i io for pens nckiser (formerly Reckitt & Colman) Pen ners of the Reckitt Be sion Fund No. 52, September 2011 Contact’s look back in recent issues at the social responsibility policies (obligations, even) of our founding Reckitt and Colman family companies has produced a heartwarming footnote to the story of the company-sponsored young emigrants of 1912 featured in our December issue. Pensioners attending the next Eastern Region get-together in Norwich on October 11 will hear how a world-wide search of the history of the Gooch family tracked down Ethel Gooch, left, to Toronto where the Carrow Works Newsletter, left below, had indicated she was planning to move to better herself. Better herself she did, says Sid Barlow of Norwich, who will tell the gettogether how his worldwide search of records to draw up his wife Pauline’s (nee Gooch) family tree revealed that Ethel moved on to America, married, raised a family and died at the age of 106. The meeting will also welcome a later Colman emigrant. The interest raised by the extracts from the book on Reckitt’s Welfare Work in our last issue has highlighted its value as a truly historic document, so we have taken advantage of the low cost reproduction offered by the digital environment to make it the digital supplement to this issue’s iContact on-line issue. That century-old “big society” is not a solution to our current problems but most of our readers will agree it’s part of the foundations of the sort of society we want. 1912 emigrant Ethel bettered herself – and lived to 106 COMMITTEE ELECTIONS The current eight members (with their region and dates for re-election) are: Brian Bradley (S 2012), Trevor Clark (N 2014), Chris Eagleton (N 2014), Freddie George (E 2012), Kevin O’Berg (N 2012), David Saltmarsh (S 2013), Alistair Stewart (E 2014), and Tony Swell (S 2013). As the constitution provides for “at least six and up to nine” members the way is open for the committee to consider the co-option of a further member but nominations or volunteers would be preferred. Although members identify with the area in which they live, a formal regional link is not required. Nominations can be made on a nomination form obtainable from the Association’s secretary or by sending in the name of the nominee with his or her signature and the addresses www.icontactnewsletter.co.uk As noted in the last issue of Contact (No.51, June 2011) elections for the RB Pensioners’ Association Committee are now due, if required. At this stage there is one vacancy and members due to retire next year (Kevin O’Berg, Brian Bradley and Freddie George) are willing to stand again. and signatures of five nominating members. Send to: The Secretary, Reckitt Benckiser Pensioners’ Association, c/o Pensions Department, Reckitt Benckiser plc, Dansom Lane, Hull HU8 7DS to arrive before the end of October. If a poll is needed it will be announced in the next issue of Contact. BOOKMARK: Keep your Update for reference. P10/11 on Tax on Pensions could be particularly useful as this is the question most frequently asked by our Association members. This was the note we put on the front page of our December 2010 issue (No 49). A timely reminder as you will see from the tax article on page four of this issue. Product placement with 100 year advance booking was the headline on the front page of our last issue over the story of the restoration of Captain Scott’s Antarctic hut and its store of well-preserved Colman’s products. Now the archives have turned up a letter from Scott endorsing products supplied ten years earlier - P5 next page