2004 RETIRAL OF TRAINING MANAGER

Training and Development Manager Moira Brady retired at the end of June after 24 years service with the Federation. President Mark Barnett made this tribute at the June Executive Meeting:

Above: President Mark Barnett and Past President Jim. Ewing with Moira Brady

Serving the Federation as Company Secretary and Training and Development Manager longer that most us in this room can recall, Moira has been an extremely hard working and valuable member of staff.

"As far as many people in the meat industry were concerned Moira Brady was the Federation. She has become in Learning Circles,- a legend in her own lifetime. She has made her mark representing us as an Industry Training Organisation and in training circles when very few others in the Federation could understand the jargon or the content`s significance.

"Starting as the Personal Assistant to our late great Secretary Ernie Black, Moira assumed more significant roles than just minute taking. She has taken training within the Scottish Meat Industry to an enviable level with great respect both in Scotland and outwith.

"Moira has been inspirational and has had great vision in seeing what can be achieved with government schemes like Youth Opportunities through to Skillseekers and Modern Apprenticeships. She has been able to cut through the reams of red tape where even butchers knives would fail. One of Moira`s talents has been formulating grant applications that has brought in significant sums to the Training Department. Her ability to manoeuvre her way around government rules and regulations has created meaningful training schemes for the Scottish Meat Industry.

"Attending Meat Training Council meetings in London or Milton Keynes are prefaced by leaving home in Glenfarg in the middle of the night to catch the first flight south out of Edinburgh .� We know when representing us south of the border she has gained much respect - witness the acknowledgement made by both the Worshipful Company of Butchers and more recently by the Meat Training Council.

"She has instigated the Meat Skills event that is now such a success and sent teams to compete in the Four Nations Competition. She has run training courses, set up the systems to assess trainees in the workplace and administered all the paperwork that has accompanied the government funding and the position of company secretary.

"Moira has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Federation and is also the Federation`s greatest defendants. Any threat to Scottish Federation training is taken almost as a personal attack. The Federation`s well being has always been close to Moira Brady`s heart and it will be extremely difficult for others to provide such committed dedication ever again.

"I know that Moira is disappointed to be leaving at a time when with a full time Chief Executive, a new Training and Development Manager and someone on the road to promote training services; she would dearly love to stay and see the ESF funding used to take the Federation and Scottish Meat Training to even greater heights.

"We were all sad when she lost her husband John in the year 2000. I hope that in retirement she will be a more frequent visitor to her son Mark and granddaughter Saffron in England and to daughter Linda and grandson, Dylan. As captain of the golf club at Blair Atholl one would expect her handicap to drop with the extra practice too.

"Scottish Meat Training will miss your guidance, leadership and charge. We will miss your friendly fellowship. I have heard that Douglas and Richard have some consultancy work that might keep you in touch with us in the future. I am sure that they will still need to seek some words of wisdom even after you become a full time granny and golfer.

"This Executive will miss your Training reports and prudent advice but we all sincerely hope that you will enjoy your retirement to the full. Thank you for the sterling work that you have done for the Federation since 1980.

Past President Jim Ewing attended the Executive specially to add his tribute to Moira.� The former Education Convenor, Scotvec verifier and Director of the Glasgow College of Food Technology added to Mark`s comments:

He said that he probably had worked with Moira most closely over the years and felt it was an important event for him to be at this Executive Meeting.� He and Moira had worked together over the years to greatly help the development of the training department.�

I was the up front person who spoke to various organisations but Moira was the one who knew her way round the administration systems such as YOPS, YTS, Skillseekers, Modern Apprentices and the ESF system.� The most important thing was her diligence to the task; her hours did not matter.

It is down to Moira that a lot of the good work of the Federation is done.� Moira was a pump primer to access the funds for the Federation, which we all know.� It got to the stage that Meat Training Council would get Moira to check over their ESF application form for funding.� Throughout the industry Moira is regarded as a very diligent, honest caring person and as a family lady.

Many times it was almost at the point of frustration working to keep the standard of education up but it has proved today to be a very good foundation to the Federation.� All credit to that is down to Moira Brady. I am delighted she is retiring She is well enough to walk the dog, play golf and look after the grandchildren. I wish her happiness in what she does.