In 1932 the society had a membership of seven, six men and one lady. It is obvious from the minutes of those times that the greatest difficulty lay, not in producing enough magic, but in formulating an appropriate set of rules for governing the society, and who should be welcomed into the Outer Circle.

The programme of each meeting was the familiar business followed by a discussion or demonstration of some aspect of magic.

As many of the minutes indicate, much time was devoted to discussing the presentation of entertainment for the benefit of the unemployed. It would appear that little has changed in fifty years. It is interesting to note that the Inner Circle was limited to seven members, and on the failure of one member to attend several meetings, owing to business commitments, he was invited to resign his membership. After some discussion Miss Kent was then chosen to be the person invited to complete the circle.

There seems to have been a break in the continuity of the Society at some time, as another report names the date of April 3rd.1933 as that of the first Annual Dinner. Six members, together with their ladies, made up the party, again at the Crown and Anchor Hotel. Each member was required to perform an effect, as part of the entertainment, and also to tell a humorous story. A good time was had by all.

In 1933 Magini instituted two financial rules:

1.	Any member failing to bring the desired effect, as set out in the agenda, should be fined 6d (2.5p).
2.	Any member missing a meeting, without good cause, should be fined 3d.

In 1934 Associate members were barred from wearing the badge and from using the library. In July 1934 the Associate member section was disbanded. This was, however, later reinstated for member's spouses only.

The society continued to meet fortnightly, but after 1934 no records are available until 1949, when another founder member, Stanley Bowman, was chairman. The Society had also been renamed The Gippeswyk Magical Brotherhood. Between 1949 and 1954 the name was again changed to The Ipswich Magic Circle, and later, in deference to the wishes of The Magic Circle, amended to its present one, The Ipswich Magical Society.

It is obvious, from programmes of that period, preserved in the Society's archives, that the members thoroughly enjoyed presenting charity shows in the local hospitals and in aid of such causes as the Mayor's Flood Fund and The Spastics Society.

Since then, the Society has maintained a steady membership of around 40 to 50 members, all of whom are involved in some aspect of magic or the allied arts. The Society has had several meeting places in its history. At its foundation in 1928 the members met in Porter's Leather Factory, situated in Lower Brook Street and remained there until the outbreak of war in 1939. Like many other societies at that time, membership was very much depleted by members going to serve in the armed forces, and the society ceased to meet. After the war, it reformed, meeting in a room above the Oddfellows Hall in Silent Street. Later it moved to the Royal George Hotel. Unfortunately, the management decided to change the room into a restaurant and the Society moved to the Station Hotel, followed by the Cock and Pie, in Lower Brook Street, the Haven Hotel in Foxhall Road, the Unicorn in Tacket Street and the Red Cross Centre in Gyppeswyk Avenue. All these changes caused the committee a great many headaches!

The Society now meets on the first and third Mondays of each month at the Cooperative Member Education Department, Fore Street, Ipswich, where we enjoy a very good relationship with the management and staff.

There is an Annual Competition, held in the spring, at which members are invited to compete for a cup donated by the late Harry Hickson. In 1988, further cups, for manipulation and for the Runner Up, were donated by Sid and Vera Ducaine. Because of the difficulty in judging and presenting different types of Magic in one competition, it was decided to hold a separate event for Close-up Magic in the autumn. October 1997 saw the first of our annual contest for this, The Magini Shield, our new Close-up Trophy. Then, in 2003, a trophy for Childrens' entertainers was presented to the Society by David and Doreen Knott. This is in the form of a lidded cup and is competed for annually in front of an audience of children and their parents at an outside venue.

The Annual Dinner and Cabaret was, for many years, held on the nearest Monday to Halloween. This, however, had to be abandoned, owing to lack of support, and repeated efforts to reinstate it have met with no success. A Summer Picnic was tried but this again met with a poor response.

