11 December 2008, Royal Geographical Society, London.

28 November 2008, Hilton Hotel, Dundee, Scotland.

The AGM of the Friends is scheduled for Saturday, 8 November 2008 at Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK.
(25 November 2007)

AGM, followed by talk by Charles Swithinbank ("50 years on ice—the changing scene") followed by dinner. Friday, 7 November 2008. Dulwich College, London.

The summer lunch of the Friends is scheduled for Saturday, 7 June 2008 at a location in or around Cambridge, UK.
Source: Polar Bytes, No 45.
(25 November 2007)

Both on Friday 6 June 2008:

Wondrous Cold, an exhibition of Joan Myers' photographs, opens at the Springfield (MA) Museum of Fine Arts on 25 March 2008 running through 1 June 2008. This was developed as a Smithsonian traveling exhibition. This is what the Museum's website says:

"This exhibit features 50 dramatic color and black-and-white photographs of the world's most hostile continent. Award-winning photographer Joan Myers spent October 2002 through January 2003 photographing the scientific activities and daily life at McMurdo research station in Antarctica. Large panoramas of Antarctica's austere beauty are juxtaposed with wildlife, people, and the abandoned huts of early explorers Scott and Shackleton.

Myers also explored the interior of the continent by plane, ship, helicopter and snowmobile, and took photos aboard a Coast Guard icebreaker, at the South Pole, and from the top of an active volcano. Her pictures offer a glimpse of the majestic continent that has captured the imagination of explorers, scientists and armchair travelers alike.

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest, driest and most remote continent on the Earth. No permanent human settlement has ever been established on Antarctica, but dozens of countries maintain research stations there to study its geological past, its glaciers and wildlife, and the environment. McMurdo Station is the largest of three American scientific research stations built in the 1950s.

"I have seen part of the planet that few have seen, and I have had the time to walk and photograph and feel our world without its veneer of human activity. Antarctica cannot be tamed." That is the last journal entry Joan Myers wrote, summing up the four-month project."

Source: http://www.springfieldmuseums.org/museums/mfa/exhibits/?page_function=view&exhibit_id=108

"The use of the eloquent words of the explorers themselves gives this engaging production real gravitas."
METRO

"There is much humour, but it is their accounts of the return journeys that are the most poignant."
EVENING STANDARD

This touring exhibition developed by Antarctica New Zealand celebrates 50 years of New Zealand's presence in Antarctica. It also marks the International Polar Year 2007-2009.

New Plymouth (4 May-24 June 2007)
Palmerston North (29 June-16 September 2007)
Christchurch (21 September-4 November 2007)
Invercargill (9 November-30 December 2007)
Auckland (3 January-3 February 2008)
Dunedin (9 February-30 March 2008)

Ships & Shoes & Snow Goggles: Polar History Inspires Paintings and Sketches by Vincent Alexander Booth (12 January - 15 March 2008)

The Group will convene at the New Country Inn, Ivybridge, on Wednesday, 19 March 2008. Guest and speaker will be Michael Smith, well known to all Antarcticans. He will speak on Captain Oates.
(5 February 2008)

Public lectures are scheduled at Scott Polar Research Institute for the following dates during Lent Term: 9 & 23 February and 8 & 29 March, 2008.
Source: Polar Bytes, No 45.
(25 November 2007)

9 February 2008 "From Dreams to Reality"—a new museum, museum store and archive for SPRI. Robert Smith Project Manager, SPRI.

23 February 2008 "Whaling films of the busy times at Grytviken." South Georgia Association. The Whaling History of South Georgia.

8 March 2008 "Kayak 66° South." PO Steve Paris-Hunter RN, FRGS. A spactacular and challenging voyage by kayak around James Ross Island in the Antarctic Peninsula.

The 29 March lecture is not Antarctic-related.

An exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society in London from 8 January to 29 February 2008.
(27 January 2008)

Prominent polar historian Ann Shirley will speak at the launch of the new Hakluyt Society title Four Travel Journals: America, Antarctica and Africa 1775-1874 on Friday 25 January 2008 in Exeter.

At Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK.
Continuing from 25 October to December 2007.
Source: Polar Bytes, No 45.
(25 November 2007)

The AGM of the Friends of SPRI is scheduled for Saturday, 10 November 2007 at the Institute in Cambridge. The speaker will be Tony Soper.
(9 December 2006)

Royal Geographical Society, London, UK, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 at 7 p.m.

