On Saturday 1 December 2018 seventy members and guests of both the NSW Dickens Society and the Australian Brontë Association gathered together to celebrate a Victorian Christmas lunch in Cellos Grand Dining Room at the Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, Sydney. Opened in 1927 and now one of the last grand dining rooms in Sydney, Cellos is a wonderful example of period architecture, restored in exact detail to its original 1920′s Art Deco style.
NSWDS President Louise Owens and ABA President Christopher Cooper welcomed us all; Christopher reading out a message from the ABA Patron Professor Christine Alexander who wasn’t able to join us. This was followed by various entertainments and readings including one by Geoff Usher from A Christmas Carol.
Our pop-up The Old Curiosity Shop had many items for sale and the usual raffle offered a total of twenty one prizes including various books about Dickens, the Brontës, a couple of offerings of Boz in Oz wine, and two CDs of Carols and Songs sung by David Yardley.
New friendships were made and old friendships renewed while everyone enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the Christmas season together. We left in a festive mood, all looking forward to our first meeting of the New Year on Saturday 2nd February and our Dickens’ birthday celebration around his statue in Centennial Parklands to celebrate “The Inimitable’s” 207th birthday on 7th February.
Photos by Shane Rozario @shanerozario – https://shanerozario.com/
NSW Dickens Society 