Last Sunday saw a select band of members and friends of the New South Wales Branch attend morning service at beautiful Mary’s Anglican Church in Waverley, to remember King Richard III and all who fell with him at the battle on August 22, 1485.

We were warmly welcomed at the beginning of the service and, just before the end, wishes were expressed that we had found the service rewarding, as indeed we did. And at morning tea with the Parish afterwards we made more friends – and handed out brochures about why the Society exists and some explanations about why we feel it is so important to champion a maligned king. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been allocated the letter “T” for my Scrabble talk at the Auhust General Meeting, so I would like to talk about Tewkesbury Abbey which I had the pleasure of visiting in 2007.  I will talk a little about the Battlefield as well, because it is so integral to the Abbey.

The Abbey is located on the edge of the Cotswolds, about 10 kms from Cheltenham and is near the junction of the Severn and Avon Rivers.  Tewkesbury the town is very old, most buildings date back to mediaeval period, with two stories and what we know as the “Tudor” style.

It’s quaint and pleasant.  To the right of the main square coming into the town you come across this enormous church, which dominates and almost overwhelms the small town. Read the rest of this entry »

The latest branch meeting of the Richard III Society of New South Wales was convened on Saturday, 13 August 2011, at the Sydney Mechanics Institute of Arts.  Opening remarks were made by Chair Judith Hughes, who then informed us of the sad news of the passing of Reginald Fulford, husband of member and former chairperson Carol Gerard.  There was a minute of silence to mark our respect and shared sorrow at this news.  A card was passed around for all to add their own comments which will be sent to Carol.

Continuing with the meeting, Judy Howard, our new Treasurer, assured us the Branch was solvent.  Those happy few who attended the recent Richard III conference in Melbourne spoke informally about the excellent speakers, the appealing package with Richard III designs handcrafts, and how worthwhile it had all been. Read the rest of this entry »

So the saying goes, but this is definitely true for the next general meeting of the NSW Branch of the Richard III Society on 13 August.

Volume 4 of our branch journal, The Chronicles of the White Rose, is at the printers and should be ready later this week or early next week. All members of the NSW branch receive a copy as part of their subscription.  Members attending our general meeting on 13 August will be the first to receive their copies – they will be handed out  at the meeting.  Copies for those, who are unable to attend, will be mailed later.

That is one good thing for our August meeting.

Good thing no. 2 is that the meeting is our “Scrabble Speakers Day” when 3 speakers will be revealing the subjects they have chosen for the session. Once a year members draw Scrabble tiles out of a bag and then prepare a short talk on a topic starting with their letter.  This year Judy will present something starting with the letter “T”, Jane will talk on “N” and Xavier drew “D” .

And the third good thing is that we’ll hear from our travellers who went to the biennial convention of Australasian branches of the Richard III Society, which is taking place in Melbourne, 5 to 7 August. These gatherings are always enlightening and enjoyable – and frequently give ideas for how develop our own activities, so it will be interesting to hear what those attending can report.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting!

Our latest branch meeting was held on a chill and windy Saturday, 11 June 2011, which also marked the 555th birthday of Richard’s Lady Wife, Queen Anne Neville.  The Sydney Mechanics’ Institute’s smallest meeting room was filled to overflowing with members happy to be warm indoors.

Opening remarks were made by our Chairperson Judith, who then invited Judy to deliver her first report as our new Treasurer.

In her Secretary’s report, Julia talked about forthcoming meetings and also covered some future social events as Social Secretaries, Jane and Xavier, were unable to attend and offered their apologies.  She was pleased to confirm the venue for the 2012 Branch Ricardian biennial conference, which is to be held next May, in the Mittagong RSL.  Details will be distributed closer to the time.  You can find exact times and other information on future meetings and events in our Upcoming Events section. Read the rest of this entry »

Our next general meeting on this coming Saturday, 11 June 2011, promises to be a real treat.

First our member, respected historical novelist Isolde Martyn, will speak on ‘Medieval London’.  Isolde’s talks are always highly appreciated for her thorough research and entertaining presentation.

The day marks also the 555th birthday of Richard’s queen, Anne Neville, so make sure that you come and join us for the party.

The meeting will take place at our normal time and venue, 14h00 at the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.

Looking forward to seeing you!

The speaker at our meeting on April 9 was Dorothea Preis, whose report on the “Blood and Roses” special interest weekend held at Christ Church College, Oxford, at the end of March features elsewhere on our website. Luckily for those many members attending we heard about the enlightening papers in much more detail and enjoyed the excellent choice of illustrations and photographs that brought the weekend to colourful life.  When it comes to colour, I suspect most of us were green with envy at what was obviously a time of special interest to Ricardians and Dorothea’s good fortune in participating and meeting other Ricardians from the USA, Canada and the UK. Read the rest of this entry »

The special gathering to remember Richard’s Queen Anne was held on Sunday, March 20th,  ably organised by our Social Secretary Jane Roberts.  Unfortunately there were only a few of us who gathered at North Sydney Leagues Club.  Dorothea was willing, but was already winging her way to London for the Blood and Roses conference, Pat Tomkins was confined to bed by her doctor and Rosemary Burgess was so drenched in the downpour on her way to catch the bus, she decided to abandon the elements and return home.

Those of us who made the venue all right showed that quality not quantity counts on some occasions, and when has any Ricardian event not proved interesting and entertaining?  The Club did us proud with a beautifully decorated table in the raised section of the Bistro.  We might have wished for murrey and blue table napkins, but the red and black of the North Sydney Bears looked striking.  Many thanks to Jan Robson who brought an attractive centrepiece of white roses and Ricardian coloured ribbons.  The food was the Bistro’s best and the desserts were to die for and certainly not to be included in any diet!  What luck that the immense size of the helpings  meant easy division of the spoils to share.

As we left, the sun had come out and blue skies were overhead to cheer us on the way home, our minds still filled with the inspiring and interesting ideas that had been such an important part of the day.

The Queen Anne Lunch will be held on Sunday, 20 March 2011, at the North Sydney Leagues Club in the Eatwell Bistro from 12.30 pm.

We have not arranged a set menu as it seems preferable to allow each person to choose their own meal.

Would you kindly RSVP to me at this email address by Wednesday, 16 March 2011 so I can confirm numbers with the Club.