The 9^th International Narrative Therapy and Community Work Conference is now rapidly approaching and we are looking forward to seeing you here soon.

All the preparations have been coming together really well. There has also been a recent surge in registrations which is always lovely. Presenters are busily working away on the final details for their presentations and we are receiving a steady stream of emails and phone calls that let us know that the conference is in every one’s thoughts!

This email is full of practical information about the conference and preceding events. We have also placed all of this information up on our website: http://www.dulwichcentre.com.au/Conference.htm  So if you misplace this email, don’t fret … just consult our website! Please note, that if you have registered for pre-conference or post-conference workshops or events, you’ll also be receiving additional emails about these with all the information you require.

Conference welcome drinks and registration
Tuesday 25^th November 5pm-7pm at Dulwich Centre (345 Carrington Street, Adelaide) We hope to see you at the welcoming event at Dulwich Centre on the evening before the conference. This will be a chance for you to sign in, get your badge, conference bag and program. It’ll also be a chance to meet others who are coming to the conference and share a glass of South Australian wine or soft drink. We look forward to seeing you then! If you have not already registered for this event and you are going to come along, please can you let me know as then we can cater properly for the event. Thanks!

Conference Choir
If you have signed up to join the conference choir, we’ll be rehearsing at 6:30pm on that Tuesday evening. At 6:30pm please just make your way into the Teaching Room at Dulwich Centre and we will run through the song that we’ll be singing at the opening ceremony of the conference. Thanks!

Conference Venue
The conference is to be held at Adelaide University (see map).  

The key meeting place is the Equinox Room on the 4^th Floor of the Union Building (The Union Building is at E5 on the map). Tea and coffee will be served here continuously so you can drop by any time. The bookstall will be open all day there as well and it will be a good place just to come and catch up with others. For those of you who have booked lunches, it is the Equinox room where these will be served and you can eat them there or take them out onto the lawns or down by the river.

We will be in Equinox Room from 8am on Wednesday morning and this is where you should head on the first morning of the conference. We look forward to seeing you there! Please try to get there early. The welcoming ceremony will start at 9am so it would be great to see you by 8:30am at the latest. Thanks.

All the workshops for the conference are to be held within the Union Building so everything is very easy to get to.

The keynote addresses are to be held in Union Hall (D9 on the map) which is just across the Bar Smith lawns (E7 on the map).

Parking
If you have a car and are planning to drive each day to the conference, then it would be easiest to use the parking stations nearby in North Terrace. However, the university is pretty central and if you can travel by public transport we’d recommend this. The train station is in North Terrace and many buses go nearby. There is a trip planner for public transport on the website of Adelaide Metro:  www.adelaidemetro.com.au

Conference Lunches
The pre-ordered buffet lunches for the conference are being supplied by the Adelaide Wine Centre (no they are not supplying wine … just the lunches!). We are pleased to be able to say that china crockery and cups will be provided. This is actually the first one of our conferences where this has been possible and we so pleased as this will limit the environmental waste from this event. For your information we are including here the menu for these buffet lunches:

Wednesday

Gourmet Baguettes (50% vegetarian)
Bean Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Pasta Salad (Vegetarian)
Spinach Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Large Continental Platters
Fresh Fruit
Coffee, Tea, Orange Juice, Water

Thursday

Quiches (Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian)
Garden Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Sushi (50% Vegan)
Cold Asian Rice Noodle Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Large Vegelicious Platters
Fresh Fruit
Coffee, Tea, Orange Juice, Water

Friday

Turkish Sandwiches (50% vegetarian)
Roasted Pumpkin and Green Bean Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Potato Salad with Chives Vegan, (Gluten Free)
Chicken Cesar Salad (Gluten Free)
Large Antipasto Platters
Fresh Fruit
Coffee, Tea, Orange Juice, Water

For those of you who have not pre-ordered lunches, we have just learnt that the student cafeteria will be open. It serves basic cafeteria food.

Conference concert
On Thursday, following the afternoon keynote, a conference tradition will be followed in the form of a community concert. These events are a chance for participants to share a song or dance from their own country / culture. These can be shared in any language, in fact we particularly welcome songs that not in English. We like to encourage people to think about what they might like to share in this event. Even if you think it is highly unlikely that you would ever consider sharing something in this sort of forum, please come prepared just in case! In the past a number of participants who would never have dreamt of sharing anything discovered that they were moved to share a lullaby or cultural song once others had done so. There is absolutely no expectation of polished performance. In fact, the entire event revels in a celebration of folk culture and informality. If you think there is even the slightest chance you might like to share something please bring whatever you would need to make this happen, whether these are lyrics, cds, musical instruments and so on. Thanks!

Weather forecast
If you are coming from a different country and wanting to know what to pack… well, November in Adelaide can be a little unpredictable! It’s usually warmish but it’s best to keep your eye on the forecasts. The official forecaster is: http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/sa/

The program
You will receive a copy of the final program when you arrive, but if you would like to look up our website you will see the latest version. Each time we revise it the program gets stronger!

 Well, I think that is all for now.  

We’re counting down the days.

See you soon!