Wick Society 'in good heart' thanks to volunteers as chairman stands down
The Wick Society has a new chairman following Ian Leith's decision to step aside from the role after four-and-a-half years.
His successor is Donald Henderson, who has been a volunteer for the past decade.
Mr Leith told the annual general meeting that the Wick Society had become "a much larger and more complex organisation" over the years but that it was "in good heart" thanks to the commitment of its volunteers.
This is the 50th anniversary year of the society, which runs Wick Heritage Museum in Bank Row. Mr Leith said it is recognised as one of the top museums in the country.
In his final chairman's report, he highlighted the work that had been carried out by volunteers despite the challenges of Covid-19.
"The board have kindly agreed to let me step a little sideways," Mr Leith said, before giving a summary of how the organisation had developed and grown over half a century.
"I have enjoyed fantastic support from both the board and the volunteers," he said. "There is no doubt in my mind that the Wick Society is a much more cohesive organisation now where everyone hopefully feels part of not just their own teams but as 'Team Wick Society'."
Mr Leith said the aims set out by the late Iain Sutherland, former chairman, remain much the same. "Nevertheless, the Wick Society has come a long way in these 50 years and credit must go to those who travelled along that route and got us to where we are today," he said.
"Wick Heritage Museum has gone from strength to strength and is generally recognised as one of the country’s top museums. Everything in it has been donated by the community and people with Wick connections.
"It is manned entirely by volunteers. Other museums are always amazed that we can do this without paid staff, but I believe it is one of our great strengths and also one of the great curses.
"Our volunteers commit their time and skills to ensure we retain this high respect of the community and visitors. Yet, there are times – and board members will be fed up of me saying this – that while I am not necessarily advocating a paid person, we do need at the very least an individual or small team to co-ordinate and work with the volunteers."
Mr Leith described the Johnston photographic team as "proud custodians of a collection that is nationally and internationally respected and sought after". He emphasised the skills and dedication of the boat section and said the oral history team, Wick Voices, "has already made a significant contribution to our heritage".
Mr Leith, who will be staying on the board, said they were working "to create a more effective set of shared roles and responsibilities".
He added: "Standing still is not an option. In my opinion, the future of the Wick Society rests with those who run it, and work within it."
He urged all involved to "communicate, communicate, communicate".
Mr Henderson, one of the boat section volunteers, told the AGM last Wednesday that he was grateful for the efforts of all the volunteers over the past year while adapting to Covid restrictions.
"We have well over 100 members and I'm hoping that we can get more of them to be involved so that we can spread the load and hopefully get things done," he said.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Henderson added: “Ian has been doing a lot – maybe too much. It puts an awful lot of responsibility on one person, so the board's idea was to try and break it down into a lot of smaller jobs that could be handled.
“I don't think I'm going to be taking on the same role as Ian. It's more keeping the board informed and trying to keep things moving.”
Last month saw the official opening of the refurbished Cowie's building which has been transformed into a spacious store for historic artefacts and other items that cannot be displayed in the nearby museum.
The museum reopened at the start of June with Covid-19 safety measures in place, including a new one-way system. It is currently open on Fridays and Saturdays.
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