WeI hope you're well and enjoying this beautiful British summer weather! We have lots to fill you in on since the last newsletter, but before we reminisce, let's look to the spectacular events coming soon...

This year sees a packed programme to commemorate the bicentennial of Governor Arthur Phillip’s death, beginning with a Welcome Reception in the grand Exhibition Hall at Australia House on Tuesday 8th July and culminating with the installation of a memorial stone in Westminster Abbey and the unveiling of a memorial in Bath.

A magnificent highlight of the week will be the Royal Dedication of the memorial stone to Admiral Arthur Phillip by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Reserved seating for this ceremony in Westminster Abbey is given for donors to the Admiral Arthur Phillip RN Memorials Appeal. You can donate to the Appeal by clicking here for the donation form. Unreserved seating will be available on this site (click here) from the start of June. June also marks a celebration of the life of Matthew Flinders with the unveiling of a monument at Euston Station.

Tickets to the Britain-Australia Society/BAS Education Trust Welcome Reception at Australia House can be purchased by clicking here. If you would like to attend any of the events commemorating Admiral Arthur Phillip, please be aware that all are filling up quickly and so early booking is strongly advised. Information on the full programme is available here.

Several of our friends have events coming up soon so please remember to check the info boxes at the foot of this email for full details. And don't forget that the Australia & New Zealand Festival of Literature & Arts is this weekend! We have TEN PAIRS OF COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS for the Australian Music Foundation Alumni Concert (click here for details) to give away to the first ten members to email

office@britain-australia.org.uk

We have received lots of lovely messages from BAS members and their guests who visited The Royal Windsor Horse Show last week, where around a dozen of us enjoyed a delicious meal and wonderful hospitality in the Members' Enclosure, followed by an impressive evening performance, including a dressage display and performances by the Household Cavalry and the King’s Troop.

Britain-Australia Society representatives from both the Board and membership attended the London Anzac services at Hyde Park Corner, The Cenotaph and Westminster Abbey as well as several national commemorations, on 24th April. These important events were, as always, moving and inspiring.

Photographs from The President's Dinner at the Charterhouse have joined other recent events on our Flickr page. This was a very special evening in the company of our President, The Right Honourable The Lord Carrington KG GCMG CH MC PC DL. We were honoured to listen to Lord Carrington speak about the vital relationship between Britain and Australia and the crucial role The Britain-Australia Society holds in this relationship. We were proud to introduce a thought provoking and extremely entertaining group of speakers to our guests, including The Rt Hon The Viscount Slim OBE DL (BAS Vice President and former Chairman), His Excellency Paul Madden CMG (British High Commissioner to Australia), Mr Andrew Todd (Acting Australian High Commissioner to the UK), Mr Peter Benson OAM (BAS Chairman), Mr Paul Orchart (Managing Director, Europe, Commonwealth Bank of Australia) and Mr Richard Robins (Deputy BAS Chairman and Norfolk Branch Chairman). To see photographs from the evening, click here.

The winners of our Wimbledon and Lords ballots have been drawn and the lucky winners notified. If you entered the ballot then remember to check your email! And if your luck was out this time, there's always next year...

What a very British summer we have ahead of us, from commemorating the life of Admiral Arthur Phillip in Westminster Abbey to watching cricket from the lawn. If you would like any more information on these, or any other Britain-Australia Society events, don't hesitate to get in touch.