Tuesday November 1, 2016, is a significant day for local Ricardians for the conference that  New South Wales Branch organises between biennial Australasian conventions. Longtime members Helen, Denise and Kevin made initial plans that gained ground with other Branches at the convention in New Zealand last year, and they have been the efficient organisers for the event at the Albury Manor House in the city sitting comfortably on the borders of New South Wales and Victoria.

Delegates are travelling from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and New Zealand on Tuesday to enjoy a Melbourne Cup high tea and an evening of reunion and Ricardian discussion before the next day’s programme of presentations of a great array of subjects of medieval interest with Richard III naturally taking centre stage. There is a challenging quiz, a rewarding raffle and a special sales table to empty pockets – and maybe find gifts for unexpected guests at Christmas time! The day ends with the traditional banquet when delegates are invited to come dressed as a medieval personality if they wish.

Here’s to another welcome reunion of old and new friends and fellow Ricardians.

9 April 2016 Richard III Society – NSW Branch General Meeting
The branch met on Saturday, 9 April 2016, at the Sydney Mechanics Institute on Pitt Street, with a good turnout of regular members. Following some brief welcoming remarks from our Chairperson, our featured speaker, member Judy Howard, presented her talk about the Crusades from the Byzantine perspective.
Following the presentation, Judith requested that members come up with any suggestions for guest speakers for next year’s programs or for members to volunteer to give a presentation themselves. Also, the Executive Committee is in need of assistance as it is running on a skeleton crew. If you can offer some of your time please contact her to discuss. The position of Affinity Editor will also be available at the next AGM in October so please consider contributing some time to helping out the Branch in the coming year.
Scrabble letters were then drawn by those members willing to give a talk in October on a topic starting with the letter they drew. After that the raffle prizes were drawn and we had a lavish afternoon tea provided by Joan. The next meeting will be 11 June 2016, when our guest speaker will be Tony Cunneen on the topic, “How Shakespeare’s Machiavellian View of Richard III has shaped history.”

13 February 2016 Richard III Society – NSW Branch General Meeting
The first branch meeting of the New Year was held on Saturday, 13 February 2016, at the Sydney Mechanics Institute on Pitt Street, with a good turnout of members. Welcoming remarks were offered by our Chairperson, then we stood for a minute of silence in remembrance of the recent passing of our long-time member Robin who was always such a warm and welcoming presence at meetings.
A steering committee of three keen members is beginning to organize a ‘mini-conference’ for 1 – 3 November 2016 to be held in Albury at a medieval themed hotel. They are hoping that members of the Victorian Branch will be able to attend, as well as New South Wales members. If people are interested in getting involved, helping out, or being on the mailing list for further information please contact Kevin directly. Details of the mini-conference will be provided via the branch website and newsletter as they become available.
Our guest speaker was Mr Gerard Windsor, a well-known Sydney author and literary critic. He has published books of poetry, fiction, documentaries, essays and literary criticism. One of his particular interests is Pilgrimage, and he has taken a number of his own pilgrimages to various important medieval sites. Gerard’s topic was “The Middle Ages in Our Australian Consciousness.”
After the presentation, the raffle was drawn and we adjourned for a lovely afternoon tea provided by Joan. It was a good start to the new year.
Leslie McCawley

The 10 October 2015 Annual General Meeting

of the NSW Branch of the Richard III Society

The Annual General Meeting of the NSW Branch of the Richard III Society was held on Saturday, 10 October 2015, at the Sydney Mechanics’ Institute. Chair Judith welcomed all members and visitors. Concern was expressed for members who have been facing illness and injury recently, with the sincere hope for their successful treatment, full recovery, and swift return to our meetings. Kevin was back after a year’s absence, and it was wonderful to see him looking well.

Judith gave a summary of our busy Ricardian year with the excitement of the reinterment ceremonies for Richard III in Leicester, the lineup of excellent speakers we were privileged to hear, the annual service, at St James Anglican Church to commemorate the Battle of Bosworth and remember Richard’s life and reign. Thanks were expressed on behalf of the branch members, for the hard work by the committee members throughout the year; the committee members then officially stepped down. Special thanks and a round of applause went to Dorothea for her 8 years’ service as a very active and dedicated webmaster and publications officer who attracted many international readers to our website.

Carole then facilitated the annual elections for the 2015-2016 committee positions. A number of officers returned unopposed to their roles, including Judith as Chair, Rachel as Secretary, Lynne as Sales Officer, Leslie as Affinity Newsletter Editor, and Joan as the afternoon tea lady. Newly elected committee members included Tim and Lawrence as webmasters, and Christine as Treasurer, with Joan expanding her duties to include Deputy Chair.

Our featured speaker was Mr Christopher Puplick AM, a long-time member of the NSW branch and a keen medievalist. His topic was “The Garter Knights of Richard III”, these being the various men that Richard selected for the honour of being made knights of the garter, that ancient order of chivalry. Hopefully a transcript of this interesting presentation will be posted on the website soon.

