The Modern Companies Dinner – Watermen’s Hall
14th March 2022It fell to the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, and their Master Stephen Emmins, to host the second Modern Companies Dinner of the year. The honour of hosting this event is rotated around the Modern Companies according to the Order of Precedence. The Security Professionals are number 108 and, in a year or so, the rotation will pass back up to the Master Mariners. This means that, by my calculation, it will fall to our current 4th Warden, Tony Scanlan, to host in four years’ time. I was joined by Senior Warden, Paul Taberer, and our speaker was Murray Craig, Clerk (at least until the end of the month) to the Chamberlain’s Court. Murray spoke amusingly about his job, and the diverse cast of characters to whom he has bestowed the Freedom of the City – from Rupert Murdoch (who insisted on “no publicity” but who then brought along the editors of all of his UK newspapers and TV channels), to Desmond Tutu, to Joanna Lumley, whose name was mis-spelt on her Freedom certificate. If Murray ever writes his memoirs, you can be sure it will be a good read!