President’s & AGM Report, 2025

I am pleased to report on another busy and eventful year.

Our History Festival talk in May was a highlight. Ruth Walter gave an excellent presentation about the costumes of the Wends. The demonstration of the dressing of a bride for a Wendish wedding was fascinating and the large audience was captivated. Thanks go to Ruth’s friend for modelling the dress. Thanks also to Marie Brazier for making the arrangements with the Burnside Library to hold this.

Also in May, Ruth Walter and Pauline Burger told the story of our Wendish Pioneer Heritage Trail at the German Heritage seminar at Tanunda. We will hear that story again today after the business session.

In June we had a virtual trip to Lusatia, presented by Jane Lutt, Jenny Sorell and Lorraine Kempf, who recently visited the Wendish areas. Seeing the famous Easter riders was a special treat. Thank you for sharing your special holidays with us.

People continue to enjoy meeting socially over a Saturday lunch and we will continue these. The Earl of Leicester Hotel has proved to be a most suitable location for these lunches which were held in November, February and June.

We were pleased to meet Reinhard and Sibylle Noack from Cottbus at our lunch in November. And Gemma Hennig was especially thrilled to get the Wendish doll she had ordered through them.

The linden tree we planted at Peters Hill has survived another dry summer, thanks again to help from the Friends of Peters Hill Church to keep it watered.

Our newsletter continues to advertise our meetings and provide information about Wendish history and culture. We always welcome any contributions. Andrew Kollosche continues to maintain our website which contains many interesting items. We thank him for this.

In September we are expecting the arrival of two Wendish girls from Werben in Lower Lusatia. Anna and Vera will be spending up to 6 weeks in South Australia before moving to Victoria and on to NSW and Queensland. We have arranged a meeting for Sunday 28 September, at which they will share their Wendish culture with us and also show us a Wendish costume they will bring with them. I will send out more information later.

A day trip to Light Pass in the Barossa is being organised for Saturday 18 October. Light Pass has a number of places of interest: 2 Lutheran churches, 2 cemeteries, and 2 cottages (the Luhrs cottage museum and the Rechner cottage, an early pug building which has recently been renovated).

The long-awaited book about the Wends in South Australia has been published at last. I am delighted to announce that it will be launched a little later today and you can buy it for $25. This has been long-drawn out project, but I am convinced that we have a much better result from our careful checking and rewriting over the years. Thanks go to the writers (Marie Brazier, Pauline Burger, Ruth Walter, Eric & Ruth Fiebig, Brian Hennig, Dennis Jenke and Lyall Kupke), and especially to Pauline Burger and Ruth Walter who kept it all together and arranged all the printing. I know there are many people waiting for this book. I thank you for your patience. I feel sure you will not be disappointed.

Finally, I wish to thank all the members of our committee for the time and effort they willingly give. We must especially thank our efficient Secretary Pauline Burger, our reliable Treasurer Leona Coleman, and our book salesperson Ruth Walter, for their extra work. And we are always looking for new members to come onto the committee.

Lyall Kupke
10 Aug 2025