MARRIAGES
Gunn-King-Patching.-
Lady Dowding and 'Miss Albino', her sister, attended the all-vegetarian
wedding reception of Miss Margaret C. Patching and Mr. Brian J. Gunn-King
at Brighton on Wednesday, 28th August, 1968.
Mr. Gunn-King was for three years Chief Planning Assistant with the
Borough Surveyor's Department at Tunbridge Wells, a former President
of the Vita Club there and Chairman of the National Society for the
Abolition of Factory Farming. Until recently he was Deputy Planning
Officer in the Borough Surveyor's Department at Reigate and Vice-President
of Surrey
Natural Life Society.
The bride was for some time secretary to a Brighton solicitor before
going to India last November to attend the International Vegetarian
Congress in Delhi, Madras and Bombay. She was also for some time Assistant
Secretary to Brighton and Hove Vegetarian Society and Regional Organiser
for the British Vegetarian Youth Movement at Brighton. She returned
to Brighton in July after successfully completing a six month Yoga
Certificate course at Lonavia, Nr. Poona, India.
The bridegroom was also a delegate to the International Vegetarian
Congress in India for B.V.Y.M., The Vegan Society and Vegfam.
The Reception, held at The Asian Grill Indian Restaurant, following
the ceremony at Brighton Registry Office, was attended by Mrs. L.
Newman (Organising Secretary, N.S.A.F.F.), Mr. Sidney Ashworth (Chairman,
Brighton and Hove Vegetarian Society), Mrs. Helena Thomas (B.K.S.
Iyengar Yoga Institute) and representatives of The Vegan Society,
Beauty Without Cruelty Movement Ltd., British Vegetarian Youth Movement
and National and Local Vegetarian and Natural Health Societies. Of
the fifty guests ten were vegans and members of The Vegan Society
of G.B.
A three-tier eggles cake, made by the bride, was topped by a replica
of the Buddha with a carved Indian elephant below to symbolise the
union of the spiritual and material worlds and the reverence for all
like that vegetarians feel.
The bride wore a Punjabi dress of blue with white embroidery and carried
a spray of white daises.
Guests present at the reception enjoyed a menu of either dahl soup,
vegetable curry, pilau rice, mango chutney with chappaties or salad
with wholemeal rolls. Papaya, guava or pineapple was served with Plantmilk
for dessert.
The couple are now moving to a new home in Northern Ireland where
Mr Gunn-King has become Assistant Chief Planner to the Antrim and
Ballymena Development Commission.
At a Committee in Hamburg on 28th November 1968 the following Minute
was agreed:
"That Mr Brian Gunn-King of Ballymena be elected as General
Secretary of the International Vegetarian Union on the resignation
of Mr geoffrey L.Rudd."
BRIAN GUNN-KING
Recently appointed IVU General Secretary of the International Vegetarian
Union with Margaret, his wife.
We warmly welcome Brian Gunn-King as General Secretary of the I.V.U.,
and wish him all success in his important office. Below for the interest
of readers, we append notes of the combined interests of both Brian
and Margaret, from which it will appear how well suited they are to
work together in this field.
[the 'notes below' were almost identical to those for the wedding,
above, except that Margaret had been elected to the Committee of the
Ulster Vegetarian Society.]
20th World Vegetarian Congress 1969, Jerusalem, Israel
- pre-Congress publicity gave Brians's address in
Northern Ireland. We have no official reports from the Congress but
apparently it went ahead with a small number of delegates due to the
political situation in the Middle East.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING on 6th Sept. 1971 at The
Hague, Holland - Ntherlands Congress Centre
The Executive Committee met for the last time as such, before becoming
transformed by the new Constitution into the International Council
of the I.V.U., in Room 3104 at 16.00 hours.
PRESENT:- . . .Mr.B.J.Gunn-King (Hon.Gen.Secretary);
This
Congress had clearly introduced a new constitution, probably promoted
by Brian, but we do not have a copy of it
right: Some of the interesting personalities with Dr V.G.M.Marijnen,
Mayor of the Hague. From left: Mr Geo Hiller, of Germany; Dr Vincent
Ferrandiz of Spain (in front); Mr Richard St.Barbe Baker, founder
of Men of the Trees, Mr Brian Gunn-King, General Secretary IVU, (next
to the Mayor).
From The Vegetarian 1972:
DISTINCTION FOR IVU SECRETARY
BRIAN Gunn-King, Honorary General Secretary of the International
Vegetarian Union, has just been elected a Fellow of the Royal Town
Planning Institute.
