From the President's Desk

New Council Members

I am delighted to welcome Michael Flynn, a long time member of the Branch, and Dr Victoria Mason, an academic at ANU, as newly appointed members of the Council.  Both Michael and Victoria were appointed to fill the two remaining vacancies on Council following our AGM last month. 


Our New Administrative Assistant

I am also delighted to announce the appointment of Jackie Collinson as our new part-time Administrative Assistant.  Jackie comes to us with considerable past experience in the workforce and we expect she will quickly settle into the job after a short handover and familiarisation period.  Jackie’s regular hours will be 9am -1pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, although these may vary from time to time for family reasons.  Jackie may be contacted by phone on 62324978 (please leave a message if it is a non-work day), or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


October Speakers.

We have two scheduled speakers this month. On Tuesday 4 October at 5.30pm Professor Clive Wiliams will speak to us on the evolution of terrorism in the 21^stCentury, and the implications for Australia, and on Monday 17 October, also at 5.30pm, Daniel Sloper, Assistant Secretary of DFAT’s CHOGM Policy Task Force will provide a very timely briefing on the forthcoming CHOGM meeting to be held in Perth at the end of the month.


September Speakers

Sincere thanks to our September speakers for their interesting presentations to members and guests - HE Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe who spoke about the challenges of reconciliation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka, and FAIIA recipient Bruce Grant who reminisced about his rich experiences as a journalist, diplomat and academic.

Your Suggestions

Please remember that the Branch exists to serve you, the members.  If you have any suggestions about speakers or other activities, please let us know.