Hello to All Members and Friends!
With The Solstice just gone, it’s time to turn our thoughts beyond the cold of Winter, now well and truly upon us, to the coming Spring and upcoming activities. Please see below to learn about current events and happenings:
Recent News:
- The Balloon Protest exhibition will still be on display, new items have been added particularly around the exciting story of early pioneering balloon flights in Adelaide. Very little has been widely known about the intrepid aeronauts who travelled the world and – unlike other international performers, these global stars made many trips here and other interstate capitals – as well as regional tours. Under much harder conditions, profit was not their only consideration!
- In preparation for The Society’s upcoming 15th Anniversary, the idea for a ‘gala dinner’
at the Adelaide Town Hall became a ‘gala lunch’ and then, due to the cost involved has
become a celebration, probably at NCW House (all details to be confirmed), most likely
at the end of October. There were other reasons, apart from the high cost, and so
overall it became impossible to justify – particularly in these harsh economic times.
When plans (to involve as many members as possible) have been finalised, they will be
announced. - Some exciting news about our footprint at NCW House will be announced soon. While it
has not (yet) been possible to replace the set of 6 coloured vintage (over 100 years old)
postcards, some other interesting cards have been purchased and the First Aid kit
replaced. A new very substantial back screen door has been installed and no further
problems have surfaced. - I have again been tardy in organising the first meeting for the Children’s book/s – and
while some preliminary planning has happened, other priorities have emerged. My
thanks to everyone for their patience – new resolve in the new financial year! - Adelaide Rep. Theatre celebrated its 115th Birthday with a production of ‘An Ideal
Husband’, Oscar Wilde’s celebrated 1895 play. From all accounts, it was a great
season. - The Rep has another reason for our interest – Muriel’s (first known) fiancé Bryceson
Treharne helped found The Rep. in 1908, during his time in Adelaide. A Welshman, he
originally came to teach piano at Adelaide University, where he met Muriel. Of particular
note, he accompanied her with his rendition of the Strauss score when she recited
‘Enoch Arden’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson – something she could do ‘off by heart’, taking
almost an hour! When John Bell (of Bell Shakespeare fame, reading the part
throughout!) and Simon Tedeschi came to Adelaide to perform the tragedy in 2017, I
had great pleasure in filling them in on the Muriel-Bryceson performances. Only Simon
seemed really interested and remarked on the quality of our merchandise. - Keep a look out for the State Theatre Company’s play, based on Pip Williams’ ‘The
Dictionary of Lost Words’ coming late September. Pip is a Society member and Muriel
features in the widely acclaimed book, most famously (among other things) chosen for
Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. - Another thing you (especially AFL enthusiasts) might be interested to know is
something I noticed during Adelaide’s recent hosting of ‘Gather Round’ is the subliminal
background to Ch 7’s ‘Front Bar’ panel show – which looks vaguely like The Grille. Of
even more striking interest was the image of a hot air balloon on the football that sat on
the table in front of the comperes during the broadcast. While the message was not lost
on me, perhaps the AFL is making progress! - Changes to the laws around protesting raced through SA Parliament in late May. I think
there is a lot to discuss as few people seemed to grasp the fact that similar laws and
increased fines now exist in many places and are continuing to pop up all over the
world. Suffragists risked fines and incarceration in the early 1900s to draw attention to
their struggle to obtain the vote. This awareness campaign took more than 50 years –
imagine how long they may have been campaigning without the vote.
Merchandise, Talks and Membership:
- Please remember, new membership rates apply from 1/7/23. This means annual full membership is now $20.00 and concessional membership is $10.00. Notices will be sent (as usual) to remind members when due with Xmas cards in November Special thanks to members who also make donations – these extra funds really help! People have sometimes asked me what they get for their modest membership fees – and the answer I usually give is 4 newsletters each year, 4 subsidised functions each year and knowing you are contributing to the advancement and preservation of participatory democracy – with a focus on Muriel’s social justice issues and equality for all. I hope you will continue to support these aims, still relevant in a world where the importance of democracy is being questioned – and is often under attack.
The Muriel Matters Society 