Included here are notices of lectures, conferences and other gatherings or events of Antarctic interest that appeared in 2013 and 2014 in 'Antarctic Events' but are now history.
Last updated: 4 December 2014.
Shackleton's Carpenter (From November 2014 in southeast England).
James Caird Society, AGM, Members' Evening and Lecture (7 November 2014. Dulwich College, London). Kelly Tyler-Lewis, "The Lost Men."
14th Annual Shackleton Autumn School (24-27 October 2014. Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland).
New Zealand Icefest (27 September - 12 October 2014, Christchurch, NZ).
Endurance Centenary Dinner in Plymouth (6-8 August 2014. Duke of Cornwall Hotel, Plymouth).
The Explorers Club: Antarctica (2014. Various venues).
25th Polar Libraries Colloquy (29 June - 3 July 2014. Scott Polar Research Institute and British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK).
Book Talk: Operation Tabarin: Britain's Secret Wartime Expedition to Antarctica, 1944-46. (16 June 2014. Waterstone's, Trafalgar Square, London).
Finding Captain Scott's Ship—The S.S. Terra Nova (11 June 2014. Cardiff Story Museum, The Old Library, The Hayes, Cardiff, Wales).
The Race to the End of the Earth (Various venues and dates).
James Caird Society, Members' Evening and Lecture (9 May 2014. Dulwich College, London). Arthur Ainsberg, "Leadership Lessons from Antarctica—Survival at the Bottom of the World."
Aurora Expedition Symposium (26 February 2014. Mawson Laboratories, North Terrace Campus, The University of Adelaide, Australia).
To the Ends of the Earth & and Back: Selections from The Jay I. Kislak Polar Collection (24 September 2013 - 27 February 2014. Osher Map Library, University of Southern Maine, Portland).
Aurora Expedition Symposium (4 October 2013. University of Adelaide, South Australia).
Friends of SPRI, AGM and Program. (9 November 2013. SPRI Lecture Theatre, Cambridge). Bob Burton, "What if Shackleton had Landed? Would he have got across Antarctica?"
James Caird Society AGM, Members' Evening and Lecture (8 November 2013. Dulwich College, London). Angie Butler, "The Quest for Frank Wild."
Friends of SPRI, Lecture. (26 October 2013. SPRI Lecture Theatre, Cambridge). John Dudenay, "Operation Tabarin."
13th Annual Shackleton Autumn School (25-28 October 2013. Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland).
Friends of SPRI, Lecture (jointly with the South Georgia Association) (12 October 2013. SPRI Lecture Theatre, Cambridge). Bob Headland, "Exotic Terrestrial Mammals in Antarctic Regions."
Scott's Last Expedition (23 November - 30 June 2013. Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand).
Annascaul Tom Crean International Festival (21-23 June 2013. Community Centre and the South Pole Inn, Annascaul, Co Kerry, Ireland).
Centenary of the Visit to Scilly of Captain Scott's Ship the Terra Nova in June 1913 (10-12 June 2013. Isles of Scilly). See a report on the gathering.
Scott's 145th Birthday Dinner in Plymouth (6 June 2013. Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Plymouth).
Friends of Antarctica. Talk by Patrick Cordingly (18 May 2013. The Oates Museum, Selborne, Hampshire).
James Caird Society Members' Evening and Lecture (10 May 2013. Dulwich College, London).
American Polar Society 75th Anniversary Meeting and Symposium (15-18 April 2013. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts).
Heart of the Hero: The Remarkable Women behind Polar Exploration (8 April 2013. Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London).
Heart of the Hero: The Remarkable Women behind Polar Exploration (26 February 2013. The Clothworkers' Hall, London).
Retracing Roald Amundsen—Centenary Expedition to the South Pole (18 February 2013. Royal Georgraphical Society, London).
Oamaru Scott 100 (6-10 February 2013. Oamaru, NZ).
Friday, 7 November 2014, 5:30pm (AGM), followed at 6pm by a talk by Kelly Tyler-Lewis author of The Lost Men, followed by Dinner, Great Hall. Dulwich College, London.
