Annual conference

The Everlasting Chesterton

will be hosted

Saturday, November 1, 2025 at Campion College, Sydney

As 2025 marks the centenary of publication of a Chesterton classic, The Everlasting Man (1925), the theme of this year’s Australian Chesterton Conference is “The Everlasting Chesterton”.

Various speakers will focus on subjects related to Chesterton’s interests and accomplishments which reveal the enduring importance of his insights – as a Christian philosopher and historian, an educational thinker, a journalist, and a cultural and political critic.

It is of special value that we will welcome to this year’s conference the Executive Director of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Emily de Rotstein. Emily has worked closely with the Society’s President, Dale Ahlquist, on the flourishing network of Catholic classical high schools in America and globally – now also evident in Australia.

At the 2024 conference, Dale spoke on the founding of the first Chesterton School, and Emily will draw on her long experience to report on the rapid expansion of the Chesterton Schools Network in which she has played a leading part.

Other speakers will be:

Greg Sheridan will discuss his third book on Christianity, which looks at how 21st century Christians can reclaim the inspirational grace and genius of 1st century Christians.
Karl Schmude will explore Chesterton’s contribution as a journalist who, in T.S. Eliot’s words, always found the topical excuse for writing about the permanent.
Michael Cook will reflect on his long-time editing of the Australian online cultural and religious journal, ‘Mercator’.
David Daintree will discuss the cultural purpose and value of the Christopher Dawson Centre in Tasmania.
Gary Furnell will recall a French forerunnner of Chesterton, the 19th century Catholic writer, Ernest Hello.