This will be a year of remarkable events. On the weekend just gone was a luncheon and auction at Hartham Park, the house of Captain Cook's friend Sir George Duckett. This raised funds for the projects of the Education Trust to recognise Arthur Phillip. In July there will be a number of events around the country, including the laying of a memorial stone in the floor of Westminster Abbey.
Coming up very soon (February 24th) is a book launch in the Downer Room of Australia House. This is the fascinating tale of an Aussie lass who made a big splash in British society. Very big! The event is sponsored by the publisher and is free to members and their guests so long as you book through the office (or directly on the website) so that we can manage numbers for catering.
The first of our VIP events is a reception for just 100 people at St James's Palace at the invitation and in the presence of HRH Prince Philip, the Patron of the Britain-Australia Society. Tickets are already going quickly and we would like to initially limit to one guest per member to give members priority. Tickets are £85 for members and £90 for guests - please note that this merely covers our costs of accessing this very special and private venue and to provide excellent canapés and wine.
Before Spring is out we will be organising a President's Dinner with Lord Carrington, the Father of the House of Lords. This will be in a very special location which we are in the process of finalising, so watch this space.
In January was the wonderful service at St Mary le Bow with a reading by the High Commissioner for Australia and a fascinating address by Sir Michael Savory. This was immediately followed by the Arthur Phillip luncheon at the Grocers' Hall. The Branches have their own programmes of events of course and Cambridge recently had a well-attended and excellent Australia Day lunch. St Andrew the Great will host the Cambridge Branch ANZAC Day service on April 26th.
We will be adding events to the calendar as the dates are firmed up so keep watching this space!