Friday-Monday, 24-27 October 2014, Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Michael Smith: Shackleton Huw Lewis Jones: Crossing of Antarctica Rourke Bryan: Antarctica Then and Now: A Continent Tamed? P. J Capelotti : Shipwreck at Cape Flora: The Expeditions of Benjamin Leigh Smith, England's Forgotten Arctic Explorer Dr Rip Bulkeley Bellingshausen and the Russian Antarctic Expedition, 1819-1821 Dr C. L. Devlin: On the Natural History of Arctic Fauna: A Correspondence between James Lamont and Charles Darwin, 1860 to 1871 Dr Bernard Stonehouse: Emperors and kings: tales of an Antarctic biologist Jim Mayer: Shackleton—A Life in PoetryFor more information go to http://www.shackletonmuseum.com/ Download a brochure
7 & 8 August 2014, Duke of Cornwall Hotel, Plymouth (where Shackleton stayed before departing on Endurance) (http://www.thedukeofcornwall.co.uk). Centenary Dinner to commemorate the departure of the Endurance from Plymouth. Other activities are planned—lectures (by Michael Smith, Bob Burton, Wilson McOrist and Seb Coulthard), plays, films and a plaque unveiling on Millbay Dock. This event is supported by the James Caird Society and the Antarctic 100 group
More information will be forthcoming from Paul Davies and the Devon & Cornwall Polar Society.
A recently received e-mail:
"I am a musician and songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand, bringing an award-winning performance to the UK and Ireland in the summer of 2014. Our unique show, 'The Explorers Club: Antarctica,' tells the stories of Ernest Shackleton, Captain Scott, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration using original folk songs, spoken word performance, heritage images and new illustrations. The show is meticulously researched, and we have performed the work at some of New Zealand's principal museums, including our National Maritime Museum in Auckland. We have been touring the show around New Zealand in 2013, playing to packed houses at Arts Festivals, theatres, museums, galleries and schools. The show has received rave reviews and picked up the award for 'best music' at the 2013 NZ Fringe Festival Awards. We are bringing the show to Europe in August 2014, where we will present it as part of the Edinburgh Fringe line-up. We plan to tour the UK and Ireland in August/September, and we are very interested in performing the work as part of any celebrations being held to mark the centenary of the Endurance expedition. Our show runs for around sixty minutes, and consists of spoken-word storytelling, original folk songs, and multimedia projections featuring heritage images and new illustrations telling the stories of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and Scott's Terra Nova Expedition. We have performed at all sorts of venues and events, and we are also able to perform a modified version of the show to a primary school audience, which is something that would be great to organise in the UK in association with UKAHT. I am happy to provide references from Arts Festivals and major New Zealand museums if you would like more information about the show. After performing the work at both the Auckland and Wellington Maritime Museums this year we have been invited back to perform the sequel at those institutions as part of the NZ Fringe Festivals in 2015."For more see http://www.bondstreetbridge.blogspot.co.nz/p/explorers-club-antarctica.html
29 June - 3 July, 2014, co-hosted by the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
Information as it develops at http://arcticcentre.ulapland.fi/polarweb/plc/evnt.asp
Monday, 16 June 2014, 7:30pm onwards, Waterstone's, Trafalgar Square, London.
Stephen Haddelsey and Alan Carroll will talk about their new book Operation Tabarin: Britain's Secret Wartime Expedition to Antarctica, 1944-46. The event is open to all and is free. There will be a slide show and talk by the authors, followed by book signings.
Wednesday, 11 June 2014, 6pm, Cardiff Story Museum, The Old Library,
The Hayes, Cardiff, £5 (£3.50 students) Tea & Welsh Cakes. Tel: 029 2078 8334. Web: www.cardiffstory.com.
Leighton Rolley will speak how he found the wreck of Scott's ship off the coast of Greenland.
"The Australasian Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Douglas Mawson marked the first Australasian temporary occupation of Antarctica.
Mawson's expedition returned to South Australia on 26 February 1914 with great fanfare. Now, one hundred years later, and with several more narratives available, the expedition is being re-examined.
This day-long symposium will focus on what has been omitted, forgotten, not well told or distorted.
Internationally renowned speakers include controversial historian David Day, author Meredith Hooper (2014 Australian of the Year in the UK), explorer Professor Chris Turney (recently returned to Australia from the 2013-2014 Australasian Antarctic Expedition), academic Elle Leane and environmental scientist Pat Quilty, along with descendants of expeditioners Sir Douglas Mawson and Cecil Thomas Madigan. Themes covered will include Aurora, Macquarie Island, science, main base, the recently published diaries of Mawson's Adelaide University colleague Cecil Madigan, and the scientific and cultural legacies of this historic journey.
