October 2026 Newsletter

Dear Members and Friends,

Let me start this newsletter with an announcement. I have informed the Board and confirmed at our recent AGM that I am stepping down as Chair of the Britain-Australia Society, effective 31 December this year. It’s been eight great years and I am immensely proud of the work we have done and what we have achieved in that time.

But there is more to be done and another chapter to be written and it’s the right time for a change in leadership as we head towards our 90th Anniversary next year. The Britain-Australia Society was founded in London in 1937 as the Australia Club and it was big from the very beginning - the inaugural dinner at The Savoy in June 1937 had 400 guests, including the Australian Prime Minister and two future UK Prime Ministers. In 1971, the Club was incorporated and it’s name was changed to the “Australia Society” and changed again in 1976 to the “Britain-Australia Society”, as we are today. We have a great, and very important, history recorded in our fabulous archives.

It has been a great honour to lead the organisation through the last eight years but now it’s the right time to move on and I am very excited that Rob Doepel has agreed to succeed me as Chair, effective 1 January 2027. Rob, a senior Partner at EY, is Australian, born in Bowral but grew up in Ballarat, and has lived in London now for many years. Rob has been a regular at many of our events and he was instrumental in bringing EY in as the major sponsor of our International Women’s Day event a couple of years ago. Please join me in wishing Rob well in this role and please support him as you have done me.

Back to business - we had a very busy September with a lot more coming up!

For starters, I saw many of you on Wednesday 9 September at the RM Williams flagship store on Jermyn Street for our celebration of this iconic Australian brand. Thanks to our hosts, European CEO Karl Wederell and Kirsty James, who regaled us with fascinating stories about the founder, RM himself. Also a big thanks to SA Agent General, Leon Bignell, and the team at Vinarchy for the fabulous St Hugo wines that were enjoyed by all. I always know it is a great night when no one wants to leave! Many of us took advantage of the 20% discount being offered on the night and I am now enjoying my new RM Williams “Craftsman” boots.

One of our biggest events is our annual President’s Reception which we held on 23 September and many of you were there. Lord Hague, our President, was joined in conversation with our High Commissioner, HE the Hon Jay Weatherill AO, discussing some of the big issues impacting Australia and the UK today. Once again, it was standing room only in Australia House. A quick glance at the communiques following the AUKMIN (Australia-UK Ministerial Meetings) and other bilateral meetings held over the last nine months demonstrates very clearly the enormous depth and breadth of engagement between the two Governments - and the workload of the team at the High Commission. A big thank you to our wine sponsors, Australian Vintners and Auld Family Wines for the spectacular wines and thank you also to the team at the Australian High Commission for its support. We have some magnificent photos from the event which can be seen below and here.

Australian Vintners have an exceptional offer for all B-AS supporters following that successful event with a generous 15% discount on a wonderful array of Australian wines on their website, including of course Auld Family Wines. Please click here and enter code BAS15. And hurry as this discount is only available until 31 October! The majority of our Members and friends enjoy Australian wine so, next time you are stocking up for home, please support our wine sponsors.

Lord Hague is also the President of the Britain-Australia Society Education Trust (“BASET”) and we took the opportunity of the President’s Reception to hear briefly from Greg Mulley, BASET Chair, about their great work and to introduce two of the BASET past awardees. The following evening, Greg hosted almost 100 guests at the Carvers Hill winery, west of London, at a very successful wine tasting and fundraising dinner. We still have some way to go to reach the £10,000 target I set for the B-AS community to fund two Endeavour scholarships and I would encourage you to help us get there. More on the work BASET does can be found here and  you can donate here.

I mentioned our AGM earlier. On 28 September we held our 55th AGM and thank you to those of you who attended. While largely a formality, the AGM gives us the chance to record the highlights and to sign off on our accounts for the 2025 year. Amongst other things, the AGM gave us the opportunity to formalise the appointment of Rob Doepel, Edward Hoddle and James Swanston to our board.

Our Members are very important to us and we truly value your support. If you are not already a B-AS Member, and if you would like to sign up and support our work, please click here. And we do love to hear from you so please reach out at any time to our CEO, Louise Mulley, by clicking here.

On the evening of 22 September, I was pleased to represent all of our Members at the Tait Memorial Trust’s “An Evening Among Friends”, kindly hosted by His Excellency at Stoke Lodge, the official residence of the Australian High Commissioner. You know that the Tait Memorial Trust sponsors young, upcoming Australian classical musicians and dancers as they continue their studies in the UK and a number of awardees performed beautifully for us at this event. The Tait’s big event this year is the centenary celebration of the birth of Dame Joan Sutherland, Australia’s greatest and one of the world’s great opera singers. More information can be found on the Tait Memorial Trust website.

It was a really busy week! Following the Tait event at Stoke Lodge, the President’s Reception at Australia House and the BASET dinner at Carvers Hill, the AFL Europe Chairman, Josh Philpot, hosted more than 200 guests for the “AFL Grand Final Lunch” at the Kia Oval. It was a big afternoon and a huge success. Congratulations to Josh and his team.

Coming up, on 22 October, 6.30-8.30pm we are hosting a hugely topical event in Australia House - “Australia’s Place in the Commonwealth” with Lord Marland, Chair of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and our Deputy High Commissioner Ms Elisabeth Bowes PSM. The event will be moderated by B-AS Board member and CWEIC CEO, Samantha Cohen CVO OBE. To book your tickets, please click here. Thank you to the Office of the WA Agent General for its support.

As mentioned last month, London Legacy is hosting a black tie reception at the Fusiliers’ Officers Mess in the Tower of London, a unique location not ordinarily open to the public, and warmly invites all B-AS supporters to attend. There are still a few spaces available so please scroll down for booking details.

And don’t forget to sign up for the inaugural OzLit Fest (a FANZA/High Commission initiative) taking place on 18 October at Foyles in Charing Cross, spotlighting Australian writing and ideas. A stellar line-up is planned including in-person appearances from leading literary figures including Heather Morris, Evie Wyld and Kathy Lette and a live stream link from Tim Winton in WA. For more information please click this link. Registration will be required.

Finally, we have been approached by a group of leading individuals who are setting up a London branch of the RSL. If you or anyone you know has an ex-military background, please do share the information below.

Best wishes,

Damian Walsh

Chair