This year we are thinking of trying something entirely different for the celebration of Richard III’s birthday. We are going out of town to Sutton Forest Inn in the Southern Highlands.
We heard that the Bistro is very pleasant and that the food is excellent and varied in a range of prices, for example roast lamb, two varieties of fish dishes with salad and chips, sausages, steak sandwiches, chicken vindaloo and much more.
There are usually four or five desserts, all home-made there, varying with the season. Coffee and tea are of course also available. Drinks are available from the bar.
So keep Sunday, 3 October, at 12 noon free!
Please confirm whether you are attending with Kevin by Saturday, 25 September. Kevin can also help with travel advice. You can contact him at: social@richardiii-nsw.org.au.
Just a reminder that The Richard III Society, NSW Branch, is planning to remember the death of Richard III and his gallant band who fell with him (as well as those who survived) at Redmore Plain on 22nd August 1485 with a lunch at:
The Hero Of Waterloo Hotel,
cnr Windmill & Lower Fort Sts,
Millers Point, Sydney
Time: from noon
Date: Sunday, 22nd August 2010.
Room: Downstairs Luncheon Room, off the bar.
Access from Lower Fort St or through bar from Windmill St.
Do hope to see you all there!
Please let Kevin know definitely whether or not you are able to attend this function by Saturday 14th August 2010 (day of General Meeting), as he needs to provide definite numbers to Hotel management by Monday, 16th August.
Please also contact him if you need help with information on how to get there.
You can contact Kevin at social@richardiii-nsw.org.au.
Saturday, 14 August, is Scrabble time!
Every year or so we invite members to draw a Scrabble tile out of a bag and ask them to prepare a short and entertaining talk on a Plantagenet-connected subject beginning with the letter. This year we drew the letters at the April meeting, which gave us time to come up with something until the August meeting. It is always interesting to see to which fascinating subjects these letters can introduce all of us. So don’t miss hearing what Jane Roberts has to say on ‘T’, Xavier de Saint Simon on ‘H’, Leslie McCawley on ‘I’, Dorothea Preis on ‘E’ and Lynne Foley on ‘O’.
Volume 3 of the Chronicles of the White Rose has just come back from the printer. All members will receive their copy at the August meeting. So don’t miss this interesting meeting, you’ll not only get five talks, but also your Chronicles, and it goes without saying, you’ll find good company, too.
As always, guests are more than welcome to share an interesting afternoon Details on the venue can be found under ‘Upcoming Events‘).
Our annual Coronation Lunch will take place on Sunday, 4 July 2010, to commemorate the coronation of King Richard III and Queen Anne on 6 July 1483. Come and meet us for a delicious lunch at 12 noon at at Galante’s, 138 Norton Street, Leichhardt. It’s just a little further up Norton Street from our old favourite, La Galletta, on the opposite side of the road (see also here).
For more information or if you would like to attend, please contact social@richardiii-nsw.org.au.
Please note: Kevin needs to have final numbers by tonight, 25 June 2010, so please let him know urgently.
A faithful band of regulars gathered on this chilly winter’s day for the branch meeting of the Richard III Society NSW Branch, and also to observe the 11 June birthday of Anne Neville, Richard’s wife, with special cupcakes for the occasion.
We were pleased to have the presence of a lovely new laptop computer that had been purchased for branch meeting presentations, as well as to assist the teams giving talks
to all the civic organisations that welcome them so heartily all over the Sydney area. This means that future speakers will be able to bring multimedia and PowerPoint presentations from now on, which will add to everyone’s enjoyment.
Jenny, who has a long association with the branch, brought her treasured silver groat to share with us. She had made this lucky purchase some 20 years ago in New Zealand for $175 in the local currency, whereas a coin from the reign of Richard III would now be worth up to £6,000 due to extreme scarcity. Jenny’s delicate groat was an authentic coin of the realm of the Edward IV era. The intricately engraved and well-worn coin was passed around and studied carefully by everyone present. We marveled at being able to hold a coin used in Richard’s lifetime.
Gillian was our Guest Speaker, and had kindly come all the way from Canberra to reprise her presentation from the 2009 Australasian Conference in Perth. The background and inspiration for her interesting talk on the powerful Percy family, which arrived in England with William the Conquerer, was the book Kings in the North by Alexander Rose. Gillian carefully outlined an overview of the major life points of the Earls of Northumberland throughout the centuries our Society is most interested in. Their interwoven family trees showed intermarriage and dynastic conflict between the mighty Percy, Mortimer and Neville families, which had laid the groundwork for the War of the Roses.
The next meeting in August will feature several Scrabble speakers on the topics of their choice starting with the letter the intrepid volunteers drew out of a hat at the April meeting.
Don’t forget our General Meeting this Saturday, 12 June, at 2pm at our usual venue, the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts. Gillian Laughton (SA Branch) is coming from Canberra to give us her fascinating talk from the Perth Convention on “The Percys”. And afterwards there’ll be special treat to celebrate Queen Anne’s birthday. Looking forward to seeing as many as possible of you.
On a lovely clear autumnal Saturday in May the Richard III Society NSW Branch held their biannual conference, set in the spacious, attractive North Sydney Leagues Club in the Sydney suburb of Cammeray. The event was well attended by regular members and people from the community, with some eager attendees having travelled interstate to attend. A wide range of topics presented throughout the day guaranteed something of interest to everyone. Read the rest of this entry »
… that was the question at our April General Meeting. However, before coming to this interesting talk some business needed to be taken care of.
Our Secretary, Julia thanked all those who had sent their registration forms for the May conference – and their cheques. There was still time before the cut-off date for enrolment. She reminded people to contribute to the bring and buy stall, that costume was optional, and asked them to be sure to arrive on time so as not to delay the programme. Read the rest of this entry »
Next Saturday, 10 April 2010, our April General Meeting will be taking place at our usual venue, the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts. The speaker will be Kevin Herbert asking “What’s in a Name?”
And the names are ones we know well: Richard and Duke of Gloucester, and it is an absorbing survey of people throughout history – with royal connections – who have been called Richard or ennobled by the title Duke of Gloucester. What a tragic, haunted lot these characters were! And how different from the present day shining example set by the Society’s Patron HRH Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
Kevin gave this talk (although abbreviated) at the Perth convention last year.
Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday at 2 pm.
As newcomers to the Richard III Society my husband and I are still learning the basics of the 15th century milieu, and the lore surrounding Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester. Having read two Ricardian books together, The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman and Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time, we were very sympathetic to a man treated unjustly over 500 years ago, and had wanted to join with others to learn more about him and celebrate the known achievements of his brief reign. Read the rest of this entry »