After the raffle was drawn, members enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea provided by Joan. The next meeting will be on Saturday, 12 December 2015. Our guest speaker will be Judith Mee, speaking on the topic of “Spoken and written English in Richard III’s time”. There will also be a Bring & Buy table, with proceeds going to the branch. It will be a good opportunity to recycle books and other items of interest. Please be prepared to take home anything that does not sell, however, as there is no provision for storage on site.

Annual General Meeting of the NSW Branch

Saturday 10 October 2015  –  2:00 PM

The NSW Branch Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, 10 October 2015, at the Sydney Mechanics Institute. Please plan to attend this meeting, to help elect the new committee for 2015. If you have any items for the agenda or wish to stand for the committee, please contact branch secretary Rachel.

Chris Puplick speaking at the 2013 Australasian Convention of the Richard III Society

Our featured speaker will be Mr Christopher Puplick AM, a long-time member of the NSW branch. Chris served as the Liberal Senator for New South Wales in the Commonwealth Parliament from 1978-1981 and 19841990, and was Shadow Minister for the Environment, Arts and Heritage from 1987 to 1990. He also served as the President of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board and was the State’s first Privacy Commissioner.  In 2001, he was appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia, for contributions to Australian politics and public policy, particularly in relation to human rights and social justice. He is the author of five books and over ninety other publications and broadcasts. His topic will be “The Garter Knights of Richard III”.

Please note:

Membership renewals are due.  If renewing by post please ensure that they are received no later than Friday 9 October, 2015, or made in person at the AGM on Saturday, 10 October, 2015.

Even if you are not renewing your membership for 2016, it is requested that you inform the Secretary or Treasurer in writing, as a courtesy.

The August branch meeting of the NSW Richard III Society was held on Saturday, 8 August 2015, at the Sydney Mechanics’ Institute. Chair Judith welcomed all members and visitors and introduced Christine who has volunteered to as Treasurer at the AGM in October with the election of new officers. Words of concern were expressed for our several members who have been facing serious illness over the past year and the sincere hope for their successful treatment, full recovery, and swift return to our meetings.

Those present were asked to stand for a minute’s silence to honour our recently deceased long-time active member, Johanna. The Celebration of Life pamphlet from her service at St Thomas Aquinas Church in Bowral was distributed to those who knew her.

Renewal forms for Friends and Members of the NSW Branch of the Richard III Society will be distributed by email soon, along with nomination forms for the upcoming election of new officers at the AGM to be held in October. Judith asks that you please complete and return your membership renewals in a timely manner, that is, before the next meeting. The fees will remain the same as last year, which is good news.

The annual service commemorating the Battle of Bosworth and remembering Richard’s life and reign will be held this year at the very welcoming congregation of St James Anglican Church, 173 King Street, Sydney at 11:00 am on 23 August 2015. Refreshments will follow the service, and members may go to lunch together nearby afterwards. The branch will arrange an appropriate contribution to the Church in gratitude for their hospitality.

There will be a Bring & Buy table at the 12 December meeting, so you have time to start thinking about what you would like to contribute. Prices will be very reasonable, and proceeds will go to the branch coffers. It will be a good opportunity to share books you will not be rereading, or give novelty Ricardian items a new owner. Please be prepared to take home anything that does not sell, however, as there is no provision for storage on site.

Our guest speaker was University of Sydney English Professor Margaret Rogerson who gave an illustrated presentation on her area of particular expertise, being the Medieval Mystery Play Cycles of York and the ways in which Richard III may have been a supporter during his residence. Professor Rogerson is the author of Playing a Part in History: the York Mysteries and many other academic papers on the topic, and kept us deeply engaged.

Member Jean shared with us her recent experience visiting Leicester. She related how welcoming the people were everywhere she went, how pleased they were to have tourists as a result of all the attention on Richard III these past two years. Jean visited Leicester Cathedral, the Visitors’ Centre (including the famous council parking lot where Richard’s body was discovered), and took the 2-hour guided tour walking around to points in the city with any connection to Richard’s life.

After the raffle was drawn, members enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea provided by Joan, including lots of delicious homemade treats that everyone appreciated.

The next meeting will be the AGM on Saturday, 10 October 2015 when the executive committee will be stepping down and their replacements elected.

Our Next Meeting – Medieval plays of York

On 8 August 2015, our guest speaker will be Associate Professor Margaret Rogerson, who is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She has written many academic papers and articles about early English drama, with particular focus on the York and Coventry plays. Her topic will be the Medieval plays of York.  Margaret is the editor of  The York Mystery Plays: Performance in the City.

Memories of Reinterment Week in Leicester

The June branch meeting of the NSW Richard III Society was held on Saturday, 13 June 2015, at the Sydney Mechanics’ Institute. Chair Judith welcomed all members and visitors; several new members were introduced. The meeting was cut short to make time for the presentations, but one important piece of business was a letter read aloud thanking the branch for our donation to the Leicester Cathedral Richard III fund. Read the rest of this entry »

There has been a change in the scheduled speakers for the June General Meeting, with Chris Puplick now to be featured in October.

The speakers for June will be three of our branch members, Dorothea, Judy and David, who were fortunate enough to be able to attend the many ceremonies and commemorations in Leicester with the reinterment of Richard III in March this year. Each has a lot to share and will be able to show images and tell about their moving experiences.

It will be wonderful to hear their stories.