The Australian Chesterton Society is a national association devoted to fostering an appreciation of G.K. Chesterton’s writings and the value of his thought in contemporary Australia. Since its inception in 1993 as a regional association in Western Australia, the Australian Chesterton Society has organised various conferences and other activities. As a national body, it has held major conferences in such centres as Sydney (2001), Canberra (2002), and Melbourne (2004). Since 2007, the conference venue has been Campion College, Australia’s only liberal arts institution of higher education, located in the western Sydney suburb of Toongabbie.
Office holders
President/
Editor
Mr Karl Schmude
Secretary/
Treasurer
Mr Gary Furnell
Associate Editor
Mr Symeon Thompson
Conferences
The Society continues to hold regular conferences. The most recent ones have taken place annually since 2007 at Campion College Australia in Sydney – on themes such as ‘Chesterton and the Cultural Crisis’ and ‘Redeeming the Culture’, and have featured keynote speakers from overseas as well as Australia.
The Defendant
The Society publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Defendant, which is distributed by post and/or email as part of the annual membership.