Master's Farewell-- John Carpenter signs off

I write with a mixture of regret and relief.  Regret as I approach the close of one of the most unusual years of my career and relief that I shall regain control of my diary!

One thing that strikes me on looking back on the year is the sheer variety of events.  Some are very small, the lunch in the little room over Temple Bar, organised by PM John Mills and with two past Lord Mayors as our guests.  Others huge for example the election of the Sherriffs or the Silent Ceremony of the Installation of the Lord Mayor, which fill the Guildhall to capacity.  An intimate Church service with a congregation of 30 compared to St Paul's crowded on the 60^th anniversary of the United Nations.  Throughout the year visits to fascinating buildings, some of which I had never heard of, some new, some very old with secret gardens.  There have been days of formality and pageantry, examples are our Mansion House Banquet or the City's own remembrance service, when I planted a cross in St Paul's churchyard, and days of fun and informality such as the clay pigeon shoot and the Lord Mayor's Show.  Spread throughout the year wonderful music at St Paul's, City churches and Livery Halls.

During the year we have established, with the help of, amongst others, our previous Clerk, Ron Coe, PM Ian Dussek and The Royal Artillery Museum, the origins of our relationship with our affiliated military units. We now have an unbroken history over the last 76 years.  We invited the three Commanding Officers to the last Court Committee lunch and discussed how we might strengthen the links between the Affiliates and the Livery.  A number of useful ideas emerged, which we will explore and put to the Court.  An immediate challenge was put by The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment to shoot against two other Livery Companies with the British Army SA80 rifle at a Skill-at-Arms Meeting!!  There was noticeably less enthusiasm to a suggestion that we might visit the troops in Iraq!

Beverley and I are very grateful for the help and support we have received throughout the year; to all of you who have ensured full houses at the functions, formal and informal, Past Masters, who have never hesitated to offer advice and the Committee Chairmen.  Our particular thanks to our Clerk, for his patience, to our Chaplain, not only for those wonderful graces, and our Beadle, who has guarded our ceremonies and who sadly is retiring.

It has been a great privilege to have been able to serve the Livery as Master and to support the City in some small ways.  I am grateful for the opportunity.