About Us

 

The objective of this Club (“Gent Quarter Century Club” or GQCC) is to bring about better acquaintance and promote good fellowship among those who have the common bond of long service with the Company. 

 

Some statistics of our club:The club has been running for 62 years starting in 1955 with 94 members meeting the criteria of working for the company for at least 25 years.

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• To date 332 people have joined the club.

• There are currently 125 members of which 35 are still employed in the company.

• The 332 members between them have clocked up a total of 10,766 years of service with the company.

• 115 of these have completed more than 40 years service.

• 45 have completed more than 50 years service.

• 2 completed more than 60 years service.

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62 Years Of The Gent Quarter Century Club 1955 - 2017

 

 

Introduction

 

Many companies after the turn of the 20th century formed long service clubs. People did not change jobs or careers as often as they do today and working for a company from leaving school to retiring was common. In addition to the change in working years, companies were increasingly subject to acquisitions and take-overs. 

 

 

Gent has been no exception to these changes but has been able to continue with the continuation of its’ long service membership. “Good Fellowship” and  “Common Bond” with employees and the company has continued to this day.

 

 

This is a brief history of the Gent Quarter Century Club, changes within the company and its’ members over that period.

 

A Short History

 

After the death of Hardy Parsons in August 1940, one of the two joint Managing Directors, the other being H R Waddington, his son Kelvin Parsons already a director was appointed joint Managing Director in 1936 and Managing Director in 1945. It was Kelvin that steered the company through the war years and into peace time.

 

 

It was Kelvin who in December 1953 put forward the idea of recognising long service of employees and starting a 25 years service club. This did not come into being until after his death in August 1955 where upon the company set up a scheme to give loyal long serving employees the sum of £25 for completing 25 years of service.

 

This covered 93 persons, which was a large proportion of the workforce and reflected the paternal style of management and family association of employees.

 

 

A meeting was set up in the canteen of the factory on the 16th of November, where officers and a committee were formed to run what was to be known as The GENT QUARTER CENTURY CLUB. A set of rules were agreed and drafted and distributed to the 70 people at the meeting – 65 men and 5 women, and the remaining members.

 

 

The objectives of the club were stated as “To bring about better acquaintance and promote good fellowship amongst those who have a common bond of long service within Gent and Company Limited.”  This has been demonstrated by the fact that in 2017, the club will have been running continuously for 62 years and still abides by the objectives originally set, despite the many changes over the years.

 

 

At the inauguration meeting in the canteen the officers elected were:

 

 

President – Mr O E Kinsey, he was the company secretary at that time.

 

Vice President – Mr T J Suffolk, he was an engineer who later went on to service, development work and ended as an area sales manager.

 

Secretary – Mr J W Sheldon, he was an office clerk who went on to office management and ended as Maintenance and Service manager.

 

Treasurer – Miss A E Watts, she was an accounts clerk and continued in the accounts office until retirement.

 

 

A committee was set up of:

 

 

Mr R Swift, Mr H P Kemp and W E Bentley. Swift an engineer went on to become Machine Shop Manager, Managing Director and Chairman of the company.

 

 

Kemp an engineer went on to the drawing office and ended as an estimator designing fire alarm systems. Bentley was an assembler in one of the product assembly shops and became a charge hand over the coil and transformer winding section.                                 

 

At the end of the meeting, the President who had chaired the meeting, announce that the company would hold a dinner and invite all the Quarter Century Club members to celebrate the formation of the club and receive a Certificate of membership.

 

 

This was the start of a celebration dinner, which has been held annually ever since. A committee has continued with members being proposed and voted on at an Annual General Meeting and records of membership and events being reported on as changes have taken place. Articles of the club have changed little over the 53 years, being effected only by ownership of the company through acquisitions since the 70’s and the need to recognise retained membership of a member leaving the company through redundancy.

 

 

The fellowship and camaraderie between members built on the bond of long service is still as strong today as it was in the beginning. Unfortunately, it is becoming more difficult to complete long service in these days of people having 3 or 4 careers in their working life. The Gent Quarter Century Club will continue to function as long as there are members prepared to carry out the administration and people are still able to attend functions.

 

 

The celebration of 50 years of the Gent QCC was a marked event in the history of the company. A 50th anniversary dinner was held in 2005 and brought together those members who are able to attend. A presentation of an engraved crystal glass was given to all the QCC members, who have maintained an association with the club even if they were not able to attend various functions through ill health.