rsgs inspiring people 13-14

RSGS: helping to make the connections between people, places & the planet

motivational stories of adventure expertise on vital current issues

inspirational insights into people, places & planet

37 inspiring speakers • 90 fascinating talks • 13 locations

Clifton Bain is Director of

the IUCN UK Peatland Programme,

which exists to promote peatland

restoration. Scotland holds 15% of

the world’s blanket bog, so peatlands

such as the Flow Country are vitally

important for plants, animals and

carbon storage.

Col John Blashford-Snell, a renowned explorer himself,

uses early images and HM Stanley’s

original magic lantern slides to tell

the story of David Livingstone’s

remarkable expeditions and his fight

against slavery. He aims to reveal the

real Livingstone, his achievements, his

failures and his

legacy today.

Tom Christian manages the National Tree Collections of Scotland initiative and the iCONic project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Both projects, helping to safeguard threatened tree species by creating conservation collections in Scotland, have taken him on plant collecting expeditions around the world.

Dr Andrew Cook shares his research into the personal correspondence of the Goodsir family, held by the RSGS. Harry Goodsir was the surgeon on Captain Sir John Franklin’s 1845 voyage of Arctic exploration, whose sad final fate was uncovered by the explorer John Rae.

Julie Davidson tells the story of her search for Mary, the extraordinarily courageous and stoical

wife of David Livingstone. Often

seen as a shadow in the blaze of

her husband’s sun, Mary played an

important role in his success, and her

own feats as an early western traveller

in uncharted Africa are unique.

Matt Dickinson, a film-

maker and writer who specialises in

wild places and indigenous peoples,

celebrates Isobel Wylie Hutchison,

a pioneering film-maker and RSGS

medallist who created a unique record

of Arctic life in the 1920s, focusing on

landscape, wildflowers and people’s

daily lives.

David Edwards witnessed

the eruptions and evacuations that

changed Montserrat’s destiny in 1995.

In 2011 he went back to see how the

island had recovered and to revisit

areas which had been destroyed. He

explores the major challenges that a

community faces having lost two-

thirds of its land space.

Ian Edwards returned to

Scotland, after years exploring forests

in the Tropics, to document the ‘New

Woodlanders’ who are breathing

new life into Scotland’s native

woods. Following a large replanting

programme, there has been a

resurgence in forest culture, with more

people than ever working or playing in

the woods.

John Blashford-Snell - The Legend of Livingstone

Tim Emmett - Global Freezing!

Illustrated Public Talks

2013-2014

Matt Dickinson - Retracing Isobel Wylie Hutchison’s Footsteps

open

to everyone

free for

rSGS memberS

come and

join uS!

Kari Herbert - Heart of the Hero

Dave MacLeod - Extreme Climbs

Ian Edwards - Woodlanders: New Life in Britain’s Forests

Richard Else - Thirty Years at the Sharp Edge

Aberdeen • MacRobert Building, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen, AB24 5UA30 Sep 13 Tim Emmett Global Freezing! Climbing the Ice Wall

4 Nov 13 Iain Stewart Scotland Beneath Our Feet

2 Dec 13 Matt Dickinson Retracing Isobel Wylie Hutchison’s Footsteps

6 Jan 14 Julie Davidson Looking for Mrs Livingstone

3 Feb 14 Andy Torbet Operation Iceberg: Arctic Science, Adventure and Filming

3 Mar 14 Craig Mathieson Some Like It Cold…

Ayr • Council Chambers, Ayr Town Hall, New Bridge Street, Ayr, KA7 1JX25 Sep 13 Charles Withers The World’s Baseline: Geographies of the Prime Meridian

23 Oct 13 David McClay Picturing Africa: Illustrating Livingstone’s Travels

27 Nov 13 Doug Scott & Paul Braithwaite Big Walls and High Mountains

29 Jan 14 Robert Rogerson Planning Legacy: Glasgow 2014 and the City’s Future

26 Feb 14 Mike Parker On the Map: Cartography and National Identity

26 Mar 14 Fred Pearce The Land Grabbers: The Fight Over Who Controls the Earth

Borders • Heriot Watt University, Scottish Borders Campus, Netherdale, Galashiels, TD1 3HF24 Sep 13 Charles Withers The World’s Baseline: Geographies of the Prime Meridian






Dumfries • Easterbrook Hall, The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries, DG1 4TA23 Sep 13 Charles Withers The World’s Baseline: Geographies of the Prime Meridian






