Nestled in the heart of the City, Mansion House, the home and office of the Lord Mayor, is unquestionably one of London’s most spectacular settings. No other would be fitting for the highlight of our calendar – the Installation Court & Dinner, during which we were privileged to welcome our new Master, HRH The Earl of Wessex & Forfar.
Our Clerk and Beadle led the magnificent installation ceremony welcoming Colonel Simon Bennett as Honorary Liveryman, having been installed as the Master Carmen earlier the same day. Our Clerk proceeded to present our new Freemen and Liveryman to the Court of the Company (pictured above) as follows:-
New Freeman - Jon Dyar Boles, Robert John Bullyment, Professor Titus Kehinde Olaniyi, George Thomas Paton, Mark Peter Pearce, Geoffrey Howard Peters.
New Liverymen - Kevin Heighway-Corcoran, Colonel Paul Thomas Smith.
Our late Father of the Company and member of the Coal Meters’ Committee, Michael Bryer-Ash, approached the Court Table to present a magnificent new Master’s Jewel. The Court rose to hear the Master Elect make his declaration, adorning the Master’s Chain. The ceremony continued with equal splendor with the investiture of the Deputy Master, Averil Macdonald, Senior Warden, Carrie Marsh and Junior Warden, Michael Shirley.
The Company recognised the invaluable support given by our Officers’ Consorts and our now Past Master Shravan graciously presented an elegant silver goblet to add to our collection, acquired from his travels in India earlier in the year.
With a receiving line spiralling down the elegant stairwell, the evening continued with celebratory drinks before entering the elaborate Egyptian Hall to be seated. Reverend Canon Huw Mosford delivered Grace before the room enjoyed what can only be described as an ambrosial set of courses. Port in hand, toasts soon followed ahead of our principle guest, Alderman Sir Roger Gifford, who reflected on the significance of the plethora of activities undertaken by the Company and added, “Thought leadership is only one way that the Fuellers address social and environmental issues. Your trust fund has supported some of the most impressive STEM focused charities in the country”.
Our new Master, HRH The Earl of Wessex & Forfar, addressed the room with much jollity, encouragement and gratitude, welcoming the support of all the Fuellers and Past Masters, thanking in particular, “a most fantastic Master” Past Master Shravan and his Consort Mira. He continued with enthusiasm, welcoming our Deputy Master, new officers, Freeman and Liveryman. He acknowledged our continued role as Fuellers in shaping future energy, and congratulated one and all on our present links in the industry and unbiased interests in the future of the sector. He continued that, ‘We need young people, we need their imagination and passion to find and deliver the solutions, so we must inspire them to acquire the right skills and spirit’.
HRH The Earl of Wessex concluded that, “It is an extraordinary honour to be your Master and a considerable responsibility. I pray that that I can match the trust and confidence that you have assigned to me and my fellow officers. I look forward to an energetic, highly charged and fun year. God bless you and the Worshipful Company of Fuellers”.
The evening concluded with drinks, discussion and laughter and one and all left with a sense of the exciting year to come.
For the full coverage and gallery, please see the forthcoming Fueller.
Please follow this link to Mark Dalton the photographers website to view his shots of our Installation Court ceremony, reception and dinner on 16 October 2019. You can download them at no cost, or Mark can make prints if you would like to purchase them.
By Liveryman, Kevin Heighway-Corcoran
