The legendary opera and ballet conductor Richard Bonynge celebrated his 95th birthday on 29th September.
His main home, which he shared with his wife until her death in 2010, is the Chalet Monet in Les Avants above Montreux. It is crammed, to use his own words, with his vast collection of Victorian paintings, furniture, ornaments and scores much of which he bought for a song in the Portobello Road and its surrounds in London in his youth as well as on his travels elsewhere around the world.
The Chalet Monet has spectacular views down to, and across, Lake Geneva and its paddle steamers on which he sometimes takes a trip.
We wish him many happy returns.
Kingswear Castle returned to service in 2023 after the first part of a major rebuild which is designed to set her up for the next 25 years running on the River Dart. The Paddle Steamer Kingswear Castle Trust is now fund raising for the second phase of the rebuild. You can read more about the rebuilds and how you can help if you can here.
John Megoran
