ESU NewsTHE ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNION Creating global understanding through English

Award Ceremony at Buckingham Palace "Clever, charming, witty and above all suitable for young users" was the accoladegiven to the winner of the 2003 Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language BookAward, ‘The Jolly Dictionary’, published by Jolly Learning Limited.

Taking three years to complete, this innovativeand colourful dictionary is written to appeal to 5-7 year old children. This Award, together withvarious others, was presented by HRH The Dukeof Edinburgh at a ceremony on 12 November atBuckingham Palace.

Highly commended certificates were awarded toMacmillan for ‘Mini Magic’ and ‘Story Magic’ andPearson Education for ‘Focus on IELTS’.

‘Mini Magic’ and ‘Story Magic’ are a series of six books at six levels for children aged between6-12 years old. The books are primarilydesigned for the Spanish, Italian and EasternEuropean markets, to encourage the learning of English, which now starts, in some countries,at the age of four.

This year, a new Award has been created torecognise innovation and excellence in the use ofnew, freestanding technologies in the teachingand learning of English. Called the ESUPresident’s Award, the winner was ‘Kids’ WordBank 2’, published by Oxford University Press.

In May 2003, fifty-three competitors from 34 different countries participated in the ESUInternational Public Speaking Competition sponsored by HSBC Holdings plc. The final was won by Palesa Mohapi for her speech entitled "African Renaissance". She travelledfrom Pretoria, South Africa with her parents tocollect her Award from HRH The Duke ofEdinburgh.

Above: Sara Wernham, Angela Hockley, Michael Janes and Christopher Jolly, of Jolly Learning Ltd receiving theircertificates from HRH Prince Philip.

Telephone : 020 7529 1550 Fax : 020 7495 6108 Email : esu@esu.org Web : www.esu.org

ISSUE No. 114 JANUARY 2004

ContentsJohn Smith Memorial Mace . . . .Page 2

The 2003 ESU Churchill Lecture . . .Page 3

The Churchill Room .Page 4

Churchill and the English Language . . .Page 4

British Debate Squad . . . . . . . . . . .Page 6

2004 England Debate Team . . . . . .Page 6

Nurse WorkshadowProgramme . . . . . . .Page 6

Gala Concert . . . . . .Page 7

Chilton Art HistoryScholarship . . . . . . .Page 8

Gill Hale joins ESU Team . . . . . . . . .Page 8

Scholarship announced . . . . . . . .Page 8

ESU Strasbourg . . . .Page 8

ESU Thailand . . . . . .Page 9

International At Home . . . . . . . . . .Page 9

ESU Poland . . . . . . .Page 9

SSE Thanksgiving Dinner . . . . . . . . . . .Page 9

ESU Lebanon . . . . .Page 10

World Members’ Conference . . . . . .Page 10

2004 Important Events . . . . . . . . . .Page 10

Diary Dates . . . . . .Page 11

85th Anniversary Video Order Form . .Page 12

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Other students collecting their prizes wereMatthew Collins, James Langman andCharlie Samuda from Warwick School, whowon the 2002-2003 ESU National PublicSpeaking Competition for Schools, whichthis year had over 400 entries.

Winners of two of the largest and oldestparliamentary debating competitions forschools and universities in the worldreceived their certificates from HRH TheDuke of Edinburgh. The ESU SchoolsMace, which now involves over 500schools, was won by Richard Goodman andNick Devlin, and The John Smith MemorialMace by Cian Murphy and Stephen Couttsfrom University College Cork Law Society.

The ESU Essex Court Chambers NationalMooting Competition promotes the skills ofcourtroom advocacy for legal students inBritain. The winners were David Birrell andSimon Douglas from the University ofLiverpool.

The last of the students receiving theirAwards at Buckingham Palace were MaryWaireri and Caitlin Stevens of St Ursula’sConvent School, Greenwich who were winners of The London Debate ProgrammeChampionships sponsored by Tesco PLC.Mary said "It is quite exciting to visitBuckingham Palace and, because of myinterest in art, it was particularly thrillingfor me to see the many paintings that linethe walls of the grand corridors."

Above: Palesa Mohapi receiving her certificatefrom the Duke of Edinburgh.

Above: L-R Valerie Mitchell, Lord Watson and HRH Prince Philip.

Above: Prince Philip presenting Mary Waireriand Caitlin Stevens, winners of the LondonDebate Programme Championships with their Awards.

Above: The Duke of Edinburgh, Rob Sved, Dawn Ellis and Mila Rendle of Oxford University Press look at the President Award’s winning entry.

England Final of the John Smith Memorial MaceThis year is the 50th Anniversary of theJohn Smith Memorial Mace and the week-end of 29-30 November 2003 saw the firstmajor component of this, the EnglishNational Championships.

The competition was the biggest ever with 56 teams competing. After six roundsof debate, a semi-final and a final in theCommonwealth Institute on the motion

Left: Winners of the John Smith MemorialMace, Harriet Jones-Fenleigh and Nicholas Tan,the University of Cambridge.

"This House believes that the UK shouldprioritise the Commonwealth in its allocation of development aid", the championships were won by Harriet Jones-Fenleigh and Nicholas Tan of the Universityof Cambridge.

