BRANCHES
South West
BATH & DISTRICT
Tuesday 8 October, 2013 - We held a
Lunch at the Bath & County Club with
guest speaker Mr Michael Brotherton
MBE, an ESU Member, who was an
MP during the Heath and Thatcher
Administrations. After a delicious twocourse lunch, we listened whilst Michael
told us of his trials and tribulations
finding a Parliamentary seat to fight
in order to fulfil his ambition to be a
Member of Parliament. We are looking
forward to inviting him back to tell us
what happened when he finally arrived
in Westminster.
Wednesday 4 September - We joined
with the Bath Royal Commonwealth
Society at Tyning End, by kind
permission of ESU Member Mrs Alison
Furber, when Tony Coverdale gave a
talk on Saltford Brass Mill and its links
with the Commonwealth. Saltford Brass
Mill is situated on the banks of the
River Avon and is the only surviving
building from the eighteenth century,
still with a furnace and working water
wheel remaining, making brass and
copper goods.
Wednesday 25 September - ESU
members attended a ceremony to
celebrate Admiral Arthur Phillip’s
Birthday, at Bathampton Church outside
Bath, where he was buried and there is
an Australian Chapel. Children from the
local Bathampton Primary School were
given an insight into Phillip’s epic voyage
to Australia in the eighteenth century
by his biographer. Michael Pembroke.
The Rev. Paul Burden presided, and the
Australian Deputy High64 | dialogue
Commissioner laid a wreath. Afterwards,
there was a Reception & Lunch at the
Guildhall, Bath.
Bath and district
EXETER & DISTRICT
At the AGM, the newly elected
Chairman, Mr Lynn Samuel welcomed
Satish Kumar the former monk and
long term peace activist. Satish gave
a very inspirational talk about his
campaigning for peace. He was just
nine when he left home and joined the
Jains, whose philosophy is not to harm
any living creature. Satish was inspired
by the works of Bertrand Russell and
when he was eighteen he left the Jain
community and embarked on an 8000
mile peace pilgrimage.
At the September meeting, Martyn
Heighton, former Chief Executive of the
Mary Rose Trust and curre