As we logged in to Zoom for our competition evening on the 22nd January we were greeted by a new sheriff in town – our new Chairman, Stan Gibson. 

Lovely as it was to see Stan, we had got quite used to seeing the friendly face of Allan Croombs at the helm with his trademark smile and relaxed persona.

Stan started the evening with warm words about Allan and a thank you from us all for his four years of service in the role of Chairman.

Allan’s chairmanship

Allan’s Chairmanship began in 2017 after many, many years as a member of the Club going back to the 1970s! His time in the hot seat, included many highlights for the Club, including competing in Division 1 in the Southern Counties Photographic Federation Leagues, picking up numerous awards for the Club, and of course our 40th anniversary exhibition. Allan definitely shook a lot of hands in this time! 

Over this time, Allan has been a fantastic advocate for the Club across a variety of events, including numerous stints at the OPC gallery stands at Micheldever’s fete.

Over the past year, Allan’s Chairmanship has supported the Club’s move to digital meetings and competitions. The Club has run consistently throughout this tough time, navigating news ways of doing things on the fly and settling in to a new status quo.

Thank you from us all

One of our Members sums up Allan’s time as Chairman:

“Allan has been Chair of OPC for as long as I have been a member.  It’s difficult to imagine the Club without him at the helm. It is this continuity of leadership which has given the Club the success that it has enjoyed over the past 40+ years of its existence. Hopefully Allan can now spend his spare time taking more selfies of eating ice cream on holiday and bouncing around in The Solent on race days. Thank you, Allan!”

And Stan reflects on his friendship with Allan:

“My wife and I joined OPC some five years ago. I previously knew of Allan through business connections not knowing of his hobby being photography. Roll many years forward and the then Chairman, Damian Morris, invited us to join. Who should I bump into but Allan Croombs – and the rest of the members were excellent. As a Club, OPC was a like breath of fresh air. Allan moved on to become the next Chairman and he went out of his way to make us feel comfortable and at home. When I became ill, and was not able to drive, he or David Isaacs would drive to my home to pick me up for photographic shoots and take me back home again. That’s character and friendship. And that is how it is at OPC. Thank you Allan”

Yes, thank you, Allan from all of us – and we hope to see you back at the Club soon.