RSGS 2008-2018
The transformation and modernisation of one of Scotland’s most dynamic small charities.
New Beginnings The Move to Perth In August 2008, after a gap of six months without a Director, the RSGS welcomed Mike Robinson as the first Chief Executive (and 14th Director) of the charity since it was founded in 1884. The third Director was Sir Ernest Shackleton, so Mike had big shoes to fill.
Michael Palin in Edinburgh receiving the Livingstone Medal from RSGS President Lord Lindsay.
Geography is the subject which holds the key to our future. Michael Palin, RSGS Livingstone Medallist
Based at that time in temporary accommodation in Strathclyde University, and with the help of Perth and Kinross Council, Mike began moving the Society into Lord John Murray House in Perth. Then followed the long process of finding funding to restore and convert the Fair Maid’s House into a visitor and education centre, and a base for the RSGS’s Collections. When we first moved in we had no phone, email or doorbell, and the building was still being adapted from a property shop and flats into a working office. At that time we had 15 committees, a council of 37 people, no membership forms and no logo.
By moving to Perth, and creating the visitor centre, it’s as if you opened a door on everything the RSGS holds and the stories within. Maggie, RSGS Volunteer Google Street View of our Shackleton Room in Lord John Murray House. This room is available for hire.
We relocated RSGS HQ from rented rooms in the University of Strathclyde to an office in Perth.
Polar Perspectives Henry Worsley presenting a well-travelled scout scarf to an inspiring adventurer, Caitlin Daisley from Greenock.
Everybody has their own Antarctic. Henry Worsley
Expedition members, happy to reach the South Pole.
Henry Worsley In 2008 Lt Col Henry Worsley retraced Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition, leading a team who, like him, were mostly descendants of the original crew. When Henry spoke for the RSGS in Perth in 2009 he was clearly moved by the opportunity to have walked in Shackleton’s footprints, and recounted reading
Shackleton’s diary a day at a time, and comparing it with his own experience. While Shackleton famously chose to turn around, just 97 miles from the Pole, to save the lives of his crew, Henry and his team were able to complete the journey.
Aqqaluk Lynge spoke to RSGS audiences to give an insight into modern Greenland.
I have never been so cold in my life as I was today in Scotland.
A Chilly Meeting at Holyrood On a visit to the Scottish Parliament, Mike Robinson took Aqqaluk Lynge, a Greenlandic MP and Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, to meet the then Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson MSP. Despite snowy weather, they arrived to find all the windows open around the meeting room. In an aside, the Minister’s aide told Mike that he thought their visitor from Greenland would be too warm in central heating, but Aqqaluk was unimpressed.
Influencing Policy Climate on Ice Before joining the RSGS, our Chief Executive was already heavily involved in climate change. In 2009, he established and led the largest coalition ever formed in this country (Stop Climate Chaos Scotland) to push for the Climate Change Scotland Act’s world-leading targets of 42% reductions in emissions by 2020, along with an array of other amendments.
The 42% proof whisky celebrating Scotland’s climate leadership was given to world leaders in Copenhagen and beyond.
Many of the non-governmental organisations... have worked together under the Stop Climate Chaos banner to send to Parliament and the people of this country a coherent and coordinated message that we should consider and, frankly, be inspired by… with the result that we can rightly and justifiably claim that the Scottish Parliament will today pass world-leading legislation on climate change that can set an example to others. John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister
To promote this leadership internationally, he persuaded Edrington Distillers to produce a celebratory whisky: a rare 19-year-old single cask blend called ‘Twenty-Twenty’ which was, quite deliberately, 42% proof. He had to raise £8,000 in 24 hours, find someone to get bottles through security at the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in St Andrews in October 2009, and ship the rest to the Copenhagen Climate Summit to hand out to world leaders. A rare whisky, he laid a bottle aside for each of his children, but one accidentally ended up in the family Christmas cake in 2010! 8,000 people marched through Glasgow to appeal for climate action.
Senator John Kerry wrote about the US perspective ahead of the Copenhagen climate talks, for The Geographer magazine.
We are confronted with unique moments to act. Talks in Copenhagen represent just such a moment, and we must seize it. Senator John Kerry
The Next Chapter The original visitor book from 1884.
HRH Princess Anne’s first visit to RSGS in Perth to officially open the office and launch the visitor book - the next chapter in the Society’s history.
I admire the fantastic job that the Royal Scottish Geographical Society does in bringing young people into adventure and into geography. I think the RSGS is the best in the world. I really believe that. David Hempleman-Adams, an RSGS Vice-President, sings the praises of the Society.
A New Book For a New Era Our original visitor book, opened on 4th December 1884, is one of the RSGS’s greatest treasures, featuring the signatures of many of the most famous geographers and explorers of the past century and a half. In 2010, it was restored by a generous donation from an RSGS Member and is one of the few items in our Collection that itself has not been donated. On our move to Perth we commissioned a new visitor book, representing the next chapter in the RSGS’s story, containing enough pages for the next 100 years – though as a charity our future depends on funding too of course. The visitor book was commenced by RSGS Vice-President HRH The Princess Royal, at the first of four visits she has made to the Society since 2009. Other Vice-Presidents include explorers Sir David Hempleman-Adams and Pen Hadow, and leading academics Professors John Briggs, John Rowan, Anne Glover and David Sugden.
