Chairman's Annual Reports

Past annual reports are to be found in the Bulletin

Chairman's Report - 2010 to 2011

Since the last Conference in Durham the Association has lost several eminent and key members who had been involved since the beginning.

Our President Harry James, one-time Keeper of the Department Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum, died in December 2009, aged 86. Harry had been involved with ASTENE from the very beginning and was a constant supporter of its activities. His humour and wise advice will be greatly missed.Norman Lewis, who died aged 92, had also been involved with ASTENE since its formation. Norman devoted a lot of time to transcribing the journals of William Bankes in the Dorchester Record Office, and also wrote extensively on the Lebanon, and on Petra and its earliest European visitors.

This year we were shocked by the sudden death of Alix Wilkinson. Alix’s work was always impeccably researched. Her book on Egyptian jewellery written whilst she was working at the British Museum remains a valuable contribution to the field, More recently she had worked on the gardens of ancient Egypt and the gardens and public spaces of Cairo in the 19th century. Again her research was meticulous and her lectures delivered with aplomb. Alix also served as ASTENE as Secretary to the Committee for some years. Her humour and anecdotes will be greatly missed on ASTENE tours.

Brenda Moon was a very distinguished scholar and librarian. Brenda’s contribution to ASTENE is well-known and her biography of Amelia Edwards demonstrates her skill as a writer and researcher. She was a delightful and gentle person, and another member who will be missed from ASTENE tours.

The last AGM followed the Study Day on Monasteries at Rewley House on 3 July 2010. Dr Patricia Usick organised a very successful evening in February to see drawings of sites and monuments held in the archive of the Department of Greece and Rome at the British Museum. Further events are being planned, including a visit with small conference based in Dublin. The next Biennial Conference is scheduled for July 2013 at the University of Aston, Birmingham.

The meetings of the Executive Committee have discussed a range of issues. We were pleased to give a grant to the Griffith Institute for the digital copying of the volumes of drawings by George Hoskins and his artist Bandoni. These will be published on the Griffith Institute website.

The ASTENE Bulletin remains the key means of communication for members. Four issues have appeared in the year (nos 45-48); one was edited by Robert Morkot and the other three by Russell and Sheila McGuirk. Our thanks also go to Diane Fortenberry who has formatted and prepared some editions of the Bulletin for the printer. Myra Green has gained some excellent reviews, one of the most important elements of the Bulletin. Many members submit information, queries and responses.

The new website has not yet been put in place. Janet Rady, Hana Navratilova and – particularly – Sheila McGuirk have ensured that the old website has been kept up to date. My thanks to them.

The Committee also discussed the Constitution. We feel that some significant changes need to be made to make the Constitution clearer on some issues and to reflect the changes in the Association since its foundation. At the same time, we wish to retain the fundamental nature of the Association. A new draft Constitution will be discussed, circulated to members, sent to the Charity Commission for approval, and then voted on at an EGM.

The AGM at Rewley House in July 2010 saw the election and re-election of members of the Committee. We are delighted that Dr Jaromir Malek agreed to become our new President and Dr Elizabeth French Vice-President.

Robert Morkot

Chairman's Report - 2009 to 2010

We record, with great sadness, the death of two eminent members of the Association who had been involved since the beginning. Both, coincidentally, were interested in William Bankes of Kingston Lacy. Our President Harry James, one-time Keeper of the Department Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum, died in December 2009, aged 86. Harry had been involved with ASTENE from the very beginning and was a constant supporter of its activities. His humour and wise advice will be greatly missed. Norman Lewis, who died aged 92 had also been involved with ASTENE since its formation. Norman devoted a lot of time to transcribing the journals of William Bankes in the Dorchester Record Office, and also wrote extensively on the Lebanon, and on Petra and its earliest European visitors.

Throughout the year ASTENE has maintained its programme of public study days at Rewley House in Oxford, co-organised with the University of Oxford's Department of Continuing Education. A number of other events were arranged specifically for members by Dr Patricia Usick. The last AGM was held at the close of the very successful conference in Durham. This May, Professor Malcolm Wagstaff led the ASTENE tour to Albania and Epirus, with a short conference at the end of the tour in Corfu. Our thanks go to Malcolm and Pat Wagstaff, Anna Butcher and to Elisabeth Woodthorpe as organisers.

In addition to the four usual meetings of the executive committee, we held an extra meeting specifically to address the issue of the website (see further below).

At the Southampton Conference, the membership voted to give financial support to a survey of the Yanni House at Qurna. As has already been reported, the house was removed along with most other non-ancient buildings at Qurna by the Luxor Governorate before the survey could take place. At the Durham AGM a request was made by Caroline Simpson for financial assistance with the Qurna Discovery Project. The Executive discussed this at length, and offered some financial assistance with specific conditions that accord with our charitable status, to be spread over three years. Despite all of Caroline's work and personal financial involvement, the Qurna Discovery Project was closed down and the houses bulldozed in the continuation of the West Bank clearance that destroyed the Yanni house last year. Most of the first year's grant to Qurna Discovery had been spent on agreed projects before the sudden decision to bulldoze the house; the remaining money in that year's fund has been used to transfer the Hay panoramas to a new site. The Committee is actively seeking to fund other small, discrete projects that fall within our remit.

