A very successful Annual Convention was held in Melbourne by the Australian Section of the Theosophical Society during January. The Australian delegates were joined for the week by the current and former Vice-Presidents of the New Zealand Section, as well as one Australian member who is resident in New Zealand and another Australian member who is resident in Switzerland. The theme of “Theosophical Insights and the Contemporary World” was explored in various ways.
Group photo
The public talk by key speaker Professor Richard Silberstein, whose professional area of speciality is neuroscience, was particularly well received in a packed hall. He spoke on ‘Intuition: a Transpersonal and Neuroscience Perspective’.
The other key speaker was Dr. Jenny McFarlane. Jenny is an art historian, curator and writer who advises on a number of public collections in Canberra, Australia’s capital. She spoke about the influence of the Theosophical Society on a number of Australian Artists and had a book on this subject published in 2012. At the end of her talk she mentioned that the members in Australia could be proud of their heritage.
From left to right: Linda Oliveira, Jenny McFarlane and Dianne Kynastone
A variety of other items on the programme included talks, two evening musical concerts, an interview by the National President with two long-time members, workshops, a day outing to some seaside towns and a workshop for Lodge/Branch Committee members.
All in all it was a happy and vibrant week. TS members from other countries are welcome to attend Australian Conventions and can watch the Section’s website for details around the middle of each year: www.austheos.org.au