The symposium will be opened by His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia. Sessions will run all day with breaks for lunch as well as morning and afternoon tea, and followed by a cocktail reception to toast the centenary of the expedition's return."
9am Prof. Bob Hill, University of Adelaide IntroductionAdditional information at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/aurora/ (9 February 2014)
9.15–9.45am Professor Martin Hand AAE Science Today
9.45–10.15am Dr John Ainsworth The Macquarie Island Wireless and Weather Station, 1911–1915
10.15–10.45am Mark Pharaoh Sealers, Wekas and Other Kiwi Influences on the AAE at Macquarie Island: Overlooking the New Zealand Contribution, 1911–14
10.45–11am His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia Official Symposium Opening
11–11.30am Morning Tea Concurrent Sessions
11.30am–12pm H.J.G. Dartnall The Aurora's crew 1911–1914
11.30am–12pm Pat Quilty Unfinished business: AAE science is still active 12–12.30pm Dr Elizabeth Leane High-Latitude Lassitude: Laziness and Leisure in the AAE
12–12.30pm Dr Andrew Atkin From Southern Cross to Aurora: a brief history of advances in Antarctic terrestrial magnetic research, 1898–1914 12.30–1pm Emma McEwin Penguins on Horseback and Douglas Mawson's Iron Gut
12.30–1pm Meredith Hooper Playing the Game 1–2pm Lunch 2–2.30pm Heather Rossiter The Publication of C.T. Madigan's diary: Madigan's Account, the Mawson Expedition
2.30–3pm Dr David Day Countdown to Disaster: A discussion of the complex factors that caused the death of Xavier Mertz
3–3.30pm Jenny Hunter Chevalier de Tintail: Reflections on the life of John George Hunter and his contribution to the AAE
3.30–4pm Afternoon Tea
4–4.30pm Dr Anna Lucas Captain John King Davis, bringing Mawson and the team home
4.30–5pm Dr Bernadette Hince Antarctic Welcome Home Dinners
5–5.30pm Professor Chris Turney Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013–2014
"It [the exhibit] is currently in Genoa, Italy. Then it goes to Victoria, BC (opening 17 May 2013) and then on to France (Lyon, 2014)."
It was at the National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. from 25 May to 21 August 2011.
Friday, 9 May 2014, 6pm, Great Hall, Dulwich College, London.
Arthur Ainsberg, "Leadership Lessons from Antarctica—Survival at the Bottom of the World."
Selections from the stellar collection of Jay I. Kislak are on exhibit at the Osher Map Library from September 24th 2013 to February 27th 2014. The Osher Library is part of the University of Southern Maine in Portland.
The Osher Map Library is pleased to present To the Ends of the Earth . . . and Back: Selections from the Jay I. Kislak Polar Collection, an exhibition curated by Arthur Dunkleman, Director of the Jay I. Kislak Foundation, Miami Lakes, Florida. The exhibition offers a historical overview of polar exploration and the ongoing process of globalization as depicted in maps, charts, books, and artifacts from the Kislak Polar Collection. It begins with the Greek and Roman concepts of the "frigid zones," as the polar regions were first named, continues with the Renaissance idea of terra australis [the supposed southern continent] and the often fatal search for the Northeast and Northwest passages from Europe to Asia, and ends with the ultimate challenge: to reach the South Pole, the end of the earth. The exhibition includes over eighty objects that span five centuries. They document not only Western expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic but also the impact of those expeditions on popular culture and globalization. Jay I. Kislak, a prominent collector of maps, assembled the Kislak Polar Collection over many years, collecting rare books, manuscripts and other artifacts related to world exploration and especially the New World and the polar regions. Kislak and his wife, Jean, residents of Maine and Florida, are lifelong connoisseurs and supporters of the arts. The Jay I. Kislak Foundation was established in 1984 to foster greater understanding of the cultures and history of the Americas. In 2004, the foundation donated more than 3,000 rare books, maps, manuscripts and artifacts related to the Early Americas to the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. The Jay I. Kislak Collection is the core of Exploring the Early Americas, an ongoing exhibition in the historic Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress and is integral to the library's program of research, education, and public activity. During the past decade the foundation has focused on the early history of navigation, exploration and discovery, with particular emphasis on the polar regions. Selected highlights of the Kislak Polar Collection are on display in this exhibition. Source: http://www.americanaexchange.com/articles/1536 Link to University of Southern Maine, the Osher Library. You can see and hear an interview with Arthur Dunkleman, Director of the Jay I. Kislak Foundation at http://ctn5.org/shows/member-highlights/member-highlight-oshter-maps-arctic-exploration-6779. (4 October 2013)
"The Australasian Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Douglas Mawson marked the first Australasian temporary occupation of Antarctica.
