate also had a painting on the back,and covered a section to the southof, and adjoining, the first platediscovered. It reached south to theriver at London Bridge and includedmuch of the eastern part of the Citywithin the Wall. This secondcopperplate included the easternend of Cheapside where the originalMercer’s Hall had been located,and was the basis of themodem-day tapestry which hadbeen commissioned by theMercer’s Company

Detailed study of these twocopperplates suggested that theyhad probably formed part of a largemap 3ft 8in high by 7ft 5in longcomprising 12 plates and 3half-plates. This map was evidentlythe basis of several later maps ofthe City, including the “Agas”woodcut of the 1560’s. The artistand the engraver were bothbelieved to have been Dutch.

The finding of these twocopperplates was remarkable initself. But then, in 1997, a thirdcopperplate came to light in amuseum in Dessau, Germany. This,too, had a painting of the Tower ofBabel on the back and was foundto adjoin the second copperplate,covering much of the western partof the City, including St Paul’sCathedral, and extending as farwest as The Temple. The small areaof this map shows another of theConduits, that by the Fleet River,again identified by three Tankards.In all, the second and thirdcopperplates show five of the

ancient Conduits in this way, all ofthem located in the middle of majorstreets..

The three surviving copperplatesare of interest not only because theyprovide an accurate plan of the Cityin Tudor times but because themethod of representation employedwas quite different frompresent-day maps. Instead ofmerely providing a plan, theyresemble an oblique aerialphotograph, showing the elevationsof buildings. Some of the elevationsare presumably conventional instyle, but major buildings such as StPaul’s Cathedral are shown inconsiderable detail.

The two copperplate maps in thepossession of the Museum ofLondon are on view in their TudorGallery and all three are reproducedat about half-scale in an excellentbooklet edited by Ann Saunders andJohn Schofield entitled “TudorLondon: a map and a view”. Thisbooklet is published by the LondonTopographical Society and containsmuch detail about the dating of thecopperplates and their significance.

From the Company’s viewpoint, itis striking that the engraver used agroup of Tankards as an early“conventional sign” for a Conduit.Quite unaware of this, when I came



to prepare the map on page 98 ofour booklet “Sweet and WholesomeWater” I, too, used a Tankard as aconventional sign for each Conduit.

The Museum of London is stillhopeful that other copperplates ofthis Tudor map may have survived- twelve are still unknown. If anyLiveryman visiting a car boot saleshould notice a picture of the Towerof Babel about A3 in size andpainted on copper it might be worthlooking carefully at the back. If itproved to be one of the missingplates it could be a good purchase -the second copperplate was boughtby the Museum in 1985.

Ted FlaxmanPast Master

During the winter companiessubmitted entries for the City ofLondon Living City awards. Theserecognise and reward outstandingachievement across the three pillarsof sustainable development, theenvironment, social issues and theeconomy. Applicants includedbusinesses, public sector andvoluntary organizations both in theCity and across the whole of theUK..

The Worshipful Companies ofWater Conservators and ofLaunderers sponsored the categoryof Resources Conservation . Thedistribution of the information aboutthe Resource Category is supportedby the Society for the Environment.Court Assistant Peter Matthews,who organised the WaterConservators contribution said thatthere were twelve really goodentries to judge.

The winning entry in the categorywas Kent Art Printers who havecapitalised on their role as a leaderin environmental best practice forthe print industry. An integrated

approach to managingenvironmental issues has resulted intremendous savings across theboard in terms of waste productionand energy and water use. Judgeswere particularly impressed thatthis approach has yielded a host ofbenefits, not the least of which hasbeen the opportunity to trial newproducts and techniques before theycome available generally. In trialingnew technologies, ranging fromvegetable based inks, to “NoProcess” and “Chemistry Free”printing plate production, Kent ArtPrinters have cut costs andenvironmental impactssimultaneously.. The company alsowon the Sustainable Procurementcategory and were awarded theEnvironment Business OutstandingAchievement Award as anambassador of best practice.

The Prizes were presented onFebruary 22 by John Gummer MPand world-renowned ecologistProfessor Norman Myers at theMansion House in an eventattended by the Master , DavidJones and Court Assistant PeterMatthews.