He took a Diploma in Town & Country Planning in Nottingham in
1963, and was elected an Associate, later becoming an RTPI Member.
He also became a Member of the Royal Society for Health, and has since
been made a Fellow of the Lands Institute and the Royal Horticultural
Society.
A life vegetarian and vegan, Brian, together with his wife Margaret
and two daughters lives in a country house near Ballymena, Co Antrim,
which doubles as IVU Headquarters. As IVU Secretary Brian has attended
World Vegetarian Congresses in England, India, Israel, Holland, and
is arranging the next in Sweden in summer 1973 hosted by the Swedish
Vegetarian Society.
International Council Meeting at Roso Hotel, Ronneby Brunn, Rlakinge,
SWEDEN, on 22nd and 23rd April 1972.
Present: Council Members - . . . Mr B.J.Gunn-King (Hon.Gen.Sec IVU)
. . .
22nd World Vegetarian Congress 1973, Ronneby Brunn, Sweden
above: Against a backdrop of a BEA Trident III, part of the large
British delegation headed for Sweden - (left to right) Dr.Barbara
Latto, Member of the SCIVU panel (the Scientific Council of IVU);
Mike Storm, Editor of The Vegetarian; Roland Ashley, General Secretary
of The Vegetarian Society; Dr. Alan Long (SCIVU); Veronica Latto;
Jack Lucas (SCIVU); Visalakshi Muthu; John le Grice, Chiarman of The
Vegetarian Society; Dr. Gordon Latto, President of the IVU; Brian
Gunn-King, Hon.General Secretary of the IVU, Margaret Gunn-King, their
two daughters Sita and Venetia; Louis Warter, official delegate from
the American Vegetarian Union.
left:
THE LONG RUN-UP
For Brian Gunn-King, Honorary Secretary of the IVU, two years of intensive
preparation, world correspondence with regional secretaries, close
liaison with the host society. At Congress end, he was presented with
a Badge of Honour by the Swedish Vegetarian Society.
right: Margaret Gunn-King gave a demonstration of yoga exercises.
"A serious study of yoga," she said "will give one
a greater sense of awareness and spritual insight; since it brings
harmony and tranquility of mind as well as physical fitness."
There are plans to provide a Yoga Centre at the IVU headquarters,
"Braidjule", Quarrytown, Ballycloghan near Broughshane,
Co.Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Minutes of International Council Meeting at University of Maine,
on 3rd February 1974
Mr Gunn-King read the Hon.General Secretary's and Hon.Treasurer's
Reports for I.V.U. H.Q and both were adopted.
23rd IVU World Vegetarian Congress 1975, Orono, Maine,
USA
right:
Britons play an important part in the International Vegetarian Union
- Isabel James (left), VSUK Deputy Chairman, is newly elected secretary
for the IVU European Region; Jack Lucas (centre), Scientific Adviser
to The Vegetarian Society, is Chairman of SCIVU, Science Council of
the IVU; Brian Gunn-King, from Northern Ireland, is the indefatigable
General Secretary of the IVU.
24th World Vegetarian Congress 1977, Delhi/Bombay/Calcutta/Madras,
India
26th World Vegetarian Congress 1982, Neu-Ulm, West Germany
Executive Vice Presidents: . . . Mr Brian Gunn-King, . . .
27th World Vegetarian Congress 1984, Baltimore, USA
Executive Vice Presidents: Mr Brian Gunn-King, . . .
28th World Vegetarian Congress 1986, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
Executive Vice Presidents: . . . Mr Brian Gunn-King, . . .
29th World Vegetarian Congress 1990, Tel Aviv, Israel
There were nine candidates for the elected positions on the International
Council and the following were elected by ballot to serve until the
next world vegetarian congress:- . . . Mr Brian Gunn-King, . . (the
role of Exec VP having been abolished)
The minutes of the 1993 IVU General Meeting are missing, but Brian
does not appear to have stood for re-election.
34th
World Vegetarian Congress, Toronto, 2000
The list of proposed Fellows suggested by John Davis (IVU Webmaster)
and recommended by the outgoing IC was read out, including the number
of years of service for each. The names are: . . ., Brian Gunn-King
(UK), . . .
35th World Vegetarian Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2002
right: from left: Brian Gunn-King (Northern Ireland), former General
Secretary of IVU from 1969-1979, with Claude Pasquini (Luxembourg),
IVU Liaison Officer for Europe and President of De Vegabond - Letzebuerger
Verain fir Vegetarier a Veganer
Brian remains a Fellow of IVU. He and Margaret still live in Northern
Ireland.
25th
World Vegetarian Congress 1979, Loughborough, England