The team will go on to represent Englandagainst the winners of the Welsh, Scottishand Irish Championships in theInternational final next year.

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In the wake of the State Visit of PresidentGeorge Bush, and the arrival earlier in theday of President Chirac, the NATOSecretary-General Lord Robertson’s ESUChurchill lecture on 24 November waseagerly awaited. His title was ‘The NewNATO – The Key Transatlantic Partnership’.Lord Robertson focused on NATO’s newrole, its developing relationship withRussia, its importance as the key transat-lantic relationship and the development ofits effective liaison with the European Union.

Before an audience, representing Embassies,High Commissions, Government, ESUmembers and their guests, gathered in theformal surroundings of Merchant Taylors’Hall, Lord Robertson was welcomed by theESU Chairman, Lord Watson of Richmond.He remarked that when Lord Robertsonhad been appointed to NATO everyoneknew that the right man had been found forthe job. Any politician who included in hiscareer successfully negotiating the ScottishWhiskey industry as a trade union leader

would have little trouble navigating thetroubled waters of International diplomacyand so it has proved.

In his speech, Lord Robertson argued thatthe concept of choice between Europe orAmerica, NATO or the EU, multilateralismor unilateralism, was simplistic and damaging. He said that,

…Britain can no more choose betweenEurope and America than you or I canchoose between food and drink. We needboth. As Europe needs the United States,so the United States needs Europe.

…Churchill understood that a strongtransatlantic relationship and a strongEurope were essential components ofpeace and stability, complementary, notcontradictory.

…A former Secretary-General of NATO,Lord Carrington, said that NATO’s strengthwas that members sang in harmony, not inunison. He was right.

…No single organisation can defeat today’sthreats alone. We are stronger and moreeffective when we work closely together.

…Transformation is easy to describe, diffi-cult to do, especially when two dozen or socountries are involved. I am delighted toreport that a year on from Prague that theNATO response force is already in being –and the biggest national contributor so faris … France. Major progress on air tankersand strategic air transport is being made bya consortia lead by Spain and ... Germany.

…President Bush and Tony Blair, togetherwith their European Colleagues, want agenuinely stronger Europe, which rein-forces NATO, because that is the only wayin which the international community…can rise to the challenges of this newCentury.

In his Vote of Thanks, Field Marshall TheLord Inge, former Chief of the General Staffpaid tribute to the inspirational and remark-able leadership of NATO by Lord Robertson,during what must be considered to be a dif-ficult time in NATO’s history.

As is tradition, Lord Watson presented thespeaker of the Churchill Lecture with ‘TheHistory of the English-Speaking Peoples’, bySir Winston Churchill. Lady Soames thenpresented Lord Robertson with theChurchill Medal of Honour saying that shewas both proud and privileged to make thispresentation and that his lecture wouldstrengthen international understanding.

A reception was held following the lecture,which was sponsored by Huntsworth PLC.

The 2003 ESU Churchill Lecture

Above: L-R Lord Chadlington, Chief-Executive Huntsworth PLC, Lady Soames, Lord Robertson and Mr John Foulds, Chairman Huntsworth PLC.

Above: L-R Lord Robertson with Lord Inge.

Above: Lord Robertson with Valerie Mitchell and Lord Watson.

Above: Margarita Mudrak, Chairman ESU RussiaSt Petersburg, talking to Lord Robertson.

Above: Lady Soames with Lord Robertson afterpresenting him with his ESU Churchill Medal of Honour.

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Churchill and the English Language By Piers BrendonIt’s a great honour and a real pleasure tohave been asked to speak on this notableoccasion. But it’s also rather daunting tohave to talk about Sir Winston Churchilland the English language in the presence of Lady Soames – I feel a bit like a curatepreaching in front of the Pope. It’s particu-larly presumptuous because Mary herself is a chip off the old block. As we’ve justheard, her own speeches always transcendthe occasion and turn it into a little piece of history. However, she’s very tolerant.So here goes.

Since the greater the man the greater the apocrypha he attracts, let me start with a story I’ve come across but cannot

authenticate. After a war-time meetingwith Churchill, who had flown home,Franklin Roosevelt and his staff weremulling over what kind of presidentialaddress he should give to report on theirdeliberations. Then someone switched onthe wireless and Churchill’s unmistakabletones resounded over the air waves. He had got his bulletin in first, written, as always, by himself. A White House aide commented: "He rolls his own, Mr President."

If that’s not true it ought to be, for it captures the spirit of the man who, asPresident Kennedy said in 1963, "mobilisedthe English language and sent it into

battle". That line, incidentally, was notwritten by Kennedy or even by his speech-writer. It was lifted from the citation forChurchill’s 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature.But the sentence did not even originatethere. It was formulated perhaps by Ed Murrow or, more probably and lessheroically, by Beverley Nichols.

I mention the Nobel Prize – a unique accolade to which no other Prime Ministerin our history could have aspired with thepossible exception of Disraeli – because we think of Churchill primarily as the warleader who inspired the British people intheir darkest - and finest - hour. Quiteright. But he revived the nation’s dormant

Governors, Trustees, Ambassadors andguests were welcomed by Lord Watson asthey gathered at Dartmouth House on 20November for the inauguration of theChurchill Room.