The overall winner of the FifthLiveable City Awards Trophy 2006was announced as the CarbonDisclosure Project represents theworld’s largest collaboration byinstitutional investors on the issueof climate change. The CarbonDisclosure Project, which collatesdetailed information from FT500companies on their greenhouse gasemissions and publishes them on itswebsite, was praised by theLiveable City Awards’ judging panelfor effecting a tangible impact onglobal efforts to combat climatechange. Past winners of theLiveable City Trophy have includedthe London Borough of Enfield andF&C Asset Management.

Peter MatthewsCourt Assistant

Living City Awards----------------------

-

Schools WaterConservation

ProjectsPupil Prizes

----------------------

Winners at MathewHumberstone Church of

EnglandSchool,Cleethorpes

----------------------------------------Founder and Past Master MikeMcDowell has involved a secondlocal school at Cam, the CamHopton Church of England PrimarySchool, in the scheme andparticipated in the marking of theprojects and the decision on whichpupils should be awarded the prizes.

There is a great deal of feel forwater conservation in this area, andall of the schools seem to have agood grounding in the subject. Theprojects were very good and it wasdifficult to pick a winner. In the end,it was decided that the best projectwould be awarded a £25 book tokenand the Water Conservatorstankard.

Because of the general standardand in order to encourage theothers, £50 of book tokens weregiven to the school for books onconservation.

The presentation took place duringschool assembly on Monday, 12 thSeptember, and the prizes weredistributed by Mike McDowell, whogave a short dissertation on waterconservation and the Company.

Mike McDowellPast Master



OBITUARY

Geoffery Ashworth TruesdaleOBE (1927 – 2005)

Geoffery (Geoff) Truesdale had along and distinguished career in thefield of water and environmentalmanagement and during his time hemade a major contribution to itsprofessional development and status.Having served for many years on theCouncil of the Institute of WaterPollution Control and becoming itsPresident in 1978-79, he played a keyrole in the creation in 1987 of theInstitution of Water andEnvironmental Management (IWEM,later to become CIWEM) and. In1998-99, he served as the secondPresident of IWEM. In his earlieryears as a young research scientist,he undertook seminal studies onsewage treatment and river pollutionfor which he obtained internationalrecognition. This was followed bya period in governmentadministration when he becameclosely involved in the earlydevelopment of a UK policy on theintegration of water and sewagefunctions. His subsequentinvolvement in private consultancypractice led to him becomingrecognised as a world authority onwater and environmentalmanagement. He was laterresponsible for creating a specialistenvironmental consultancy firm. Hisenthusiasm for his profession alsoinvolved him in the establishment ofthe Guild (now the WorshipfulCompany) of Water Conservators ofwhich he became Master in 1991-92. In 1993, he was awarded theprestigious Dunbar Medal by theEuropean Water Association for hisoutstanding achievements in thedevelopment of wastewatertreatment. In 1995, he was honouredwith The Order of the British Empirefor Services to the Water Industry.

Geoff Truesdale was born inBirmingham in March 1927 and waseducated at Bishop Vesey’s Schoolin Sutton Coldfield. In1947, he

joined the Water Pollution ResearchLaboratory (WPRL) which at thattime was located in Watford. Hesubsequently graduated as anexternal student of LondonUniversity with a BSc in chemistryin 1950. After the transfer of WPRLto Stevenage in 1955, he workedover a period of the following 13years on a succession of keyresearch projects. Another area ofhis research, for which he gainedwide recognition, was to assess thebeneficial effects on sewage worksand rivers of the replacement of‘hard’ synthetic detergents by ‘soft’(biodegradeable) detergents inhousehold washing powders.Through this work, he later becamea member of the Government’sStanding Committee on Syntheticdetergents. During his career atWPRL, he was the author, or co-author, of over 50 papers publishedin the scientific and technicalliterature.

