64NADFAS REVIEW / AUTUMN 2010www.nadfas.org.ukSOCIETIES/AREAS NEWScopy dates fornadfas review2010 & 2011Winter 2010:14/09/10Spring 2011:10/01/11Summer 2011:24/03/11Autumn 2011:01/07/11If you are sending in newsitems for NADFAS Review andyou are able to email them,please send them to:nadfasreview@nadfas.org.ukPhotographs sent separatelyshould be clearly labelled. Also, please avoid sendingphotos embedded in textdocuments as we are unableto use these.If text was previouslyemailed, please send a copyfor reference.We still welcome stories fromSocieties and members whodo not have access to email.We apologise to Societieswho have sent in stories thatdo not appear on thesepages. We welcome allsubmissions but due to anoverwhelming amount ofentries we are not always ableto publish all of them. For abetter chance of seeing yourstory in print, photographicquality is key. Ideally, photosshould be emailed as jpeg ortiff files at print-quality highresolution (300dpi).Many stories about Society activities are still being sentwithout accompanyingphotos. We encourage readersto always send in pictures.They make for a nicer lookingmagazine and give your storya much better chance of being featured. For details ofpicture specifications, pleaserefer to the information at thebottom of this page.More than 12,500 people visitedand participated in the first everopen-air arts festival at LoseleyPark on a hot summer weekend inJune. Children and adults alikeenjoyed a mixture of theatre,dance, music and visual arts in acelebration of Surrey, itslandscape, heritage and culture.The NADFAS West and EastSurrey Areas, in partnership withthe Surrey Hills Society, organisedart and crafts workshops anddemonstrations with six furtherpartners, as well as a photographiccompetition for the young.The large NADFAS standshowcased the Association'svolunteering activities: two ChurchRecords were on display, as wellas three replica brasses for brassrubbing. Two exquisite antiquequilts, on loan from Loseley House,allowed the Heritage Volunteers totalk about how they had workedon their conservation. Other artistswithin the marquee got visitorsinvolved in a host of activities.The organisers say it was a hot,active and a very rewardingexperience.Surrey art celebrations get off to agreat startFifteen members of Rutland DFAS enjoyed avaried trip to Andalucia, Spain, in May. They visitedSeville and Ronda. In Malaga, they saw thePicasso Museum and Cathedral. However, thehighlight of their trip was a tour of Granada'sstunning Alhambra.Rutland DFAS enjoys anAndalucian adventureHaslemere DFAS timed its visit to Istanbul very well inMay -it is currently the European Capital of Culture. StSaviour's Church in Chora has just been renovated andthe Fruit Room in the Harem at Topkapi Palace has beenreopened to the public. Thirty-six members of the Societyenjoyed an itinerary taking in these sights, as well as theBlue Mosque, Haghia Sophia, the spice bazaar and aboat trip along the Bosphorus. As further luck would haveit, the group managed to avoid any delays caused byvolcanic ash on their journey home. A Turkish delight for Haslemere DFAS

?ELY DFASEly DFAS marked its founding25 years ago with a luncheonparty in May. The assembledguests and members weregiven a warm welcome by thepresent Chairman, MaureenWoodbine, and were thentreated to readings and a filmabout John Clare, theHelpston poet, by PeterMoyse.?SCOTLAND & NORTHERNIRELAND DFASSusan Zuill received apainting as a thank you giftupon her retirement asScotland and Northern IrelandArea Chairman. The work waspainted by Christine Davies,Chairman of Borders DFAS,and presented to Susan byNADFAS National ChairmanGri Harrison.?KNOLE DFASKnole DFAS marked theretirement of Chairman HilaryThomas in May.Actor LancePierson entertained membersby recounting John Betjeman'slife through his poems. At thedrinks reception thecentrepiece was a stunning icesculpture featuring the NADFASand Knole DFAS logos. ANNIVERSARIESwww.nadfas.org.ukNADFAS REVIEW / AUTUMN 2010 65SOCIETIES/AREAS/OVERSEAS NEWSBy Fiona RossingtonTouring Australia in March, my husband andI visited Toowoomba in Queensland. Wewere given a warm and friendly welcome byour hosts, Bob and Meaden Turner, by IanKing, who showed us round Toowoombaand told us some of the background fromhis family's experience, and by JenniferClarke. We attended a fascinating andinformative ADFAS evening lecture on 'Iran -Land of Great Kings, Shahs and Ayatollahs'by John Osborne. The lecture was held in abeautiful hall, in the Glennie School, with anArt Nouveau moulded ceiling, which wasfilled to capacity with about 100 people.Afterwards we had wine and canapés andthere was a tremendous buzz in the hall.Toowoomba is a delightful place high on ahill with many old Queensland houses. Thereare views over the Darling Downs andeverywhere are well kept parks and gardens.Toowoomba's Garden Festival draws visitorsfrom far and wide.OVERSEAS NEWS.Cotswold twinning trip toToowoombaBelow: Fiona Rossington, Cotswold DFASTwinning Rep, with Liz Hudson, theToowoomba ChairmanThe first North West Area Bursary, sponsored by the BrianMercer Charitable Trust, was awarded in May to ShonaHarrison from the Lancaster Institute for the ContemporaryArts (LICA). The bursary totals £6,000 and will contribute towards thecost of Shona's undergraduate degree and forthcoming MAstudies. It will also help her to set up a studio when shegraduates next summer. Shona commented: "Winning has not only allowed me thefunding to continue my art education, but has encouragedmy drive and desire to become a successful artist."In addition, LICA will receive £1,000 for a piece ofequipment which will benefit the department where Shonastudies. Three other students each received £500. They wereChristian Mills from LICA, and Ana Rosa Hopkins and JamesBostock from Manchester Metropolitan University. It ishoped that the bursary will be offered again in 2011.Shona's a first forNWA BursaryArun and Walburtonvolunteers receivecastle honoursArun DFAS and Walburton DFAS Heritage Volunteers havejust celebrated 25 years of work in Arundel Castle. TheDuchess of Norfolk, who is Patron of Arun DFAS, invitedpast and present volunteers to join her for a lunch inrecognition and thanks for their work. The 40 guests alsoincluded the castle's archive staff and Dr John MartinRobinson, Librarian to the Duke of Norfolk.At lunch, the volunteers shared stories of theirexperiences. The archive staff have asked volunteers to writedown their accounts so that these can become part of theCastle Archive. Over the years, their tasks have ranged fromcleaning and monitoring the condition of books in the libraryto dusting old ledgers out on the battlements. MaschaRichards, Chairman of Arun DFAS, commented: "In general,we are warmer and less dusty than previous years, but arestill fascinated by the history that surrounds us."