Shortly after arriving we attended a welcoming reception and dinner for delegates and spouses who were attending from all parts of the Commonwealth. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with these strangers who, by the end of the week, had become my very good friends.

On Monday 11^th March we travelled to the Palace of Westminster where we were given a guided tour followed by lunch in the House of Lords restaurant. Following this we walked to Westminster Abbey where we took our appointed places for a religious service to mark the launch of the Commonwealth Games. The service was attended by the Queen , Prince Philip and The Prince of Wales.

Later that evening the delegates attended a reception at Buckingham Palace given by Her Majesty followed by dinner at Lambeth Palace hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The next day saw the official opening of the conference at Lancaster House by Queen Elizabeth II; and a gold letter opener was presented to her by the CPA to mark her golden jubilee. Following lunch the conference moved to its opening plenary session entitled "The Commonwealth - The Next 50 Years". Later the delegates split into various groups for 3 workshops. I attended the workshop entitled 'Executive Authority and Parliamentary Scrutiny'. It was a most interesting session which gave me the opportunity to outline the N.I. Assembly perspective. I am afraid to say that Speakers in other legislatures have a great deal of power, for example in Bangladesh the Speaker can decide at a whim whether to allow the press to cover meetings or not. Later that evening the delegates enjoyed a marvellous production of 'My Fair Lady' at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

The following day the conference moved to Oxford, staying in the quaint Randolph Hotel, which was the setting for many scenes in the television programme 'Morse'. In the evening we were guests of St Antony's College who hosted a reception and dinner for all the delegates.

Friday morning saw the delegates split into workshops again. This time I made a contribution to 'Combating Terrorism - The Commonwealth Role'. It was a most fascinating workshop involving countries who are presently experiencing, or have in the past experienced terrorism. There was also throughout the discussions much mention of the events of September 11^th.

Later that evening we were invited to tour Blenheim Palace which all of us found absolutely breathtaking. The guided tour took us to many areas of the palace not normally accessible to the public. The evening concluded with a sumptuous meal in the Orangery of Blenheim Palace.

I would like to thank the committee for delegating me to attend this conference. It was an event which will live long in my memory. I began the week not knowing any of my fellow delegates and I ended it having made many, many friends with whom I now correspond.

David McClarty