Royal Asiatic Society: Address to the Anniversary General Meeting 8 June 2006

Last year, when I thanked the Honorary Treasurer for his report, I noted with sadness that this was his last report. I also noted that he had very kindly agreed to continue in his post to see the Society through its move. The move, as you are aware, has taken rather longer than anticipated. Kit Naylor is a man of his word, which is why he gives his second ‘final report’ to the Anniversary General Meeting. May I say that over the past year Kit has put in an enormous amount of work to help ensure the smoothness of the move. He has been positively ‘tigerish’ in attacking all costs. We regret that the cost overrun of the project is in the order of 22 per cent. That it is not more owes much to the acumen and alertness of Kit Naylor. Indeed, I have a vision of his ancestor, Henry Thomas Colebrooke, first Director of the Society, appearing to Kit each night in a dream to ask him if he had done enough to hold down costs. Kit, I can assure you, could answer such a spectre without fear. So Kit, thank you. We are all in your debt.