A reminder for our next general meeting on Saturday, 8 June, at 2pm.  The speaker will be Ben Cross, talking to us about ‘Medieval Thought and Philosophy’.  We are so grateful to Ben for finding time for us – he has been frantically busy recently and is shortly to leave for Oxford to complete his PhD thesis on this subject.  However, as we all know, it is those who are the busiest who find the time to fit in something extra.

At every June meeting, we like to make a point of marking the anniversary of the birth of Richard III’s queen, Anne Neville, on 11 June 1456. This means there will be something special to enjoy at our afternoon tea.

Obviously this is a meeting that can’t be missed. See you there!

The NSW Branch of the Richard III Society met on 13 April 2013 at the Harry Jensen Centre in The Rocks, Sydney. Our Branch Chairperson Judith welcomed all the regulars, members from overseas, and a number of visitors, whose interest had been aroused by the recent discovery of the remains of Richard III in the Leicester carpark.

The Committee has been busy since the last meeting with Judith and Dorothea speaking to the Military Historical Society at Victoria Barracks, and Judith and Julia to students at Chifley College who were studying Richard III for their HSC. Julia was a member of a panel discussing the Genesian Theatre’s approach to Richard III in their current production. In addition, of course, the Committee has been finalizing the extensive arrangements for the July conference, with some last minute changes.

Julia presented the Secretary’s report and reminded us that although it is past the official deadline that it is not too late to get our registrations in for the upcoming conference in Sydney on the weekend of 12-14 July 2013. It is going to be a great weekend of learning and social activities with Ricardians, and not to be missed.

Julia also explained that because of full programs for the rest of the year no Scrabble Speakers will be needed. That means that all of our eager public speakers will just have to wait their opportunity next year!

The Minutes from the February 2013 meeting were taken as read. There was no Treasurer’s report as the Treasurer was away. Dorothea presented the Webmaster report. This branch website continues to receive many visitors. Dorothea has also extended the Branch online presence to Facebook, so everyone who has access to the internet should visit and “like” it! It can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/NSW-Branch-of-the-Richard-III-Society/269971479692592

Lynne announced the arrival of the new pewter boar pins for those who had pre-ordered them. More may be obtained in the future if there is a demand from members.

An extra feature today was Dorothea reporting on her recent trip to the University of Leicester conference entitled “The Greyfriars dig: a new Richard III”. Dorothea had previously posted elements of her presentation on the branch website for online visitors to read.

The Guest Speakers were Yvette Debergue and Rachel Allerton from the University of Sydney Centre for Continuing Education and the WEA, where they teach medieval courses. Yvette recently completed her PhD at the University of Sydney on the area of Gender and Medieval Heresy. She has taught at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Medieval Studies as well as the Departments of History and Religion; her area of expertise being Heresy in the Middle Ages. For more information on upcoming her courses visit http://cce.sydney.edu.au/course/HAWI Their interesting presentation was on the different interpretations of Richard’s physical presence and character in several film versions of Shakespeare’s Richard III. They referred particularly to those featuring Lawrence Olivier, Ron Cook and Ian McKellen. Sadly the technology was not completely cooperative, so I have attached some of the YouTube clips from their presentation:

Olivier’s version of the soliloquy.

The BBC’s version with Ron Cook as Richard.

Horrible Histories Richard III Song.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, 8 June 2013, and the speaker will be Ben Cross on Medieval Thought and Philosophy.

The first branch meeting of the year was held on Saturday, 9 February 2013, at our usual venue in the Rocks just days after the wonderful announcement about Richard III, which excited members had been eagerly awaiting. As a result of the wide media coverage, there was extraordinary interest in our website and our branch, with hundreds of emails having been received, and a number of new faces at our meeting. We hope to see Amanda, Natasha and Peter again.

Welcoming remarks were offered by our Chairperson, Judith, but departing from our usual routine, the minutes from the previous meeting were not discussed nor were there any of the usual reports presented by the Treasurer, Webmaster, or Librarian. This change was due to this meeting’s emphasis on the final results of the Greyfriars’ dig in Leicester. The results of the osteoarcheological and DNA examinations of the bones, the subsequent facial reconstruction, and the media conference with the research panel from Leicester University, were comprehensively reviewed and summarized by Dorothea for those present. Her excellent coverage can be found on the branch website, as well as the many links she has provided to the various media clips and written reports available on YouTube, BBC, University of Leicester and other websites. Dorothea will also be attending a one-day summing up conference at the University of Leicester in March and will report back to us at the next meeting. Her efforts in keeping all of us to date over the past weeks has been deeply appreciated.

