ABS News August 2023

August 2023

Editorial
Presidential Message - "ABS Corporate member" but not "corporate"
ABS Events July 2023
Save-the-date: Biennial General Meeting - Sept 11, 2023
Lately it Happened at the ABS
The Last Page

EDITORIAL

Dear Members and Friends of the ABS,

You are not mistaken: It is definitely the week of the Austro-British Society's summer break. But this does not prevent us from summarising the July events for you as our distinguished members.

Have a wonderful summer season and enjoy some time off! And we from the ABS promise: We will return in a few weeks with a fantastic autumn event schedule.

Yours, Jochen Ressel,

ABS Secretary General & ABS News Editor-in-Chief

PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

An ABS Corporate member, but not necessarily "corporate"

I have already written about the importance and appreciation we, as ABS, have for our corporate members in the last issues of ABS News. Today, I would like to add something significant:

This special type of membership is called "ABS Corporate member", but this does not mean that it can only be acquired by "corporates" in the truest sense of the word. Individuals and individual companies can also apply for this membership, which comes with unique benefits if they want to support the ABS in a particular way.

I want to highlight one example today: The well-known ORF- (and therefore also ABS-) astrologer Eva Vaskovich-Fidelsberger, whom you know not only from television but also many ABS Events and who is interviewed in countless Seitenblicke reports on our events, is closely connected with us - and among other things as an ABS Corporate member, even though she is a one-woman-show. We appreciate her support very much and would be happy if you followed her example. I am at your disposal for any information!

And to conclude my short message: I also wish you a wonderful summer season!

Prof KR Dr Kurt Tiroch
ABS President

ABS EVENTS JULY 2023

A Review of Outstanding July Events

We concluded the pre-summer season with three beautiful events we organised in July. Find here the links to all reviews and to many photos:

JULY 1, 2023:

British Car Excursion

We visited the Göttweig Monastery and the Morgan importer.

CLICK HERE FOR THE EVENT REPORT

JULY 19, 2023:

Photo Exhibition - Beatles

It was a fantastic special event in the photo gallery WestLicht.

CLICK HERE FOR THE EVENT REPORT

JULY 21, 2023

Prince George Birthday Party

An unforgettable event that our members experienced at Cafe Ministerium.

CLICK HERE FOR THE EVENT REPORT

ABS BIENNIAL GENERAL MEETING

Please note this important date in your calendar:

Save-the-date: September 11, 2023

At the ABS General Meeting, which is held every two years in accordance with the Articles of Association, those members who have paid their current membership fee by the cut-off date of August 28, 2023 are eligible to attend.

At the General Meeting...

... the activities of the past two years,
... the membership development and
... the financial development are presented
and submitted to the members for confirmation.
In addition, the proposal for the Board of Directors for the next two years is presented and subsequently voted on.

You will receive the invitation with the detailed agenda in due time shortly.

Following the official part of our Biennial General Meeting 2023, the host and our Honorary President, Dr Emil Brix, Director of the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, will give us an fascinating lecture on the topic "History matters - Why Great Britain and Austria deal with history differently" (in German language).

Add ABS General Meeting to your calendar

LATELY IT HAPPENED AT THE ABS

"What? Who? What was the name?"

As you may know, any application for membership in the Austro-British Society is voted on at the ABS Board meetings. This requires that new members are also briefly discussed at the meeting - how the new member heard about the ABS and from whom, who of the ABS Board members knows the applicant, and what information has been shared by the applicant in the membership application.

Of course, this is precisely what happened at one of the recent board meetings. Our Deputy General Secretary took the new membership applications at the relevant agenda item and started reading out the first application. Afterwards, someone from the floor spoke up and said, "Yes, I have known this person for many years, and I support the application", and added some information, whereupon a vote was taken, and the application was unanimously accepted.

When the Deputy Secretary General picked up the following application, he said the name aloud and read the extensive application information, "I have been invited by President Tiroch." This was followed by.... perplexed silence. Our esteemed President - engrossed in his documents - did not feel immediately addressed. After a short silence, a cautious "Mr President?" followed. At this point, he looked up, startled and said: "What? Who? What was the name?" So he repeated the name and the applicant's information, "I was invited by President Tiroch." Our President's extensive and extremely helpful information followed this: "I have no idea who you are talking about."

After the laughter had died down, it was quickly determined who it was and at which event in the past the person had been a guest. In no time, the application's background was clarified, and the board could positively confirm the admission. However, everyone there will never forget it: The once-in-a-lifetime moment of seeing our President perplexed! Lucky us!

by Jochen Ressel