Reflecting on 2012
Saturday 5 January 2013
Happy New Year!
2012 was not only a great year for John Casson, but also an interesting year for the UK.
John and his personal assistants Alice Edmonds (left) and Claire Green (right) at the Cliveden House hotel fundraising dinner on 1 October 2012.
Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was a wonderful occasion. The events to celebrate this great occasion were truly fitting for our head of state, who is so highly respected in the UK and around the world. John is a passionate royalist!
Then there were the Olympics. John was ‘hooked’, like so many others, after seeing the opening ceremony. As many people commented, whatever sport was being shown, it held one’s interest, even if it was a sport one normally does not watch. The BBC coverage was excellent, and the Olympics were made even more special by the outstanding interviews of its competitors, such natural and inspiring people.
Then there was the Jimmy Savile scandal. As a supporter of many children’s charities, John thought his conduct was absolutely disgraceful.
One subject of particular interest to John was the election of police and crime commissioners. He was asked by many people to stand for election for the Devon and Cornwall Police area, but declined due to his many other commitments.
On the personal front, 2012 was a very busy and fun year.
It included looking after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Musical Ride (mounted display) at the Devon County Show. What great ambassadors these men and women are for Canada, and what fun to be with. They work hard and play hard!
Then John spent a lovely week (understatement) at his Devon home with actors and great friends Juliet Mills and her husband Maxwell Caulfield, and then the Oscar-winning actor Hayley Mills and her partner Firdous. Hayley and Juliet are daughters of the famous Oscar-winning film actor and very close friend of John and Jenny, Sir John Mills.
John also enjoyed lunch with Celia Sandys, granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill. Celia was excellent company.
John’s annual charity event was a dinner at Cliveden House hotel near Taplow. The speaker was General Sir David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff. This excellent and very well-attended evening raised an outstanding £36,000 for Sandy Gall’s Afghanistan Appeal (of which John is a trustee) and the Afghan Appeal Fund.
Travelling, one of John’s fascinations, included an outstanding month of November spent in India, during which he visited St Mary’s School in the Indian Himalayan foothills, which he sponsors through the John Casson Foundation. John went horse riding in Assam, which was a great experience, and had a memorable stay at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Rajasthan thanks to the kindness of the management and staff. During the year John also took four trips to Switzerland, and enjoyed a business visit to the USA.
On the business front, John’s global organisation Securewest International, which specialises in maritime security around the world, had an outstanding year and continues to be a market leader in this specialist area, particularly in combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
May you have a very happy and successful 2013.