In her speech, Lady Soames, daughter ofSir Winston Churchill, said “…it is indeedthe right place and a fit way to recognisemy father’s links with the English-SpeakingUnion.

He was Chairman from 1921-24 and from1954 he was Deputy President of the ESUuntil his death. …This long associationmarks a theme, which dominated histhought through much of his public life,namely the importance to the whole worldof the close ties, which should bind togeth-er the English-speaking peoples. …I amgratified that my father’s inspiration and his association with the English-SpeakingUnion – its aims and work – is marked bythe naming of this room in his honour”.

Guests admired the portrait of Sir WinstonChurchill, painted during his term in Officeby John Wilson Jowsey, which now hangsat the top of the Grand Staircase, and hasbeen kindly loaned by Churchill College,Cambridge.

The most poignant moment of the eveningwas when Lord Watson presented LadySoames with the ESU Churchill Medal ofHonour. In accepting the medal, LadySoames was obviously moved by the honour and said “…on many occasions I have been delighted to present thismedal, in memory of my father, neverthinking for one moment that I would be a recipient. I am truly honoured.”

Following the presentation, Lord Watsonencouraged guests to view an exhibition ofChurchill’s life, loaned by Churchill College.

Through the generosity of MonsieurChristian de Billy, Chairman, ChampagnePol Roger, guests enjoyed champagnethroughout the evening.

Dr Piers Brendon, Fellow of ChurchillCollege, Cambridge, spoke at the openingof the Churchill Room at Dartmouth House.His speech is below.

Lady Soames names the Churchill Room

Above: Lady Soames at the exhibition of Churchill’s life at Dartmouth House.

Above: Dr Piers Brendon, Churchill College, andProfessor David Crystal, ESU Governor.

Above: L-R Mrs Anne Collins, Monsieur Christiande Billy and Mr John Roberts.

Above: Lord Watson presenting Lady Soameswith her ESU Churchill Medal of Honour.

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martial spirit largely through oratory, animating it with the famous phrases and passages that live in our memories.Indeed, when Attlee was asked whatChurchill did to win the war, he replied,"Talk about it."

Of course, what he did was at least as vital as what he said. But there was a real sense in which World War II was a war of words and he was a dictator in thesense that he dictated incessantly. DavidCannadine is surely right to say thatChurchill "talked his way to immortality".Certainly Churchill spoke for the nation inhis magnificent speeches, as Attlee himselfacknowledged on Churchill’s 80th birthday.Churchill himself famously replied to thattribute:

If I found the right words, you must remember that I have always earned my living by my pen and by my tongue. It was the nation and a race dwelling all round the globe that had the lion heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.

Let me pose the question asked by FrancisJeffrey of Macaulay: "Where did he get thatstyle?" The answer is that he worked hardat words, for which he had a powerfulaffinity but perhaps less natural ability thaneither his father or his son.

Churchill used to say that he had learnt to write an English sentence (that "noblething") because he had been too stupid tolearn Latin at school. As a subaltern inIndia he went on learning English at itsbest, reading Gibbon and Macaulay duringthe long hot afternoons while his brotherofficers snoozed. He educated himself. Itwas said that he lived with Blue Books andslept with encyclopaedias. He learned towrite with fluency, partiality and virtuosity.The holograph manuscript of his first book,The Story of the Malakand Field Force, is in the Churchill Archives Centre and it isremarkable how few alterations it contains.His books were unashamedly advertise-ments for himself – history would be hisjudge, to repeat his well-worn aphorism,and he would write the history. But hishistory, like that of Tacitus, aspired to thecondition of art.

He also studied the art of rhetoric, sayingthat an orator should employ the best possible words to express his full meaning.He should achieve a balance and rhythm ofphrasing to produce a cadence resemblingblank verse - Churchill’s speeches werelater set out on the page in "psalm form".And he should beat home his argumentwith "a rapid succession of waves of soundand vivid pictures".

In a sense Churchill was always rehearsinghis speeches along these lines. "Certainlyhe is a wonderful talker," said Sir Almeric

Fitzroy, "daring, not to say reckless, butalways with a sub-current of method, striking in phrase, vivid in colour, elegant to the verge of romance, picturesquelyvehement, and at the same time persua-sive." Sometimes he addressed "himself in a looking-glass," Ettie Grenfell recorded,"a sympathetic and admiring audience".

Churchill was well aware of the danger ofbecoming the slave of words rather thantheir master. Sir Robert Menzies later saidthat Churchill’s "real tyrant is the glitteringphrase" and he himself acknowledged thathe sometimes yielded to the temptation to adapt his facts to his phrases. Here are a few of the phrases that captured hisimagination: "The Garden of England"(Kent), "The Pearl of the Antilles" (Cuba),"The hooligan of the Empire" (Natal), "TheLight of Asia" (India), "The olive of thenorth". This was the buckthorn shrub – itsalias literally put Churchill off his strokewhile he was playing golf with Asquith and,when turning it over in his mind and tryingout variations on it, he lost a game he had been winning. Sometimes seductiveformulations, such as the "soft under-bellyof Europe", deluded Churchill and encour-aged his tendency to melodrama and bombast. On the other hand, Churchillcoined a large number of phrases whichadded glory to the language. And he studied to perfect them, trying out differentversions over decades, as he did with hisfamous tribute to "the few": "Never in thefield of human conflict has so much beenowed by so many to so few."