Building Foundations The RSGS is bringing Perth an academic institution of great distinction, which will generate significant cultural and economic benefits and enhance our bid for City Status. Dr John Hulbert, Perth Provost Skeletons in the Cellar The Fair Maid’s House is a B-listed property, and Perth’s oldest secular building. It had lain mostly unused for nearly 20 years. Page and Park Architects designed its modification inspired by a map chest.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
During the build, the Site Manager told us that he was on the phone to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and that they’d found a skeleton during the ground works. Thankfully, it turned out that these were unrelated statements – the skeleton was of a horse from the era when the area was used for leather works.
Lao Tzu
The Explorers’ Room.
Fireplace, now part of the Explorers’ Room.
Main ground-floor room, now the Earth Room.
Prayer niche, now part of the Explorers’ Room.
The wall which we removed to create the Explorers’ Room.
Turret stair at the front of the Fair Maid’s House.
Communicating Science Insight, Information and Inspiration
Freshwater pearl mussels are hardly what you’d call photogenic; they are not charismatic megafauna like you and me!
Our academic journal dates from 1885 and is a treasure trove of historical geography, with over 3,000 papers by more than 1,400 academic authors and practitioners. In 2016, it achieved its highest-ever impact-factor rating – essentially, a measure of the academic contribution of the journal in terms of its citation rate per year.
Professor John Rowan, Geography Department, University of Dundee Former Irish President and climate change campaigner Mary Robinson receiving the Livingstone Medal from RSGS Board Member Professor John Rowan.
The SGJ – and increasingly The Geographer magazine, plus our talks, and RSGS policy work – are valuable tools in communicating geographical science, research and reason. They provide a platform for dialogue between experts, policy makers and the interested public, and offer a different perspective on how we think about and understand the world. We help some academics communicate and reach new audiences, or simply provide a platform to increase their outreach.
The Scottish Geographical Journal mixes physical and human geography in a way that no other international journal does...the SGJ is poised to be among the absolute best in a changing field. Neil Smith, City University of New York, USA
More than 10,000 people attend our talks every year.
The Importance of Inspiration No one is an environmentalist by birth. It is only your path, your life, your travels that awaken you. Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Geddes Environment Medallist
Yann Arthus-Bertrand Yann Arthus-Bertrand gave a Q&A at Edinburgh Filmhouse in September 2010, following a screening of his film Home which details the changes wrought upon the planet by human intervention. Shot beautifully, the film follows his earlier success of Earth from the Air, which was so popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. Yann streamed this film for free over the internet in order to spread the word about concerns about the environment; it is a truly breath-taking piece of art. Yann was the inaugural recipient of the Geddes Environment Medal.
Ray Mears One of our most successful talks was with outdoorsman and broadcaster Ray Mears at Perth Concert Hall. This event saw an audience of around 700. On average we host over 10,000 people to our talks annually. Ray Mears FRSGS received the Mungo Park Medal and presented University Medals to young graduates at an event at Perth Concert Hall.
James Croll The second son of an impoverished Perthshire stonemason, James Croll was a brilliant scientist, recognised by the leading lights of the Victorian age. Without any proper mathematical training, An interactive sculpture of the Earth’s movement he estimated the age of the Sun and the depth around the Sun, in the RSGS’s Croll Garden. of the Antarctic ice; and he astonished his contemporaries by calculating the cycle of the Earth’s ice ages over three million years, and suggesting that they were caused by a combination of the Earth’s ‘wobble’ on its axis and eccentricities in its orbit.
Clear Understanding
Geography is everywhere: it shapes us, it explains us, it is part of us. Mike Robinson, Chief Executive
The final part of the building work to complete was the installation of the windows, which kept being delayed by the installers. In the end, after four months of delay, the Project Manager made them drive up through heavy snow and fit them in temperatures of -8°C. Scotland was experiencing a very cold winter and our description of ‘snow thunderstorms’ was heralded as the clearest description of this phenomenon available.
Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Charles Dudley Warner
Open to All Establishing a base in Perth and finally being able to open our Collections to the public for the first time provided a beating geographical heart to the country. Mike Robinson, Chief Executive
The Earth Room.
The Earth Room.
A Rich Past, A Dynamic Present, an Inspiring Future Renovating and adapting the Fair Maid’s House was a way of playing a practical part in town centre regeneration in Perth. But it also felt analogous to the RSGS in a much deeper way: taking an old building steeped in rich heritage and giving it a modern purpose, much as we were doing with the RSGS as an organisation.
An Incredible Global Network Big Name Writers Many leading academics, thinkers and communicators from around the world have written for our magazine The Geographer. Probably the most well-known is the Dalai Lama, who wrote for our magazine on happiness and wellbeing in 2011; however, we’ve also had contributions from Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, Mark Carney, Senator John Kerry, President Nasheed, Ellen MacArthur and many, many more.
