Vew from the chair: Speeches of Richard WL Austin

MUSEUM. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH SPANNED MORE THAN I 000 YEARS OF ARTISTIC PRODUCTION, INCLUDED TENTH-CENTURY WORKS FROM THE BRILLIANT KIEV RUS PERIOD AND OUTSTANDING EXAMPLES FROM MEDIEVAL AND MODERN TIMES, BOTH SECULAR AND ECCLESIASTICAL IN NATURE. THE EXHIBITION WAS ORGANISED BY ART EXHIBITIONS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY LOTI AND VICTOR SMORGON AND WAS SPONSORED BY SINGAPORE AIRLIN,ES. I don't have to tell you that this is an historic occasion for the. Gallery and for Queensland. It is the first time that an exhibition of treasures of this kind from Russia has ever come to the Southern Hemisphere and, needless to say, it is the first time that a Russian Minister for Culture has ever addressed us. I only wish that I could reply to Dr Shkurko in his own language, the majestic and musical language of Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy and Chekov, and all the other Russian poets and authors whose works, even in translation, have so enriched our lives. But, alas, the only Russian I know is the translation of those two small words, the frequent use of which serves to distinguish the couth from the uncouth. And so I shall just say to the Minister-'8olshoye vam spasibo, Alexander lvanovitch'. Thank you very much indeed for your warm and generous words about the Gallery and for all you have done to make this marvellous exhibition possible. The exhibition is testimony to the commitment of your Ministry to share with the world the richness of the Russian cultural heritage and to enhance cultural relations and friendships between Australia and the Russian Federation. It is also a remarkable example of collaboration. Representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the State History Museum, and Art Exhibitions Australia worked closely together to select the works and to determine the complex arrangements necessary to bring these priceless treasures safely to Australia. The transport arrangements alone required international negotiations between four nations-Russia, Finland, Germany and Australia. The Director of Art Exhibitions Australia, Robert Edwards, was given the responsibility of supervising the packing of the works at the Museum and then accompanying them on the gruelling trip to Australia by land, sea and air. The result is this unprecedented exhibition which contains some of the most important examples of gold and silver craftsmanship ever seen outside Russia. We are privileged to be able to see it tonight. It is the latest of some forty exhibitions brought to Australia by Art Exhibitions Australia since its establishment in 1980 with Mr Jim Leslie, a distinguished man in many fields of endeavour, as its founding Chairman. Thanks to him and his organisation, Australians have had the opportunity, which would not otherwise have been possible, to see artistic treasures from mahy other countries and cultures-China, Japan, Egypt, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, to name but a few of them. I am especially happy to welcome Mr Leslie this evening. He was, unfortunately, not able to be present when the exhibition opened in Sydney and I, myself, felt that, in consequence, something was lacking from the opening ceremony. It is our good fortune that he is here this evening to project his charisma in our direction. And now, ladies and gendemen, I have much pleasure in calling upon Mr Leslie to address us. 78