Dundee • Tower Extension, University of Dundee, Perth Road, Dundee, DD1 4HN1 Oct 13 Tim Emmett Global Freezing! Climbing the Ice Wall






Dunfermline • Carnegie Hall, East Port, Dunfermline, KY12 7JA - talk marked * is in St Andrew’s Erskine Church of Scotland Centre, Robertson Road, Dunfermline, KY12 0BF2 Oct 13 Jasper Winn Paddle: A Long Way Around Ireland


* 4 Dec 13 Matt Dickinson Retracing Isobel Wylie Hutchison’s Footsteps




Edinburgh afternoon • Appleton Tower, 11 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9LE18 Sep 13 Siân Pritchard-Jones & Bob Gibbons From Deepest Africa to the Highest Himalaya

16 Oct 13 Noo Saro-Wiwa Oil and the Big Man

20 Nov 13 Ian Edwards Woodlanders: New Life in Britain’s Forests

22 Jan 14 Clifton Bain Going with the Flows

19 Feb 14 Alison McCleery The Falkland Islands: Fact, Fantasy and the Future

19 Mar 14 John Mayhew National Parks: Unfinished Business

Edinburgh evening • Appleton Tower, 11 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9LE3 Oct 13 Jasper Winn Paddle: A Long Way Around Ireland






Richard Else is an ‘extreme

film-maker’ who, filming at heady

heights around the world, has had a

rare opportunity to observe leading

mountaineers at close quarters. He

explores what motivates them to risk

their lives, and how they balance danger

against the success of pioneering new

climbs.

Tim Emmett has been a

professional climber for 15 years, putting

up new routes across the globe, often

BASE jumping from them, climbing

probably the most outrageous ice climb

in the world, at Helmcken Falls (eight

pitches of severely overhanging ‘spray

ice’ next to a thundering waterfall), and

wingsuit flying in the Himalaya.

Kari Herbert considers 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. Blending personal accounts

of longing, betrayal and hope, with

stories of peril and adventure from the

golden age of discovery, she shines

new light on some well-loved stories of

adventure.

Syd House, Forestry Commission

Conservator, explores reasons for

Scotland having some of the finest tree

collections in the temperate world. He

considers where they are, how important

they are, and what contribution they

make to the future of conservation,

climate change and landscape quality.

Graham Kitchener & Pauline Symaniak tell the

story of their 4,300 mile pedal across

North America. A simple bicycle ride

became a challenging adventure as they

encountered bears, violent storms, vast

plains, intense heat, mechanical failures,

and a colourful set of characters on the

road.

Dave MacLeod is considered the

best all-round climber in the UK. Having

climbed hundreds of new routes in

different climbing settings, he continues

to seek out ever harder and bolder first

ascents, exploring the limits of his own

persistence, dedication and effort.

Craig Mathieson realised a

childhood dream when he skied to the

South Pole in 2004. He decided to share

this life-changing experience in 2006,

training a 16-year-old schoolboy and

taking him with a team to the Geographic

North Pole. Now, with his charity The

Polar Academy, he aims to inspire young

adults through polar expeditions.

Afternoon talks (Edinburgh & Glasgow only) start at 2.15pm. All other talks start at 7.30pm. Details are correct at the time of going to print (August 2013) but may be subject to change. Please see www.rsgs.org for the latest information.

Julie Davidson - Looking for Mrs Livingstone

2013 is the 200th

anniversary of the birth

of David Livingstone

Glasgow afternoon • Renfield St Stephens Church Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JP3 Oct 13 Stuart Monro Life on the Rocks

7 Nov 13 Andrew Cook The Franklin Arctic Expedition’s Lost Surgeon

5 Dec 13 Richard Else Thirty Years at the Sharp Edge

9 Jan 14 Bob McCulloch CSI: Patagonia



Glasgow evening • Boyd Orr Building, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ16 Oct 13 Noo Saro-Wiwa Oil and the Big Man

20 Nov 13 Ian Edwards Woodlanders: New Life in Britain’s Forests

11 Dec 13 Chris Rose Artists for Albatrosses

22 Jan 14 Mark Ovenden Railway Maps of the World


19 Mar 14 John Mayhew National Parks: Unfinished Business

Helensburgh • Victoria Halls, Sinclair Street, Helensburgh, G84 8TU26 Sep 13 Charles Withers The World’s Baseline: Geographies of the Prime Meridian