The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Dalai Lama, in a letter to the RSGS
The Earl and Countess of Strathearn received a map of Strathearn from the RSGS, on a visit to Crieff.
Everyone’s a Geographer Joined-up Thinking By picking a different topic for each edition of our quarterly magazine The Geographer, we are able to draw together expertise and champion intelligence from a vast range of perspectives and, over time, reflect the incredible spectrum and reach of geographical interests. Anyone can become a Member of the RSGS, and we are proud to have Members and supporting networks from every walk of life. This allows us to convene meetings, as we are a trusted, respected and independent voice of reason in a wide range of topic areas, and we are wellplaced to inform, hone and shape future geographical policy.
Geography lies at the confluence of many streams of thought. Professor Robert Rudmose Brown Every conceivable transport mode, from ballooning to flying cars, has been the subject of our talks and articles.
Inspiring People Look Who’s Talking Some of the biggest names in adventure, research and science have spoken for the RSGS over the last 134 years. And the last ten years have been no exception. Now very aptly titled Inspiring People, it’s the best national talks programme in Scotland.
We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it. Lewis Gordon Pugh
Inspiring
2009-2010
Illustrated Public Talks Royal Scottish Geographical Society
People
W
e are delighted to introduce the programme of public talks planned for the 2009-10 season. We look forward to welcoming back some familiar faces, as well as introducing for the first time to RSGS some exciting new ones. Please come and join us. Stephen Venables was the first Briton to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen and by a new route. That groundbreaking ascent was just one of his many pioneering expeditions around the world. He has appeared in several TV documentaries, and in the film Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure. His first book, Painted Mountains, won the prestigious Boardman Tasker prize.
Benedict Allen pioneered the filming of authentic journeys for television. By not using a film-crew, he has allowed millions of people around the world to witness for the first time adventures unfolding genuinely in inhospitable terrain. Benedict’s talks will be run in conjunction with University Expeditions Committees.
Vanessa Collingridge
Col John BlashfordSnell is one of the world’s
Dr Paul Cox is an
most highly respected explorers, having organised and led over 100 expeditions and still found time to pioneer whitewater rafting and launch Operation Raleigh. In recognition of his leadership of the Blue Nile, British TransAmericas and Zaire River expeditions, he was awarded the RSGS’s Livingstone Medal.
Chris Bradley travelled extensively in the Middle East, Asia and Africa as a civil engineer. He is now an adventure tour leader and consultant.
Dee Caffari is the first woman to sail solo, non stop around the world in both directions, in her boat Aviva. She has also just smashed the Round Britain and Ireland Record monohull speed record attempt, so should have lots of thrilling stories to share with us.
Benedict Allen
is an author and broadcaster whose passion is geography and its associations with science, the environment and history.
Thomas Joshua Cooper
Col John Blashford-Snell
is a unique landscape artist and photographer. One of his works, Point of No Return, concerns the origins of civilisation in the remotest locations of the world. ethnobotanist who has spent three decades searching the rain forests of the Pacific islands and Southeast Asia for new medicines. He discovered the anti-AIDS drug candidate prostratin, and has received the Rachel Carson Award for his advocacy of indigenous peoples. His current research is on the causes of neurodegenerative illness.
Dee Caffari
Dr Paul Cox
John Dunn is an explorer, writer and photographer with a passion for the Canadian Arctic. Cordillera Crossing charts a 1,000km struggle through the untracked wilderness of northern British Columbia.
Monty Halls
David Edwards has been an expedition science leader in Botswana and a ranger in the Grand Canyon National Park. He now lectures across the UK on expedition planning and on our energy future.
Masthead photograph: Am Buachaille, Sandwood Bay, Sutherland © Craig Aitchinson www.landandlight.co.uk
Patrick Holden
RSGS – Making Connections between People, Places & the Planet
Engaging Young People We want to encourage more children to explore their local environments.
Education Projects Much of our focus is on engaging young people, both to inspire them to learn about and care about the world around them, and also to provide skills, platforms, and opportunities for the younger generation to engage and participate in issues which concern them. In 2016, working with Young Scot, we trained a small group of young people in the practicalities of magazine production, and encouraged them to commission and design their own magazine, The Young Geographer. We then provided opportunities for its personal and direct distribution to various national and international statespeople and stakeholders.
The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world. President Barack Obama
with
289,421
impressions
Providing and Highlighting Leadership A Recognisable Public Face
There is a real contemporary relevance for geography today. Iain Stewart
Professor Iain Stewart became the 28th President of the Society in 2012, bringing his expertise and a public face to the RSGS, helping to raise our profile. He remains one of our most popular speakers and a regular contributor to the Society’s work and the cause of good geographical understanding.
