Page 96 - Archived Back Issues

2011 diary dates
2nd March - The Massey Shaw Din- ner—Insurance Hall
18th March - meet the Firefighters - Winchester House - 11-30 am
April 1st—United Guild‘s Service— St. Paul‘s
April 5th - The City Fire Lecture - Insurance Hall - 6-30 pm
May 17th—Festival of the Sons of the Clergy—St. Paul‘s
July 1st - Common Hall - Insurance Hall; followed by Annual Service of Re-Dedication at St. Mary-le-Bow
September 24th Fire Industry Charity Ball
Pleased to Meet You
Michael Harper—Renter Warden
My first involvement with the world of fire pro- tection came when I joined the Graviner com- pany in 1985, famous for its aircraft and vehicle fire protection systems. Prior to that, I had trained as an engineer and worked for the Vick- ers company.
As part of Allegheny and then Pilgrim House, we grew our fire protection activities considerably over the next
10 to 15 years with acquisitions such as Detector Electronics, Pyrotector and the Kidde group. Under Williams, the group con- tinued to grow and it was a great pleasure for me when, as Kidde plc, I was able to take the group onto the UK stock market as its Chief Executive.
After Kidde plc was acquired in 2004 and I moved on to become Chief Executive and Chairman of BBA Aviation and took direc- torships of several other companies, it was a great pleasure that I was able to retain my involvement with the fire protection and fire fighting world through the Worshipful Company.
I am hopeful that my industry experience will help the Company in this new stage of its development and hopefully I can get to know you all and you will always find me willing to chat about my love of cricket, rugby and Liverpool football club.
A Word of Thanks
And finally, spotted in the fire report columns.......
United Kingdom - Arsonist killed 150 pigeons when they set fire to a timber Cree in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland.
The building went up in flames in the early hours of the morning, causing explosions of gas canisters used for heating. It took three fire crews from Fulwell and Sunderland to bring the blaze under control and stop it spreading to other lofts.
Members of the Pigeon Federation say their lofts are con- stantly being targeted by vandals, but many believe this is the worst attack to date. Chairman Jimmy Powell, 53, of Cornhill Homing Society, said: "It's a lifetime of work that has been destroyed. Keeping homing pigeons is a passion, it gets in your blood. "What have those pigeons done to anyone? Pi- geons saved lives in the war. It's terrible as well when you think they were sitting on eggs."
Secretary Andrew Shepherd, 72, said: "I would sit and cry if it was mine. It's our whole lives, it's a 24-hour thing."
A spokesman for Fulwell Fire Station said: "It has been con- firmed that it was malicious ignition. Whoever started it would have known it was occupied by pigeons."
St Mary-le-Bow Young Homeless Charity, St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, EC2 6AU
Dear Master
Thank you for allowing the collection from your Carol Service to be given to this small charity. We received £399.55, and as for many years now, we are very grateful to the Firefighters‘ Company for allowing this to be given.
This money will be used well – being so small a Charity, it is easy to make sure the work done is for the young people rather than for administration and so on.
Yours sincerely Michael Kenny Director