• Claire Bonner In Concert
  
  
• Tosti Ensamble Quarter
  
  
• Mira Trio
  
  
• Primo congresso nzionale delle società Dante Alighieri d'Australia
  
  
• I fiati Italiani
  
  
• Varie

Dear Friends.

Well we have made it to 2000! Although many people call this the "Third Millennium" I am one of those who has doubts on this point. Mathematically speaking the third millennium will actually commence on 1 January 2001, (all decades, centuries and millenia commence with 1 and not 0).

Historically speaking , the third millennium actually commenced about four or five years ago. Jesus Christ's birth is dated during the reign of Herod, whose reign had ceased some 4 years before what we conventionally call year 1.

However despite the origins of the present calendar it has come to be universal time standard, even in countries that have more ancient calendars. As a secular calendar, which why so many non-Christian countries celebrated the arrival of 2000, 1 January was well worth celebrating. The bonus is that we can do it all again in 12 monts time!

I welcomed 2000 under the stars at the Lambert Marker, the geographic centre of Australia and had an excellent time. I hope you all had an enjoyable time as well. 2000 promises to be a busy and hopefully productive year for the Dante Alighieri Society with the same rich mixture of cultural, language, artistic and social activities inspired by Italian culture in its interaction with the multiplicity of Australian cultures.

We commence conversation classes on Thursday 20 January and that will represent the business end of activities for the new year. The Committee has decided to call the Annual General Meeting for the year on Thursday 2 March. I invite you to record this date in your diary and encourage you to attend. As you know I was absent for much of 1999, living and working in Sri Lanka.

During that time there have been changes and some significant ones. The Society is now an incorporated entity which should assist to give us more stability and confidence in the future. I also welcome Hugo Toro as the new Secretary. Hugo is well known to most of you of course and he too will do a splendid job as a Secretary. Please make Hugo welcome as Secretary and join the Committee in its efforts to increase and spread the work of the Society throughout the Canberra community.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2000.

Joseph Lo Bianco President,
Dante Alighieri Society of Canberra.