THE CAMBRIDGE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA)
PRESIDENT’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 2007
In putting together this report I had the pleasure of re-reading those penned by my predecessor Robert Gribben, and found myself again awed by the breadth of the Society’s activities over the years. I therefore welcome this opportunity to look back over 2007, indeed a year that (true to form) has been rich in both occasions and interest.
We started the social year in February with a well attended joint Garden Party with Oxford on the drought ravaged Vatican Lawn of Trinity College. This association with Melbourne University continued when, at the end of March, we entertained our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alison Richard and her entourage (including deputy V-Cs, a number of Heads of House, and several other VIPs) to a formal dinner in the fine setting of Ormond College Hall. This function was very well attended, attracting 216 Cantabrigians and guests, and was a resounding success with the Vice-Chancellor’s address greatly appreciated – it was there that our Patron coined the epithet of ‘a Conceit’ to describe the 24 professors present, thus winning a bottle of the President’s Muscat against 39 other entries. After this, it was maybe asking too much to expect the usual attendance at the annual Boat Race Dinner – which was held in April in Trinity’s Sherwood Room: a lovely and appropriate setting to watch and celebrate our Blue Boat win for the first time in three years.
As ever, the speakers at our lunchtime meetings on the third Wednesday have provided a feast of informative entertainment and pleasure. Dr Peter Baines set the pace in March with an illustrated talk on the Gallipoli Campaign, and how personalities shaped the aborted attempt to force the Dardanelles. Associate Professor David Anderson followed in May, describing how obtaining medical research funding was one thing, but keeping it when publishing results was quite another. In June our resident historian Henry Gordon-Clark rose to the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the passage of the Abolition Bill that banned the trade of slaves in the British Empire, painting an in-depth picture of slavery over the millennia and Wilberforce’s role in the fight for emancipation. Professor James Whisstock followed in July with an energetic and illuminating exposé of the development of structural biology and how it continues to shape modern medicine. In August we enjoyed the company of the visiting Cambridge Professor of Modern History, Richard Evans - and were treated to a fascinating account of his role as expert witness for the defence in the notorious David Irving defamation suit, that ultimately discredited Irving and preserved the defence of truth in the face of spurious litigation. Professor Colin Duckworth was our informant/entertainer at the October lunch: a magnificent one-man show in which he illustrated how it is possible to take a vast literary work and adapt it for the stage, yet bringing out the essence of the original. Finally, Professor Arie Freiberg - Dean of Law at Monash - addressed us in November on the controversial subject of sentencing from his perspective as current chair of the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council, bringing home the ongoing need for improved understanding of the issues by the general public, politicians and the Judiciary itself.
As if that wasn’t ample intellectual stimulation for one year, our members and their guests turned out in record numbers for the Annual Dinner, held once more at the Melbourne Club at the end of August. Both the ambiance of the venue and our Guest Speaker contributed hugely to the evening’s success: David Starkey was at his magnificent best - and ranged us from medieval Cambridge to the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown, through the glories of the Tudors, and on to our forthcoming 800th Anniversary; reminding us along the way how our University continues to find and re-define that spirit of creativity that could so easily be taken for granted.
The drought and the consequent lack of viable grounds unfortunately led to the cancellation of this year’s cricket fixture, but not the biannual golf fixture with Oxford – which has twice produced the usual copious volumes of rain, and victory for our Society. At time of writing we are yet to enjoy the annual croquet gathering – which has finally migrated to the reportedly new and magnificent VCA facility at Cairnlea. Technology permitting, we’ll enjoy the Varsity Match in armchair comfort following the AGM at the Kelvin Club.
Each couple of years or so, we embark on a 3-day mid-week excursion where we can indulge in the local victuals and places of interest. This year’s ‘De Re Metallica’ was centred around the Castlemaine Goldfields where we were privileged to be shown places unknown to most, and enjoyed the company and generous hospitality of local Cantabrigian residents. We’re indebted both to them and to Alchemist Jerry Platt for organising this stimulating outing.
We continue to search for the Holy Grail – a formula that will attract younger (sic) Cantabrigians to get together. This year’s October Drinks at Comme in the City did attract a good gathering, and will encourage us to continue the search. Your Committee is rich in ideas, but we’re always open to suggestion from our Members…
Looking beyond our own Society, the British Consul General, Peter West and his wife Julia generously hosted once more (and for the last time as they are alas leaving Melbourne) a reception for this year’s CAT scholars. Changes are also afoot in Cambridge where the Cambridge Society is being blended into a single Alumni Office under the direction of a Deputy Vice Chancellor; the overall aim of improved communication with all alumni is being seen with, for example, the issue of a monthly e-Bulletin from Cambridge, although we have lost for the time being the erudite issues of Cambridge, which is to be merged into a unified Cam magazine. We also enjoy close relations with our friends from the Other Place and cooperate in organising joint activities with Oxford.
We continue to be an active and (Treasurer permitting) a financially viable organisation. I salute the other Committee members for their unstinting dedication. In particular Mike Gregson deserves plaudits galore: as Secretary he is unparalleled – and the enduring success of our Dinners is a tribute to his knowledge and hard work. Jerry Platt as Treasurer has handled that office with sensitivity and skill. Thank you to Jane Farago for her editorial skills with the Newsletter, and to Anita Eglitis for hosting and holding our website together, and to all the other Committee members, all of whom pull their weight on behalf of the Society. Thanks to them I am confident that we can look forward to another successful year in 2008.
Peter Adams
President