Richard III Society

South Australia Branch

ABOUT SA BRANCH

President : Rilla
Secretary : Sue
Treasurer :  Di

Background

The SA Branch is an incorporated association with President, secretary and treasurer which meets once a month.  It was founded in March 1983 and we celebrated 30 continuous years as a branch in 2013.  At the original meeting there were only 4 members and today we have over 20 members on our books, with between 7-12 in attendance at our meetings.  Our logo is adapted from the UK head branch and shows the White Boar resting his hooves on the map of South Australia. Members then and now share a passion to bring justice to the much maligned reputation of Richard III. We do this by trying to raise awareness of the facts and to present Richard’s case whenever we can.   The Richard III Society as a whole as well as our branch has members from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, which can only add a broader spectrum to our common interest. Over the years the SA branch has organized many events and exhibitions to draw awareness to the true history of Richard III. Our first exhibition was in 1985 at the State Library and follow up exhibits were organized whenever productions of Shakespeare’s Richard III were performed in Adelaide. Our founder Meredith Whitford wrote and published her own Ricardian novel titled “Treason” and was an active president in the early days. Margaret Collings spent 30 years on the committee (10 as Chairman) and only  stepped down in 2014. Many of our members including current secretary, Sue Walladge, have been members since the early 80s.

In October 2015 Margaret Collings received lifelong membership as a thanks for her years of commitment to the Society.  At UK’s AGM in October 2017, we were delighted when Margaret received the very prestigious Robert Hamlin Award.  The Robert Hamlin Award was instituted in memory of the former Chairman as a means of recognising work done by members of the Society that is of particular merit and “beyond the call of duty”. In their own way, each recipient is, or has been, a tireless worker for the Society or for furthering its aims.award.

Below is a list of events we have coordinated through the years.

  • Nova Genista was produced – 77 issues of a quarterly magazine (now replaced by monthly newsletter)
  • We formed our very own Medieval Choral group
  • fundraisers for various Ricardian causes including the restoration of Middleham Jewel and the Sutton Cheney church.
  • Production of Medieval cookbook, still available for sale or download
  • Blacksmithing and sword fighting demonstrations
  • Quiz meetings
  • Medieval dancing
  • Members lending library – Richard III related books
  • Mock trial of Richard III

Recent Activities

Our monthly meetings are held on the first Saturday of the month (except January) and we aim to make them a mix of fun and serious matters. Social activities include lunches to celebrate important Ricardian events as well as outings for a special event At each meeting we have a theme that relates to Richard III or to that medieval period. Everyone who wishes to is encouraged to research a topic and give a short talk or presentation. Some topics are covered in ‘Elsewhere in 15th Century’ – the range of talks have meant members have expanded their knowledge of Richard’s life and aspects of the15th Century.  We hold the AGM in October each year where members elect a new executive committee.  At our July meeting we hold a lunch to commemorate Richard’s crowning as Richard III. In 2012, the publicity and excitement around the discovery of Richard’s bones and subsequent reburial in Leicester Cathedral have drawn enormous interest and our membership numbers have increased. Several members were able to visit the UK and attend some or all of the activities around the reburial in 2015. One of our members had a family member working at the University during the discoveries and she was able to share some interesting information with us. The Upcoming Events page as well as our SA newsletter keep members up to date with Branch activities and other information.  If you are interested in becoming a member, have any queries or are looking for more information about the Branch or becoming a member contact our Secretary Sue on home 84436153 or mobile : 0411336927 or email info@richardiii-sa.org.au To check Membership subscriptions please see the Subscriptions page.

We meet at : National Council of Women of South Australia, 95 South Terrace, Adelaide 

The Richard III society also has branches around the world including four in Australia and one in New Zealand

  • New South Wales (also taking care of Queensland)
  • South Australia
  • Victoria
  • Western Australia.

lunch

Social event – every year in October we celebrate Richard’s birthday!

 

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