Julia discussed the upcoming conference to be held in July, and encouraged members and guests to register for the exciting speakers and planned social events over that weekend. Also, Sydney’s Genesian Theatre is opening their 2013 season with a production of Shakespeare’s Richard III. After the 10 March 2013 matinee performance, a panel will be convened to discuss the nature of the ‘real Richard’ in light of recent discoveries, for which Julia has been invited to represent the Ricardian point of view. Tickets are available online at http://www.genesiantheatre.com.au

Our guest speaker was the charming Rosamund Burton, author of Castles, Follies and Four Leaf Clovers, a memoir of her journey along the ancient Irish pilgrimage route known as Saint Declan’s Way. She had been been raised in a castle in Lismore, Ireland (her father was employed by the Duke of Devonshire), and presented fascinating slides of the many sacred wells, castles, and the lovely Irish countryside.

The 13 April 2013 meeting will feature “Richard III in the Movies” with our guest Yvette Debergue.

The Leicester press conference and documentary screening will take place during the week before our meeting on 9 February 2013, so I am sure many of you will want to come along to this to enjoy the discussion and what it means for the Richard III Society. Dorothea, our branch’s valued member of the Bulletin editorial committee, has promised to give us an update at the meeting.

Our guest speaker for the February meeting will be Rosamund Burton. Rosamund is the author of the book Castles, Follies and Four-Leaf Clovers. Adventures along St Declan’s Way (published by Allen & Unwin) and she will be speaking about walking the ancient highway, St Declan’s Way, which she did in 2008. She describes Norman castles, Celtic churches and colourful characters, miraculous wells and talking statues, stories of goddesses, ghosts and fairies, as well as staying in a convent and a day at a horse fair.

Dotted with deserted monasteries, ruined castles, holy wells and plenty of pubs, St Declan’s Way stretches 100km from the iconic Rock of Cashel over the beautiful Knockmealdown Mountains to the fishing village of Ardmore. This ancient highway and age-old pilgrim route follows quiet country roads, farm tracks, riverbanks and mountain paths through a part of Ireland that is steeped in history. It passes through the heritage town of Lismore with its magnificent castle, in the east wing of which Rosamund’s family used to live. Rosamund promises illustrations of this fascinating journey, so “wear the green” and enjoy this special visit to Ireland.

Although born in Ireland, Rosamund Burton grew up in England, until her father got a job with the Duke of Devonshire, and the family moved to Ireland, where their home was in the east wing of Lismore Castle. Rosamund went on to become an actress, performing at Dublin’s Gate and Gaiety Theatres, and in the film, Educating Rita with Julie Walters and Michael Caine. She then worked in London before coming out to Australia 17 years ago. Rosamund now writes for a range of newspapers and magazines. She is married to an Australian and lives in Sydney.

There is more info about Rosamund’s previous talks around Australia and the publications that have accepted her work listed on her website www.rosamundburton.com

At the December general meeting of the NSW branch Isolde and Julia entertained us with a variety of sketches with Ricardian themes.  And then it was our turn to get into the swing of things and sing our branch-own Christmas songs.  Here is one of them:

Oh, little town of Middleham,
How still we see thee lie.
But lying more than half a score,
King Richard to decry.
Mancini, Rous and Morton
And Hall and Holinshed
And Henry Tudor added to
The tales to help them spread.

Then Henry’s Polydore Vergil
Had Richard painted blacker,
But Sainted Thomas was a still
More modacious* attacker.
Then up rose Willy Shakespeare,
He too the truth foreswore,
Now we persevere until we hear
Their rotten lies no more.

*Never heard of the word? Neither had we but, being good Ricardians, we realised research was needed and came to the conclusion it is an adjective from the word MODALITY –the capacity to express the speaker’s confidence in the statement he or she is making.
So this might be the mot juste for Sir Thomas’s history if you believe that he believed it.

(Words: Isolde Martyn and Eileen Larbalastier, a former member.  Photo:  Dorothea Preis)

The last meeting of the year was held on Saturday, 8 December 2012, with old members and new, and various friends visiting from other branches. Judith, our branch chairperson, welcomed a full house and was followed by Judy with a brief treasurer’s report. She confirmed that all the renewal fees had been received and were now en route to the UK.