In 1968, he transferred to theMinistry of Housing and LocalGovernment as a ChemicalInspector. In 1970, he accepted aninvitation to join Balfours, ConsultingEngineers, and he remainedassociated with the firm until hisretirement in 1992. During those 22years, he travelled to many parts ofthe world as a consultant on waterpollution and associated environmentproblems and he became aconsultant in these areas to the WorldHealth Organisation. He served asChairman of the committee whichdeveloped the CIRIA/WRc SewageTreatment Optimisation Model(STOM) and he also served asChairman of CIRIA’s Public HealthCommittee

The successful formation in 1987of the IWEM owed a great deal tothe influence of Geoff Truesdale. HisPresidency of IWEM in 1988-89was a fitting reward for his serviceto the new Institution. Later, he wasable to look on with muchsatisfaction when the IWEMachieved its Chartered status to

become CIWEM.

His organisational skills and friendlypersonality also played a major rolein the creation of the European WaterPollution Control Association(EWPCA) and he was its Presidentfor the 3-year period 1984-7. He wasawarded the prestigious WilliamDunbar Medal by the EWPCA in 1993for his outstanding achievements indevelopment of wastewatertreatment.

He was a founder member of the UKChapter of the Select Society ofSanitary Sludge Shovellors (5S) andwas subsequently instrumental in theformation of the Guild (later tobecome the Worshipful Company) ofWater Conservators. He was Masterof the Guild in 1991-92.

Despite his professional success,Geoff Truesdale was a modest manand outside of his work his interestscentred largely on his home andfamily and he devoted much of histime to his garden. But he also playedhis part in his local community and,in his younger days, was an activemember of Round Table. Geoff wasa keen sports enthusiast being anardent supporter of Aston Villa andWarwickshire cricket club. As ayounger man, he was a goodcricketer and captain of the successfulWPRL cricket team for some years.

Geoff and his wife Beryl were adevoted couple and proud parents ofCarolyn and David, later becomingproud grandparents of 4grandchildren. Sadly, Geoff becameill not long after his well-deservedretirement and later his healthdeteriorated to such an extent that heentered a nursing home. But heremained in the loving care of Beryland his family until his death inSeptember 2005.

Alan BruceLiveryman



Water ConservatorsSupport Calvert

Trust----------------------Calvert Trust is a Charity offeringactivity holidays for the disabled andtheir carers. It has centres onExmoor, (at South West Water’sWistlandpound Reservoir), atKielder Water and at Keswick.The activities include boating, horseriding, climbing and other indoor andoutdoor pursuits in beautifulenvironmental settings. Their clientsinclude everyone from children withdisabilities from birth, to ex-servicemen who have lost limbs inthe service of their country. TheCompany charity has recentlyagreed to a 3 year bursary to CalvertTrust Exmoor to sponsor people inspecial need.

On 11th May a Group from theCompany visited the ExmoorCentre (see attached picture). SirMichael Knight, Chairman ofCalvert Trust Exmoor, and ChrisSlater, Centre Director, showed usround on a most beautiful sunny day.We saw disabled veterans (from theNot Forgotten Association) abseilingand young children on horseback.The importance of a beautifulenvironment for good mental andphysical health, as is increasinglyrecognised in medical circles, wasobvious for all to see.

Jeff Rasbash, Chairman of ourCharity Trustees, formallyannounced the bursary. In a briefspeech he pointed out that whilst ourLivery is young and not so wealthyas the older Livery Companies, wehad the advantage of includingpeople active in the water andenvironmental industry; as a resulthe hoped we could offer somethingmore than just a small bursary, interms of ideas and gifts in time orkind.

This led on, as if on cue, to a brief

presentation

Jeff Rasbash with SirMichael Knight

from Ivor Richards who highlightedthe recognised need for more peopleto be involved in environmentalmonitoring of all kinds, from simplebird counts to advanced analysis ofweather, water, air and groundconditions. In a piece of lateralthinking (of some brilliance in theview of the writer of this article!)

he suggested that simpleenvironmental monitoring could beincluded as an activity by CalvertTrust Exmoor. Collaboration with aland-based college of furthereducation that deals withenvironmental topics will beinvestigated by the Trust. SirMichael Knight and Chris Slaterimmediately were gripped by thisidea and are exploring ways topursue it. Much can be done withoutexpensive equipment (e.g. birdcounts, etc). However if membersof the Company had any surplusmonitoring equipment which couldbe donated to CTE (e.g. old weatherstations) it would be most welcome.

