The final account

The joke’s wearing thin

The QS-bashing we've been monitoring in our last couple of dispatches shows no sign of abating. Last week's salvo was witnessed at the Reading Real Estate Association's annual dinner, to which we were kindly invited by project management outfit Rowney Sharman. Following our meal we were treated to a talk by Bob “The Cat” Bevan, a one-time footballer for West Wickham and acknowledged by no higher authority than Jim Davidson as “the most sought after after dinner speaker in the country”. Among his considerable armoury of anecdotes of was a story about a person moving house and proclaiming that he'd moved to a “really rough area”. The reason? His neighbour turned out to be a QS. Boom boom. Surely it's time architects or contractors copped their fair share of such cutting wit? Join our defend QSs from bad jokes campaign by hurling abuse or rotten fruit at the next jokes-maker that singles out our noble profession.

From Brockenhurst to Lymington

So farewell then Roger Knowles, who is stepping down as chairman at the firm he set up back in 1973. Knowles will stay on as president but it leaves open a crucial question – will he be keeping his rather entertaining diary on the Knowles website? The diary offers a rather interesting insight into the working life of the man. Take his latest entry for 6 October, where he recounts a recent trip to some of the firm's regional outposts such as Southampton, Winchester and Lymington, and discovers a deep affinity with rail travel. “I found travelling along the single track from Brockenhurst to Lymington an exquisite pleasure, guided every step of the way by my colleague from our Winchester office, Richard Hawkins, an old railway buff.” Next stop for Roger is something of a world tour, taking in the Far and Middle East and Australia. We await his next missive with some excitement.

PM firm raises cash for CRASH

Congratulations to a seven-strong team from project management firm Tuffin Ferraby Taylor who took part in a 140-mile cycle from Cardiff to Guildford at the start of the month. The team raised £2,000 for construction charity CRASH, which will go towards funding a homeless centre in Deptford, East London.

Living la Vida Loca in La Rochelle

We gather Gardiner & Theobald partner Kevin Arnold (pictured) was in high spirits this week, enjoying a day away from the grind of work at Bedford Square to celebrate his 40th birthday on Monday. We hear the former F+A boss whizzed down to French resort La Rochelle with a gathering of industry social butterflies to mark his coming of age. It's all right for some.