Dear Members and Friends
We have been thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive response we have had to our Save the Date for our President's Reception on 23 June. We are waiting for further Government guidance later this month regarding permitted numbers at our outdoor event hosted by the Australian High Commissioner at the fabulous Stoke Lodge. Tickets will go on sale shortly. Please keep an eye on your inboxes. This popular event will sell out quickly. To thank you for your unwavering support during this last year, priority will be given to B-AS Members. If you are not already a Member, please click on the link below.
This year Anzac Day services across the country will be closed events. However, the Australian High Commission would like to invite you to participate in its service. This will be broadcast via the Australian High Commission's Facebook page at 11am on Sunday 25 April. The Australian High Commission has advised that interested parties should follow the High Commission's Facebook page to receive the viewing link please click here. In addition, many of our B-AS branches around the country are conducting or joining in online commemoration services. For example, the West Country Branch is broadcasting via Zoom from St John's Church, Sutton Veny, and kindly welcomes all Members around the country to join their service. Please do check B-AS branch websites for details or get in touch with us at the B-AS offices. It was wonderful to see that Her Majesty The Queen chose to make her first public appearance of the year at the service last week marking the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force. The Australian High Commissioner, HE the Hon. George Brandis QC, was also in attendance at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Air Forces Memorial in Runnymede, Surrey. Please scroll down for some images from this momentous occasion honouring the RAAF - the second oldest independent airforce in the world. We are thrilled to announce another exciting event for your diaries. We have been reading with great interest the latest British Government announcements regarding its future focus on foreign policy. I had the great fortune recently to speak with His Excellency Paul Madden CMG, former British High Commissioner to both Singapore and Australia and more latterly British Ambassador to Japan, who has recently retired to Britain after spending over 20 years living and working in Australasia. Please join me via Zoom "in conversation" with Paul Madden on Wednesday 26 May at 6pm for "Britain and Australia - Partners in the Indo-Pacific Century". Booking details will follow in a few weeks. And don't forget our April webinar "Living the Transatlantic Life" hosted by bdhSterling looking at key tax, pensions and other financial issues to consider if considering a life split between Britain and Australia. Further information and booking details are below.
In this month's "Meet the B-AS" section we spotlight Chairman of the Norfolk and Suffolk branches, Mr Richard Robins. Richard is British and has done much for the B-AS and Britain-Australian relations. He has very strong connections to Australia; not least through his godfather - an Australian icon...
Finally, congratulations to our lucky Members who won our March draw - a signed copy of Allan Krosch's book "Little Things That Stick in the Mind". Allan is a retired Australian civil engineer and gives readers access to some of the people he has met, the changes he has witnessed in his life and work and the wisdom he has gathered as an observer and leader of people.
If you are not already a Member, please click here to access our Membership page and sign up now to support the work we do and to take advantage of our "Members Only" offers and events.
Best wishes
Damian J. Walsh
Chairman