Another idea which emerged fromthe day was that Chris Slater islooking to construct an adventurefeature using large diameter pipeswhich Jeff Rasbash and Frank Jonesare pursuing.

Our Charity is becoming increasinglyactive and it is excellent that we areable to offer not just money butperhaps more importantly ideas andgifts in time and kind.

Colin DrummondThames Warden

Members at the Calvert Trust



Winners of the Spring Draw

S P OwenC E G BlandG Scott

120 Club------------------------------------------

Winners of the Autumn Draw

H D M SpeedR W J NorthA D Barrett

A pony and trap working at the Calvert Trust

The Master handing over the cheque for the LordMayor’s charity

Musical CharityEvent

----------------------I am pleased to report that onMarch 2nd we held a verysuccessful Charity Event whichwas a first for the Company.

As part of my theme for my year Iwanted the Company to be moreoutward looking and decided that Iwould try and organise a Charityevening. This is never easy becauseit depends on the event, the priceand the willingness of members andguests to attend.

Last September I was lunching withour Honorary Liveryman, AldermanAndrew Parmley who is Chairmanof the Guildhall School of Music andDrama. I mentioned to him that Iwas thinking of holding a light operacharity evening and we agreed thathe would provide the singersprovided that I came up with thepeople.

To assist I persuaded Gill Wilson(who annually organises theHackney Carriages/Walt DisneyParis weekend for young childrenwho are terminally ill) to come onboard.

At the outset I managed with somehelp from my Wardens to securesponsorship from the PennonGroup, Aes Laboratories, ThamesWater, Major Lindsey& Africa, andHunton and Williams.

Salters Hall was the best “musicalhall” we could find in the City. Gillalso negotiated a very competitiveprice with the caterers. Weadvertised the event beforeChristmas and undertook a lot ofphone-calls nearer the time toensure we had good numbers.

Gill and I were at Salters Hall by 5pm. Andrew and his three singershad been in rehearsals since 4pm.



The only issue was how manypeople would turn up? We hadbudgeted for 85 and were delightedthat we topped 100.

The light opera music was excellentand was enjoyed by everyoneattending. It was followed by drinksand canapés afterwards endingaround 9pm.

I am pleased to report that weraised just over £3000 which will bedivided between our own charity,the Water Conservation Trust andthe Lord Mayor’s Charity, TreloarsSchool for the disabled.

Although organising such an eventis very time consuming it is veryrewarding when it raises money forgood causes and everyone whoattended enjoyed themselves. Mythanks in particular go to Gill andAndrew.


Founders Feast----------------------

Company Accounts 2004/5

The founder members of the Guildof Water Conservators, the roots ofthe Worshipful Company of WaterConservators, gathered together on7th September, to enjoy each othersfriendship, at their annual lunch. Onthis occasion they convened in thefoyer of the magnificent Butchers’Hall. The succulent choices of roastbeef cuts which were offered in theCarvery, turned a most enjoyablemeal into a veritable feast. TheFounder Members expressed theirgratitude to the Founder Master,Mike McDowell, for “making it allhappen, yet again,” and to theMaster Butcher for the use of hishall.

As with all groups of this nature, themembership obviously reduces withtime. During the single toast, to“Absent Friends,” proposed by theFounder Master, this was made

even more poignant. It was clearthat the founder member’sthoughts were with BerylTruesdale, as a result of PastMaster Geoff’s recent passing, inAugust.

When the assembled gatheringwas asked if there was anyonethat had a mobile phone that alsotook photographs, answer wasnone, so this report has no pictureof the Founder Members’ smilingfaces. None the less there wereindeed many smiling faces, as agood time was had by all FounderMembers and their guests and asurplus of £40 was donated to theWater Conservation Trust.

Jeff RashbashCourt Assistant

Waterwise Launch-----------------------Waterwise was launched at theCommons on 2nd November 2005.The reception was hosted by DavidDrew MP, and there were shortspeeches by the Minister Elliot Morley,Pamela Taylor (Water UK), PhilipFletcher (Ofwat), Peter Mathews(Environment Agency Board) andJacob Tompkins (Waterwise). TheMaster of the Worshipful Companyof Water Conservators was one of theinvited guests

There was recognition that the waterindustry is undertaking a lot of goodactivity on water efficiency already,but that there was a need for betterco-ordination and for an increase inthe scale of efficiency work.