Shackleton Medal
L-R: RSGS Chairman Professor Roger Crofts, Lord Provost of Glasgow Sadie Docherty, the Hon Alexandra Shackleton (grand-daughter of Sir Ernest), and Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chairman of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Around about this time we also introduced the Shackleton Medal, to recognise citizenship and leadership in a geographical field. Recipients are drawn from all sectors, and have been associated with the topics we explore in The Geographer magazine, including the economic and social legacy of sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Trusted and Respected Role Models Sir David Attenborough OM FRSGS Sir David Attenborough gave his first talk for the RSGS in 1964, and has spoken to RSGS audiences several times since. Our Chief Executive Mike Robinson invited him to give a further public talk in Scotland at which he would receive the RSGS’s highest honour, the Scottish Geographical Medal (SGM). Not wanting to appear demanding, Mike suggested that perhaps Sir David (then 83 years old) didn’t travel as much as he once did. This was the response.
Sir David Attenborough receiving the prestigious Scottish Geographical Medal.
There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world. Four million different solutions to the problems of staying alive. Sir David Attenborough
Ed Stafford (right) receiving the Mungo Park Medal from RSGS President Professor Iain Stewart.
Instead, we held a private event in Sir David’s living room in Richmond. An architectural spectacle, it was two stories high, with books lining the walls from floor to ceiling. We got the impression that not only had he read them all, but he could remember every word! Mike, along with RSGS President Professor Iain Stewart and Vice-President Sir David Hempleman-Adams, presented Sir David with the SGM for his wonderful work of inspiring millions of people about the natural world.
Dr Rita Gardner CBE, former Chief Executive of the Royal Geographical Society, receiving the Scottish Geographical Medal from Professor Roger Crofts (left) and Professor Charles Withers (right).
A Repository of the Best Stories Moving and Using the Collections During the RSGS’s move from Glasgow to Perth, our Collections were held in temporary accommodation, first in an empty warehouse and then in a disused school. With a cold and enduring winter during the build period, we nearly lost some of them, first to flooding and later to fire, before they were finally moved to their new home in the Fair Maid’s House. The Collections are a wonderful resource in helping to share knowledge and in communicating some of the best stories of the last century or more. Some of the fascinating items in our archives.
William Burn-Murdoch writing and drawing on the subject of polar bears.
Smell Maps We introduced readers of our magazine to smell mapping, a research project into an alternative way of experiencing our urban environments, drawing on the close links between smell and memory.
For the first time in our history, our Collections can be seen by the public. Professor Iain Stewart
Our Collections had to be held in temporary storage during the move.
The Spirit of Adventure Colonel John Blashford-Snell FRSGS The RSGS has supported as many as 300 expeditions over the past 134 years, most notably the Scotia expedition of 1902-04. More recently we have only had the means to support smaller trips, and students in their travels, and to offer publicity for the best of these. But a love of the outdoors and the importance of fieldwork and expeditions are still fundamental in connecting people to the world around them. A long-standing RSGS Fellow and consummate explorer is John Blashford-Snell, who was interviewed by John Lloyd on BBC Radio 4’s Museum of Curiosities. ‘Blashers’ has always been a master of the oneliner: JL: I understand you invented white water rafting…? JBS: Yes, well, not on purpose…
I figured I was too old for a house, so I’m going to sell up and live in a tent in the Brecon Beacons. Rosie Swale-Pope FRSGS
Expeditions take all forms.
Bagpiper Gilbert Kerr with a penguin during the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04.
Curiosity is invincible in nature. Freya Stark
Small Charity, Big Reach We have over 2,500 Members, and our network extends to several thousand other people and organisations. Around 12,000 people read The Geographer magazine, and our talks have a total audience of over 10,000. Traditional newspaper releases allow us to communicate with our Members, supporters and wider public, and we are enjoying increasingly high rates of success, with articles appearing regularly in The Courier, Press & Journal, The Scotsman, The Herald, Holyrood magazine, and other smaller regional publications across Scotland.
Every charity needs money, credibility and profile. Mike Robinson, Chief Executive
Geography is the ‘cement’ between the ‘bricks’ of other subjects. John, RSGS Member
A Modern Profile for an Historical Society A Growing Online Network Our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts enjoy a cumulative following of 12,000 people; our postings receive over 35,000 positive engagements and upwards of 1,000,000 impressions per annum. Our monthly e-newsletter and blog together receive over 80,000 impressions per annum, and our area on the magazine hosting platform ‘Issuu’ has garnered over 320,000 impressions and over 7,000 reads to date. In other words, our reach across a range of different electronic platforms is higher now than it has ever been, allowing us to spread our inspiring, impartial, insightful and informed content around the world at the click of a button.
Our new website homepage in 2015; we are continuing to improve the website’s appearance and functionality.
Long-standing charities like the RSGS help provide continuity in a time of change. Professor Roger Crofts CBE, Chairman
Please keep an eye on our website and social media for updates
www.rsgs.org
All magazines are available via Issuu three months after publication.
Backing Good Join Us! Initiatives Explorer-in-Residence
Craig Mathieson FRSGS.
