Experience of Burma: one year each in 1960-61 and 1969, and shorter visits in subsequent years. Author of several Burmese language teaching courses and papers on Burmese language and literature. Known among Burmese computer users as the designer of the Avalaser Burmese font.

Winner of the 1996 Tuttle Grand Prize for an all-audio Burmese language course. Keen on language teaching, grammar, cycling and playing the viola (though not all at the same time). Married to Sue, with two children.

She and her husband, Dr U Thet Tun, have worked as general practitioners in Britain for thirty years.

Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Among her interests she numbers Burmese culture, theatre and dances.

4 children - 10 grandchildren.

Treasurer since Nov 2000.

Consultant in Electronics, specialising in antenna systems for radar and telecommunications.

He was born in Rangoon and studied at Queen Mary College, University of London.

He is also active in the field of information technology as a software developer.

His other interests include badminton, hockey, cosmology and science fiction.

Married to Lizzy - three children.

Head of BBC Burmese Section 1984-1994 - a period of much change.

Studied Chinese at Oxford (1961).

Passions include photography and computers (Apple Mac and PC). The design of this web site is his responsibility. Edited and published Lines from a Shining Land in 1998 and Hurled into the World (2004).

Hon sec from the start of 1997. Married to Judy - has four children.

Tel: +44 (1189) 476874. Email: D.Wavell@ntlworld.com

Lecturer in Burmese at SOAS 1954 till 1990.

Started studying Burmese in 1952, at the age of 22. First visit was for nine months from Oct 53, to learn the language, and has visited again in 1976, 81, 83, 85, 86, 88, 93, 95 and 98, 2003 (twice), 2005.

Since retiring from SOAS she has written a great number of articles and papers on modern Burmese literature.

She was married to Tony - formerly professor of African Law at SOAS, who died in 2002. They have 4 children and 9 grandchildren. Other interests include translating Burmese short stories, "running societies", gardening; also keeping up with other languages (Russian, Czech, French) - her mother was from Czechoslovakia.

She was awarded an OBE in the 1998 New Year Honours "for her services to British Burmese relations".

Former British Ambassador to Burma (2002-2006), and previously Second Secretary at the Embassy (1990-1993). Served six years in Brussels (1996-2002) including three years working for Chris Patten. Studied Burmese at SOAS in 1989-1990 with Anna Allott and U Khin (former BBS Deputy Chairman) who gave her her Sunday-born Burmese name, Ohnmar Khin.

She kept up her Burmese language by contributing to the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Lonely Planet Burmese phrasebook and translating many Burmese short stories and poems including Mya Than Tint's 'Tales Of Ordinary People' published by Orchid Press, Bangkok.

Now back in the UK with the Foreign Office and married to Burmese artist Htein Lin, with baby Aurora aka Ar Youn Lin, born in December 2007 and already a regular BBS meeting attender.

BBC Burmese section head 1979 - 1984 - and through his vigorous efforts the department was saved from the Foreign Office axe.

Continued to take a close interest in Burma - and this Society - after his promotions to be Assistant Head, then Head, of Eastern Service (which embraced everwhere from Iran to Burma).

Her publications include articles and books on history and manuscript art of Burma as well as an annotated major bibliography of Burma (Oxford, ABC-Clio Press, 1991) and The Life of the Buddha (British Library Publications, 1993; new edition forthcoming from Pomegranate Press in 2005).

She now works as an independent scholar and researcher and is Vice-Chairman of the educational trust, Prospect Burma.

Ralph Isaacs first visited Burma in 1984, and from 1989 to 1994 was Director of the British Council in Rangoon.

He and his wife Ruth were captivated by Burmese arts and crafts, and collected lacquerware mostly in Pagan. Their collection was donated in 1998 to the British Museum, who responded by putting together a special exhibition in 2000 Visions from the Golden Land: Burma and the Art of Lacquer, the first major exhibition in London devoted to Burmese art since 1826.

The show travelled to Exeter, Bath and Sunderland. The catalogue, co-authored by Ralph and Richard Blurton, and published by the British Museum Press, includes an essay on Ralph's special interest -- the inscriptions which appear on lacquerware, added by makers, sellers and owners. Ralph has also studied sazigyo, Burmese text-woven bands for binding bundles of palm-leaf manuscripts. These little masterpieces of weaving may have a text several metres long, and are sometimes signed by the women weavers of 100 years ago.

Ralph has helped to organise very entertaining 'Antiques Roadshows' for the BBS.

A former head of the BBC Burmese section - the first Asian woman to reach that level.

Born and educated in Rangoon (MSc in Zoology) - later BA in PPH (London - Birkbeck College).

A radio all-rounder known throughout Burma for her children's programme, as much as her current affairs interviews.

As "Paddybird Club" producer she took Burmese children into the skies with her to learn hang-gliding - and, later, on regular "magic carpet" trips.

She is the moving spirit behind the annual Britain-Burma boat trip.

In recent years she has been intensifying her studies of Buddhism, and passed the Abidhamma (higher teachings of Lord Buddha) first level examination sponsored by the Burmese Ministry of Religious Affairs in 2004.

Diana's father and grandfather both served in the Indian Civil Service in Burma between 1904 and 1941. She was conceived in Burma but born in India, where her mother escaped after the start of World War 2. After a childhood spent in South Africa and studies at the University of Cape Town and Oxford University, she began a career in English teaching, which was to prove globally useful when she and her late husband Graham were posted to various countries around the world with the British Council - culminating in Burma in 2000. Their time in Burma was so rewarding that they returned there for a further 6 months to work all around the country as post-retirement volunteer teacher trainers.

Since then Diana has maintained close contact with Burmese friends, and returns for a month every year, teaching at the Buddhist Monastery School in Mandalay, where she built a library in 2002. She also collects books in the UK to send to impoverished students in Burma.

Wife of Martin Morland - British Ambassador to Burma, 1986-1990.

Has lived in London, France, the USA, Uganda, Geneva, and Rome.

She is highly qualified in the art of picture restoring - and runs her own restoration studio in Fulham (since 1993). Also did some restoration in Pagan - and has been back twice to Burma on holiday.

Daughter of Professor Pe Maung Tin, who had pioneered the faculty of Burmese language and literature at Rangoon University - and niece of the scholar GH Luce.

Brenda was herself a pioneer - in the French language and literature , which she studied as a State Scholar at the Sorbonne, and later taught at the Foreign Languages Institute in Rangoon (1967-1980). She also taught Burmese at the University of Paris.

Since then she has been in the UK raising three children, working as a librarian, and latterly translating and doing educational research. A socially-oriented "ideas person" within the Society, she is also sometimes able to supply members with copies of new publications about Burma.

He learnt Burmese with John Okell at SOAS, on summer schools in the US and on various visits since 1997.

Current research interests include the phonetics and linguistics of Burmese and other South-East Asian languages, and literary translation. Justin is especially interested in minority languages of Burma, many of them under-researched; he is currently preparing dictionaries for Wa and Paletwa Khumi.

Extra-curricular interests include singing, cycling and walking. He lives in Pimlico.