Our branch secretary Julia then discussed the ongoing news from Leicester about the parking lot dig where the suspected remains of Richard III have been unearthed. It is a very exciting time to be a Ricardian and the timing is excellent to pique the interest of the general public for the upcoming convention. The convention deadline is fast approaching so please get your registrations in soon. There is a lot of work involved in putting on an event so all offers of volunteer assistance are welcome, please contact any of the committee members if you can help. Julia also made a plea for a replacement for her role as branch secretary, as she will be leaving soon and needs time to hand over a lot of business to her successor.

The webmaster’s report was then given by Dorothea, who reminded us that it is a lot of work to keep it active and interesting, and she would like to think that all members with an internet connection are reading it regularly. There are still increasing numbers of international visitors to the website, and that is high praise. The website also features book reviews and links to an every growing array of fascinating late medieval oriented websites.

One of Dorothea’s most recent posts was a link to a Canadian TV news report on the progress of the identification of the remains found in Leicester, which was very interesting and well worth watching. Author John Ashdown-Hill was interviewed, along with the forensics experts who reported the skeleton as having scoliosis of the spine, a significant head wound and the presence of an arrowhead near the spine. Also featured was a 17th generation Canadian descendant of Richard’s mother, Cecily Neville, whose maternal DNA will hopefully help to confirm the skeleton as Richard’s.

Dorothea then distributed the always well-written branch journal, The Chronicles of the White Rose, one of the best perks of membership.

Lynne then gave her report regarding the stores of memorabilia, and presented a sample of the appealing pewter boar lapel pins now available on order.

Our program for the day was a very interesting talk by our treasurer Judy about her April attendance at the 11th Triennial Conference at the University of Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK entitled “Bosworth and Warfare: New Finds, New Ideas.” Many experts on late medieval warfare spoke about all aspects of war in the era of interest.  Judy’s detailed presentation is posted on our branch website, and well worth reading, as it was fascinating!

Following Richard’s body from Bosworth to Leicester, Dorothea gave a short update on the dig and the find of male remains as well as the variety of tests being performed on the remains.

A highlight of this holiday meeting was a performance of vignettes written and performed by Isolde and Julia. This included cleverly reworked Christmas carols with Ricardian commentary for group singing (e.g. ‘Away in Some Danger’ and ‘O Little Town of Middleham’); a play about Elizabeth Wydville’s dim prospects as a single mum; and a list of personages never to be invited to a Ricardian Christmas, including Thomas More, Lord Stanley, and Henry Tudor.

The first meeting of the new year will be on 9 February 2013, with invited guest speaker Rosamund Burton who will be talking about the ancient pilgrim path in Waterford, Ireland known as Saint Declan’s Way.

Our December general meeting will be taking place at our regular venue, the Harry Jensen Centre (17 Argyle Street, Millers Point), on Saturday, 8 December 2012 at 14h00.

We have a whole range of attractions for you to enjoy.  Judy will give an illustrated talk about the triennial conference of the Richard III Society, which she attended at Loughborough earlier this year.   This will be a unique opportunity to see pictures of the real site of the battle of Bosworth, which was visited as part of the conference.  This is on private land and normally not open to the public.

While we are all are waiting for the results of all the scientific tests being carried out on the male remains found in Leicester, there will also be a look back on how these remains were found at all.

And our regulars know that any item presented by Isolde and Julia promises to be great fun.  They told us that this year they will be acknowledging some characters familiar to all Ricardians, but who won’t be receiving Christmas cards from us.  Sounds intriguing.

It will also be an opportunity to pick up your copy of this year’s Chronicles of the White Rose, our branch journal.  In it you can find a variety of presentations from past meetings and some articles which appeared on our website, as not all our members have access to the internet.  And of course the volume also includes an entertaining and challenging quiz.  (The Chronicles will be mailed afterwards to members unable to attend.)

It would be appreciated if members could help to make our Christmas afternoon tea special by bringing a plate, but please do not be over-generous with the plate size!

Looking forward to seeing all our regular friendly faces and perhaps some new ones as well.  As always any guests, curious to find out more about us, are more than welcome.

Editor’s Comment: We are in the fortunate position of having two reports of last Saturday’s Annual General Meeting.  Thank you very much to everyone, who supplied material.  We are lucky to have these stalwart supporters of our website!

The Annual General Meeting of the New South Wales Branch of the Richard III Society was held on Saturday, 13 June 2012, at the Harry Jensen Centre in the charming, historical Millers Point area of Sydney, our new venue.  Being directly at a bus stop makes it very convenient, and being on the ground level means it is easily accessible for everyone, too.  The good turn-out of members attests to its being a good choice by the committee.