EVENTS 2006/7

Globe Theatre Visit15th September 2006

Master’s Court DinnerVinters Hall

19th September 2006

Michaelmas LunchInnholders’ Hall

27th September 2006

Election of Lord MayorGuildhall

29th September 2006

Ladies EventMansion House24th October 2006

Annual BanquetMercers’ Hall

2rd November 2006

Lord Mayor’s ShowCity of London

11th November 2006

Joint Carol ServiceSt Michaels Church, Cornhill

6th December 2006

Common HallRoyal Colledge of Defence Studies

13th December 2006

Myddleton LunchFishmongers’ Hall30th January 2007

United Guilds ServiceSt Paul’s Catherdral

23rd March 2007

Election Court LunchTBA

19th April 2007

Tudor PullRiver Thames6th May 2006

Founders Feast----------------------

The Company’s Annual Banquet washeld this year at Mercers’ Hall on 3November. Right from the start itwas a most splendid and enjoyableevent.

In total there were some 142members and their guests inattendance, a clear record for recentyears. The food and wines were allparticularly fine. We were treated tofour courses including a savoury, plusthree wines and port (in addition ofcourse to the reception beforehand).We are grateful to musicians fromthe Guildhall School of Music andDrama, aptly located in theMinstrels’ Gallery overlookingevents, who accompanied ourProcession and continued to playthroughout the dinner.

Richard Cunis, Past Master of theMercers as well as a Trustee of theEden Project (which the Companyvisited in Spring), gave a most fittingspeech stressing the charitableaspects of the Livery and waswarmly applauded. Our Master,David Jones, in responding outlinedthe many and varied functionsplanned for the remainder of hisyear. If they are all equally enjoyablewe are in for a series of great treats!

Ted Flaxman presented a silvertankard for future use by the Masteron similar occasions. As is now ourtradition our small wooden tankardwas left out for charitable giving atthe end of the event.

Throughout there was a great buzzof conversation and feeling of goodfellowship. A token of the successof the evening was that no-one

seemed to want to leave at the endand it was midnight before thingsfinally drew to a close.

Colin DrummondFleet Warden

Eden Projest----------------------At our Banquet in November weforeshadowed our trip to the EdenProject in the spring of 2006 withour guest speaker, Richard Cunis.Richard was a former Master of theMercers and a Trustee of Eden.

The trip in May started at a lovelyhotel on the sea near St Austell witha Master’s dinner on the firstevening. We had anticipated 24people and were delighted that 42people were able to attend.

The trip was organised by AnneCurtis of Aspen Travel inconjunction with our clerk, RalphRiley. About 14 days before, Ralphassumed control and we aregrateful to both of them for anexcellent event.

Your Master and his wife went toCornwall early. They visited anumber of wonderful gardens andplayed the 9 hole pitch and putt atthe hotel each evening. Although theMaster’s game was on the wild sidethere was no need to shout “fore”as they were the only people on thecourse.

On the following day an entourageof Water Conservators and betterhalves descended upon Eden to bemet by their Master and Clerk.Richard Cunis had kindly organisedfor two Directors of the Project to



give us an introductory lecture aboutEden. The members of theCompany were very attentive andasked a number of questions aboutwater use, water quality and waterhygiene. The secret of Eden, beinga former china clay quarry, is notsaving water but keeping it out.After the introduction memberswalked around the Project whichcontinues to grow and evolve. It isexcellent and gives a fascinatinginsight into global sustainability.

After a very long day we allreturned to the hotel wheremembers were able to mingle, chatamongst themselves and drink morewine than water.

Overall it was a successful tripwhere members and their partnersenjoyed themselves and got to knoweach other better. The Eden Projectis certainly worth a visit.


Tudor Pull-------------------------

The Master in the Jubilant

The Master in the Waterforget-me-not

In May Jean and I were privilegedto be involved in the Tudor Pull. Thisis a river event which the Companyset up in conjunction with theWatermen and Lightermen. It is acelebration of rowing on the RiverThames since the time of HenryVIII who by Royal Charter createdthe Watermen’s Company whosemembers were allowed to carrypassengers in their cutters for afixed price.

