Page 3 - July 2017

Bruce Hoad Master Firefighter
The first thing that strikes me about my year in office is just how many events I have attended, a good number with Janice and many more with Steve Tamcken, our ubiquitous Clerk. Although I had been pre-warned about the sheer weight of commitments in addition to routine Company business, I was surprised by the marked peaks and troughs in activity. There have been occasional weeks with no commitments; an average week might see me in London three times, whilst I think my record was ten different events in one week. I felt extremely privileged to have taken over as Master in the year that marked the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London and the 150th birthday of my beloved London Fire Brigade.
Even before Common Hall, we had been involved in our first commemorative event, our collaborative venture with the Bakers’ Company, which saw the staging of five Pepys-themed Great Fire dinner plays.
Our own 2016 Fire Lecture, in which we partnered with the Association of British Insurers, incorporated a dramatic and highly entertaining portrayal of 17th Century life, then went on to examine the growth of fire insurance in the wake of the Great Fire, culminating in a
“An average week might see me in London three times, whilst I think my record was ten different events in one week”
Master of the Company Bruce Hoad
celebration of the strength and resilience of the City today. The Company fielded a strong team for the opening of the Museum of London’s Great Fire exhibition, and September 1st saw the launch of our own unique commemorative book, based around a cold-case review of the Great Fire, a publication of which the Company should be immensely proud.
A team of highly motivated individuals worked tirelessly to ensure that the Company had a range of quality and relevant items of memorabilia to both sell and present to guests
OUR MASTER’S REFLECTION
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