In 2014, Craig Mathieson became our first Explorer-in-Residence. He had just returned from his solo ski-trip to the South Pole and, with the support of the RSGS, established the Polar Academy charity. “I consider myself to be exceptionally privileged to have had the opportunity to undertake my expeditions. However, with this privilege comes a duty. A duty to pass on all the life lessons learnt, to share the images I’ve seen on my travels, and to inspire the next generation. I now devote all my time to the Polar Academy, a Scottish charity which seeks out the ‘hidden’ children of this world and gives them the responsibility and trust needed to enable them to join me in scientific expeditions to the Arctic. Whereby, on their return, they go into schools and inspire their peers with the message that any goal can be achieved.” With initial backing from the RSGS, Craig has taken the Polar Academy from strength to strength over the past four years. He has now taken more than 50 young people on expeditions to the Arctic, and more than 50,000 schoolaged children have been engaged and involved through inspiring talks.
The 2017-18 Polar Academy team from Lochgelly High School receiving their Polar Medals for completing their challenging expedition in Greenland.
When I was dropped off in Antarctica I spent ages looking around, drinking it in. I remember taking that first footstep South, knowing my life was about to change forever. Craig Mathieson, RSGS Explorer-inResidence
Staff and Volunteers Many Have Played a Role Over the years, we have been very privileged to employ some really great staff members, many of whom stay in touch with the RSGS and most of whom still associate us with cake for some reason… But it is not just staff who have contributed to our success over the past ten years – volunteers have contributed more than 85,000 hours of support across Scotland. Our Committees and our Board are all voluntary. It is volunteers who host our Inspiring People talks, and who guide visitors and school groups around the Fair Maid’s House visitor centre. Volunteers help to clean, catalogue and conserve our Collections, and help in the office with routine admin and research tasks. Our Explorers-in-Residence and our Writer-in-Residence are volunteers. And some volunteers give talks to external groups like Rotary Clubs and schools. We are grateful that so many have responded so positively to our charitable work, and we appreciate their continued efforts in support of our work. And whilst we still need donations of course, and still have plenty to do and achieve, it is only because of the help of so many volunteers that we have been able to achieve as much as we have.
A strong team can take any crazy vision and turn it into reality. John Carmack
Providing Insight 24 WINTER 2015-16
A dangerous journey to a safer life Maya Hanano, 19-year-old Syrian refugee
My name is Maya Hanano, I am 19 years old and a Syrian refugee in Germany.
“Funny ha! It’s like a game we are playing with our life, but what else can we do.”
My journey started when I was in Egypt. My friend ‘Abdullah’ spoke with a smuggler so we can go to Europe illegally by the ocean. We had tried to apply to more than one embassy for a visa in order to study – in Romania, the UK, even Turkey, but none of them were accepting ‘Syrians’. So we had no other choice! To come to Europe in a legal way is like a dream for any Syrian student in our age. The smuggler told my friend to come to Alexandria because the boat will be launched from one of the beaches there, and he cannot speak more than that on the phone although he made sure that we put two thousand euros for each with a guy we both know. This way if we arrive safely he will take the money, but if not he won’t take the money. Funny ha! It’s like a game we are playing with our life, but what else can we do. He told Abdullah to be ready at any time because when he calls us we should be at a specific place at a specific time. We packed our bags and he called, “you have six hours to get to this place or the boat will leave without you.” We arrived at 9am as instructed and were introduced to the captain of the boat that we would be on.
He then took us to a café to describe the journey that lay ahead. “At first you will go by bus to the point on a beach where a small boat will be waiting for you. This boat will take you to a yacht and after ten hours then onto a transport ship.” He told us there would be a maximum of 200-300 on the ship and that we did not need to bring any food or drinks, as everything was under control. We were also told it would take around three days to reach an Italian island where the Coastguards would take care of us. He then took us to a house where another family was also waiting. We were expecting to leave the next day but he later called and said it was delayed until tomorrow. This was repeated until day four, when he finally came with the bus. Just as we got up to leave he told us we could now only take a single bag. We got on the bus which hid 20 people behind the darkened glass windows, but were afraid to speak to anyone inside. After four hours the bus stopped in the middle of nowhere, and we were transferred into one of several bigger buses with lots of people inside, not knowing where we were heading. Twelve hours later we stopped on a beach. It was really dark. Four men with weapons shouted “move move move – before anyone sees you.” We had to run into the sea and swim until the water was up to our necks, before scrambling aboard the boat. It was scary, people were crying and scared, and kids were fainting. This boat should only take ten maximum, but there were more than 20 of us. This boat then took us to a bigger boat. We were told to jump. People were pushing each other because they were so scared. We were shocked! Where was the yacht we’d been promised? The captain said it was another 12 hours away. We jumped. People started being sea-sick, and babies screamed until they fell asleep. We finally arrived at the yacht. We thought only our boat-load was to get on the yacht, but actually there were
others, so we joined perhaps 200 people on board. It was dark so we couldn’t see anything and we couldn’t use lights for fear the police would see us.