Opening remarks were made by Chairperson Judith Hughes, with a review of recent branch activities including the St Mary’s Anglican church service to remember the Battle of Bosworth and the death of Richard, the evening with the Heraldry Society with their talk on depictions of medieval garb, and pizza shared for Richard’s 2 October birthday.

Apologies were related by Lynne Foley, and included Julia Redlich who sadly was ill, and Dorothea Preis, our webmaster who was on a well-deserved holiday.  We were also informed that Julia intends to move from Sydney in the next year and will be unable to continue working for the branch in all the capacities she currently does.  That was very unhappy news, indeed, as she has been the heart, as well as the public face, of the branch for so many years.

Judy Howard delivered her report as Treasurer, handing out supporting materials.  All appeared to be in order.  She also read out the Webmaster’s report.  Lynne reported on the Sales role she handles so well.

Kevin read out Julia’s report which included a look-back at the highlights of the branch activities over the past year.  For a small group this branch achieves a great deal of excellent publicity for Richard III, with talks to various community groups, and interviews with the media when Ricardian topics are in the headlines, as they have been recently with the Leicester carpark dig excitement.  Elections were then held for all of the offices of the branch, and everyone currently in an office was re-elected, with the addition of Rosemary as Social Secretary.  Margie adeptly facilitated the election business.

Our Guest Speaker for the meeting was our own Kevin Herbert, who delivered an in-depth look at the centuries of the family intrigues, marriages, and circuitous trails of the titles of Earl and Duke of Norfolk, and the Earls of Arundel.  His research has been ongoing for many decades, and his grasp of the intricacies of the interactions of the succeeding generations is staggering. We were a lucky audience to hear his grand synopsis.

Our next gathering will be at our Christmas meeting scheduled for 8 December 2012.  This is always a festive, light-hearted meeting and a highlight of the year, so would provide an excellent opportunity for a first visit to the Branch, if you have been contemplating it. We look forward to welcoming you!

There was a good attendance at the AGM held on Saturday, 13 October at the Harry Jensen Centre, including Suzi who had just returned from Greece and Christena with her brand new knee.  Sadly there was a list of apologies that almost matched the attendance in length!  Two people were in culture mode and had tickets for a matinee at the Opera House and another was booked for Opera in the Vineyards in the Hunter Valley that evening.  Unfortunately our Secretary Julia was ill and unable to attend.

Chairperson Judith welcomed everyone, apologies were noted and past minutes approved and signed.  Judith summed up the past year in her report, and Treasurer Judy then presented her annual report.  Kevin read Julia’s report, thanking her fellow committee members for their work during the year, all members and friends for their support and enthusiastic attendance at the conference in Mittagong – and requesting the help of more volunteers.  Judy read Dorothea’s analysis of a very successful year with our website, thanking those who had contributed items (the usual suspects, plus welcome contributions from Sally Henshaw of the Midlands East Branch,  Annette Carson and Barbara Gaskell Denvil).

The current committee stood down and Electoral Officer Margaret Shaw declared all positions vacant, and the election proceeded.  There was discussion on finding more people to help with the many duties of the Secretary.  Rosemary offered to be Social Secretary as well as Tea Convenor and the incoming committee would discuss other positions and personnel at their next meeting.

All those nominated and seconded were elected without dissent, and Margaret was thanked for her work and presented with a small gift.
Kevin Herbert was our speaker for the afternoon and provided us all with a great collection of notes to follow his well-researched talk on the Dukes of Norfolk who have played a considerable role in English history.

This was well received and after questions and answers, a member of the South Australia Branch who was an unexpected visitor, spoke to us about the AGM in the UK.  She also wanted to let us know about the dig in Leicester in case we didn’t know about it.  She must have been quite surprised to learn that we were already well informed, thanks to the general publicity in local and international media, Dorothea’s research and the numerous messages from our UK contacts and friends.  In turn, we were quite surprised to learn that a member of another Australasian Branch with internet access hadn’t yet managed to find our increasingly popular website.

The meeting as usual ended with the raffle draw and afternoon tea and a reminder to look forward to our special December meeting when Judy was scheduled to tell us about the Triennial Conference in the UK, Isolde and Julia would entertain with something probably fairly disrespectfully Ricardian. As usual there would be a lighthearted test of our Medieval Historical knowedge  (prizes!) before our Christmas tea.

As I was unable to attend, my special thanks go to Judith and Kevin, who provided the information for the above.