On 20 July 2024 the South Georgia Association and the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute will host a number of talks at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, followed by an evening Dinner at Jesus College. More details in the Events calendar.
While in Cambridge, you might be interested in a conference being run by the History of Geology Group: The History of Geological Discovery in Polar Regions, taking place on the preceding Tuesday and Wednesday. Dr Phil Stone (a South Georgia Geologist) is giving a talk about William Speirs Bruce and Spitsbergen (Svalbard). More details HERE
Please join the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) for an event at All Hallows by the Tower in London (the oldest church in the City of London AD675) to mark the safe return of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Quest crow’s nest. After tens of thousands of miles travelled, and featuring in exhibitions in Athy, Ireland and Grytviken, South Georgia, the crow’s nest returns to its home in the crypt of All Hallows by the Tower Church.
The event will begin with a drinks reception and optional tours of the church. There will then be a series of speakers connecting the histories of Shackleton, South Georgia island, All Hallows by the Tower and the City of London. An insight into current South Georgia projects to preserve the island’s rich polar heritage and protect its unique wildlife and marine environment will also be shared. The event will conclude with a short liturgy and music from the Square Mile Choral Scholars.
The South Georgia Association are pleased to announce a live, in-person, Spring Meeting and Annual General Meeting at the Royal Over-Seas League in London on 28 April. Members are welcome to bring guests. Non-members may attend, but not vote in AGM proceedings. Tickets for the evening, including the reception, cost £30.00 per person. We have tried to keep the price as low as possible.
Tickets
Members have been sent details of how to apply for tickets by Email. Non-members can follow the following link to obtain tickets:
17:45 Pay Bar Opens. Catch up with your South Georgia friends.
1800 – 1900: Reception including drinks and canapés
1900 – 1945: AGM Proceedings, Updates from GSGSSI, SGHT (and BAS tbc), Award of Morag Husband Campbell medals
20:00 – 21:00: “Winter Surveys at South Georgia” a lecture by Dr Martin Collins, with plenty of pictures of South Georgia in the winter!
Presentations of Morag Husband Campbell Medals
We were unable to present the medals in person over the past couple of years so we will catch up now – Bob Headland and Crag Jones will be presented with their medals at the meeting.
The Talk – Dr Martin Collins OBE
Martin will talk about recent winter fishery surveys including the Groundfish survey May 2021, winter krill surveys 2022 and time spent at King Edward Point during the 2022 winter.
We are looking into recording the talk for non-attendees to enjoy later, but are not sure that we have the technology.
Getting There
What Three Words: ///full.broker.lots
Nearest Underground Station: Green Park on the Jubilee/Piccadilly/Jubilee lines
The Successful Endurance22 Expedition to Locate Endurance at the Bottom of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica
4 March 2023 2PM for 14:30 Start
The South Georgia Association and the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute, in partnership with the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, are pleased to bring you this new, live, event. We will not be recording or streaming this online for copyright reasons.
Introduced by Donald Lamont, Chairman of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, which organised and funded the Endurance22 expedition.
Followed by presentations from the leaders of the expedition, and the film maker who recorded the drama of the search and discovery:
Speakers: John Shears, Nico Vincent and Natalie Hewit.
Venue: The BMS University of Cambridge Chemistry Lecture Theatre adjacent to Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge (See Map Below) What Three Words: pool.beams.bath
When: Saturday 4 March 2023. Doors open 2 pm for 2:30 pm start.
Cost: £20 per person
Please note: Due to construction work, there is no parking, including disability parking, at the venue.
The SGA Online Talk of 22 April 2022, “South Georgia Then and Now – 1982 And All That” with Bob Headland, Pat Lurcock, and Jamie Coleman can now be seen on our YouTube channel. You can see this, and our previous talks, on the SGA Video Recordings page via the Resources menu on our website.
We regret to announce that our proposed spring meeting on HQS Wellington on 6 May has not had sufficient interest to go ahead so, sadly, we have had to cancel. We hope to see you in person a little later on some time.
The South Georgia Association is pleased to present another online talk on Friday 22 April 2022.
Who and What: Then and Now, with Bob Headland, Pat Lurcock and Jamie Coleman.
Recollections of life at King Edward Point by people who were there at the time of the invasion in 1982, when the military garrison was replaced by the applied fisheries research laboratory in 2001 and during the latest summer season 2021 to 2022. Bob Headland, Pat Lurcock and Jamie Coleman will present their memories of past and recollections of recent events illustrated by contemporary photographs.
Where: The Comfort of your own Home, via Zoom
When: 1930 on Friday 22 April 2022 (1830 GMT for overseas viewers)
We regret that we have had to cancel the spring meeting on HQS Wellington as there was not enough interest. If you have already paid, we will contact you directly to arrange a refund.
After a two-year hiatus the 2022 Spring Meeting of the South Georgia Association will be held on board HQS Wellington, on London’s Victoria Embankment, on Friday 6 May 2022 at 4.30 PM.
The SGA Online Talk of 24 February 2022, Whaling on South Georgia with John Alexander, was attended by about 400 Zoom viewers. If you missed it, you can catch up on our YouTube channel. You can see this, and our previous talks, on the SGA Video Recordings page via the Resources menu on our website.
The South Georgia Association is pleased to present another online talk on Thursday 24 February 2022.
Who and What: Whaling on South Georgia, with John Alexander, hosted by the SGA’s Dr Martin Collins.
A talk by a man who was there, illustrated with his own photographs
John Alexander was an electrician with Christian Salvesen arriving at Leith Harbour in September 1954 and overwintering. He returned in September 1956 and overwintered again. He then spent the 1958-1959 season on Southern Harvester and the 1959-1960 season on Southern Venturer. His last season was back in Leith Harbour, arriving in September 1960 as an Asdic electrician. Much later he returned to South Georgia in 2009 on Skip Novak’s Pelagic Australis.
Where: The Comfort of your own Home, via Zoom
When: 1930 GMT on Thursday 24 February 2022
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.
