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  • The International Byron Societies 2010-2011
  • Maureen O'Connor, Director

The Byron Society

Despite the vagaries of the weather and the railways we enjoyed a very good programme of events in 2010, all well attended by members and guests.

In February, Alison Skilbeck and Edward MacLiam, both professional actors, came to The Naval Club to read excerpts from Byron's poems. It was a great treat to hear the poet's work read so well, added to which there was quite a bit of audience participation - to the delight of the actors! We all had a very good evening.

In March, Valerie Doulton, a Byron Society member and Director of the Live Literature Company, gave an illustrated talk at The Naval Club on 'Staging Byron in Sintra', Byron's 'Glorious Eden', and, more specifically, at the Palace of Monserrate, where she produced Anne Fleming's plays, 'Byron the Poet' and 'Byron in Love'. Valerie's photographs of the palace, and the stage sets on the terrace, where the actors performed, all enhanced our dreams of Sintra.

In June we welcomed Admiral Christopher Layman, who talked on 'Midshipman Byron and the Wager Disaster'. Admiral Layman's great knowledge of the sea added to the drama of shipwreck, mutiny and rescue endured by Midshipman Byron and the crew of HMS Wager. Following dinner, the Admiral took questions. The evening at The Naval Club was a great success and enjoyed by everyone present.

In September we made our summer visit to Brighton, where we were given a tour of the two-hundred-year-old Theatre Royal, both front of house and backstage, which proved very interesting. After lunch at the Pomegranate Restaurant we proceeded to the Royal Pavilion where Dr Alexandra Loske gave us a special guided tour – which we enjoyed and appreciated!

In October we had the Annual General Meeting at The Naval Club, with many members attending. Following the AGM, Mr Geoffrey Bond gave a talk on 'Collecting Byroniana', which was witty and insightful and spurred members to add to their own collections.

Finally, at the Christmas Lunch in December at The Naval Club, Dr Jane Stabler of St Andrews University came to speak on 'Byron and the Art of the Excuse'. This well-researched talk proved to be very informative and amusing, and prompted many questions. Needless to say we were very glad that Dr Stabler was able to beat the snow and reach London from Dundee and make the return journey without incident. Dr Stabler's talk was received with great enthusiasm and applause.

  • The Byron Society in Australia
  • Ekaterina Obuchova, President

The Australian Byron Society's activities for 2010 began with our traditional Lord Byron's Birthday Lunch, held at the Athenian Greek restaurant. Notwithstanding the heat – around 40 degrees – most of our members were in attendance, as well as our guests of honour, Mr Nicholas Zevgolis of the Greek National Tourism Organisation and Mrs Zevgolis. [End Page 87]

The first meeting for 2010 was held on 22 May. The feature of the afternoon was a presentation of Cantos III and IV of Don Juan, performed by Will Christie and Elaine Hudson.

Our Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday 27 November, courtesy of the Greek National Tourism Organisation and its new representative in Australia, Ms Katia Voumvoulaki. The meeting began with an account of the society's activities in the past year and a brief outline of proposed activities for the coming year. Our lecturer for the afternoon, Professor Angus Martin, then presented a talk on 'Byron and Chateaubriand'. The meeting ended with a traditional afternoon tea and a vote of thanks to the GNTO and Ms Voumvoulaki.

  • The Byron Society of Georgia
  • Innes Merabishvili, President

The activities of the Byron Society of Georgia for 2010 started in January with a celebration of Lord Byron's birthday. This was followed by recitals and concerts of classical music, including a performance by the world-famous Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli on the stage of the Ada Theatre at the Byron School of Tbilisi. These events were co-hosted by the Byron Society of Georgia and the Byron School.

To commemorate Lord Byron's death in Messolonghi on 19 April...

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