Churchill hammered out words like a literary Vulcan. There are tomes colossal in size and heroic in scope: of The WorldCrisis Balfour said, "Winston has written anenormous book about himself disguised asa history of the universe." There was a vastamount of journalism, by no means all of itephemeral. There were minutes whichwere often lessons in eloquence. Churchillchose the correct terminology: not LocalDefence Volunteers but Home Guard; notCommunal Feeding Centres but BritishRestaurants. He hated euphemism: witness this early minute in which he sarcastically condemned Colonel Lugard'sso-called "pacification" of northern Nigeria:"the whole enterprise is liable to be misrepresented by persons unacquaintedwith Imperial terminology as the murderingof natives and the stealing of their lands."

Churchill demanded clarity, cogency andbrevity of language. He rejected jargon,such as the American term "Top Secret":"Secrecy is not to be measured in altitude.If it were so, many might think 'BottomSecret' would be more forceful and suggestive."

Indeed he was a stickler for precision at alltimes. On one journey his valet Sawyerspointed out that the PM was sitting on

his hot water bottle: "Not a good idea."Churchill replied: "It’s not an idea, it’s acoincidence." But Churchill was not inthrall to magniloquence like, say, LordCurzon, whose words were always a size too big for his thoughts. As LordD’Abernon said, Curzon talked to hisservants in language that would not havedisgraced Cicero addressing the RomanSenate: "Housemaid, throw wide the casement"; "Footman, add fuel to theflame."

Churchill’s collected speeches amount tosome 5 million words and, according toJock Colville, each minute of his great war-time orations cost him an hour’s worthof preparation. In some ways they wererather old fashioned set-pieces: music-hallperformances, so to speak, rather than fire-side chats. Churchill employed archaicterms: "men of valour" performed "feats ofarms". Yet the tenor of his language waswonderfully attuned to the solemnity of themoment. And the idiom was not just sub-lime but authentic, just as neo-classicalarchitecture is authentic.

"One of the reasons why one is stirred by his Elizabethan phrases," wrote VitaSackville-West, "is that one feels the wholemassive backing of power and resolvebehind them, like a great fortress: they arenever words for words’ sake." Moreover, as her husband Harold Nicolson noted, thepurple passages were lightened with flashesof irony. Soaring flights of classical prose,full of antique reverberations, dipped all of a sudden into homely, even earthy, vernacular – "Some chicken … some neck!"The strange emphases, the gruff intimacy,the urchin wit, the comic quirks of pronun-ciation (Narzies for Nazis, and for Gestapothe rude Just-a-pot) - all this and moremade Churchill a spell-binding speaker and left his indelible imprint on the language he loved.

I should like to go on. There’s a fascinatingdissertation to be composed on Churchill’scommand of the French language - hecould only be understood by Frenchmenwith a colloquial knowledge of English.But I must stop. Let me finish with another claim which may or may not becorrect. Churchill loved Kipling’s poetry,which he used to recite in his bath, and hewas not too proud to take literary lessonsfrom a contemporary master. According toDavid Gilmour, the cadences of Churchill’s"we shall fight them on the beaches"speech may have owed something to theseals in the Jungle Book who "fought in thebreakers, they fought on the sand, and theyfought on the smooth-worn basalt rocks ofthe nurseries". It would be marvellous tothink that the laureate of Empire inspiredthat majestic paean of defiance from thechampion of the English-speaking peoples.Once again, if it’s not true it ought to be.

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British Debate Squad visitJapan

Debbie Newman, Head of the Centre forSpeech and Debate, accompanied RachelCarrell and Fiona Dewar (University ofOxford), Alex Ward (University ofNewcastle), and Alex Deane (HonourableSociety of the Middle Temple) in October,for a tour of Japan.

The Squad performed display debates atuniversities and high schools in Tokyo andOsaka and at the ESUJ NationalUniversities Debating Tournament andDebbie Newman delivered seminars andlectures on debate.

There were many opportunities for theBritish students to mix with Japanese

students, who helped them to get a flavourof Japanese culture, by showing themeverything from Buddhist temples toKaraoke bars.

The warm hospitality of everyone at ESUJmade the trip an experience of a lifetimefor everybody involved. One squad member,Rachel Carrell said, "It was an exhaustingand happy week with a truly wonderfulgroup of people, and one I will alwaysremember very fondly. By the end of thetour, the Japanese students had becomefriends as well as hosts."

Many thanks to ESUJ and to the SasakawaFoundation for supporting this valuable trip.

Selection of 2004 EnglandDebate TeamOn the weekend of 18 and 19 October the World Schools Debating Committeeselected the schools debate team whichwill represent England at the World SchoolsDebating Championships in Stuttgart inFebruary 2004. Chosen from 51 applicantsthis year’s team are:

Alexandra Hill (Howard of Effingham School)Sam Block (Dulwich College) Lewis Iwu (St Bonaventure’s RC School)Tom Shinner (Dr Challoner’s Grammar School).

