The South Georgia Association

Shackleton Exhibition at the RGS
2022-02-07 08:00 - 2022-05-04 17:00 (Europe/London) | Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR, United Kingdom

SGA Online Talk - Whaling from South Georgia
2022-02-24 19:30 - 21:30 | Online – the Comfort of Your Own Home
We are hosting another online talk on Thursday 24 February 2022.

Whaling from South Georgia

Presented by John Alexander and hosted by 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.

More Details and Event Registration

Deadline for Morag Husband Campbell Medal Nominations
2022-02-28 00:00 - 23:59

SGA Online Talk - South Georgia Then and Now (1982-2022)
2022-04-22 19:30 - 21:00 | Online – the Comfort of Your Own Home
South Georgia Association online event to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Argentine occupation of South Georgia in 1982

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 share their memories of past and recollections of recent events illustrated by contemporary photographs.

We will email SGA members with details of the event nearer the time, and then publicise it wider by email, Facebook and on this site.

More Details and Registration HERE

CANCELLED: SGA Spring Meeting 2022
2022-05-06 16:30 - 23:59
The South Georgia Association regrets that we have had to cancel the proposed Spring Meeting on HQS Wellington in London on 6 May 2022. More HERE.

The Discovery of Shackleton's Lost Ship 'Endurance'
2023-03-04 14:30 - 17:00
A talk at The BMS University of Cambridge Chemistry Lecture Theatre in Cambridge on the discovery of the wreck of Shackleton’s ‘Endurance’ under the Weddell Sea. Introduced by Donald Lamont, Chairman of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, which organised and funded the Endurance22 expedition, there will be presentations from the leaders of the expedition, and the film maker who recorded the drama of the search and discovery.

More Details and Event Registration

SGA Spring Meeting and AGM
2023-04-28 18:00 - 22:30 | Royal Overseas League, Over-Seas House, Park Pl, London, SW1A 1NN, United Kingdom
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. More Details Here:

More Details

SGHT/UKAHT: Online Charity Auction
2023-07-07 08:00 - 2023-07-19 23:30
The South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) are working together to bring you a fabulous Online Charity Auction to raise funds towards their conservation programmes in South Georgia and Antarctica. They will have a wonderful selection of unique experiences and exclusive lots on offer, from very special adventurous cruises to artworks by recognised artists, signed books, true antiques and collectables.

Save the date now, and more information will be available from the organisors once the auction starts on Friday 7 July. The auction will be live until Friday 19 July and you will be able to place your bids at any time between those dates.

SGHT/UKAHT: The Orcas Tale Webinar
2023-07-07 19:00 - 20:30
The South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) invite you to join them on Friday 7 July for their webinar Southern Ocean Stories: The Orca’s Tale.

Discover the life of Orcas living in the Southern Ocean. Two whale researchers will describe their work with Orca in South Georgia and Antarctic waters. We will find out how studying the movements, behaviour, abundance and ecology of Killer Whale populations using direct observations and remote sensing technology can tell the story of our changing environment. Their tales about their experiences working in Antarctic waters will be illustrated with their amazing photographs.

SGHT: The Return of the Quest Crow's Nest
2023-09-07 17:30 - 19:00 | All Hallows by the Tower, All Hallows by the Tower London, EC3R 5BJ, London, EC3R 5BJ, United Kingdom
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

SGA AGM and Talks
2024-07-20 00:00 - 23:59 | SPRI Lecture Theatre, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1ER, United Kingdom
We will hold a joint all-day event with the Friends of SPRI, incorporating the AGM, and Dinner at Jesus College. More details to follow soon. Meanwhile, save the date. And maybe Friday too. Details for requesting tickets will be sent to SGA members soon, and advertised here a little later.

SGA Annual General Meeting

We will start with a long-overdue, but brief, South Georgia Association Annual General Meeting.

Speakers for the day include:

Julian Dowdeswell: Ice and environmental change.

Eva Marie Widmark: Captain CA Larsen (1860-1924), a Pioneer from the Heroic Age.

Andy Beharrell: Sailing a 100 year old herring drifter below 50 degrees south – demanding and enchanting in equal measure.

John Dudeney, Paul Rodhouse and Mark Belchier: 120 years of management and mismanagement of Antarctic marine living resources.

David Drewry: The Land beneath the ice.

