Livery Dinner 2021

03 November 2021

On the 3rd November, 180 Clockmakers and their guests came together at the magnificent Goldsmiths' Hall for the 2021 Livery Dinner, to dine by the light of hundreds of real candles in the chandeliers, which tinkled softly in response to the booming tones of our Beadle Ellis Pike, who was in fine voice and spirits as always.

Guests were greeted by cadets from our affiliated unit the Greenwich, Deptford and Rotherhithe Sea Cadets, their number sadly depleted by the vagaries of London transport, but adding a sense of occasion all the same. Among their number was Ordinary Cadet Vedish Guring, who received the Cadet of the Year Award from the Master before dinner. 

His outgoing commanding officer Lieutenant (SCC) S. Hanlon BA (Hons) AInstLM RNR nominated OC Gurung for the honour with the following words: Over the past 18 months OC Gurung has flourished within Greenwich, Deptford & Rotherhithe (GDR) Sea Cadets. His enthusiasm, dedication, loyalty and commitment to the unit has been second to none. As with so many other cadet units during the global pandemic, Ordinary Cadet Gurung fully embraced the new temporary platform of online virtual learning and his commitment throughout the numerous lockdowns and ‘zooms’ was commendable. As soon as face-to-face parades returned, so did OC Gurung. His drive to learn new things is infectious amongst his peers and this has been reflected in the amount of qualifications and experience he has picked up; developing his skills to become a role model for his younger Cadets within the unit.

The pandemic has been a difficult time for the Sea Cadets, with inevitable problems with recruitment and retention of young people, the flooding of their premises and more, but things are finally starting to improve as normal activities are able to resume. After several years with Scott Hanlon at the helm, the unit now passes to Matt Burrow, from whom great things are expected. 

Continuing with the Master's chosen patronage of the Chethams School of Music, the company was entertained by an ensemble of five young musicians, performing a diverse cross-section of music, from excerpts of Mozart's Magic Flute, to Bernstein's West Side Story. 

Various presentations were made during the evening, details of which can be found in the Master's Speech

Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli and the Master. Image credit: Richard Sharp Photography
The Master and Wardens and Clerk wait to greet guests. Image credit: Richard Sharp Photography