Perhaps the most endearing image of Egypt is the golden funerary mask of the young King Tutankhamun, closely followed by his opulent jewellery. Yet many of these magnificent pieces were never meant to be seen by human eyes. Jewellery was used as a personal adornment in Egypt, but it could also provide magical protection for the living and the dead, indicate political and religious affiliations and denote social rank with surprising accuracy. Distinguished Egyptologist Delia Pemberton will examine why Egyptians of all classes wore jewellery, what kind of adornments they wore and the symbolism behind the designs at 8.00pm onWednesday 29th April at the 6th form centre, Kingsbridge Community College, Balkwill Road and at 10.30am on Thursday 30th April at the Reel Cinema, Fore Street, Kingsbridge. Non members are warmly invited to join them for a donation of £6; please phone 01548 857507 for Wednesday, 01548 550228 for Thursday.

"I'm going to take you into the murky world of art theft and fraud" promised specialist detective Malcolm Kenwood at the start of his lecture last week. And he was as good as his word. Not the big screen world where ex-James Bond actors pull off brilliant heists but the real world, where we met family gangs of shifty eyed men with broken teeth and stolen goods cached under fields- their own version of cash crops; stolen artworks and jewellery hidden inside false walls; early english porcelain concealed under kitchen units; we heard how £24 million of art and antiques were taken in one haul from developer Harry Hyams' manor house; we tracked regular shipments of stolen goods from Britain to Australia; got a tip off in a McDonald's on the Franco-Belgian border, which uncovered valuable Jacobean antiques in the Netherlands, that had been stolen from a house in Epsom. But we also heard how police and other specialist agencies are making life very difficult for criminals- not least with their friendly 5.00am visits- and we learn how we ,too, can keep one step ahead of the art thieves. We learnt what reference photos we should take by seeing how an antique table put up for auction was identified as stolen property by using its woodgrain and some wine stains as "fingerprints", and we heard the very latest techniques in property marking, available to us all. Mr Kenwood kept us interested and on our toes throughout.

Notice is given of the Annual General Meeting of KEDFAS. The AGM will be held on Thursday 29th January 2009 at 10.00hrs at the Reel Cinema, Fore Street, Kingsbridge.

The Annual Christmas lunch was held at Dartington Old Hall on monday 8th December when 65 members of KEDFAS not only enjoyed a splendid lunch, but were also entertained to a piano recital by KEDFAS member Robin Brett and pupil Catherine Shepard.