It starts at Hampton Court when apiece of elm pipe mounted in a glasscase (donated by the WaterConservators) is presented to theQueens Bargemaster. It is thentaken on the Royal Barge (theJubilant). Your Master and his wifejumped on board together with theMaster of the Waterman and

Lightermen and our own Beadle,Tony Parker. We were then rowedby twelve Queen’s Watermen tothe Tower of London.

However at Richmond threeimportant events occur. First theMaster and his wife leave theJubilant and board our own cutter,

‘water forget-me-not’. Secondlyone is able to take the first and lastcomfort break. Thirdly we have alight lunch. The Richmond stopoveris no more than an hour dependingon the tide etc. Our own cutter isrowed by 4 strong men from CoryEnvironmental. We are neverallowed to be ahead of the Queens



Barge but during the day there issome healthy competition betweenthe two boats as they test each otherout in short burst of serious rowing.At Richmond we are also joined byother Company cutters.

We had good weather in May and Iam pleased to say that it did not rain.The trip takes from around 10amto about 4pm. With both boats fullydecorated with flags etc it is quite aspectacle and was clearly enjoyedby many Sunday lunchtime drinkerson the Thames. It is also enormousfun being rowed along the Boat racecourse albeit in reverse.

At around the Houses of Parliamentthe boat traffic with tourists on boardis substantial and the waterbecomes rather choppy. Finally wearrive at the Tower of London.Marching behind our Beadle (bothMasters are gowned throughout thewhole day) we stride forth to theTower of London where our elmpipe is presented to the Tower forsafe keeping for another year. Bynow we are surrounded bydisbelieving tourists taking photos.

To complete a most enjoyable daythere is a drinks reception on boardthe river boat that followed us fromRichmond carrying guests andfriends who were able to have amost enjoyable sit down lunch withwine. These facilities are sadly notavailable on a cutter!


The month of June saw our cutter‘the water forget me not ‘race intwo prestigious events. The firstwas the Lord Mayors challenge andthe second was the Port of LondonAuthority Cup.

The Lord Mayor’s race was fromWestminster pier to the WestminsterBoat House just after VauxhallBridge. This is a short race betweenabout 6 livery cutters. Our crewfrom Cory Environmental took acourse which was very tight to theWestminster embankment. Thiswas clearly a smart move as wehad the best of the conditions andstormed off into the lead to bechased all the way by the Watermenand Lightermen. These were clearlythe strongest crews. Your Masterwas in the Umpire’s launchwatching our international rowingUmpire dealing with technicalinfringements of other crews whogot too close to each other. At thefinishing line the water forget menot crossed in first place followedby the Watermen and Lightermen.

A champagne reception was heldat Westminster Boat House and aCup was awarded to theCompany’s crew followed by afew words of thanks from theMaster! Afterwards I hitched a rideto the London Eye on a barge takingour cutter back to Charlton whereit is kept.

The second race is a much biggerevent and longer. It starts at Templepier and ends at Chelsea pier. Thecrews were fit and verycompetitive with 8 of them linedacross the river ready for the start.As each boat must carry onepassenger we made a tacticalswitch and put in your Master’sdaughter on the grounds of being alighter weight! Your Masterwatched the race from theaccompanying River Boat where hewas able to partake of a glass ofwine. However the start gaveimmense cause for concern whenour boat went at 90 degrees leftfrom the start. This time it wentacross to the Festival Hallembankment and by now was someway behind those cutters who were

rowing straight. We were followedby the Watermen and Lightermenand one sensed that both crewsknew what they were doing whenit comes to the tide. Gradually bothcrews caught up everyone one elseand by Chelsea there was only onecrew in it who won easily. Yes itwas the water forget me not. Oursecond win in June.

Another buffet celebration followedas we made our way back toTemple Pier on the River Boat. TheMaster of the Watermen andLightermen and myself gave out theprizes. Our trophy is now back withthe boat in Charlton.