Last year’s team reached the semi-finals of the Championships held in Peru and we have high hopes for this year’s team to continue England’s outstanding record at the Championships.

Lewis Iwu, a team member, was one of thefirst winners of the Tesco London Debate

Programme. Since then he has been activelyinvolved in ESU debating programmes andgave a reading earlier in the year at the 85thAnniversary service at Westminster Abbey.

In speaking about his experience at theselection day, Lewis said, "With over 20schools participating, the atmosphere wasvery tense, but everyone was friendly. Twodebates took place on both days. The fieldwas narrowed down to sixteen on day oneand to eight on day two. A final debatethen took place followed by a one-to-oneinterview with the judging panel. Four teammembers were selected to represent theEngland team. I found that it was one of the toughest debates I have ever participated in but am very excited to havebeen selected to represent England."

Above: The British Debate Squad with students from the International Christian University High School.

What originally started out as a casual conversation between ESU member, GillPrior, and ESU host, Ed Bracher, on an ESUvisit to Bucharest in 1997, has become ahugely successful, well structured, bi-annualprogramme. This most impressive nurseworkshadow scheme helps nurses worldwideto improve their professional skills and English.

Gill was a non-executive director for a NHShospital in Bath, and was involved withSalisbury Hospital and recently close linkshave also been formed with Great WesternHospital, Swindon. Through her contacts, shewas able to arrange a 3-4 week shadowprogramme for fully trained nurses. Visitstake place during the spring and autumn, andto date, paediatric, surgical, mid-wifery andcommunity nurses have visited the UK fromBrazil, Georgia, Latvia, Lebanon and Poland.

This autumn the nurses were Agita Melbarde,a Latvian nurse, and Bayan Kaddoura, aLebanese nurse who spent three weeks at theGreat Western Hospital in Swindon. Thescholarship was funded by voluntary contri-butions arranged by the Salisbury Branch.

The Nurse Workshadow Programme promotesunderstanding and provides a link betweenhospitals and nurses from around the world.Whilst at the hospital, Agita and Bayan, wereable to see Best Practice, improve their Englishand returned to their countries as ESUambassadors. The UK nurses expressedadmiration and respect for their dedication.

Thanks go to Gill Prior, ESU Work NurseProgramme Co-ordinator, for organising this beneficial scheme, The Great WesternHospital in Swindon, for so generously providing accommodation and the Salisbury Branch for their hospitality.

Above: Bayan Theddoura, Cardiac SurgicalNurse, from Makassed General Hospital,Beirut, and Gill Prior, ESU Nurse WorkshadowProgramme, taking a break in Salisbury duringhis work experience at the Great WesternHospital, Swindon.

Sixth successfulyear for NurseWorkshadowProgramme

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The glittering surroundings of theGoldsmiths Hall were the setting for anESU Gala Concert at the beginning ofNovember, held to celebrate the ESU’s85th Anniversary Year. Her Royal HighnessThe Duchess of Gloucester was the Guestof Honour and former ESU music scholar,the ‘cellist Robert Cohen, accompanied byNigel Hutchison, was the guest artist.

The evening began with a champagnereception in the beautiful Drawing andExhibition Rooms, where guests were able to enjoy canapés and Pommery champagne, kindly donated for this special occasion, before the concert in the Livery Hall.

Robert Cohen and Nigel Hutchison played adelightful programme of Bach, Brahms andBeethoven, against the backdrop of theGoldsmiths Company’s dazzling collectionof gold plate. Robert received an ESUscholarship to Tanglewood in the UnitedStates in 1978 and since then has playedat a number of ESU concerts.

Proceeds from the evening will go to support the ESU Music Scholarship programme, founded in 1970 by MrsEdward Norman-Butler. Our thanks go to the sponsors of the evening, BournerBullock and Singer & FriedlanderInvestment Management Ltd and to the Goldsmiths Company for the use of their Hall.

We are also grateful to Pommery for provid-ing the champagne and Mrs MartinMcLaren for providing the flowers. We areindebted to Mrs Edward Norman-Butler,Cllr Mrs Terence Mallinson, Mr NicolasWickham-Irving and all members of theGala Council for their hard work in makingthe evening such a great success.

Gala Concert a success

Above: Pianist Nigel Hutchinson and ‘cellist Robert Cohen.

Above: The Duchess of Gloucester with Mr and Mrs Peter Watts of Bourner Bullock.

Above: Rae Woodland and Nicholas Wickham-Irving with Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester.

Above: L-R Music Scholarship AuditionsChairman Edward Greenfield with Dr John Amis.

Above: Gala Concert Chairman Mrs TerenceMallinson with Richard Killingbeckof Singer & Friedlander Investment Management(left) and Nicholas Hely-Hutchinson (right).

Above: L-R Mrs Clive Wilson, daughter of MrsEdward Norman-Butler, presents The Duchess of Gloucester with a posy of flowers, whileValerie Mitchell and Lord Watson look on.

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Chilton Art History ScholarshipLecture

Gill Hale joinsESU teamOn behalf of the English-Speaking Union,we should like to thank Andrea Wathernwho, after nine years of service to the ESUas the Librarian, has left following the birthof her second child. Andrea contributedimmensely to the library through herknowledge and deep interest in this organi-sation, and played an important role inhelping to establish a working archive roomand to develop the extension of the ESUBooks Across the Sea Scheme into EasternEurope to include Russia, Romania andLatvia. We send her our heartfelt thanks.

