The audience for the 21st David Fleeman Memorial Lecture on October 24 at Tonic House, Melbourne, were treated to a masterly performance by our Patron, Dr Gordon Turnbull .

His lecture, “Keeping Boswell in Good Repair” gave us ample evidence of the prodigious talent which has taken him from a journalist and student in Australia to custodian of the great Boswell archives at Yale.

He demonstrated clearly that Boswell was not a mere gatherer of facts and gossip about Johnson but was conscious that his papers and manuscripts from which he prepared  The Life would provide ample material for re-interpretation of this book for generations.

This lecture, the first to be provided by a Patron of the JSA, will be printed in a special format.  An eight-page handout at the lecture will also be made available.

Our host at Tonic House, Michelle Levine, welcomed us graciously to her beautiful building, told us a little about the intriguing art on display and assured us that she was enthusiastic about our Society using Tonic House now and in the future.