The Hakluyt Society has announced that "the next E.G.R. Taylor Lecture will be on Thursday, 18 October 2007 at the House of the Royal Geographical Society. It is the turn of that Society to sponsor the lecture for 2007 and it is gratifying that htey have chosen our Vice-President, Dr Ann Savours Shirley, as lecturer. Her subject will be 'Sir Clements Markham (1830-1916): Shining Light of Eminence Grise'."
(9 December 2006)

Public lectures are scheduled at Scott Polar Research Institute for the following dates during Michaelmas Term: 13 & 27 October and 10 & 24 November, 2007.
(10 February 2007)

Commemorative Weekend
Christchurch, New Zealand

The Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 West 22nd Street, New York City, 17 July - 9 September 2007.
Written and performed by Aidan Dooley.
Yet another performance of what has now become an Antarctic classic.
Call 212-727-2737 for details, tickets.
Web: www.irishrep.org
—Thanks to David Stam.
(19 August 2007)

Torbay Hotel, Torquay, Devon, UK, 6 August 2007.
Paul Davies is organizing a gathering "to mark the centenary of the Nimrod's departure from Torquay. A small group of enthusiasts will be raising a glass in the bar of the Torbay Hotel from 8pm during the evening of 6 August 2007."
Torquay was the Nimrod's point of departure from the UK. A Farewell Dinner was held on the evening of the 6th at the Torbay Hotel and the ship sailed the following day.
For further information, ring Paul at 01548 561798
Source: James Caird Society Newsletter, Issue 13.
(30 May 2007)

Duxton Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand, 2-6 July 2007.
Antarctica New Zealand and the Royal Society of New Zealand are proud to announce a conference celebrating 50 years of New Zealand's involvement in the Antarctic. The conference aims to present the successes of the past (International Geophysical Year to present day) and enthuse New Zealand about its future in Antarctica.

A 5-week polar lecture series at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, UK. Saturdays, 2-30 June 2007. Hours: 15-17.30. Cost: £30/£20. Bookings 020 8312 8560

"I'm glad to introduce you the next exhibition of the Centre International de la Mer—Corderie Royale, in the city of Rochefort (France). You will find a first presentation in the notice following the message (in French for the moment, the notice in English will be available soon).

You may be interested in the character and the polar adventure that we are going to show in our exhibition from December 9th [2006] to June 24th [2007] since it will tell Sir Ernest Shackleton's tremendous expedition to the South Pole.

The opening of the exhibition will be celebrated on December 13th at 6 pm, invitations on demand.

Thank you for promoting this exhibition around you. Do not hesitate to join me for further information or visit our website: www.corderie-royale.com"

—From an email from the corderie-royale.com
(11 December 2006)

With Scott to the Pole displays 30 photographs of Scott's ill-fated expedition to Antarctica 1910-1913. It reveals the beauty of the Antarctic icescape, captures everyday moments from baking bread to a visit to the expedition barber, alongside the final fateful push to the pole. 'Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of hardihood, endurance and courage which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale...' Captain Scott.

SPRI is restaging the 2005 exhibition of the Antarctic paintings of Edward Seago. At Bonhams New Bond Street Gallery from Sunday 27 May to Friday 15 June 2007. This exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh's tour of hte Antarctic and is being staged in support of the SPRI Appeal. For further information see the Bonhams site at www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=eventsDetail
Source: Polar Bytes, No 43.
(30 May 2006)

The Society's Annual Dinner is to be held, as always, on 12 June, which in 2007 is a Tuesday. Captain Scott Room, Royal Hotel, Cardiff.
(8 April 2006)

The Summer Lunch of the Friends of SPRI is scheduled for Saturday, 2 June 2007 at SPRI. A sherry reception and book sale started at 12 noon, followed at 12:45 by the lunch. The 'Antarctic Adventurers' will perform at 2:30 followed by a Dog Sledging presentation. Tickets are £20 per person. For information or tickets contact Mrs. C. Packard, Friends of SPRI, ScottPolar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1ER..
(9 December 2006)

This exhibition opens on 16 December 2006 and runs until May 2007. Otago Museum, 419 Great King Street, Dunedin, NZ.