We welcome Gill Hale who arrived at theESU at the beginning of November. Gillhas worked in academic libraries, includingThe Girls Day School Trust at Croydon HighSchool and at the now named, SouthbankUniversity for most of her professional life.During the past five years, she has writtenthree books on subjects of EasternPhilosophy and Garden Designs.

Her main interest is the smooth delivery ofinformation via appropriate means, rangingfrom the written word, photos and artefacts

to the latesttechnologicalchannels.

Left: Gill Hale, the new ESULibrarian.

It was a capacity audience who attendedthe lecture given by Sir Hugh Roberts,Director of the Royal Collection andSurveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art, held at Dartmouth House on 6 November.

The lecture was preceded by a lively reception where many friends and supporters of the Chilton Art HistoryScholarship gathered.

Speaking on "The Royal Collection – A BriefSurvey of the Principle Collectors fromHenry VIII to the Present Day", Sir Hugh

Roberts presented some wonderful slides on Royal artefacts, paintings, furniture, jewellery and ceramics. He told the wellinformed audience how the Collection hadbeen acquired and in many cases, howmuch was paid for them.

The lecture, which was introduced by MrsRichard Chilton, was held in aid of the ESUChilton Art History Scholarship, and raisedover £1,400 towards the Scholarship. TheVote of Thanks was given by Lady Luce,former deputy chairman of the ESU.

ESU announces scholarship atWinter Park, FloridaThe English-Speaking Union is pleased to announce that Rollins College in Winter Park,Florida, is again offering the sabbatical scholarship known as the Cole Scholar/English-Speaking Union Drey Lecturer.

This is a unique opportunity to live and work in one of the oldest and most respected institutions of higher learning in the Southern United States.

The successful scholar will teach two courses in the autumn semester at Rollins Collegefrom late August to mid-December 2004. Travel costs and housing will be provided, alongwith a substantial teaching stipend.

Applicants should be holders of a Doctorate or Master’s degree, preferably in economics,psychology, philosophy/ethics or literature.

For further information, and an application form, please contact Mary Dawson, EducationOfficer at Dartmouth House.

Lord Watson’s Visit to StrasbourgESU Strasbourg was delighted to have Lord Watson as the guest-speaker at a dinner on 25 September at the CercleEuropéen in Strasbourg. A capacity audience of sixty-five participants, includingstudents from the International SpaceUniversity in Strasbourg, enjoyed a mosteloquent and stimulating speech on ‘TheNew Europe: "United in Diversity" or inAdversity? The Role of English in Solvingthis Problem’. Lord Watson's main premisewas that English had a very significant partto play in an enlarged Europe but that atthe same time, national languages were ofimportance in this new entity.

As a token of appreciation, Lord Watsonwas presented with a bottle of ESU's ownwine - a Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2000 -imprinted with ESU Strasbourg's own logo,and a copy of ‘Let's Learn English throughAlsatian’, the latest book of Mr Paul Adolf, a member of ESU Strasbourg.

We were also pleased to recognise on thisoccasion Mr Marc Ledoux, another member,as the recipient of the Royal Society ofChemistry's 2004 Century LectureshipsAward for most renowned foreign chemist.

As a result of Lord Watson’s visit, plans arenow in hand to run a conference under theaegis of the ESU in Strasbourg inSeptember 2004.

Above: Lord Watson at the ESU Strasbourg dinner with Margaret Killerby, an ESU Strasbourg member, and three of the students from the International Space University, Brooke Owens (USA),Elizabeth Rogers (Canada) and Bhavini Patel (UK).

Lord Watson was the guest of honour and speaker at a lunch hosted for him byPhornsake Karnchanachari, Chairman ESUThailand, Mrs Karnchanachari and theCommittee of ESU Thailand, at the BritishClub in Bangkok on 20 October.

Lord Watson was in Bangkok on businessand during his visit ESU Thailand alsoorganised a tour of Bangkok including Jim Thompson’s House and the VimanmekTeakwood Mansion.

Left: Lord Watson with members of the ESU Thailand Committee. Front Row: (L-R) Mr Peter Schuler, Vice-Chairman, Mr PhornsakeKarnchanachari, Chairman, Lord Watson, and Mrs Lalivan Karnchanachari, HonorarySecretary.

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ESU Thailand welcomes Lord Watson

Above: ESU Zlotow, with the support of ESU Poland and the Anglo-American-Polish Association, has begun a project to build up theEnglish collections in the two local libraries. Michael Senter,Chairman of ESU Poland, opening the new English section of theZlotow main public library, with Mrs Zofia Nowicka (left) representingthe Mayor, and Mrs Monika Klein (right), library director, andGrzegorz Lubina (far right), Chairman of ESU Zlotow.

Mrs Valerie Mitchell welcomed guests from nine different countriesto an International At Home event at Dartmouth House on 12November. Guests included members of the international diplomaticand business communities in London.

