The Celtic Council of Australia was formed on 24th March, 1982 after a public meeting organised in Sydney by a number of representatives of resident Celtic communities in New South Wales. The key instigator and driving force behind the Celtic Council project was the late Mr Peter Alexander, then of the Scottish Heritage Council, and he was elected as the first Convenor of the Council. Since its formation the Celtic Council has encouraged Celtic activities, including establishing the Australian Standing Stones at Glen Innes along with the local community. The Australian Celtic Festival, in Glen Innes, was started in 1992 and has grown from strength to strength since that time. The Celtic Council was also involved in the launch of the Australian Celtic Journal as well as the development of academic courses at universities and other learning centres
The Council has continued through the support of many individuals and organisations from within the Celtic communities. The current Convenor is Mrs Margaret Sharpe, who has held the position for the last nine years, but will be standing down this year. Margaret is a previous President and now Vice President of the New South Wales Manx Community.
Recently, Transceltic's Alastair Kneale had the pleasure of interviewing Margaret Sharpe, the Convenor of the Celtic Council of Australia.
