THE OPENING OF THE REEDHAM MUSEUM

BY THE MAYOR OF CROYDON MARY WALKER OBE

Saturday 3rd February 2001

CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING OF THE REEDHAM FOUNDATION MUSEUM BY THE MAYOR OF CROYDON

COUNCILLOR MARY WALKER OBE, ON THE 3RD FEBRUARY 2001

“Madam Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,It is indeed an honour, and pleasure, for me to welcome you all here today on what, for us, is a very special day in the long history of our Foundation.My first duty Madam Mayor is to offer you our sincere congratulations on the award bestowed upon you in the New Years honours. Your service to Croydon, over more years that I expect you would care to remember, is now recognised in a truly appropriate manner. Over the past two years my old school colleague, Mike Paterson, a fellow member of the Board of Management, Secretary to the Reedham Old Scholars’ Association and now Curator of our newly formed Museum, has worked tirelessly, along with his wife Mary, to ensure that our Museum project was sufficiently progressed to permit today’s ceremony. Quite how he has found time, wearing so many hats, is something that perhaps he will tell us later on.Our Foundation, now in its 157th year, owes much to the foresight of our founder Dr. Andrew Reed, and it is considered highly appropriate that, through the formation of the Museum, we shall, among many aspects of Reedham life over the years, be able to maintain an interesting, informative and valued historic record of those who have given of their time and energy over such a long period to help those youngsters less fortunate than the majority in our society. In addition a truly super pictorial record has been brought together depicting the life and times of very many of those who were privileged to be pupils of Reedham.

There has already been considerable interest in the project and many former pupils have generously contributed to the Museum, as I am sure you will see a little later on. We naturally plan to enhance the range of exhibits with the passage of time and, in our quest for historic data, I would like to place on record my gratitude to the Archivist of Windsor Castle who has helped us greatly in the provision of data relating to the Royal Patronage that our Foundation has been privileged to enjoy, and which dates way back in time to the reign of Queen Victoria. That our Trust, as it is now known, should continue to receive an ever-increasing tide of applications for help in this day and age says much about the Society and environment in which we all now live. Charities, such as ours, are all finding it increasingly difficulty to help all those who seek our support but Reedham, with such a truly valued band of workers and supporters will, I am confident, continue to strive to achieve, and hopefully increase, the level of support that it has given to the community for over one and a half centuries.

Tony Miller, The Mayor of Croydon (Mary Walker), Mike & Mary Paterson

Madam Mayor, we are sincerely grateful to you for finding the time in your busy schedule to join us here to day and to perform the official opening of our Museum.

May I now invite you to say a few words culminating with you kindly undertaking the unveiling ceremony, following which our Curator will be delighted to show you a few of the exhibits in the Museum.

All present will, I hope, be free to join us for light refreshments on the conclusion of the formal business. Madam Mayor”.

See a full report in Newsletter 2001 and Rosabeam

Curator – Mike Paterson
Assistant Curator – Ron Thomas

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