The news that Ben Monro was shortly to relinquish the office of Registrar of the College came as a shock to many members. The name of Monro had grown to be linked with the RMPA more closely than any other, and this identification was duly transferred to the College. Those who do not know him personally may be forgiven for assuming that he has wielded great power in the affairs of the Association and the College, but colleagues with whom he has worked in the Council or on committees will agree that he never took advantage of his unrivalled knowledge and experience to secure a decision which he personally might have favoured. He acquired the art—or is it a natural talent ?—of summarizing a problem and drawing attention to the pros and cons of any decision which might be made about it and then leaving it to the ‘democratic process’. In a very real sense this made him an invaluable chief administrative officer.