The
The
Geographer
Chairman’s Introduction
W
elcome to another busy year for
your Society, and welcome to a
new-look newsletter (formerly
GeogScot) – everyone has worked hard to
bring a modern ‘feel’ to this publication, and
we hope you like it.
The refreshing of the newsletter is
just one of a number of initiatives
that we are developing this year,
now that we are established in our
new public-facing headquarters in
Perth. Geography is perhaps more relevant and
important now than it has ever been. Globally,
our most pressing concerns are the well-being of
our people and communities, the conservation
of our landscapes and ecosystems, and the
sustainability of our planet and resources.
Particularly in these difficult economic times, we
need to maximise awareness and understanding
of geography across all sectors of society, and to
increase our public profile and our appeal to a
greater audience.
We hope that the changes we are planning will
allow the Society to thrive in the 21st century,
without losing sight of our remarkable heritage.
As Michael Palin has said,“Geography is the
subject which holds the key to our future.”
I cannot emphasise enough how much the
Society both values and relies on the continuing
efforts of its volunteers, and we will be providing
further opportunities for members to help the
Society in a number of ways.
Barrie Brown
RSGS, Lord John Murray House,
15-19 North Port, Perth, PH1 5LU
tel: 01738 455050
email: [email protected]
Palin Talk - Around the World in an Evening
M
ichael Palin was
enthusiastically received
at his sell-out talk in
Edinburgh in March, run in
conjunction with the University of
Edinburgh’s Institute of Geography.
Now famous for his long distance
travels, he related a host of
fascinating, funny and informative tales from
around the globe, illustrated by some wonderful
photographs from 20 years of travel. It is 100 years
since RSGS helped establish the first Chair of
Geography in a Scottish University, and Mr Palin
was a popular choice of speaker and a highlight in
the year-long series of centenary events.
Lord Lindsay, the RSGS President, awarded the RSGS
Livingstone Medal to Mr Palin, along with his Fellowship of the
Society, for services to the promotion of geography.
Our thanks are due to Professor Withers and Cathy Campbell
of the University of Edinburgh who, together with the RSGS
Edinburgh Committee, put so much time and effort into making
the evening such a success. The event was
kindly sponsored by Scottish Power.
RSGS Website
We’re delighted to say that our website has
recently been upgraded to better match the
needs of members and other users. It is now
easier to use, with a logical structure and more
up-to-date content. A lot of work has also been
done to ensure that the site appears as high as
possible in Google rankings, to raise our profile among non-members.
We will continue to develop the site, and hope that you will increasingly
find it a valuable source of information about the work of the Society.
Our grateful thanks go to Bruce Gittings of the University of Edinburgh
and Phil Taylor of Beats Design for all their hard work in making this
possible.
If you haven’t already, then please take a look through the new site at
www.rsgs.org
www.rsgs.org
Charity registered in Scotland no SC015599
The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the RSGS.
RSGS – Making Connections between People, Places & the Planet
Geographer
1
Spring 2009
NEWS People • Places • Planet
Scottish Geographical Medal
The RSGS’s Scottish
Geographical Medal is our most
prestigious award – an equivalent
of a Scottish Nobel Prize for
Geography. It is awarded only
for conspicuous merit and a
performance of world wide repute.
Professor Nigel Thrift, one of
the world’s most highly regarded
human
geographers
and one of
the top five
most-cited
geographers
in the world,
received only
the fortieth
such award
in more than
a century.
in 1909 that the RSGS helped
Glasgow establish its first Chair of
Geography.
The first recipient of the Scottish
Geographical Medal (or Gold
Medal as it used to be called), in
1890, was HM Stanley, the man
who ‘found’ David Livingstone.
Other recipients have included
Captain Roald
Amundsen,
William Speirs
Bruce, Hugh
Robert Mill, Vivian
Fuchs, James
Geikie and many
more leading
contributors of
their age.
“Professor Thrift
is a world leading
innovating geographer,
and was a unanimous
choice for this highly
prestigious award.”
Fittingly, Professor Thrift received
his Scottish Geographical Medal
on 5th March at the University
of Glasgow, where he has acted
as an external examiner for
many years. Equally fittingly,
the University of Glasgow’s
Geography Department celebrates
its centen ary this year, as it was
RSGS’s Awards
Committee Chair, Professor Alison
McCleery, was enthusiastic about
Professor Thrift and the need for
promoting geography, “Professor
Thrift is a world leading innovating
geographer, and was a unanimous
choice for this highly prestigious
award. We are delighted that he
agreed to come and give this talk
in Glasgow.”
Professor
Nigel Thrift
is currently
the ViceChancellor of
the University
of Warwick. He
was previously
Head of
the Division
of Life and
Environmental
Sciences, at
the University
of Oxford. He
is the author,
co-author
and editor
of 36 books, and has written
journal articles, essays and book
chapters which number in the
hundreds.
Hayden Lorimer, a senior
lecturer at Glasgow University,
knows Professor Thrift well and
explained, “It is extremely difficult
to encapsulate or to circumscribe
the scope of Nigel Thrift’s
academic interests. Indeed, the
sheer diversity and great vitality
of his thinking should be regarded
as defining features.”
Prof Nigel Thrift
receives the Scottish
Geographical Medal
from RSGS ViceChair Bruce Gittings.
In The Footsteps Of Shackleton - 920 Miles To The Heart Of The Antarctic
For the Edwardians, conquering
the South Pole was the
equivalent of being the first to
walk on the surface of the moon.
It seemed impossible. But on 9th
January 1909 Ernest Shackleton,
a former RSGS director, planted
Queen Alexandra’s Union Jack
at S88° 23´ E162´ - a point just
97 miles from their goal. He and
his indomitable team had just
completed an astonishing journey
of 830 miles that had pioneered
a route right to the heart of the
Antarctic; but concerned only
with the welfare of his men,
Shackleton took the momentous
decision to stop and return back
the way they had just come.
Exactly 100 years later, direct
descendants of the original team
retraced the same journey and
in the centenary year, finished
off the last 97 miles and stood
at the South Pole to honour the
astonishing achievement of their
forebears.
At an RSGS talk on 16th May
2009, in Perth, Henry Worsley,
leader of the Matrix Shackleton
Centenary Expedition, will
describe how he and his team
mates retraced the route across
the Ross Ice Shelf, up the
Beardmore Glacier and onto
the Polar Plateau to the South
Pole; a journey lasting 66 days
and covering 920 miles of the
Antarctic continent. His lecture
will draw extensively upon
Shackleton’s diary, juxtaposed
with the modern day journey, and
be illustrated with photographs
taken on both expeditions.
Picture: Henry Worsley
Extra Talk
in Perth on
16th May
Please Contact
RSGS HQ