King’s Birthday Dinner in Canberra

The British High Commissioner, H.E. Mrs Vicki Treadell, was guest speaker at this year’s King’s Birthday dinner at the Commonwealth Club, jointly hosted by the RCS and the Australia-Britain Society.

In a wide-ranging address, during which varied aspects of Australia’s relationship with Britain were covered, Mrs Treadell spoke strongly in support of the Commonwealth’s former British colonies, and ‘realms’ like Canada and Australia, which had so far chosen to remain constitutional monarchies. ‘I would much prefer to be a High Commissioner,’ she said, ‘than an Ambassador.’

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

The High Commissioner also spoke about the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, the first time that Heads will have met in a ‘Small Island Developing State’ from the Pacific. Samoa’s High Commissioner to Australia, H.E. Ms Hinauri Petana, was among guests at the dinner. Samoa remains a constitutional monarchy after more than 60 years of independence from Britain.

The theme chosen to mark this year’s CHOGM is One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth. The Meeting will decide on a new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to replace the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC who has completed two terms.

The Meeting, from 21 to 26 October, will mark the 75th anniversary of CHOGM.