24 Oct 13 Bob McCulloch CSI: Patagonia





Inverness • The Highland Council Chamber, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX7 Oct 13 Tom Christian Plant Collecting in the 21st Century

11 Nov 13 John Mayhew National Parks: Unfinished Business

9 Dec 13 Doug Scott Significant and Joyous Moments in the Mountains

13 Jan 14 Dave MacLeod Extreme Climbs

10 Feb 14 Richard Else Thirty Years at the Sharp Edge

10 Mar 14 David Edwards Montserrat: Reclaiming Paradise

Kirkcaldy • School of Midwifery, University of Dundee Fife Campus, 5 Forth Ave, Kirkcaldy, KY2 5YS16 Sep 13 Siân Pritchard-Jones & Bob Gibbons From Deepest Africa to the Highest Himalaya

14 Oct 13 Noo Saro-Wiwa Oil and the Big Man

18 Nov 13 Andrew Cook The Franklin Arctic Expedition’s Lost Surgeon

20 Jan 14 Clifton Bain Going with the Flows


17 Mar 14 Ian Edwards Woodlanders: New Life in Britain’s Forests

Perth • North Inch Community Campus, Gowans Terrace, Perth, PH1 5BF8 Oct 13 John Blashford-Snell The Legend of Livingstone

12 Nov 13 Graham Kitchener & Pauline Symaniak Sleepless ‘til Seattle

10 Dec 13 Craig Sams & Jo Fairley Ethical, Organic, Fairtrade: The Story of Green & Black’s


11 Feb 14 Kari Herbert Heart of the Hero

11 Mar 14 Syd House National Tree Collections of Scotland

Stirling • Logie Lecture Theatre, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA 9 Oct 13 John Blashford-Snell The Legend of Livingstone

13 Nov 13 Graham Kitchener & Pauline Symaniak Sleepless ‘til Seattle

11 Dec 13 Doug Scott Significant and Joyous Moments in the Mountains


12 Feb 14 Kari Herbert Heart of the Hero

12 Mar 14 David Edwards Montserrat: Reclaiming Paradise

John Mayhew has led a three-year project to promote a National Parks Strategy for Scotland, aiming to develop a comprehensive network with at least three new Parks being designated by 2015, including Scotland’s first Coastal and Marine National Park.

David McClay, NLS’s Livingstone Exhibition Curator, examines how artists, photographers, engravers and publishers helped David Livingstone to create some of the most interesting and iconic images of Africa, from the terror of lion attacks and the horrors of slavery to the abundant wildlife and magnificent scenery.

Prof Alison McCleery recounts her visit to the Falklands, ownership of which remains a sensitive issue and, arguably, a useful distraction from economic and political woes in South America. She describes the everyday life of Falkland Islanders, and the unusual wildlife, debunking a few misconceptions and untangling the complexities of a geopolitical anomaly.

Dr Bob McCulloch recalls 20 years of fieldwork experience investigating environmental change in southernmost Patagonia from the Last Glaciation to the present, and shares some of the challenges faced by researchers sampling mud along the southern Andes.

Prof Stuart Monro, Scientific Director at Our Dynamic Earth, is a leading practitioner in promoting science to a wide audience. He explores as part of a personal journey the evidence from various parts of the world for what we call plate tectonics.

Mark Ovenden, a broadcaster and author who specialises in the subjects of graphic design, cartography and architecture in public transport, discusses his favourite world rail maps and tells stories of how he tracked down some of the more obscure ones.

Mike Parker, map enthusiast and author, looks at how nations choose to portray themselves on maps, and what we can glean from that, focusing particularly on Scotland. With the upcoming referendum on independence, and Scotland’s character and position under some scrutiny, now seems a perfect time to discuss issues of national identity.

open to everyone • £8 for adults • free for RSGS members

Craig Mathieson - Some Like It Cold…Dave MacLeod - Extreme Climbs

* indicates a different venue

RSGS members support the educational work of the Society and may attend any of the talks listed here for free. If you are not already a member, please consider joining and supporting our work.

The annual membership rates are:• £60 Joint • £40 Single • £26 Student/SAGT

To join, please complete and return the form available at www.rsgs.org/joining or email [email protected] or phone 01738 455050.

For further information, please visit our website www.rsgs.org

Join the RSGS and get all these talks for free, plus quarterly editions of The Geographer!