I could not see my friend, there were too many people and we got separated when we were jumping. It took a day before I finally saw Abdullah. We were so scared and tired. There was another yacht heading toward us. They stuck the two boats together and more people clambered on board. There was no food, they only gave us one cup of tea and one cheese sandwich. A while later we saw a smaller yacht. They made us jump onto it. It was horrible! Everyone rushed across, afraid to be left behind, so we jumped and then asked about our baggage. They told us they would throw them to us, but they didn’t. We sailed for another three days, no one telling us what was going on or where we were. No one could use their mobile phone because if the smugglers saw you they would take it and maybe do something to you, as they don’t want people taking pictures of them. We finally saw a bird flying alongside us – a sign of land. We were SO happy, we all said “Now we have the hope to live again.” But unfortunately we were only beside Libya. The smugglers wanted to take more people on board, but there were already so many that we couldn’t move. We shouted and screamed until one of the smugglers conceded.
By the fifth day, we were losing hope of ever arriving in Italy. We were so tired and hungry and the bathroom was not working. It was night. The smugglers asked if anyone knew English so they could call the Italian police to come and take us. I told the captain I could speak so he gave me a phone to speak to the Red Cross and the police. They asked if everyone was okay, especially the kids, and where we were exactly. I told them our co-ordinates, but he said we were too far from the Italian coast for the police boat so we had to get closer. Our captain refused to drive the boat, so me and Abdullah drove the boat until we arrived at the point that the police told us to get to. The police weren’t there. We waited for 24 hours but no show. The waves were getting higher and it was dark. Far away we could see a big boat and we found a laser pen to attract their attention. It took them seven hours to reach us. They offered us water, medicine and chocolates for the kids. They were Chinese ocean scientists. When they realized we were refugees, they refused to take us with them so I asked them to call the Italian police to come and take us. They did but wanted to leave before the police came. I told them I would report them for human rights so they waited with us. The Italian police had arranged for a large Turkish boat heading to Italy to pick us up. They were so nice to us and they gave us some food. It took another day before we arrived in Italy, where the Red Cross were waiting for us. They took us to camps until we had plans in place. Abdullah and I took a bus to Rome then Milan and then a train to Munich. Here my journey finished. I am so glad that I am safe now, with no worries of being killed or kidnapped, and with people treating us well.
Until you hear people’s personal experience in dealing with the reality of a current geographical issue, it’s hard to fully appreciate its human impact. Maya Hanano.
Mike Robinson, Chief Executive
© Nicolas Economou
Voices from the Front Line We have had several first-hand accounts of experiences, which really help to personalise and reveal the reality of geographical issues and events in the news. These have included the earthquake in Christchurch, the Arab Spring uprising, and the conflict in Ukraine. But probably the most harrowing is the account by a refugee, who now lives in Germany, of her journey from Syria across the Mediterranean to escape the war.
Offering a Higher Perspective Piers Sellers. Š NASA
Piers Sellers One of the most charming talks of recent years was that given by Piers Sellers, a British ecologist and astronaut who gained US citizenship and undertook three NASA Space Shuttle missions. After his guest lunch, he gave a talk about his space missions, using a small inflatable toy shuttle and some stunning imagery. He tragically died of cancer over the Christmas of 2016. Between the core Inspiring People talks programme and these occasional special extra talks, the RSGS has hosted around 1,000 public talks in the last decade, mostly based in its 13 local group locations, from Dumfries and Galashiels to Inverness and Aberdeen.
I had made it to space and been once around the world whilst my wife was still trying to find the car in the car park. Piers Sellers
Connecting Joinwith Us! Nature Dick Balharry received the RSGS Geddes Environment Medal in the beautiful native woodland of Glen Feshie.
Glorious Glen Feshie.
Geddes Environment Medal The Geddes Environment Medal was introduced in 2009, and is named after Sir Patrick Geddes. He had been an RSGS Council Member in the 1880s and is globally regarded as the father of town planning. A visionary, Geddes had a strong concern for the natural world and an interest in local community empowerment. The purpose of the Geddes Environment Medal is to celebrate those people making an especial contribution to the environment. One of the most widely regarded of these was Dick Balha rry. Dick learnt his trade as a gamekeeper and later helped establish the first nature reserve in Scotland, at Beinn Eighe. He went on to chair and advise almost every land and nature charity in Scotland, including the National Trust for Scotland and the Ramblers. His favourite place in the world was Glen Feshie, both because of its natural beauty and because of its exemplary deer management and resulting forest regeneration. By 2015, when he was awarded the Geddes Environment Medal, Dick was unfortunately dying of cancer. We organised a special medal presentation event for Dick, his family and friends, and many of the leading lights in the Scottish conservation movement. On a beautiful day in Glen Feshie, Dick gave his last public speech from his wheelchair. It was one of the most moving medal events we have ever hosted. He was laid to rest just four days later.