International At Home

Above: L-R Mrs Marina Nikitovic, Mrs Sue Bull, Mr Ronnie Raymond Cox,Mrs Margarita Ozerova, Mrs Hugh Stirling, Seated L-R Mrs RonnieRaymond Cox and Mrs Marija Senjur, wife of the Slovenian Ambassador.

ESU Poland SupportsLocal Libraries

SSE Thanksgiving DinnerThirty-eight North American and BritishSSE scholars made their way to DartmouthHouse on November 21 to celebrateThanksgiving together. The hungry travellerstucked into a splendid supper with traditional turkey and dressing followed by pumpkin pie.

Earlier in the day a briefing had been heldfor the UK two term scholars taking uptheir scholarships at US high schools inJanuary. Alumni of the programme and

current US scholars helped to make the day fun as well as informative and we wish them the best of luck over the next six months.

The SSE gap year scholarships enableBritish and North American students tospend a year studying at a school across the Atlantic. If you would like more information or application forms, pleasecontact Mary Dawson, Education Officer at Dartmouth House.

Above: Cyprian Vella (right), ESU Alumnus,enjoying dinner with US SSE Scholars atDartmouth House.

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The ESU is delighted to announce that theflags of ESU countries will fly at DartmouthHouse on their National Days. This pro-gramme was initiated to coincide with theNational Day of Lebanon on 22 November.

The ESU received HE Mr Jihad Mortada,the Lebanese Ambassador, together withthe Chairman of ESU Lebanon, MrsYoumna Asseily. A small reception washeld in his honour hosted by Mrs Valerie

Mitchell, Director-General, and Mr AlexFinnis, Chairman, National Committee forEngland and Wales.

Amongst the guests was Mrs Gill Prior whohad just organised the Nurse WorkshadowProgramme, in which a young Lebanesenurse from Beirut had participated. HisExcellency also had the opportunity to meetESU supporters and key members of staffwho had links with the Lebanon.

Lebanese flag flies at Dartmouth House

The English-Speaking Union of the United States will host the nextWorld Members’ Conference in New York City, October 6 - 10, 2004.It will be a four-day fest of stimulating discussion and exchange ofideas with ESU members from all over the world, and the ESU UShas invited renowned writers and scholars to speak and participate.

Between conference sessions, you’ll be able to explore this vibrantcity with ESU friends. Renowned museums and galleries, instantlyrecognizable landmarks, world-class restaurants, shopping opportunities that range from street peddlers to high-end designerboutiques, and every conceivable kind of music and theater experience are not the only reasons why millions of visitors returnto this inimitable city year after year.

Programmatic plans include the launch of the ESU of the UnitedStates’ new educational initiative, an international co-operative venture that will involve an Internet component and would accommodate a diverse group of English speakers at varying skilllevels. The Conference will allow both American and global partners to meet and discuss current and future collaboration.

Conference highlights will include dinner at the Yale Club, withspectacular views of the city; the 2004 Ambassador Book Award

ceremony, bringing together authors, publishers, poets and critics to celebrate the American books selected to be shipped to ESUs around the world; and a closing dinner at the historic EllisIsland Immigration Museum, with the Statue of Liberty and themagnificent New York skyline as the backdrop.

The World Members’ Conference will be held at the RooseveltHotel, East 45th Street and Madison Avenue. Although New York is"the city that never sleeps," you may want to, – so reserve a roomright away. Hotel rooms have been reserved at two rates: $179and $139. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis andshould be made by phone: country code + 001 + 212-661-9600or fax: country code + 001 + 212-885-6162. Please specify thatyou are a member of The English-Speaking Union. We have alsoset aside a small number of rooms at the Vanderbilt YMCA, on East47th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues – an easy walk to theRoosevelt. Rates are $60 for a single, $70 for a double, both witha shared bath. YMCA Reservations should be made on-line to theESU of the US at: patpeters@esuus.org. For registration material,please write, call, e-mail or fax: The English-Speaking Union, BranchServices, 144 East 39th Street, New York, NY 10016, phone:212-818-1200, fax: 212-867-4177, email: info@esuus.org

New York welcomes the world

Above: Valerie Mitchell, HE Mr Jihad Mortada, Youmna Asseily and Alex Finnis.

Above: The Lebanese flag flying at DartmouthHouse.

The Launch of ESU Korea will take place on Thursday 15 April 2004 and a programme of events will be organised around this date.Contact: Helen Green

The 2004 ESU Churchill Lecture will take place on Tuesday 26 October at 6.15pm at Guildhall with guest speaker Senator George MitchellContact: Sarah Spinney

The World Members Conference will take place in New York between 6-10 October 2004See contacts in article above

2004 will be an important year for the ESU…

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Unless otherwise stated we regret that no refunds can be made for cancellations within seven working days of an event.

For members: We accept payment for Dartmouth House events andmembership subscriptions by credit/debit cards. Cards bearing Visa,

Master-Card, Maestro, Switch, Solo or Delta symbols can now be used to make bookings by post, telephone or email.