Fred Pearce, journalist and author, moves from boardroom and trading floor to goat-herder’s hut and flooded forest in an examination of a profound ethical and economic issue, the race to grab land, with parcels the size of Wales being snapped up across the plains of Africa, the paddy-fields of Southeast Asia, the jungles of the Amazon, and the prairies of Eastern Europe.

Siân Pritchard-Jones & Bob Gibbons have for 30 years been organising treks and writing travel guides. They have hitched across Tibet, driven a busload of over-50s to Nepal, explored the Sahara, travelled across Africa, and journeyed by Land Rover from Kathmandu to the UK.

Dr Robert Rogerson is Legacy Research Co-ordinator for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He examines the impact of the Games on the economic and social health and well-being of Glasgow and Scotland, focusing on sport and physical activity, cultural heritage, crime, and community engagement.

Chris Rose travelled with albatross research scientists to South Georgia to sketch and paint the wildlife and landscapes of these remote islands, home to albatrosses, elephant seals, and colonies of penguins a quarter of a million strong. Working in extreme conditions, he had unprecedented access to areas seldom visited by humans.

Craig Sams & Jo Fairley are organic food and fairtrade pioneers who developed Green & Black’s chocolate and Maya Gold, the UK’s first Fairtrade product. They believe manufacturers need to help consumers to support sustainable and fair production.

Noo Saro-Wiwa, daughter of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, examines the control of political power in Nigeria. The discovery of oil challenged the traditional system, where central chiefs distribute resources through

patronage, and proved it incompatible with modern democracy, resulting in a rise in corruption and an absence of meritocracy.

Doug Scott’s climbing began on the gritstone of Derbyshire and moved on to big walls from the Dolomites to the Karakoram. His expeditions have ranged from early overland trips to North Africa and the Hindu Kush, to ascents of Kangchenjunga and Shishapangma.

Paul Braithwaite has participated in many key expeditions from the late 1960s onwards. He has made several first ascents, and it was his solution to the technical problem of the southwest face of Everest that was key to the success of Sir Chris Bonington’s famous 1975 expedition.

Prof Iain Stewart delves into the long and fascinating geological history of Scotland, the country where scientific pioneers made ground-breaking discoveries in the landscape to explain how our planet works. He shows that Scotland’s building blocks hold a surprising heritage going back over three billion years.

Andy Torbet, extreme diver and adventurer, lived on, climbed around and dived inside a glacier in Greenland and an iceberg floating off Canada for BBC2’s acclaimed series Operation Iceberg. He was part of an expedition team of glaciologists and other experts, explaining the amazing lifecycle of an iceberg.

Jasper Winn recounts his three-and-a-half month solo sea kayak trip around Ireland’s thousand mile coastline. His knowledge of the country’s culture, history, wildlife, literature and myths, makes for a story that goes way beyond paddling endurance.

Prof Charles Withers explores where the world begins in time and space. Greenwich UK has been the site of the world’s Prime Meridian, 0˚, since 1884. Before then, several different places were used as the prime meridian, a source of much geographical confusion.

RSGS, Lord John Murray House, 15-19 North Port, Perth, PH1 5LU Charity registered in Scotland no SC015599

RSGS: helping to make the connections between people, places & the planet

In This Edition...

The newsletter of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society

Summer 2013

Life, The Universe, and EverythingCarbon: sources, sinks & cycles

• Working with SAGES to Increase Impact• Expert Views: Carbon - Soil, Seas & Solid Rock• Expert Views: Origins & Innovations of Carbon

• Opinions: National Parks & Geoparks• Expert Views: Dating, Pricing & Reducing Carbon

• Reader Offer: Facts are Sacred

plus other news, comments, books...

“We’ll be alive again in a thousand blades of grass, and a million leaves.”Philip Pullman

The Geographer

RSGS GEOGRAPHER SUMMER FOUR 16.indd 1

25/06/2013 14:21

Mark Ovenden - Railway Maps of the World

Bob McCulloch - CSI: Patagonia

Andy Torbet - Operation Iceberg

Jasper Winn - Paddle

Mike Parker - On the Map

Fred Pearce - The Land Grabbers

Chris Rose - Artists for Albatrosses

Iain Stewart - Scotland Beneath our Feet

Doug Scott - Significant and Joyous Moments in the Mountains

Noo Saro-Wiwa - Oil and the Big Man

Craig Sams & Jo Fairley - Ethical, Organic, Fairtrade

David McClay - Picturing Africa

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rsgs inspiring people 13-14

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new life

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