I am delighted to be taking over from Anne Curry as President of the Historical Association for the next three years. Anne has been a terrific president and I know her record of visiting local branches will be hard to match, but I do look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during the next three years at branch meetings, conferences and other events.

Like many of you, I have been a supporter of the HA for quite a while and I remember first attending a lecture at the Bromley and Beckenham branch, when I was still at school. Our teacher, Gwenda Pearson, took a group of A-level history students to a couple of events organised by the HA, including a conference, and it made quite an impression on us. It is so true that you never forget the teachers who influence you at school, and Gwenda and her colleague Jessica Saraga certainly had a tremendous effect on my later interests. They both taught sixteenth and seventeenth century history at A-level, so it is no surprise that I have ended up as an early modernist. As a lecturer I am still drawing on the information and understanding that these two inspirational teachers gave me when I was at school. I am sure that many of you will also remember history lessons with the same enthusiasm that I do! Taking on the role of President has also made me think back to when I first joined the HA. I can date this...