Twenty four ”wisemen” (and their partners) of the Australian Chapter retreated to the beautiful river land of Wiseman’s Ferry, 40 km northwest of Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) on 10–13 October 2011, for the Chapter’s 6th Annual Reunion and Annual General Meeting (AGM). The scenery was stunning, as the Australis Resort overlooks a golf course nestled between two arms of the Hawkesbury River, with towering sandstone cliffs on the opposite banks. Reunion participants were Con, Helen, and Sophie Pappas; Alex Gordevich; Andrew and Ann Proctor; Joe and Margaret Rajaratnam; Neil Collier and partner Indrani Doloswala; Sin Yan and Louine Tay; John and Pat Yee; Robert Byrnes; John Ling; Phillips and Sue Young; Roger and Margaret Weir; John and Beth Thorp; and Peter and Chân Carroll.
Guests began arriving at about 4 pm on the first day, from Sydney, the airport, or more far-flung locations. Welcome cocktails and much friendly chatter were followed
by a generous buffet dinner in the resort’s Riverbend Restaurant.
The following morning, after a large buffet breakfast, we embarked by bus for an interesting tour of this historic region, the scene of the earliest farming in Australia and once the food bowl of Sydney. Our first visit was to the Tizzana Winery (established in 1887) near Sackville on the banks of the Hawkesbury. The Tizzana is both a museum and an active winery, and we spent some time looking at the exhibits after a very interesting talk on the history of the winery and tasting some of its produce. Its founder, Dr. Thomas Fiaschi, an Italian immigrant, distinguished himself in the military and was a much sought after doctor and surgeon in the early days of the colony.
(L–R): John Ling, Indrani Dolswala, Neil Collier, John Yee, Pat Yee, John Thorp, Helen Pappas, Ann Proctor, Andrew Proctor, Sophie Pappas, Beth Thorp, Louine Tay, Margaret Rajaratnam, Robert Byrnes,Con Pappas, Sue Young, Joe Rajaratnam, Chân Carroll, Phillips Young, Margaret Weir, Roger Weir and
Peter Carroll.
Please see full article on page 9 of the AFE-ADB News, Issue No. 40, March 2012