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EDITORIAL
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- Editorial: New Kid on the Block
- Presidential Message: Volunteering and Community Work Bring Happiness and Confidence
- Remembering September 2025
- October Events
- Vice President's Corner: Subject: “They Don’t Believe Me”
- The Last Page
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Dear Members and Friends of the ABS,
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may I introduce myself - my name is Wolfgang Buchta and I have been a member of the ABS nearly since the beginning, but here I am the "New Kid on the Block". At the recent the Biennial General Meeting I got promoted from Deputy Treasurer to Secretary General - what an honour! Thank you Mr. President, thank you all our members who voted for the new board!
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And a big thank you to Jochen Ressel who did a great job for many years - I will try to fill the big shoes he left me and I am looking forward to your feedback and will always be open to your suggestions.
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All the best and see you all at the next ABS event(s)
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Wolfgang M. Buchta
ABS Secretary General
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PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE
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Volunteering and Community Work Bring Happiness and Confidence
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“Everyone is the architect of their own fortune” – a proverb that may contain more truth than one might assume. For me personally, it has always held true. A recent survey of more than 3,000 people in Austria, Germany and Switzerland provides compelling empirical evidence.
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Sixty-five per cent describe themselves as satisfied. Among those who are not involved in any form of voluntary work, the figure falls to just 56 per cent, whereas it rises to 78 per cent among those who are engaged. Seventy-seven per cent of volunteers report feeling happy (compared with 63 per cent of the general population), and two-thirds say they have made new friendships through their voluntary activities. Seventy-two per cent describe themselves as optimists (the figure among non-volunteers is a mere 49 per cent). Volunteering also seems to foster resilience: nearly seven in ten volunteers feel equipped to face challenges, while this applies to only 49 per cent of others.
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I did not need empirical proof for this thesis, yet it is still striking to see how marked the differences appear between those who volunteer and those who do not. My appeal is therefore clear: let us in the ABS continue our work with commitment and joy – after all, who would not wish to enjoy greater happiness and confidence?
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August is the traditional ABS Summer Break so Mr. President and all the board were back in full strength with three highlight in September.
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Highlight No.1: Biennial General Meeting
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The ABS Autumn Season started with the Biennial General Meeting at the Diplomatischen Akademie which is both a legal requirement to do and a pleasure as it's a chance to see so many of you - Thanks for turning up!
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Highlight No.2: Willkommen im Zuhause britischer Automobilkunst!
On 22 September 2025, the ABS was a guest at Frey Luxury Cars, where not only the latest models from Aston Martin and McLaren were on display (and available for purchase), but also, for the first time, sports cars by Morgan – completing the British trilogy: elegance, uncompromising sporting spirit, and masterful craftsmanship.
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Highlight No.3: Port Wine Tasting at Porto Vino – PORT Wein Bar & Shop
In 18th-century England, Port was almost as important as Parliament itself. In the London clubs it flowed in abundance – just as it did for corporate and board members of the ABS at Porto Vino – PORT Wine Bar & Shop on Dornbacherstraße 107.
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October will see "only" three ABS events, but it will be "some" events!
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- Trip to Saudi Arabia with meeting The Prince
- Saudi Arabia
- Booked out!
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- KUONI Event - Talk on „Botswana“ - the destination for the next ABS journey next Autumn
- Kuoni, Kärtnerring
- Invitation to follow
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- Talk by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Forgó on Artificial Intelligence
- Location and Invitation to follow
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Subject: “They Don’t Believe Me”
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A senior officer of the Federal Army, military historian, brilliant and unsparing analyst of the war in Ukraine and of the threat posed to Europe by Russia, gave a lecture the other day on the more than precarious security situation of our continent and on the alarming possible consequences for Austria as well.
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Europe, faced with the increasingly uncertain protection of the United States and the menace posed by Russia from the eastern flank deep into Western Europe, stands completely defenceless.
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The seriousness of the situation — and this is not scaremongering but sober fact, also for Austria — has so far not penetrated the minds of the majority of the population.
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The remarks were extraordinarily forceful, coherent and persuasive, delivered by a figure uniquely qualified to speak on the matter.
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And yet, the conclusion of the senior officer at the end of his lecture was: “Only, they don’t believe me.”
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A more depressing statement I can hardly imagine.
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by former Ambassador Alexander Christiani
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Account name: Österreichisch-Britische Gesellschaft | Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG | IBAN: AT422011184479592100 | BIC: GIBAATWWXXX
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Für den Inhalt verantwortlich: Wolfgang M. Buchta
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