Morag Husband Campbell Medal 2019 – Awarded to Sally Poncet
The South Georgia Association is delighted to announce the award for the second year of its newly struck medal for 2019 to Mrs Sally Poncet, “For outstanding contributions to the study and conservation of wildlife and heritage of South Georgia“. The medal was presented to Pat Lurcock, representing Sally, at the annual spring meeting of the Association in London.
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Advance Notice of Autumn Event
The South Georgia Association’s Autumn event this year will be in association with the Devon and Cornwall Polar Society and it will be held at theDuke of Cornwall Hotel, Plymouth on the 19 October. Special rates for the nights of 18 and 19 October will be available for those attending the event. The hotel is well known for its connections with Sir Ernest Shackleton.
The morning of the 19th will be free with opportunities to visit the Scott Memorial, Scott’s birthplace and other attractions such as the Plymouth Marine Aquarium. The afternoon programme will include presentations on:
- The work of the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) since Hardy’s work at South Georgia in the 1920s to the present, by David Johns of SAHFOS
- Remote medicine at South Georgia and the Antarctic, by Drs Daranee Boon and Ian Grant (both formerly of the BAS Medical Unit)
- Speaker and title to be confirmed
Throughout Saturday there will be an exhibition of paintings of South Georgia by Theo Crutchley-Mack who was recently Artist in Residence at South Georgia funded by the South Georgia Heritage Trust. There will also be an exhibition of photographs of South Georgia wildlife by Oli Prince who has spent several seasons on the Island.
In the evening there will be a reception followed by dinner at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel.
Full details including costs and booking details will be available here soon.
South Georgia Association AGM and Spring Meeting
13th April
The South Georgia Association’s AGM and Spring Meeting will take place this year at the Royal Overseas League, London on Saturday the 13th April 2019. The meeting will start with a reception followed by the AGM and a talk by Elizabeth White, film maker with BBC Natural History Unit – “BBC at the South Sandwich Islands”.
Booking form, AGM agenda and nominations for the Executive Committee:
[Download not found]Booking by 7 April 2019 please.
Morag Husband Campbell Medal 2019 – Nominations
26th October 2018
The South Georgia Association is inviting nominations for the award of the Morag Husband Campbell medal for the second 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”, 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 the official Nomination Form also available from the Secretary of the Association, to whom they should be sent no later than 31st December 2018. The award will be made next year at the Annual General Meeting of the Association.
Morag Husband Campbell Medal 2018 – Awarded to Bob Burton
The South Georgia Association is delighted to announce the award of its newly struck medal for 2018 to Mr Robert Wellesley Burton, “for outstanding contributions to the study and conservation of wildlife and the heritage of South Georgia“. The medal was presented at the annual spring meeting of the Association in London.
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BBC Blue Planet II highlights new concerns for South Georgia Albatrosses
The BBC wildlife documentary series Blue Planet II featured footage of British Antarctic Survey (BAS) research on Wandering Albatrosses at Bird Island, South Georgia. New concerns were highlighted on the effects of plastic pollution in the oceans. This spectacular species is already seriously threatened by fisheries by-catch and a new BAS publication reveals populations of wandering, black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses have halved over the last 35 years.
Madeleine Brasier, Homeward Bound
The South Georgia Association announces the award of an Initiative Fund grant to Miss Madeleine Brasier to enable her to participate in an all-female leadership training expedition to the Antarctic as part of Homeward Bound. A PhD student studying Antarctic benthic biology at Liverpool University and the Natural History Museum, Madeleine was selected for the one-year Homeward Bound training programme earlier this year. She will be part of a team of 80 women from around the world and is one of only three PhD students from the UK. The programme aims to raise awareness about environmental change, and the gender gap in science, against the backdrop of Antarctica whilst providing the female participants with skills to lead in research and influence environmental policy. The one-year training programme Madeleine is undertaking will be completed with a 3-week Antarctic expedition on which her leadership and innovation skills will be tested in extreme conditions.
Madeleine’s current research investigates the ecology and diversity of benthic marine animals within the Western Antarctic, including South Georgia. She is also interested in the fisheries monitoring around South Georgia. The link between her research and marine policy is an area she will strengthen with the aid of the Homeward Bound experience.
The aims of the South Georgia Association are to encourage interest in, and concern for, the island of South Georgia. Applications for Initiative Fund grants are welcomed from all who have an interest in South Georgia and who wish to initiate or support projects that will stimulate awareness of, and interest in, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Further information on the Initiative Fund can be found HERE. Coupled with her outreach work as a STEM ambassador (inspiring young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and an education officer for the UK Polar Network, Madeleine will benefit from the training and experience gained in Antarctic matters supported by the South Georgia Association.
Pipit nest on Thatcher Peninsula
In 2011 when the South Georgia Heritage Trust started their multi-million pound rat eradication project, the South Georgia Association offered a bottle of champagne to the first person to find a South Georgia pipit nest on the Thatcher Peninsula. We’re delighted to announce that it has now been claimed by Jamie Coleman, who found a nest in Burnet Cove, Maiviken, a few kilometres from Grytviken. This area was baited in 2011 at the beginning of the rat eradication project. Jamie estimates that there are now at least four pairs of pipits at Maiviken.
It’s fantastic to be seeing the results of the mammoth effort that went into the rat eradication project. The endemic South Georgia pipit that had disappeared from much of the island is making an amazing comeback: it is being seen and heard in places around the island where it has never been recorded before.