DARTMOUTH HOUSE Telephone : 020 7529 1550

Diary Dates

ADVANCE NOTICE

JANUARY

Wednesday March at 7.00pmDebating Society meeting at Dartmouth House‘Democratising the Middle East’Contact: James Probert

Wednesday 14 January at 10.30-11.30amAt Home at Dartmouth HouseMembers and their friends are invited to coffee at Dartmouth House Contact: Jacqueline Abbott

FEBRUARY

Tuesday 3 February at 7.00pmThe music critic and broadcaster Edward Greenfield will give a lecture evening in aid of the Music Scholarship FundTickets: £10Contact: Tim Rolph

Wednesday 4 February at 7.30pmDebating Society meeting at Dartmouth House‘The House would re-elect George W Bush’Contact: James Probert

Wednesday 11 February at 10.30-11.30amAt Home at Dartmouth HouseMembers and their friends are invited to coffee at Dartmouth House Contact: Jacqueline Abbott

Thursday 19 February at 7.00pmThe author Leonie Frieda will present her new biography ofCatherine de Medici at a Literary Lecture at Dartmouth HouseTickets: £5.50Contact: Tim Rolph

MARCH

Wednesday 3 March at 7.30pmDebating Society meeting at Dartmouth House‘This House supports the right of deaf couples to have deaf children’Contact: James Probert

Monday 8 March at 3.00pm Commonwealth Day Observance 2004Held at Westminster Abbey, admission is by ticket only. A limitednumber of tickets are available to ESU members. Names of all ticket holders must be submitted. Apply now for tickets, which willbe available at the end of February. Please enclose a stampedaddressed envelope with your applicationContact: Jacqueline Abbott

Wednesday 10 March at 10.30-11.30amAt Home at Dartmouth HouseMembers and their friends are invited to coffee at Dartmouth House Contact: Jacqueline Abbott

Thursday 11 March at 7.00pmAn Insider’s View of Latin American Experience: A Novelist’sPerspectiveSanta Montefiore will speak about her love of Latin America and theinspiration provided for her four novels. Her talk will include scenesfrom her books, set against the panorama of Chile and ArgentinaTickets: £5.50Contact: Tim Rolph

Wednesday 24 March 7.00pmArmenian Evening of traditional Dance and Poetry£7.50 to include a wine receptionContact: Helen Green

Thursday 6 May at 7.00pmLiterary Lecture at Dartmouth House. Historian Andrew Roberts will present his new book What If…Not? which examines alternativeoutcomes to turning points in historyTickets: £5.50Contact: Tim Rolph

Friday 14 MayThe International Public Speaking Competition will take place withheats at Dartmouth House in the morning and the final at SouthAfrica House, Trafalgar Square, in the afternoon. The competition is sponsored by HSBC Holdings plcContact: Helen Green

The ESU is looking for members to host participants for the weekend 15-17 May. If you are interested, or would like to discusswhat is involved in the homestay programme, please contact Helen Sender

ESU American Arts Scholarship to Attingham

Lecture Series 2004

Proceeds from the lectures support an ESU scholar at AttinghamTime: 7.00pmCost: £7.50 (to include wine)Contact: Tim Rolph

16 March 2004Rainer Towle Mack, Manager of Education at the Villa J Paul GettyMuseum from 2003, on "A New Home for Antiquities: The Getty Villain Malibu re-opening in 2005"

24 June 2004Bruce Robertson, Professor Art History Department University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara; and Chief Curator Center for American ArtLos Angeles County Museum of Art, on "High Culture in the WildWest: the Development of Art Museums in the American West"

24 Sept 2004Thomas Michie, since 1991 Curator of Decorative Arts at theMuseum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, on "Cargo andAdventure: Rhode Island and the China Trade 1700 – 1900"

17 Nov 2004Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Anthony W. and Lulu C Wang Curator ofAmerican Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum, New York,on "Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1848-1933, Interior Designer,Glassmaker, Metalworker and Jeweller Extraordinaire"

Telephone : 020 7529 1550 Fax : 020 7495 6108 Email : esu@esu.org Web : www.esu.org12

Westminster Abbey, Thursday 26 June 2003

SOUVENIR VIDEO ORDER FORM

If you would like a unique reminder of this special service please complete the video order form below. Videos are priced at £15 each, additional copies £12 each, + P&P (£1 UK / £2 Europe / £2.50 Overseas per video)

ESU 85th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving

NAME: CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER:

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NB. The video will come in a format suitable for the country in which you live. If you would like to receive a video in a different format, please advise us accordingly.

I enclose a cheque, made payable to the English-Speaking Union, for £_____________ or, Please charge my Visa/Mastercard. We regret that telephone orders cannot be accepted.

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PLEASE RETURN THE COMPLETED FORM TO: Sarah Spinney, Communications Officer, The English-Speaking UnionDartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED. Email: sarah_spinney@esu.org Fax: +44 (0)20 7495 6108

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Published by the English-Speaking Union, Registered Charity No. 273136 Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London W1J 5ED Tel : 020 7529 1550 Fax : 020 7495 6108 Email : esu@esu.org Web : www.esu.orgProduced by Accountability PR, Tel : 020 7247 0367 Design by Carbonari, Tel : 01392 215 993

If you would like to support the ESU’s ever increasing educationalprogramme by a donation or a legacy in your Will, please contactJo Wedderspoon at Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street,

London, W1J 5ED, telephone 020 7529 1550, email jo_wedderspoon@esu.org. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

The ESU needs your help