Saturday 5th June

Greg Czechura

On the Wings of Avenging Angels: The Winged Horsemen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Cavalry have long been the pride of the Polish Army.  From around the early 16th century to the early 18th century, the mailed first of the armies of the Polish and Lithuanian Commonwealth were the Husaria: the winged cavalry or "winged horsemen".  These well trained and elite heavy cavalry units evolved from the light cavalry required to fight the fluid battles along the Commonwealth’s eastern fronteirss.  They employed a variety of weapons but their ultimate weapon may have been psychology.  In addition to armour, the Husaria also wore wooden wings bristling with feathers attached to their shoulders or saddles and long lances decorated with long silk pennants.  They even sometimes painted their horses red and white!  A mass of charging Husaria relied on colour, movement and sound to unnerve their enemies.

This talk will provide an introduction to these most remarkable and spectacular warriors.

Pilgrimage – A Walk for Winchester

Saturday 28^th August

Michael Strong

Reconstructing lost landscapes of southeast Queensland; current work using archaeology and ethnohistory as a tool for the future

The basic element of Aboriginal social structure was the clan – an extended family group usually numbering up to about 120 people.  However, there is considerable confusion about ‘tribal’ boundaries and this has led to major issues with native title and cultural heritage.

Michael will talk about the social life and archaeology of Aboriginal people in southeast Queensland.  As an archaeologist, he has been pioneering a process of reconstructing Aboriginal cultural boundaries and landscapes in southeast Queensland using a technique he has created known as PLACE Modelling.

This predictive tool utilises some 100 different criteria to determine potential archaeological site locations.  However, it is based on regional ecosystems and the resources they offer and this led to a hypothesis as to whether it could be used for reconstructing former clan territories that will differ from the modern political land claims but provide a greater understanding of land use and social networks.  Not everyone will agree with this controversial hypothesis and it should be regarded solely as a tool — albeit the most up-to-date reconstruction current — for helping reconstruct past lifeways.

Saturday 9th October

Jeff Hopkin-Weise

Blood Brothers: the Anzac genesis – Australia and its vital roles in the New Zealand (or Maori) Wars of the 1840s and 1860s

By the middle of the nineteenth century, the very existence of European colonial settlement in New Zealand appeared to be under threat.  With Queen Victoria’s Imperial forces stretched thinly across the globe, the colony of New Zealand could not rely on British military forces alone, but now looked to its sister colonial states in Australia for support in its campaigns and wars against the Maori people.  This lecture deals with wars that plagued New Zealand, but will primarily explore the largely forgotten or ignored support that New Zealand derived from Australia, and shows just how strong the ties uniting the two countries were prior to World War One.  It will also delve into colonial Queensland’s contributions to these wars being waged across the Tasman.  Blood Brothers: the Anzac Genesis was released by Penguin and Wakefield Press in 2009.  This lecture will tap into the research and findings of its author and tonight’s speaker, and show how the military, social and economic brotherhood later embodied in the notion of Anzac spirit, began not on the sandy beaches of Gallipoli but 50 years earlier in the damp forests and fields of the North Island of New Zealand.

A Medieval Christmas – Gregorian Advent

As the sun sets over the Australian bush, the ancient sound of chants is heard drifting from the Abbey Church with its remarkable medieval stained glass windows.  This annual event has now become a highlight in the FOTAM calendar.  It is without doubt a magical evening of Gregorian Chanting held in the beautiful candlelit Abbey Church.  Schola Cantorum, Brisbane’s leading Gregorian Chant Choir, presents an evening of Medieval Christmas and Advent Gregorian Chant.  Do not miss this opportunity to hear this ancient music within the ambience of the Abbey Church.

The chanting recital is followed by a light supper of medieval delicacies in the Abbey Hall.