In 1988, the committee, urged on by Paul Firman, and at their own risk, organized a Day of Magic at Martlesham Heath Squash Club. This proved to be a great success, exceeding all expectations, and produced a profit of £261.72 which the committee donated to the Society. Since then the Day of Magic has become an annual event, boosting the funds by no small amount. This has now attained the status of a One-day Convention, 'The Friendly One', so called because of the frequent comments of conventioneers and artists alike praising the informal and friendly atmosphere. In 1995 we moved from the Squash Club to the more suitable Martlesham Community Centre which provided us with a proper stage. Then, in 1997, we again upped and moved into Ipswich to the Foundation Street Studios, an old Brewery which has been converted to a Theatre and Dance Studios. This has given us a theatre, albeit rather smaller, with fixed, tiered seating and separate rooms for the dealers and catering facilities. The Studios are still in the process of alteration and improvement, but does provide the intimate atmosphere which is associated with our convention. Finally, in 1999, we transferred to the Needham Market Community Centre. This has provided us with a large stage with lighting and sound facilities, a separate hall for the dealers and bar and refreshment facilities, all under the one roof. It has proved very successful.

Not content with this, since February 1991, owing to the sterling efforts of Mike Austin, the Cheese and Wine evening, which had been instituted by Ron Bishop, was replaced by an At Home, directed at the general public. Also held at Martlesham Squash Club, the evening comprised close-up at the tables for about an hour, a buffet and finally a cabaret show. The event provides a great opportunity for members to show off their skills and again produces a healthy profit for the Treasurer's coffers. The evening proved so popular, that two At Homes were held, one in February and one in October. The 'team' was also asked to perform at other organization's social evenings (for a fee, of course!) and these events have now replaced the regular shows.

Again, in 1994, a 'Children's Funtime' Magic Show was organized in conjunction with Churches, the proceeds being split between the Church and the Society. This, again, has become an on-going event in our calendar.

The Society is the proud possessor of a Library, initiated by Stanley Bowman, who donated his large collection of books to the Society. It has now increased over the years and been frequently updated, necessitating several changes in storage facilities. In 1993 the Video Library was also begun and is gradually being expanded. We are grateful to the Ipswich and Norwich Cooperative Society for giving us the facility to keep our Library, in its Bookcase, which has undergone several changes over the years, on their premises, thus enabling it to be available to members at every meeting.

Over the years, Society Magazines have been instituted and have eventually faded away. In October 1951 "Silver Tips, the official organ of the Ipswich Magical Society" was published under the joint editorship of "SAMEK" and Stan Bowman. In 1959 the name was changed to "The Magic Fan and Silver Tips", again edited by Stan Bowman. The last copy in our records is that for spring 1961. The month of May in 1976 saw the launch of "The Ipswich Magical Society Newsletter" by Colin Hopper, then Chairman of the Committee. We also have copies of "The Ipswich Magical Society Magazine", which flourished during 1981 and 1982, at first edited by David Wood and later by David Underdown and Francis Moreau. This was printed (photocopied) by Harry Baron of Kaymar Magic.

In April 1991, 'The Cauldron", made its appearance. Edited and produced with a computer Desktop Publishing programme by David Knott, it was published five times per year. Bowing to requests the editor now produces the magazine every other month.

Present membership (as at March 2004) comprises 65 members, associates, honarary and family members.

In 1997 we saw the beginning of what is hoped will become a flourishing junior section of young and aspiring magicians between the ages of 14 and 18. Several members have gone on to become full-time professionals.

Our 'furthest flung' member is Jim Reilly of New Zealand and we also have two members in Cyprus. Past members include Stan Bowman (producer of the first Abra Index), Val Duval, Ron Bishop (past President of the British Ring IBM), Stanley Hammond (MAGINI of IPSWICH), and Paul Ducaine (ex British Ring Toastmaster and a Vice-President of the Ring)

There are a goodly number of young and enthusiastic members and it would seem that the foreseeable future of the Society is well assured.