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I have often heard, although I cannot recall seeing any evidence-based studies on the subject, that time passes more quickly the older you get. If this is true, I must be positively ancient because it seems like a very short time indeed since I was installed as the BDA President at our last conference and now it is time for a short reflection on my year in office before I hand over to my successor.

First, I would like to thank the members of the BDA for giving me the great honour of being President of the association and for the opportunity to represent the BDA at home and abroad. I will always be grateful for what I feel has been one of the highlights of my professional life and a wonderful way to round off my career in dentistry.

I have visited a large number of branches, sections and groups during the year and I have, without exception, received a very warm welcome from everyone I have met and I have been impressed by the evidence that we belong to an extremely hard-working profession that is totally dedicated to patient care and to the well-being of their staff and practices. And despite the undoubtedly difficult times they are going through, dentists certainly still know how to have a good time.

I suppose it has been a long time since a president had a nice quiet year without any difficult issues and during my term of office the two big internal changes have been the introduction of the new membership scheme and setting up the PEC to replace the Representative Body and Executive Board. Both these changes were absolutely essential to the future of the BDA and for me it was very reassuring to observe at first hand the professional way that both these major events were handled and the determination of everyone involved to make them work right from the start.

In fact, the overriding impression I have formed of the BDA is the remarkably high quality and commitment of all the personnel throughout the organisation who are providing a great service in a time of unremitting new challenges. I honestly believe that the BDA is in the best possible hands to face the future.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me in the last year but above all I would like to express my appreciation to my wife, Carole, who has accompanied me on several of my travels and has coped with my frequent panics and last minute dramas such as lost tickets or passports before setting out on yet another trip. The other person I have to single out for thanks is Alison Magee of the BDA and she has provided marvellous support throughout the year, making sure I had a manageable diary and always turned up at the right place at the right time.

Now I am delighted to be handing over the Presidency to Barry McGonigle who I know will be a worthy ambassador for the BDA. He has very wide experience at all levels of the BDA hierarchy and I have long admired and envied his rapid grasp of complex issues and his ability to get to the heart of a problem and ask intelligent, searching questions while still maintaining his charming and eloquent manner. I wish him every success in what I am sure will be a memorable Presidential year.