Mawson's expedition returned to South Australia on 26 February 1914 with great fanfare. Now, one hundred years later, and with several more narratives available, the expedition is being re-examined.
This day-long symposium will focus on what has been omitted, forgotten, not well told or distorted.
Internationally renowned speakers include controversial historian David Day, author Meredith Hooper (2014 Australian of the Year in the UK), explorer Professor Chris Turney (recently returned to Australia from the 2013-2014 Australasian Antarctic Expedition), academic Elle Leane and environmental scientist Pat Quilty, along with descendants of expeditioners Sir Douglas Mawson and Cecil Thomas Madigan. Themes covered will include Aurora, Macquarie Island, science, main base, the recently published diaries of Mawson's Adelaide University colleague Cecil Madigan, and the scientific and cultural legacies of this historic journey.
The symposium will be opened by His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia. Sessions will run all day with breaks for lunch as well as morning and afternoon tea, and followed by a cocktail reception to toast the centenary of the expedition's return."
9am Prof. Bob Hill, University of Adelaide IntroductionAdditional information at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/aurora/ (9 February 2014)
9.15–9.45am Professor Martin Hand AAE Science Today
9.45–10.15am Dr John Ainsworth The Macquarie Island Wireless and Weather Station, 1911–1915
10.15–10.45am Mark Pharaoh Sealers, Wekas and Other Kiwi Influences on the AAE at Macquarie Island: Overlooking the New Zealand Contribution, 1911–14
10.45–11am His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia Official Symposium Opening
11–11.30am Morning Tea Concurrent Sessions
11.30am–12pm H.J.G. Dartnall The Aurora's crew 1911–1914
11.30am–12pm Pat Quilty Unfinished business: AAE science is still active 12–12.30pm Dr Elizabeth Leane High-Latitude Lassitude: Laziness and Leisure in the AAE
12–12.30pm Dr Andrew Atkin From Southern Cross to Aurora: a brief history of advances in Antarctic terrestrial magnetic research, 1898–1914 12.30–1pm Emma McEwin Penguins on Horseback and Douglas Mawson's Iron Gut
12.30–1pm Meredith Hooper Playing the Game 1–2pm Lunch 2–2.30pm Heather Rossiter The Publication of C.T. Madigan's diary: Madigan's Account, the Mawson Expedition
2.30–3pm Dr David Day Countdown to Disaster: A discussion of the complex factors that caused the death of Xavier Mertz
3–3.30pm Jenny Hunter Chevalier de Tintail: Reflections on the life of John George Hunter and his contribution to the AAE
3.30–4pm Afternoon Tea
4–4.30pm Dr Anna Lucas Captain John King Davis, bringing Mawson and the team home
4.30–5pm Dr Bernadette Hince Antarctic Welcome Home Dinners
5–5.30pm Professor Chris Turney Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013–2014
Saturday, 9 November 2013. 4-5pm Bob Burton, "What if Shackleton had Landed? Would he have got across Antarctica?"
AGM 5:15-6pm. SPRI Lecture Theatre, Cambridge.
Friday, 8 November 2013, 6pm, Great Hall, Dulwich College, London.
Angie Butler, "The Quest for Frank Wild."
Saturday, 26 October 2013. 7:30pm. SPRI Lecture Theatre, Cambridge.
John Dudenay, "Operation Tabarin."
