NSW Branch support for Leicester Cathedral with a donation

At our February 2015 General Meeting, the NSW Branch decided to support Leicester Cathedral’s King Richard III Appeal with a donation of $1000.

So in the morning of 24 March, two of our branch members, Treasurer Judy and Webmaster Dorothea, who were in Leicester during  Reinterment Week, met the Revd Peter Hobson at Leicester Cathedral and handed our branch donation to him.  The Revd Peter Hobson thanked all members of the NSW Branch in the name of Leicester Cathedral.

Handing the donation from the NSW Branch to Revd. Peter Hobson

Judy and I were both, along with lots of other Ricardians from all over the world, very impressed with the thoughtfulness and respectfulness which had been shown to Richard by Leicester Cathedral and the City of Leicester. Judy and I had each attended a different service at the Cathedral and both had had been very moving.  I had attended the Memorial Service for members of the Richard III Society and cannot thank the cergy at Leicester Cathedral enough for giving us the opportunity to remember Richard III in such a heart warming ceremony.  I heard several people comment afterwards that this had been for them THE memorial for Richard III, a sentiment with which I agree wholeheartedly.

Thank you Leicester Cathedral for all that you have done!  Our donation might be small considering the costs of Richard’s reinterment, but expresses our support for what Leicester Cathedral has achieved.

Tags: Leicester, NSW Branch, Reinterment

Don’t forget – the next General Meeting on 11 April 2015 (14h00)

Our guest speaker at the next General Meeting on 11 April 2015  will be Maggie Patton on “The known world in Richard’s time: maps and exploration in 15th Century”.

Maggie started her career at Sutherland Public Library in the early 1980s and moved to the State Library of New South Wales in 1990 as a reference librarian where she helped implement the online information service and in 2006 shifted from managing reference services to developing online exhibitions, public programs and digitisation projects. In 2009 she was appointed to Head of the Maps Section where she was able to combine her love of rare books with maps. She feels that both represent a slice of history, such as the political times, scientific era and social world in which they were created.

Maggie comments “An increasingly important but exciting challenge for map collections is the opportunity to promote and encourage use by the general public and researchers. In this area maps do have an advantage as they are both visual and historical. I have an unofficial criterion that all exhibitions developed at the State Library must include at least one map – if not an entire gallery! A surprising challenge for map collections is the general apprehension felt by clients, librarians and colleagues around finding and working with maps. Maps are just another form of information – nothing to be scared about!”

Come along and hear about maps from Richard’s day.

Tags: Maps, NSW Branch

The first branch meeting of the New Year was held on Saturday, 14 February 2015, at the Sydney Mechanics Institute on Pitt Street, with a very good turnout of members and visitors.

Welcoming remarks were offered by our Chairperson, Judith, followed by very brief remarks from the Treasurer, Secretary, and Sales Officer each reporting that all was well in their particular area of responsibility.

The Treasurer was happy to announce our branch will be giving gifts of $100 to St James Anglican Church, and $1000 to the Leicester Cathedral Charitable Trust to assist with the costs of the refurbishment in preparation for Richard III’s reinterment at Leicester Cathedral.

Our guest speaker was Mr Almis Simans who spoke about Alfred Wainwright’s classic “Coast to Coast” walk with specific reference to the areas around York and northern England that would be of particular interest to Ricardians. His interesting talk included video footage and illustrations of the topographical features that Richard and his entourage would have had to traverse when travelling between particular places.

After the presentation, the raffle was drawn and we adjourned for afternoon tea. There was ample time for chatting, and catching up, and it was a good start to another exciting year for Ricardians.

Leslie and Doug McCawley

Tags: Leicester, NSW Branch, Richard III, Yorkshire

A reminder about the 2015 Australasian Convention in New Zealand.

Remember the conventions are for all of us, whether you are a member or a friend.

There will be a wide variety of fascinating talks. Conventions are always a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new friends, and above all to talk about the interest all of us have in common: Richard III.

Remember, to avoid prohibitive bank charges you may wish to credit the $50 deposit or full fee to a nominated Australian bank account.

For those attending the Convention the Angus Inn has agreed to a special discount rate. When booking accommodation at the Angus Inn please do so by email not using the booking agent.

Bank account details and registration forms can be requested from the NSW Branch Secretary Rachel.

Please consider carefully whether you are really prepared to miss out on this great event!

Tags: Conventions, NSW Branch, Richard III Society

Members of New South Wales Branch of the Richard III Society
and their friends are invited to share in remembering Richard’s life
and to commemorate his achievements

at the Anglican Church of St James
at 173 King Street, Sydney
at 11 am
on Sunday, 22nd March, 2015

Refreshments will follow the service

…………………………….

Reinterment of Richard III

Following the discovery of the bones of King Richard III,
Leicester Cathedral has been chosen for his reburial.

After being carried in procession from the Bosworth Battlefield on
Sunday 22nd March 2015 to the Cathedral, his remains will lie in repose until Thursday, 26th March 2015 when he will be reinterred.

Some of our own members are fortunate to be participating in ceremonies in Leicester and we will be able to share with them at St James Church, King Street Sydney on 22nd March.

…………………………….

Tags: NSW Branch, Richard III

Review of 13 December 2014 Richard III Society NSW Branch Meeting

The last meeting of the year of the New South Wales Branch of the Richard III Society was held on Saturday, 13 December 2014. Proceedings opened with remarks made by our Chair Judith with a warm welcome extended to all. We were particularly thrilled to have Kevin and Angela back with us after their recent illnesses. They looked wonderful and we wish them both the best of health!