Think globally, act locally. Sir Patrick Geddes, RSGS Council Member
130 Years of Inspiration An Explorer’s Explorer Norway’s leading explorer, Børge Ousland FRSGS, gave the RSGS’s 5,000th talk in Edinburgh in December 2014. An explorer’s explorer, he has walked to the North Pole in winter and achieved a spectacular array of other notable firsts and extreme endeavours. One of his expedition pictures adorns the front cover of The Great Horizon, the first book by our Writer-in-Residence Jo Woolf. Børge is one of many remarkable people, not all of whom are well-known public names, but all of whom are highly respected and many of whom are leading global figures in their fields. Other fantastic speakers of the past decade have included Mark Carwardine, Magnus MacfarlaneBarrow, Benedict Allen, Dee Caffari, Roz Savage, Karen Darke, Christiana Figueres, Doug Allan, Stephen Venables, Matt Dickinson, Lewis Gordon Pugh, Rosie Swale-Pope, Dale Templar, Emily Penn, George McGavin, Leo Houlding, Tracy Edwards, Gavin Pretor Pinney, Jason Lewis, Paul Cox, Monty Halls, Patrick Holden, Jeremy Leggett, Tim Allen, Cameron McNeish, John Blashford-Snell, Nick Hancock, Mark Beaumont, Neil Oliver, Tori James, Rebecca Stephens and many many more…
Doug Allan with a humpback whale and her calf, Tonga, South Pacific.
I could choose to look around and see how desolate, godforsaken and hopeless the landscape was, or to take in all the new and positive aspects, and contemplate the beauty of nature and the nuances of light, shape and colour. Børge Ousland FRSGS, on crossing Antarctica
Influencing Change The Breadth of Education As an education charity we host school visits, produce educational resources, and work with teachers on CPD and other projects. But we also work hard to promote and encourage joined-up thinking in education policy, fighting for the breadth of education, the importance of specialist teachers, and the need to protect Geography, Environmental Science and Geology in the curriculum. We are currently particularly concerned about the lack of subject choice in secondary schools at National 5 level, and believe this will lead to less choice, fewer teachers, and reduced opportunities for young people.
As more and more power and funding are devolved to schools, the voice of parents is going to be increasingly important in steering subject numbers and choices. Mike Robinson, Chief Executive
Manifesto for Geography in Scottish Education How Geography Can Fully Support Key Government Priorities for Education 1. Promote curriculum models in secondary schools that offer greater breadth and choice, in line with the principles of CfE, to ensure Geography is more available for study at National 4/5 levels, and that Geography is available in more than one option choice column. 2. Promote more teaching of Geography by subject‐specialist teachers in Broad General Education. 3. Limit BGE to S1‐S2 at most or strengthen the specialisms within S3. 4. Ensure Geography is a core element of the curriculum, taught as a discrete, identifiable subject, whilst valued for its ability to connect and contribute to developing responsible citizens. 5. Ensure the content of Higher and Advanced Higher Geography prepares students for university courses and facilitates natural progression between school and further education. 6. Build bridges between all sectors of educational delivery to see more co‐ordination and better articulation between primary, secondary, examined and university level Geography. 7. Lobby for increased funding for resources / classroom materials to support the curriculum. 8. Ensure assessment and structure of exams is subject‐appropriate and specific to the requirements of Geography as advised by specialist teachers and consistently understood. 9. Promote an element of compulsory fieldwork and outdoor learning, integrated into courses. 10. Retain a focus on knowledge and application of skills in context. 11. Ensure Geography courses retain the full breadth and balance of suitable physical and human content and the connections between the two components. 12. Enhance links between Geography, business and industry to support the delivery of Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce. 13. Provide CPD opportunities for classroom teachers on understanding change, standards and guidance, to ensure a greater understanding of how the principles of CfE can be delivered in practice, and to increase consistency in its implementation. 14. Provide CPD opportunities which exemplify and reinforce Geography’s ability to contribute to inter‐disciplinary learning and which keep up to date with current issues, knowledge and skills. 15. Provide opportunities in Initial Teacher Education programmes for primary teachers to develop a specialism in the teaching of Geography. 16. Introduce an Earth Sciences qualification at Higher, to replace Geology.
RSGS, 15‐19 North Port, Perth, PH1 5LU 01738 455050 rsgs.org enquiries@rsgs.org SC015599
The number of subjects offered by schools at National 5 level.
SAGT www.sagteach.org SC012481
Bringing Stories to Life Should We Stay or Should We Go? Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, the hills of the Highlands forever I love. Robert Burns
We are privileged to hear so many incredible true stories from every corner of the globe, many of which never make it into the public domain. One such was from the RSGS speaker and television film-maker Richard Else, who was caught in Nepal during the terrible earthquake of 2015. His plane was on the runway when the quake hit, so the crew asked all the passengers to disembark. However, because so many buildings were crumbling, they were advised to sit on the runway until the after-effects settled down. After some time, it became clear that things were not progressing – the air traffic control tower was out of action and nothing was moving. In an incredible moment, the pilot addressed the passengers. She offered to fly out ‘blind’ from the airport without the support of air traffic control. Once at altitude they could then rely on Indian air traffic control and continue safely. The passengers voted to re-board the plane and give it a go…
Ben Vrackie. Alladale.
