November 1st saw the New South Wales Branch welcoming Ricardians from Victoria, Queensland and South Australia to the conference held between biennial conventions. The Society’s Vice President Rob Smith from New Zealand also found time to join us. The Manor House Hotel in Albury was a great venue – all those beams and white roses everywhere made us feel quite at home. However, as Queenslander Peter Stride commented at the start of his presentation “Mock Tudor is not a style; it’s an order!”

The first evening saw registration, dinner and reunion with old friends and making new ones, plus a viewing of a cleverly abridged version of The Trial of Richard III. A prompt start on Wednesday introduced a series of great presentations such as the oft-ignored battle of Ferrybridge, and a look at the town of Gloucester in Richard’s day. We were introduced to Dr Hobbys, “the promiscuous king’s promiscuous doctor”, followed by a colourful talk about Jacquetta of Luxemburg – and her husbands! After lunch the portrayal of Richard III by Sir Thomas More and Shakespeare were discussed and we learned some historical deaths were not always what might have been recorded. Then a trip to London and a great guide to where everyone we’ve read about in Richard’s time lived. The final presentation was on what went on behind the scenes in Leicester in March 2015. King Power was obviously at work …

The day wound up with the raffle draw and final session at the sales table before preparing for the banquet with Kevin’s challenging quiz and toasts to absent friends, to Richard III and the Richard III Society.

Conclusion: more please! Some of us find it hard to meet up with our good Ricardian friends in distant parts only once every two years.