Five issues of the ASTENE Bulletin have appeared (nos 40-44); two were edited by Deborah Manley, and guest editors were responsible for the others: one by Robert Morkot and two by Russell and Sheila McGuirk. After seven years (since Bulletin 16) Deborah has now decided to hand over the Bulletin, and we are very pleased that Russell and Sheila McGuirk have agreed to take it over. Our very warm thanks and gratitude go to Deborah who has put so much time, effort and enthusiasm into making the Bulletin useful and interesting. Our thanks also go to Diane Fortenberry who continues to format and prepare the Bulletin for the printer. Myra Green now has responsibility for the reviews, an important aspect of the Bulletin.

The executive committee decided that the time had come to update the website: it has been in place for over ten years, but the operating system is now outdated. Robert Morkot, Paul Robertson and Janet Rady met in the summer of 2009 for an initial discussion, and the ideas were then carried forward by Paul and Janet with Hana Navrátilová. We had an extra committee meeting in the autumn and thought that we had found a new web designer: but due to his pressure of work this could not be carried through. The committee is keen that the website should be completely updated and are pushing to achieve that soon. The website is one of the most important ways in which ASTENE can fulfil the public benefit aspect of its charitable status, and it is therefore imperative that it is maintained and providing current and useful information and links in our area of interest.

The AGM saw the election and re-election of members of the Committee. We are delighted that Dr Jaromir Malek has agreed to become our new President and Dr Elizabeth French Vice-President.

John Taylor retired from the Committee having served for two three-year terms, and Lucy Pollard was elected for the first time. The Committee now comprises Robert Morkot (Chair), Angela Reid (Secretary), Karen Dorn (treasurer), Neil Cooke, Russell McGuirk, Deborah Manley, Janet Rady, Paul Robertson, and Patricia Usick. Hana Navrátilová (website) and Sheila McGuirk (Bulletin co-editor) are co-opted members.

Robert Morkot

Chairman's Report - 2008 to 2009

Through the last year your committee has met three times (in October, January and April) and also held an 'away day' for more lengthy discussion last October. Business included a decision to increase the subsidy on collections of papers published by ASTENE - this applied to our latest book, Saddling the Dogs, edited by Diane Fortenberry and Deborah Manley, published by Oxbow Books, and launched at the Durham Conference.

Our previous title, Who Travels Sees More, edited by Diane Fortenberry and published in 2007, continues to sell well. Robert Morkot is working with Norman Lewis on behalf of ASTENE towards the publication of William Bankes' manuscript on the exploration of Palestine in the early 19th century. We agreed to arrange day schools during the year and into the coming years. On 4 October 2008 we held a study day organised by committee member Janet Rady in conjunction with Leighton House Museum, Kensington, and linked to the Tate Gallery exhibition on Orientalist artists and travellers. The study day, Orientalist Artists in an Orientalist House, included papers by ASTENE members Sarah Searight on Lord Leighton and William de Morgan, Kathryn Ferry on Owen Jones, Briony Llewelyn on Frederic Lewis and myself on WilliamMuller.

We hope, following a meeting in London between me, committee member Paul Robertson and Father Justin, Librarian of St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, to follow up work on the 'travellers' books' in the monastery library.
During the year, quarterly Bulletins have been published, edited by Deborah Manley; the third will be edited by Robert Morkot. Diane Fortenberry has greatly assisted with the design of the Bulletin.

In November 2008 our Events Organiser, Elisabeth Woodthorpe, worked with ASTENE member Anthony Sattin on an unforgettable Nile cruise on a rebuilt dahabeeyah. On the tour's last night in Egypt, we held a very small 'conference' in Cairo and were joined for dinner by five local and two other visiting members. Although Elisabeth is retiring from the Committee after six years' good work, she has generously agreed to help with the future overseas tour to Greece and Albania. Her post as Events Organiser has been taken over by Patricia Usick, who acted as ASTENE's first Secretary.
A proposal to assist with a survey for repairs to 'Yanni's House' at Qurna had been discussed during the year, and was followed up in a meeting between me, Robert Morkot and a representative of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Luxor. Sadly, despite an agreement in principle to this survey, the house (which members visited on the Nile tour) was subsequently demolished - a sad end to Egyptian 19th-century cultural heritage.

In April 2009, a conference on the traveller and writer Herman Melville was held in Jerusalem. ASTENE member Professor Ruth Kark represented our interest, but the programme overall was perhaps too biased towards literary criticism to interest many of our members.

Finally, since our last Annual General Meeting, Angela Reid was co-opted (and is now duly elected) as Secretary, and Myra Green agreed to be Bulletin Reviews Editor. Diane Fortenberry has stepped down after five years as Treasurer, with Karen Dorn elected to take her place. As I myself retire from the chairmanship I have every confidence the ASTENE Committee will give the new Chairman, Robert Morkot, all support and encouragement in the years ahead.

Brian Taylor
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