President Oscar Derby 11 (c) reporting on stewardship .Others in picture (l-r) Rodrick Reid, Oscar Derby II, Ken DaCosta, Richard Bowen, Clive Savage(hidden),Victor Henry.
Fellow Old Boys, Let me start by extending a warm welcome to all old boys who have made the effort to attend this evening's Annual General Meeting. I trust that each of you has taken the time to provoke the Honourable Secretary to add your name to the list of eligible voters by handing over to him your cheque made payable to the KCOBA Limited.
Our last year of operation has not been the most impressive in recent times. Although our school continues to do well in academics and some sports, this performance has not been with the help of this Association. Fortunately, individual old boys continue to make direct contributions to the school. The effort by the school to obtain these direct contributions has been far greater than in the past. This is according to those who assign themselves the task of soliciting contributions for KC. In one case, a senior member of staff has reported being out of pocket to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars from personal expenditure on feeding students. This money has not been recovered as in the past, from the usual philanthropic old boys.
As an alumni association, we are viewed by all Jamaica as the strongest and most vibrant in the island and beyond. As alumni, we are seen as the most loyal and most clannish in the land. Our Fortis boast is attached with pride to even our most luxurious cars. This myth of being the strongest Association is perpetuated by the sea of purple in the Grand Stand at Champs, where we turn out to give morale support to our track and field team...after the coaching staff has spent half their time raising the funds that we have failed to raise or give willingly. That our boys continue to win the way they do, is short of a miracle, considering the tremendous constraints they face leading up to the championships.
Our Sunlight and Manning Cup teams have been allowed to go into a slump having not received the financial support for which they have begged. We hope that the successful Table Tennis team will continue their winning streak even though the coach has been lost to a school where she now receives compensation for her services. Will the Swim team be able to continue their good showing when the current coach is no longer a KC parent?
Who on the staff will continue to solicit contributions for KC when the two senior Vice Principals retire within the next 12 months?
Where is the KCOBA machinery to make the difference?
Where are the old boys to help the KCOBA to make a difference?
A Sports Council was established in 2005 to bring some order to the management of sports at KC. This Council was sanctioned by the Board of Management. The Council is comprised of a number of old boys and the Sports Master. It is chaired by Mickey Murdoch ; K. Churchill Neita heads the Fund Raising Committee. Your support will be needed to help the Council raise funds for the school's sports programme. We hope we can rely on your generosity to make it work.
The KC Development Trust Fund was set up to raise funds for the long term development of KC. Old boys and corporate Jamaica were meant to be the primary contributors to the Fund. This year, the contribution from old boys in Jamaica and abroad has taken a sharp decline that has broken previous record lows. With the slowness in the rate of accumulation of funds the value of the Trust is now below the 20 million dollar target that was set to be achieved on January 1 2000. The truth is..the value of the Trust has never reached that target. Yet we are seen as the most clannish, the most fiercely loyal to our school, the strongest, and the most vibrant show in town. Are we comfortable perpetuating this myth while our young old boys are leaving school in droves wondering what in the world did KC really do for me?
What kind of old boys do we expect to cultivate from the quality of education that we the KCOBA and old boys at large are causing to be delivered at KC?
We cannot continue, as an Association with the kind of reputation that we have, to operate in the manner we have been doing for the last many years. Any self-respecting organization, even the most poorly managed, would not need a strategic planning retreat to realize that we must change out thinking, our corporate culture, and chart a new course to become effective and relevant to the institution we were created to serve.
Our management team over recent years has been uncovered for what it has really become. With the exception of a few; an ineffective talk shop of old boys who are not prepared to walk the talk. Promises and pledges have been generally, just that. The few who walk the talk are often frustrated by the many who only talk. An Association averse to change and prepared to stay away from challenges. Are these the values that were inculcated in us by our forebears? I think not.
Your Association continues to be plagued by the controversial issue of the omission of ladies from our annual dinner. Their has been a growing number of old boys who feel particularly offended by what is perceived to be an inappropriate position of the KCOBA to so disrespect our ladies by omitting them from our most significant calendar item.
Regardless of my view on the matter, in my position as President, I am required to serve all old boys. I am here also; to implement the decisions taken at the AGM once the majority wish has been expressed. If change is to take place on this issue, it has to be on the basis of the persons coming forward and casting their vote at the AGM; not only for a clear decision on the issue, but for an administration that will implement that decision regardless of which side of the issue the decision falls. Your attendance and active participation is invited at the AGM, to ensure that your vote is counted on the issue.
The incoming administration will see some changes in how we do business. These results from our incorporation as a registered company, limited by guarantee. The main change to expect at the AGM is the election process. This year's AGM will see the retirement of those eight old boys who are listed in our Articles of Incorporation as Subscribers. They will be replaced by 8 Directors. It is these Director who will vote at their first Board meeting for a President, a Vice President, an Honourable Secretary, and an Honourable Treasurer, as well as any other position the Directors deem necessary for the smooth and effective management of the company.
I urge you to consider your vote seriously. Old boys should earn their places on the Board by way of professional qualification and demonstrated leadership and management skills. Additionally, balanced judgment and objective thinking, as well as an ability to portray the appropriate corporate image of the Association are all important factors to consider. It is assumed that loyalty, industry and resourcefulness are qualities which are a given.
Our fiduciary responsibility as a company registered in Jamaica under the Registration of Companies Act must be in the hands of responsible individuals and not just anyone with whom the President becomes saddled because we don't care to exercise our vote in a responsible manner. Ensure your nominees for office are of the quality described earlier, and ensure also, that your nominee is willing to take on the mantle of leadership and management that will live up to the expectations that Jamaica has formed of this Association.
I wish to report that a new Principal has been selected by the Board of Management. The selected candidate will now go through the process of approval by the Diocese and the Ministry of Education Youth and Culture. The Principal Designate comes to the job with expectations of tremendous support from the KCOBA Limited. Your loyalty and support as old boys will be required in a far more meaningful way than before. With the eventual appointment of the principal the draft strategic plan can be expected to come to the table for stakeholder input and eventual implementation. As such, a new era is on the horizon for KC: An era that requires your loyalty and support; An era that requires your resourcefulness and industry; An era that requires your enthusiasm, active participation and being true to our FORTIS motto as we rebuild this Association into an effective company that delivers on its mandate to serve and support Kingston College in achieving its mission to deliver educated and well rounded Christian gentlemen to our society. I urge you to make sure that after this evening's AGM your Association is prepared for this and other changes to make all this a reality.
