Club Chairman - Sir Ian Johnston, CBE, QPM, DL Took to the microhpone as the ball and here are some highlights of his speech:

We are celebrating 30 years of existence, I do want to remind us briefly of the journey over the last 3 decades - and to say a big thank you to all who have contributed to our success as a club over that time.

At our birth back in 1979, we began our life on park pitches which were about as flat as the sides of Ben Nevis, and whose playing surfaces at best resembled a ploughed field.

Now we have excellent playing surfaces - the envy of all around - in a ground of our own, with changing rooms, floodlight training area, and we run 17 top quality highly professional teams.

Organisations grow or die. We need to keep moving forward . But to do this we need energy and money. There are some really encouraging levels of energy - as evidenced at last night's meeting where Rinaldo (let me embarrass him) took forward work to install a drinks machine (electrics/contract/money), as well as persevering in his efforts to make the IT illiterate amongst use the web site he created. We also made some progress on the kitchen - although it was disappointing we could not do this entirely through volunteers. We will, I guess, always need more help.

And now a few Thank You's -

To Alan - our secretary - a founder member of the club and our longest serving survivor - many thanks for you enormous efforts and your patience with us all for our maladministration.

To Brian Archer. Founder member & Treasurer

To Bob Hitchcock - who has been with us almost from the start - famous for many things (including holding the record for having lost more games than anyone else in the club's history). In his other role as our voluntary groundsman I thank him for his fantastic work in maintaining our excellent pitches.

To Carol who began her association on touch line duties at the start of the 80s, but who was eventually tricked into being our pitches and fixtures secretary.

To all the committee, all the managers and their assistants, and their other halves (football widows), and to all the mums and dads who support us.

We would not be here without you all.

Finally, a big thank you to all who have helped tonight to be the success it is - Paul Barnard and Tracy Airey.

You are a fantastic example of commitment in the club.

Thanks again to everyone for your support tonight. I am extremely proud to be chairman of this great club.

Have a great night and can I ask you to stand and give a toast to Orpington Rovers.