I begin by expressing my sincere thanks to the Association for the great honour bestowed on me in my election to the office of President. I realised when elected that the honour was indeed great; but it has also happened that, in the course of the year, I have had occasion to look through the list of those who have held the office before me, and to find one’s name in that company is both humbling and—let me be honest—exhilarating. In particular, and this will be relevant for what I have to say later, the records speak not only of men and women famous throughout the scientific world, but also of those whose special genius has led them to the top of the teaching profession, where their memory remains alive to generations of pupils of of whom, doubtless, many are here today. It is a source of real strength to this Association that it honours not only those who create but also those who pass on the fruits of creative labour, sometimes even to those who will themselves become the creators in their turn.