On 1^st November 2011 a gathering of 70 people, all of whom had in some way been involved with the life and legacy of Demetrius Comino OBE, met at The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the formation of the Comino Foundation. The Chairman of the Foundation, John Slater, welcomed everyone present and the Chief Executive of the RSA, Matthew Taylor, said how delighted he was that the event was being held at the RSA and he recalled the importance of the 30 year relationship between Dimitri, the Comino Foundation and the RSA. Over the evening eight speakers outlined how their involvement with Dimitri, Dexion or the Foundation had helped shape their lives. Their memories covered his passionate belief in solving problems, empowering working lives in industrial settings, creating opportunities for young people and the development of his principles in the organisations that have become his legacy.

Initially

• Christopher Lucas, who was Secretary of the RSA in the 1980s, reminded everyone how Kenneth Adams, as the RSA Comino Fellow, had successfully laid the  foundations for Industry Year and its successor Industry Matters which enabled the RSA to manage a successful 6 year campaign to change attitudes to industry. He recalled that Dimitri had said ‘If we free economics from all the confusing detail I do not think it is all that complicated. The basic thing is that production must be at least equal to or greater than consumption. This is a simple formula, but it is absolutely basic. If that equation is reversed, then we are in trouble’. Christopher pointed out that many of Dimitri’s principles behind Industry Year remain very relevant today and that Dimitri’s outstanding belief in, and commitment to, industry had prompted the RSA to re-emphasise its encouragement of manufactures and commerce in its title which was a symbolic and important change.

As further contributions:

• David Watford who had joined Dexion as a Research and Development Engineer in 1964, recalled the culture of working in Dexion where extensive training, performance improvement and problem solving were high on the agenda and that Dimitri had created management practice in Dexion that was way ahead of its time. Dexion had the largest industrial sales force in the UK with Dexion sales training being highly regarded. Dimitri knew that people who were involved and motivated was what made an industrial company, like Dexion, more successful than the rest;

• David Allen who also joined Dexion as a welder in 1964 reminded everyone that Dexion was a highly valued employer with 50 applicants for every available position. Working practice at Dexion was exceptional with constant research and new products, frequent manager contact and, although it was a big business, a family business atmosphere. Many workers only dreamed of the terms and conditions of employment that existed and Dexion had the best rates of pay in the area. His Dexion training in improvement management stimulated him to design a sales sample kit for Apton office partitioning system which won a national prize in 1991. Dexion had been a great place to work;

• Professor Sir Michael Gregory, Head of the Manufacture and Management Division of the Engineering Department of Cambridge University recalled the establishment of the Foundation for Manufacturing Industry by the Foundation in 1993 and how he had been able to amalgamate this organisation with the Institute for Manufacturing at the Department and continue to expand its work.

And towards the end of the evening:

• David Perry, uniquely both a past grant recipient and now a Trustee of the Foundation, recalled how Dr. Eric Bates, the Head of the Industry/Education Unit in the Department for Trade and Industry in 1986, had identified that the work he was doing in developing Design and Technology in teacher training was innovative and could be enhanced by a project jointly funded by the DTI Unit and the Foundation, which, to its credit, has often supported innovative, and sometimes risky, projects based on mature judgements about people and their potential.

• Dr. Lynne Bianchi, Director of the Comino Centre at Sheffield Hallam University spoke about their 22 year relationship with the Foundation and how she and Bill Harrison, the first Director, are extremely grateful for the Foundation’s support which provided the impetus for many innovative projects associated with science education and personal capability development in schools. She pointed out how valuable the Comino Foundation has been in enabled networking and collaborating with other grantees which has extended their work in a wide range of ways. She emphasised how proud she is to be part of the Comino family.

• Sir Mike Tomlinson, who recently retired as a Trustee, said that he had been attracted to contribute to the Foundation because it had demonstrated that it was prepared to back people with ideas, take risks with projects, welcome success and view failure as a learning experience - a philosophy that was often lacking in charitable foundations.  He wished the Foundation success for the future and hoped that they would continue to take risks and support innovative initiatives.

Finally, on an impromptu basis, Dr. Eric Bates, former Trustee and Education Fellow for the Foundation 1986 to 2004, said that his time with the Foundation had been the best years of his life and wished the Foundation every success for the next 40 years.

At the end of the evening everyone present was given a copy of the booklet which had been published to celebrate the 40^th Anniversary – Demetrius Comino OBE, a life and legacy of achievement