Refreshments are included throughout the day with sandwiches at lunch with wine.

SGA Morag Husband Campbell Medal Presentations

The SGA will present recent MHC medals before the evening dinner.

Evening Dinner at Jesus College

The evening will start at 7.00pm with pre-dinner drinks in the gardens (weather permitting) and dinner in the Upper Hall. Prosecco, wine and soft drinks included.

Price (To Be Confirmed): Ticket price for the day / evening is expected to be about £120 per person to include all food and drink as specified.

Accommodation:

Accommodation is available at Jesus College at a special discounted rate. To book a room please call the West Court Reception team at Jesus College on their direct number 01223 760571 and the code to quote to reception is: SPRI2024.

Room TypePer Room, Per NightApartment En-suite (1-AES)£201.75Double En-suite (2-DES)£152.25Single En-suite (3-SES)£143.25Double Standard (4-DS)£115.50Single Standard (5-SS)£108.00

Save the date in your diary! Spaces are limited so please register your interest as soon as the booking links are sent out in April. Places will be reserved on a first come, first served basis.

Endurance Film Premiere
2024-10-12 14:30 - 17:00
Endurance Film Premiere at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank, London

Endurance Film Showing in Cambridge
2024-10-16 20:00 - 22:00 | Cambridge Arts Picture House, 38–39 St Andrew's Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AR, United Kingdom
Endurance Film Showing at the Cambridge Picture House

In a legendary feat of leadership and perseverance, Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton kept alive his crew of 27 men for over a year despite the loss of their ship in frigid pack ice. Over a century later, a team of modern-day explorers sets out to find the sunken ship. From National Geographic Documentary Films and

directed by Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Natalie Hewit, ENDURANCE threads together the inspiring stories of these two landmark expeditions, bound by their shared grit and determination.

We’re delighted to welcome polar geographer and expedition leader Dr. John Shears for an in-person Q&A following this special preview screening at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. Shears successfully led the Endurance 22 mission, a groundbreaking expedition to discover Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship.

SGA Online Talk - 250th Anniversary of Cook's First Landing
2025-01-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Online – the Comfort of Your Own Home
South Georgia Association online event to mark the 250th anniversary of the first landing on South Georgia, by Captain Cook.

Dr Bruce F. Mair

17 January 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing on South Georgia while on his second voyage of exploration (1772-1775) aboard HMS Resolution. Former BAS Geologist Bruce Mair will describe aspects of Cook’s earlier life and arrival at South Georgia and add personal recollections of geological fieldwork on the south coast and inland glaciers of the island coincident with the 200th and 202nd anniversaries.

We will email SGA members with details of the event nearer the time, and then publicise it wider by email, Facebook and on this site.

SGA July 2025 Summer Event
2025-07-04 08:00 - 2025-07-05 17:00 | British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Get ready for two days of exciting presentations! Whales, seals, science, archives, mapping, climate change, marine protection, and more! We can’t wait to see you there!Venue: British Antarctic SurveyPrice: TBCNumbers will be limited so tickets will be on a first come, first served basis with SGA members given priority booking. Look out for more information in the coming weeks!

Online Talk - Virtual Viola
2025-11-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Online – the Comfort of Your Own Home
Online Talk on the History of the sealing vessel Dias (Originally named Viola) that now rests at Grytviken. More Details to Follow

25th Anniversary of KEP Research Station Opening
2026-03-19 19:30 - 20:00 | Online – the Comfort of Your Own Home
Online (Zoom) Presentation about the KEP Station reopening, and a British Antarctic Survey team moving in to replace the departing MIlitary detachment. Details of how to get tickets will be distributed to Members in due course, and opened to the wider public later.

Click Here for More Details and Tickets

Summer Event: History and Art of South Georgia
2026-07-10 09:15 - 2026-07-11 16:30 | British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom
The Association is holding an in-person, two-day event, with the theme of ‘History and Art of South Georgia’. It is being hosted at BAS, Cambridge, and includes the Annual Members’ Meeting and Presidential Dinner. We will have the presidential handover on the 10th from David Tatham to David Drewry.

More details here:

Click Here

70th Anniversary of the Launch of RRS John Biscoe and HMS Endurance (Anita Dan)
2026-09-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Online – the Comfort of Your Own Home
More Details to Follow. Save the Date and Watch this Space!