Cool down this summer at Antarctica in Dunedin!

"Otago Museum's outstanding summer exhibition Antarctica : The Big Ice captures the true essence of the world's southernmost continent. Be captivated by the Antarctic aesthetic, delve into the history, discover the science, contemplate the politics and explore with the heroes. Most of all, be inspired by the last great wilderness.

See sledges used by Scott and Shackleton on their courageous expeditions and take a close look at the ice axe Sir Edmund Hillary used to carve steps in the polar plateau as he as he lead his team to the South Pole. Try out a polar tent for size, ride a skidoo or dress yourself for an Antarctic expedition.

Review evidence of the geological relationships between Antarctica and New Zealand with some outstanding fossil finds. Meet some examples of the wildlife of the big ice including an Emperor Penguin presented following Shackleton's 1909/10 expedition.

Discover the extremes of Earth's most important scientific laboratory; the incredible coping methods of the animal and plant life, the phenomenon behind awesome and pristine ice free dry valleys, and why Antarctic life models that of planet Mars! Investigate a range of international scientific research programmes aimed at knowing more about how and why, and what both the search for and the answers can mean for the future.

Commemorating 50 years of New Zealand's presence in Antarctica, International Polar Year and Scott Base's 50th Birthday, Antarctica : The Big Ice celebrates our strong relationships, past, present and future with earth's most extreme land.

Be inspired by the beauty and grandeur of this engaging exhibition and take the opportunity to experience the first significant exhibition of the photography of Grahame Sydney from his recent visits south, along with a taste of the inspired works from a variety of New Zealand artists.

Made possible with the support and talents of Imagelab and Antarctica New Zealand, the Otago Museum is proud to have designed and produced this exhibition, which starts its life in Dunedin before touring to other communities around New Zealand.

An excellent range of community programmes will run in conjunction with this breathtaking exhibition. Plan your journey today!

Opening 16 December 2006, Special Exhibitions Gallery, FREE!"

—From the Museum's website: otagomuseum.govt.nz/antarctica_the_big_ice.html

The Society's spring members' evening is to be held on Friday 11 May 2007 at Dulwuch College, London. 6:30 pm. Cost: £30. John Gimlette will give a lecture entitled "A Theatre of Fish." This will be followed by dinner in the North Cloister and Lower Hall. For information contact Pippa Hare, The James Caird Society, Fig Tree Cottage, High Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EN, UK.
(21 April 2007)

'Terra Nova,' Ted Tally's play focusing on Captain Scott, is now having a run at the Port City Playhouse, Lee Center for the Performing Arts, 1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. General information: PortCityInfo@aol.com or (703) 838-2880. Web: www.PortCityPlayhouse.com

This RGS exhibition of Herbert Ponting's photographs will be at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Queen Street, Exeter, Devon, UK, 27 January – 28 April, 2007. www.exeter.gov.uk
—Thanks to UKAHT.
(9 December 2006)

Rik van Glintenkamp's polar collages will be exhibited at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 27 January through 22 April, 2007.

"Opening January 27, 2007, Echoes in the Ice offers a unique look at the aspirations, motivations and experiences that have shaped heroic and sometimes eccentric Arctic and Antarctic explorers, from 16th century privateer Martin Frobisher to Captain Cook, Roald Amundsen, and Admiral Byrd. Inspired by film montage and web design, visual artist and filmmaker Rik van Glintenkamp melds archival imagery, original writings and reproductions of personal memorabilia into mixed-media collages of polar explorations spanning almost four centuries. The work is a dynamic visual experience that has informed and awed audiences throughout the United Kingdom, Germany, and North America.

Echoes in the Ice 30 different explorers—both notable and little known. "Their fascinating stories will resonate for all of us who dream of voyages to unfamiliar places and what we will find there," says Harvard Museum of Natural History Executive Director Elisabeth Werby. Navigators, naval officers, doctors, pirates, and even artists of various nationalities and backgrounds were among those who charted and explored the harshest and farthest reaches of the planet utilizing undependable and relatively primitive technologies. Van Glintenkamp's collages create rich and varied portraits that chronicle successes, failures, narrow escapes, and dramatic deaths. Taken alone, each work is a window into the mind of an extraordinary individual. Together, they trace the dramatic history of polar exploration.