The floor was then handed over to the guest speaker, Wendy Schmid, of the NSW Embroiderers’ Guild, who related to us her long experience with this handicraft, passing around exquisite examples of various stitches and works of art she has lovingly created over the years. Her expertise regarding fabrics, changing styles in different eras and different countries, the religious motifs used by churches and ecclesial clothing, and the social history of the art of embroidery, was of great interest.

An annual activity at the Christmas meeting that members have come to anticipate is being given the challenge of some form of quiz. This year it was once again provided by Julia, who it was so lovely to see, as she was visiting us from north of Newcastle. The clues, when answered correctly, revealed the name of a popular Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas. The answers are given here, as time did not permit on the day: 1. Four colly birds 2. Eleven pipers piping 3. Ten Lords-a-leaping 4. Seven Swans-a-swimming 5. A Partridge in a Pear Tree 6. Five Gold Rings 7. Three French Hens 8. Twelve Drummers drumming 9. Six Geese-a-laying 10. Eight Maids-a-milking 11. Two turtle Doves 12. Nine Ladies Dancing.

We were also happy to welcome Gabbi and her mother again.  As Gabbi attends university in Brisbane, she is unfortuantely not able to attend our meetings as often as she would like to.

Dorothea spoke about the re-interment (by the way, “re-interNment” means ‘put in gaol again’) of the remains of Richard III that will be taking place in March 2015.   There is an overview of the events planned for Reinterment Week on our branch website. She also reminded members of the Australasian Convention being held next October in New Zealand and encouraged members to attend. She advised that you can visit the Convention website to download the registration forms, and there is also some information on our own branch website.

The 2015 issue of our branch annual journal, The Chronicles of the White Rose, was distributed among all the members and friends, who attended the meeting, and should by now have been mailed to those who were not able to attend.

After the raffle, a lovely afternoon tea was then held with special offerings from members’ kitchens. A word of warning to members: it would be advisable for everyone to keep their bags with them at all times, as there is no security on site, and a suspiciously acting young man was kept from entering our meeting room during the afternoon tea. Please try to be aware of people who are obviously not part of our group, and let someone know if they are showing interest in our belongings. Doug is happy to have a word with anyone who has no legitimate business in our space.

Our first gathering in the new year will be on 14 February 2015 when our guest speaker will be Mr. Almis Simans speaking on ‘Myths and Legends of the Countryside in Richard’s England’.

Tags: Arts and Crafts, NSW Branch, Reinterment, Richard III

The guest speaker for our Christmas meeting will be the NSW Embroiderers’ Guild President, Wendy Schmid, who will be discussing the history and styles of medieval embroidery that would have been found in the era of Richard III. As it is our Christmas gathering, please consider bringing some festive food to share at afternoon tea (but please remember to take any left-overs home with you).

Tags: Christmas, NSW Branch

The Annual General Meeting of the New South Wales Branch of the Richard III Society was held on Saturday, 11 October 2014, at the Sydney Mechanics Institute.

Opening remarks were made by Chair Judith along with a warm welcome to all the members and visitors present. Thanks were expressed for the work of all the committee members throughout the year.

All of the officers then gave reports for their areas, and then officially stepped down. Margaret conducted the election process for all of the officers of the branch with most returning unopposed to their roles: Judith continues as Chair, Jacqueline as Deputy Chair, Judy as Treasurer, Dorothea as Webmaster, Lynne as Sales Officer, Joan as Tea Lady, Rachel as Secretary, and Leslie & Doug as Editors of the Affinity newsletter.

The program consisted of three ‘Scrabble’ speakers, giving separate presentations on different and very interesting topics.

Maggie told us of her experiences during her recent trip to the UK during which she laid the wreath on behalf of Australian Branches of the Richard III Society during the Bosworth commemoration ceremonies. Afterwards, she informally showed us interesting photos she had taken during the trip.

Dorothea had the letter ‘Y’ and shared her well-illustrated research about the history of the ancient church of St Mary de Castro in Leicester, which has been in existence for more than 900 years. Richard, duke of York, had in 1426 been knighted in this church.

Rachel spoke on the letter ‘R’ for rehabilitation. In an interesting talk entitled “Was Joan of Arc a Witch?” she addressed the charges raised against Joan, her astute responses to them, and the arguments for her defence that could have been made if her trial had been a fairer one, conducted in less prejudicial circumstances.

Our next gathering will be our Christmas meeting scheduled for 13 December 2014, when our guest speaker Wendy Schmid will be discussing medieval embroidery. All of the 2015 speakers will be listed in the next issue of the branch newsletter, Affinity.

Tags: Bosworth, France, Leicester, NSW Branch, Richard III

Just a short reminder for all our members and friends in the Sydney area. This coming weekend the St Ives Medieval Faire will be taking place. It should be a spectacular event.

Among the attractions are ‘The Jousting Knights of the St Ives Tournament’, including our own Knight in Shining Armour from the 2013 Australasian Convention, who will be matching his skills with the cream of the world’s jousting knights.

You can experience living in the middle ages in the Medieval Encampment. If your interest extends to an earlier time than Richard III, you may be interested in the Viking war. We all have heard about trebuchets, but what do we actually know about them? Here is our chance to learn more. And Full Flight Birds of Prey will recreate medieval hunting and falconry scenarios to demonstrate how birds of prey were used to hunt in Richard’s day.

Should you get exhausted with all these fascinating attractions, a visit to the Medieval Tavern might refresh you. A special medieval beer, called Sir Andrew’s Gruit, is on offer. It is brewed using herbs and roots instead of hops just like in medieval times.

You can still pre-book tickets and save on the website of the St Ives Medieval Faire, but you can also buy them at the gate.

An event not to be missed!

Tags: Fair, Jousting, NSW Branch