Athy Online Shackleton Autumn School 2021
The Athy Shackleton Museum is holding its annual Shackleton Summer school online at the end of October 2021.
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Morag Husband Campbell Medal 2022 – Call for Nominations
The South Georgia Association is inviting nominations for the award of the Morag Husband Campbell medal for the fifth year.
The Medal has been made possible by a generous bequest from a long-standing and enthusiastic supporter of the Association, Miss Morag Husband Campbell.
It comprises a Sterling silver relief medallion, 60mm in diameter. The name of the recipient and the year will be inscribed on the reverse. It is intended to award the Medal every year or every other year depending upon nominations.
The Association has agreed that the Medal should be awarded to individuals who have contributed significantly to the understanding, appreciation and promotion of South Georgia. This would encompass
- i) scientific studies as well as in the arts and humanities including culture, history, heritage, artistic endeavour etc.,
- ii) adventurous travel and “exploration”, or
- iii) activities which enhance the wider appreciation of South Georgia (e.g. in the media or through administrative functions).
Nominations (self-nominations are not permitted) should be made on an official Nomination Form available below and from the Secretary of the Association. to whom they should be sent no later than 31 December 2021.
The award would be made in 2022 at the Annual General Meeting of the Association. Given present uncertainties regarding Covid-19 in the UK the AGM may be either delayed or conducted by video streaming.
Professor David J Drewry
Chair SGA
Download the Nomination Form Here:
Morag Husband Campbell Medal Nomination Form 2022 (36 KB)
Online SGA Talk – 18 November 2021 – Saving Ocean Wanderers
The South Georgia Association is pleased to present another online talk on Thursday 18 November 2021.
Who and What:
Saving Ocean Wanderers – why Japan is important in the fight to save South Georgia albatross, with Steph Prince and Yasuko Suzuki.
Richard Phillips, Seabird Foodweb Ecologist at the British Antarctic Survey will compere and ask your questions.
Steph Prince is the High Seas Programme Manager for the BirdLife Marine Programme, leading projects to reduce seabird bycatch in global tuna fisheries around the world. She was previously a Zoological Field Assistant for the British Antarctic Survey, wintering at both Bird Island and King Edward Point.
Yasuko Suzuki is the Japan Marine Programme Office for BirdLife International, leading engagement work with the Japanese fishing industry, government, the tuna supply chain and the Japanese public to reduce seabird bycatch in distant water High Seas fleets.
Despite protections being put in place to stop albatrosses and other seabirds being accidentally killed in South Georgia waters in the early 2000’s, albatross populations continue to decline to this day. Since 2004 BirdLife International have been working to reduce albatross bycatch on the High Seas, where less protection for seabirds has been in place. Tracking studies have shown where conservation efforts need to be concentrated, and which fleets pose the greatest risk. Japan is one of the countries that has the potential to make the biggest difference to albatross conservation and so Yasuko is working to engage the fishing industry and public to make the oceans safer for South Georgia albatross.
Where: The Comfort of your own Home, via Zoom
When: 1930 GMT on Thursday 18 November 2021
Cost: Free
Registration Details will be distributed to members by email nearer the time, after which they will be posted here and on our FaceBook page.
Pathway to Protection – GSGSSI Announces Terrestrial Protected Area Management.
The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has released details of its strategy for managing the territory under the banner ‘Pathway to Protection’.
This will be a two-phased approach, involving the declaration of Terrestrial Protected Areas, and will treat two areas differently.
South Georgia and its surrounding islands will be managed so as to balance access with protection, very much along the lines of what already happens. The South Sandwich Islands will be closed to visitors, although there are already very few anyway, to preserve its even more unspoilt nature.
The Pathway to protection will be implemented in two phases. In phase I, the South Sandwich Islands will be closed to most visitors, and South Georgia will carry on much in the way it already does. Phase II will consist of information gathering and consultation, to gather the information needed to determine the need for, and the methods of implementing, more localised management plans.
An advisory group will be convened to help with this, including, we hope, representatives of the South Georgia Association.
Online SGA Talk – 12 August 2021 – The Shackleton Crossing by a Repeat Offender
The South Georgia Association is pleased to present another online talk on Thursday 12 August 2021.
Who and What:
The Shackleton Crossing by a Repeat Offender: Since taking part in the IMAX film ‘Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure’ in 2000, Stephen Venables has followed Shackleton’s route from King Haakon Bay to Stromness no less than four times, with a fifth crossing scheduled for 2022. He will describe the route and some of the peaks he has climbed along the way. His pictures will also highlight drastic changes to the landscape since 1916.
The Crossing in its setting: Following Stephen’s graphic description of following in Shackleton’s footsteps, Bob Burton will describe the hazardous arrival of the crew of the James Caird at South Georgia and their landing in Cave Cove. He will then take up the story again as Shackleton, Worsley and Crean arrive at Stromness and recover from their ordeal.
Where: The Comfort of your own Home, via Zoom
When: 1930 BST (1830 GMT/UTC) on Thursday 12 August 2021
Cost: Free
Registration Details have been sent by email to SGA members. If you have not received that, you can click this button.
South Georgia – a Chronology
Bob Headland has kindly provided us with this chronology of events in South Georgia.
Hover over a date for more information.
(Thanks to SGA member Andy Rankin for coding this.)
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Morag Husband Campbell Medal 2021 – Awarded to Bob Headland
The South Georgia Association is delighted to announce the award for the Morag Husband Campbell Medal for 2021 to Bob Headland, “For outstanding and sustained contributions to the history and knowledge of South Georgia and to extending the wider appreciation of the island“. The medal will be presented to Bob at the next live event, but a virtual presentation was made at the online AGM on 7 May 2021.
…Morag Husband Campbell Medal 2021 – Awarded to Bob HeadlandRead More »
The South Georgia Gazetteer
[UPDATED 28 June 2021] Ever wondered how a place on South Georgia got its name? The Antarctic Place Names Committee (APC) maintains the gazetteer for the South Georgia Government. You can see it on the APC website HERE that is managed by the British Antarctic Survey. For convenience Pat Lurcock has put together a document derived from the APC data that you can download with some of the details:
Download the document here:
SGSSI Gazetteer (619 KB)
The Defence of South Georgia in World War II
Robert Burton wrote this article for the Falkland Islands Journal in 2020. It describes the history of the gun emplacements at Leith and Grytviken, which were installed to protect the then-vital whaling industry for the second world war, and can still be seen today.
Download the document here:
SG Defences - Robert Burton (905 KB)