Rik van Glintenkamp is an accomplished New York photographer who has directed films for PBS, music videos, and whose photography has appeared regularly in Glamour, Elle, Seventeen, British Vogue, and other magazines. Echoes in the Ice is the culmination of a lifelong fascination with polar exploration that began at the age of 7.

Echoes in the Ice is part of the HMNH's celebration of International Polar Year 2007-2008, a concerted worldwide effort to advance scientific knowledge and interest in the polar regions and how they affect global climate systems.

Opening Saturday, January 27, 2007, Echoes in the Ice will be on view at the Harvard Museum of Natural History through April 22, 2007. The artist will offer gallery talks on January 26 at 11:00am and 4:00pm and on January 27 at 10:00am. Please call 617 495 2773 to reserve.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is located at 26 Oxford Street, a short walk from the Harvard Square T station. The Museum is handicapped accessible. For general information please call 617 495 3045 or visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu

Echoes in the Ice contains images and items donated by NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Byrd Polar Research Center at The Ohio State University.

An exhibit at Scott Polar Research Institute, 17 January – 14 April 2007, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK.

"This new exhibition centres on the final message written by Captain Scott to his wife and son—on public display for the first time.

Descendants of the famous explorer have donated the correspondence between Scott and his wife, the sculptress Kathleen, to the Scott Polar Research Institute Museum. The collection also includes letters sent by his wife and his young son, who was just learning to write at the time of his father's doomed expedition to the South Pole.

Three-year-old Peter sent two messages to his father as his mother anxiously awaited news of Scott's return in 1912. One says: "Dear Daddy I am going to be a drummer" and the other simply "I love you". Tragically, the little boy's letters never reached his father—Scott and his fellow-explorers had already succumbed to extreme frostbite, malnutrition and exhaustion as they fought their way across the Antarctic.

For the first time, scholars and members of the public will also be able to examine Scott's own, deeply moving final letter home. Dated March 1912 and addressed "To my widow", the document was found in his tent when the team's bodies were recovered in 1913.

Scott wrote it on scraps of his journal over a period of days as he and his companions tried to battle their way back from the Pole in blizzard conditions and unimaginable cold. At the start of 1912 they had arrived at the Pole only to discover that the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, had already attained the Pole a month earlier.

As they began the long and demoralising journey back, very bad weather set in. Despite valiant claims in the letter that he and his companions were "full of good health and vigour", the desperate nature of the group's situation soon became clear.

In one passage, Scott told Kathleen: "Dear, it is not easy to write because of the cold—70 degrees below zero and nothing but the shelter of our tent. You know I have loved you; you know my thoughts must have constantly dwelt on you . . . the worst aspect of this situation is that I shall not see you again—the inevitable must be faced."

As the position became more hopeless, Scott began to consider how his family would cope. The letter reveals that he encouraged his wife to re-marry, partly for the sake of their young son. "When the right man comes to help you in life you ought to be your happy self again," he wrote. "I wouldn't have been a very good husband, but I hope I shall be a good memory. Certainly the end is nothing for you to be ashamed of and I like to think that the boy will have a good start in parentage of which he may be proud."

Scott and his remaining two companions were just 11 miles short of their supply depot when they finally perished. Many of his final thoughts concerned Peter and he encouraged Kathleen to try to make him interested in natural history. "It is better than games," he commented, before adding: "Try and make him believe in a God; it is comforting."

Sir Peter Scott, as he became, did indeed follow in his father's footsteps, first by serving with distinction in the Royal Navy and, after World War II, by pursuing a celebrated career in ornithology. Now his widow, Lady Philippa Scott, has given the letters to the Scott Polar Research Institute, which was established in memory of Captain Scott and his team.

The gift means that Cambridge now houses the complete collection of Scott's correspondence, which includes more than 300 letters. These will be kept in the Institute, which also houses the explorer's famous journal and numerous other artefacts from his ill-fated expedition, including food and expedition equipment.

Institute Director, Professor Julian Dowdeswell, said: "We are tremendously grateful to the family for this generous gift, without which Scott's final and most poignant letters might easily have been lost to a private collector. Instead they will prove invaluable in enabling us to continue our historic role as an international centre for the study of the Polar regions."