Friday-Monday, 25-28 October 2013, Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Dr Charles Swithinbank will lecture about his life and work in the Antarctic Jason Anthony: 'Hoosh Roast Penguin, Scurvy Day, and Other Stories of Antarctic Cuisine' Dr Shane McCorristine: 'Polar Otherworlds: Dreams and Ghosts in Arctic Exploration' Prof Peter Wadhams: 'Sea Ice and Shackleton's Endurance Expedition' Dr Maria Pia Casarini Director of the Instituto Geografico Polare: 'Zavatti Fermi', Italy. 'The Franklin Expedition—Did they try to Sail Home?' Prof Klaus Dodds: 'Geopolitics in the Freezer: Current and Future Challenges facing Antarctica' Joan Boothe: 'They Also Served: A Look at the Hundreds of Participants of the Heroic Age Behind the Familiar names'For the School's brochure, click here.
Saturday, 12 October 2013. 7:30pm. SPRI Lecture Theatre, Cambridge.
Bob Headland, "Exotic Terrestrial Mammals in Antarctic Regions."
23 November - 30 June 2013, Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand.
"One hundred years after its tragic end, Scott's last expedition to the Antarctic still resonates as a fantastic tale of endeavour and courage. In 1910, when Scott embarked on the former whaling ship Terra Nova during his second journey to explore the Antarctic, he could not have predicted it would be his last. Tragically, he and four of his colleagues died on their return from the South Pole two years later. The exhibition, Scott's Last Expedition, uncovers Scott the man, the team he brought with him to Antarctica and the details of the fascinating Terra Nova expedition. Through engaging experiences, visitors will be able to explore this historic and emotional journey from every angle.
For the first time since the epic journey in Antarctica, Scott's Last Expedition will reunite real artefacts used by Scott and his team with the rare scientific specimens they collected during the 1910-13 expedition.
Admission fees apply."
"In partnership with the Antarctic Heritage Trust and Natural History Museum, London, Canterbury Museum is excited to be New Zealand's only venue for the internationally-acclaimed exhibition Scott's Last Expedition."
Note: This originally was at the Natural History Museum. London.
21-23 June 2013, Community Centre and the South Pole Inn, Annascaul, Co Kerry, Ireland.
Entertainment (Parade, Dance, Music, Aidan Dooley's one-man Tom Crean show) and Lectures (Michael Smith, Frank Nugent, Pat Falvey, Julian Evans)
For further information, contact southpoleinn@hotmail.com
6 June 2013, 7.30pm, Plymouth Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Plymouth. Dinner to celebrate Captain Scott's 145th birthday. After-dinner speaker to be announced. Sponsored by the Devon & Cornwall Polar Society.
Saturday, 18 May 2013, 2:30-5:30pm, The Oates Museum, Selborne, Hants.
Patrick Cordingley, Oates's biographer, will give a presentation and personal tour of the museum. Tea will be served afterwards.
Friday, 10 May 2013, Lecture at 6:30pm, Great Hall, Dulwich College, London. Followed by dinner in the North Cloister and Lower Hall.
Tim Jarvis and Seb Coulthard, "Shackleton's Epic Expedition."
Monday-Thursday, 15-18 April 2013, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
"The Polar Regions in the 21st Century: Globalization, Climate Change and Geopolitics." Keynote Speakers: Lonnie Thompson, Paul Mayewski.
Go to
http://www.americanpolar.org/news/events/ for more information.
Monday 8 April 2013, 6:30pm. Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London.
Author Kari Herbert presents a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the world's most famous polar explorers through the eyes of the women who inspired them to achieve great things.
RGS-IBG members + one guest.
Tuesday 26 February 2013, 7:00pm (doors open from 6.00pm). The Clothworkers' Hall, London, EC3R 7AH.
Author Kari Herbert presents a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the world's most famous polar explorers through the eyes of the women who inspired them to achieve great things.
Tickets: This event is free and open to current RGS-IBG members. Please arrive at the venue from 6.00pm and present your membership card. Space is limited, and seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
This lecture will be repeated at the Society's premises in Kensington as part of the summer programme.
Monday, 18 February 2013, 6:30pm, Royal Geographical Society, London. Members only.
A presentation by Jan-Gunnar Winther.
"The Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute describes their modern-day Antarctic adventure organized to celebrate the Nansen-Amundsen year in 2011 and designed to widen understanding of polar history and science."
6-10 February 2013, Oamaru, New Zealand.
Oamaru Scott 100 website