Recorded meetings

Like most organisations, JASA has been unable to hold our regular meetings for many months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As Sydney emerged from strict lockdown practices, the JASA committee worked within health and safety guidelines to arrange small group meetings. These meetings were recorded on video to reach members who were not able to be there in person. Please enjoy these ‘virtual’ meetings.

The small group of people in attendance at these meetings. adhered to safe Covid-19 practices.

June 2021 meeting

Social distancing restrictions continue to impact JASA meetings and the June 2021 meeting was held on Saturday 19th June with a limited number of members in attendance by booking only.

Covid also prevented our guest speaker from travelling to NSW, so we were very fortunate that Dr Michael Olsson stepped in, almost at the very last minute (what a true Austen hero!), to speak to us on ‘The British Army in Jane Austen’s time’. Members of the British army, both militia and regular army, play a prominent role in two of Jane Austen’s works, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Dr Michael Olsson will provide insights into aspects of the army in Jane Austen’s time, illustrating them with references to characters from the novels.

Dr Olsson is a widely published information/communication researcher with a passion for history, literature, fencing, martial arts and horsemanship – at least some of which will hopefully prove useful to the talk!

Please enjoy the feature talk from our limited June meeting.

April 2021 meeting

Once again restrictions have impacted a JASA meeting, although numbers are increased. The April 2021 meeting was held on Saturday 17th April with a limited number of members in attendance by booking only. It was great that we could offer afternoon tea this time!

At this meeting, we were entertained by Rachel Givney presenting ‘The Heart or the pen: Jane Austen’s Choice’.

After loving reading Jane Austen as a teenager, Rachel Givney felt saddened when she discovered that the writer of such beautiful love stories never married or had children. She wondered, must a female artist be single and/or unhappy to create art? And if Jane Austen had to choose between the heart and the pen, which would she choose? That’s how her novel, Jane in Love was born. Rachel talked about what inspired her novel and how marriage and family might have impacted Jane Austen’s career.

Rachel Givney is an award-winning writer and filmmaker originally from Sydney, Australia. She’s written for many of Australia’s most beloved and critically acclaimed shows including Offspring, McLeod’s Daughters, All Saints, and The Warriors. Jane in Love is her first novel.

Please enjoy the feature talk from our limited April meeting.

February 2021 meeting

Once again restrictions have impacted a JASA meeting. The February 2021 meeting was held on Saturday 20th February with a small group of members in attendance, all adhering to safe Covid practices.

At this meeting, we entertained by Monida Jarman presenting ‘Universals and Particulars – Pride and Prejudice Retellings from Around the World’. She asks us to consider the stereotypical Jane Austen fan. What does this person look like? What gender? Age? Socioeconomic status? … “I would bet,” she says, “that the majority of people imagine a typical Austen fan as female, middle-aged or older, and middle class. She is also likely white.”

JASA hopes all members and their loved ones remain well and safe. Please enjoy the feature talk from our ‘virtual’ February meeting.

October 2020 meeting

Once again restrictions have impacted a JASA meeting. The October meeting was held on Saturday 17th October with only a small group of members in attendance, all adhering to safe Covid practices. As we did in August, the whole meeting has been recorded on video.

This month, we were lucky to have the wonderful Walter Mason present his talk on headaches and ill health in Jane Austen’s time. Were headaches just for malingerers? Watch and see.

JASA hopes all members and their loved ones remain well and safe. Please enjoy our ‘virtual’ October meeting.

August 2020 meeting

“Let me introduce you to a heroine. Her name was Dorothy Gwynnyd Darnell. It is thanks to this remarkable woman that we can today visit the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton.”

These words marked the beginning of a memorable feature talk. In a first for the Jane Austen Society of Australia, the whole of the meeting held on Saturday 15th August 2020 was recorded on live video.

Like most organisations, JASA has been unable to hold our regular meetings for many months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, as we emerge from strict lockdown practices, the JASA committee worked within health and safety guidelines to arrange this meeting. The small group of people in attendance adhered to safe Covid-19 practices and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be together again in person while sharing our common bond.

JASA hopes all members and their loved ones are well and safe. Please enjoy this ‘virtual’ meeting.