Source: www.spri.cam.ac.uk/events/exhibitions/scottletters/

Craig Potton, one of New Zealand's most successful nature photographers, displays for the first time his photography of Antarctica's sublime Ross Ice Shelf. Tait Electronics Antarctica Gallery, Christchurch Art Gallery / Te Puna O Waiwhetu, Worcester Boulevard and Montreal Street, Christchurch, NZ, 15 December 2006–9 April 2007.
—From the Gallery's website www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz
(20 December 2006)

A free 'drop-in' talk by Nicola Dunn on Tuesday, 27 March 2007, at 1:10 pm at the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery.

Another RGS exhibition, this one of Frank Hurley's photographs will be at the Lime Tree Studios, Achintore Road, Fort William, Scotland, 16 February – 24 March, 2007. www.limetreefortwilliam.co.uk/events.htm
"Including a lecture programme and full size replica of the James Caird—the boat in which Shackelton led his men to safety.
This exhibition will be running during the Fort William Mountain Festival and events will be held at the Lime Tree."
—Thanks to UKAHT.
(9 December 2006)

SPRI Public Lecture Series (only Antarctic lectures included here)

"Artexpo New York, one of the most comprehensive events of its kind for both art industry professionals and consumers, will feature the works of Cliff Wassmann during its 2007 show, being held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City from March 1—March 5 [2007], Artexpo has been defining popular art for more than a quarter century, and is eagerly anticipated by art dealers, publishers and private collectors. International Artexpo is the highlight of the spring season and draws tens of thousands of qualified buyers and art enthusiasts to view its collections each year.

The James Caird Society is planning a Grand Nimrod Ball for Friday, 16 February 2007 in the Great Hall at Dulwich College. Dinner. Dancing to Chris & David Stark. 7 for 7:30pm. Tickets: £110 double, £60 single. Black tie. Proceeds to the Shackleton Centenary Expedition, 2008.
(9 December 2006)
For further information contact Pippa Hare, Fig Tree Cottage, High Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3EN, UK.
(8 January 2007)

Presentation and booksigning by Kelly Tyler-Lewis. Saturday, 10 February 2007 at 3:00 pm. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Web: www.hmnh.harvard.edu
"The historic voyae of Sir Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica aboard the Endurance has been well-documented. Yet few know about his supply team, the Ross Sea Party, which sailed to the opposite side of the continent to support his crossing with food and fuel—and met disaster along the way. Historian Kelly Tyler-Lewis will discuss their story of survival."
(29 January 2007)

Lecture by James J. McCarthy. Tuesday, 6 February 2007 at 6:00 pm. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Web: www.hmnh.harvard.edu
"International Polar Year 2007-2008 is an important opportunity to understand climate change and its implications. Harvard professor Jim McCarthy will discuss data spanning the last few decades, which have shown that portions of the Arctic and Antarctic are warming much faster than the average for the entire planet."
(29 January 2007)

Aidan Dooley's one-man show on Tom Crean is set to run at the Olympia Theatre, 72 Dame Street, Dublin, 8-13 January 2007

"a remarkable and uplifting piece of theatre, gives everything and asks nothing." Sunday Independent

Winner of Fringe First in Edinburgh 2006

Best Solo performance award winner—New York International Fringe Festival 2003

Best Actor nomination—Dublin Fringe Festival 2003

Aidan Dooley's award winning one-man play tells the heroic tale of Tom Crean (1877-1938), the intrepid, Irish Antarctic explorer and the only man to serve with Scott and Shackleton on three famous expeditions: —Discovery, (1901-1904); Terra Nova (1910-1913); and Endurance (1914-1916).

Written and performed my Dooley the story, a testament of human fortitude against all the elements of Antarctica, is brought to life in this dramatic solo performance. Crean's thirty-six mile solitary trek to base camp during the Terra Nova expedition to rescue his comrades Teddy Evans and William Lashly; has been described by Antarctic historians as "the finest feat of individual heroism from the entire age of exploration". He was subsequently awarded the Albert Medal for his bravery.

Tickets from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide 24 Hrs: 0818 719 300
Buy on line: www.ticketmaster.ie
Mon 8th: €20.00
Tue 9th - Thurs 11th: €20.00, €25.00, €30.00
Fri 12th & Sat 13th: €25.00, €27.50, €32.50 (All prices include booking fee)

—Thanks to Brendan Dixon
(11 December 2006)