Finally I would like to pay tribute toDavid Lawrence our Bargemaster.Given his other commitments he isstepping down to be replaced byJohnny Dwan. Thank you David forall your hard work and the successthat we have achieved.

Cutter Races----------------------


The Prince ArthurCup

----------------------For the first time we entered a teamfor the Prince Arthur Cup. This is a36 hole bogey foursomecompetition between about 60 liverycompanies and played annually atWalton Heath in Surrey. Our teamwas Nick Paul, Peter Chave,Malcolm White and David Jones.The weather conditions were verydifficult with a strong wind. Overallthe Team found putting particularlydifficult and 3 putts per greenoccurred far too often. However inthe afternoon Nick Paul and DavidJones sorted out their puttingproblems and had a respectablebogey score of -1.

Overall we were never going to



Mr R.A. Riley, Clerk, The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators,The Lark, 2 Bell Lane, Worlington, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 8SE

Tel/Fax: 01638 510626 Email: [email protected] Website: www.waterconservators.org

Contact

bother Prince Arthur for his Cup butfingers crossed we will have doneenough to qualify for next year.Finally a big thank you to Peter andRoger in particular who hadtravelled hundreds of miles to playand to Barry Dennis for organisingthe day.


Golf Day----------------------The Company’s Annual Golf Daytook place at Ellesborough GolfClub on 14th June.

After last year’s temporary hic-upwe were blessed with fine weatherand everyone set off in good heartfor the morning team competitionover 9 holes. The Master withguests David Beatty and SallyHarborne burnt up the course foran excellent score of 40 points butwere pushed hard by 2 other teams.

The Master presentingRoger North with the

Dewplan TrophyThe wind increased in the afternoonbut Roger North played some greatgolf and was a clear winner of theDewplan Trophy with 41 points.Not surprisingly he also won theNearest-the-Pin competition. Theday became a real family affairwhen it became clear that Roger’swife, Christine, had also had a

wonderful round. With a score of38 points, she was the clear winnerof the Clarendon Prize which wasagain kindly donated by PastMaster Chris Shirley.

Ted Horlick (a guest of ChrisShirley) has supported our GolfDay for many years so it was agreat pleasure to see that he hadalso enjoyed the afternoon’s golfand with 32 points had the bestscore for our male guests. NickPaul won the Bill Smith Trophy with59 points which was the highestcombined score among theCompany Members for the 27holes played during the day.

After a splendid dinner, the prizeswere presented by the Master.

Morning Team CompetitionWinners 40ptsDavid JonesDavid BeattySally Harborne

Male GuestsWinner Ted Horlick 32ptsSecond David Beatty 31pts

Clarendon Prize (Lady Guests)Winner Christine North 38ptsSecond Else Ridgway 30pts

Nearest the PinWinner Roger North

Dewplan TrophyWinner Roger North 41ptsSecond Nick Paul 38ptsThird Richard Waller 30pts

Bill Smith TrophyWinner Nick Paul 59pts

For your diaries, please note thatnext year’s Golf Day will be heldon 20th June.

Installation Lunch----------------------We were exceedingly fortunate toenjoy our Installation lunch atVintners’ Hall, one of the mostbeautiful Halls in the city of London.A record attendance for anInstallation Lunch, the atmospherewas convivial and as always, vocaland friendly.The Company was honoured tohave 6 visiting Masters and 1 PrimeWarden as our guests representingthe Plumbers, Basketmakers,Paviors, Mariners, Launderers,Engineers, Lightmongers and, as apersonal guest of LiverymanRichard Skehens, the MasterPewterer.

The Clerk to the Engineers, GrahamSkinner, attending with his Master,was of instrumental support in ourCompany being granted RoyalCharter last year and as aCompany we recognise hisinvaluable assistance.

Our Principal Guest, Prof Sir FredHolliday, gave an interesting andthought provoking speech onconservation of water. Headdressed the challenge of thewater utilities in satisfyingcustomers in their need for unlimitedaccess to water, while maintaininga balance of responsibleconservation of these precioussupplies.

The Stirrup Cup was well attended,perhaps better than might havebeen the case had our nationalfootball team been playing thatevening.

Sue OwenMaster



a message from the new master mrs sue owen message from the new master mrs sue owen ... speech. our...

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