No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied – it speaks in silence, to the very core of your being. Ansel Adams
By Royal Appointment
There is no doubt that raising the profile of Geography is a very important aspect of what we want to do. HRH The Princess Royal, RSGS Vice-President
The role of the Geographer Royal is to be an international and national ambassador for Geography, helping to promote the subject in research, in education and in society more widely.
Professor Charles Withers, Geographer Royal for Scotland Mungo Park Medallist and journalist, Lindsey Hilsum.
Supporting New Explorers Luke and Hazel Robertson, RSGS Explorers-in-Residence Our two most recent Explorersin-Residence, Luke and Hazel Robertson, are remarkable people. Both have completed a wide range of adventures and events, from the Marathon des Sables to the humanpowered crossing of Alaska and the ascent of various impressive peaks. Luke also became the first Scot to walk solo from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole, despite having a pacemaker fitted and having only recently recovered from brain surgery. During their Alaskan expedition, the couple posed with one of our new Explorers Flags (showing a starburst, compass rose, saltire and globe) below one of the many receding glaciers in the region.
I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen. Winnie the Pooh
Celebrating Champions
Annie Lennox OBE FRSGS, Livingstone Medallist At an event in Edinburgh, Annie Lennox OBE received our Livingstone Medal for her campaigning work on AIDS. This picked up on the interest generated from our ‘zoonoses’ edition of The Geographer magazine at the end of 2013. Interviewed by Sheena MacDonald, Annie gave a fascinating and insightful glimpse into the realities of AIDS in developing nations. During her sound check, when unfortunately only a handful of people were present, she gave a short rendition of Amazing Grace; this was so powerful and poignant that the hairs stood up on the back of your neck.
Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world. Annie Lennox OBE
Creative Funding Jo Woolf, RSGS Writer-in-Residence
Piers Sellers. Š NASA
Since we appointed Jo Woolf as our Writer-inResidence, she has researched and written around 100 wonderful stories about some of the many characters who can be found amongst our archives and historical connections. In 2016 we asked our Members and supporters to buy a copy of her book The Great Horizon, before she had written it, in order to generate the funds needed to get it published. Over 360 copies were sold ahead of printing, allowing the book to go ahead and lifting the lid on so many of the best stories of the past century or more. In addition we commissionedone of our friends, Nick Hayes, to produce a stunning lino-cut image of an explorer for the back cover. Copies of the book and limited edition prints of the lino-cut image are available for sale.
Jo Woolf received Honorary Fellowship of the RSGS in 2018.
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. Steve Jobs
Global Join Solutions Us! If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. Dalai Lama
Christiana Figueres addressing an invited audience at an event at Edinburgh Castle. © Chris Watt
L-R: RSGS Chairman Professor Roger Crofts, Shackleton Medallist Laurent Fabius, Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham MSP, RSGS Chief Executive Mike Robinson.
L–R: Dr Francesco Sindico, University of Strathclyde; Kerry-Anne Mackay, Vice-Chair, 2050 Climate Group; Manuel Pulgar-Vidal; Mike Thornton, Chair, ScottishPower Foundation; Professor Roger Crofts, Chair, RSGS. © Chris James
Climate Stories Many of our Medallists have contributed to geographical issues on the global stage. Our 2016 Shackleton Medal was awarded jointly to three key architects of the UN’s Paris Climate Agreement: Laurent Fabius, Chair of the 2015 Paris COP; Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Chair of the 2014 Lima COP, which prepared much of the groundwork for Paris; and Christiana Figueres, who played a critical role in rebuilding the global climate change negotiating process after the 2009 Copenhagen COP. In autumn 2016, we ran a major conference in Edinburgh, bringing together various sectors of Scottish society to agree key priorities for climate solutions in Scotland. We then produced this edition of The Geographer to act as a summary of the conference, and to feed into government consultations on how to deliver against targets of emissions reductions.
Optimism comes from the very deep knowledge that we can achieve the tasks that humanity has set for itself – climate change being, perhaps, the most difficult and yet the most deserving of our efforts. Christiana Figueres
Innovative Projects
The Fair City The RSGS is building a reputation for its innovative projects – ideas and schemes we have delivered despite (and in some cases because of) limited resources. These projects have included new schools resources, broad partnerships, shared exhibitions, artwork, books and collections acquisitions. One of the more recent was the wonderful painting of The Fair City by artist Rob Hain, whom we persuaded to paint Perth to raise funds for the RSGS and to support Perth’s bid for UK City of Culture status. This painting captures the spirit and the characters of Perth, with vignettes of life and local stories scattered throughout the canvas. It is a really dynamic depiction, and limited edition prints of varying sizes, greetings cards and jigsaws are all available for sale, with proceeds supporting our charity. The original is still for sale, in case anyone is interested, but at £26,000 it’s beyond the reach of most of us…
Joined-Up Thinking We believe that a faster rail connection could increase tourism, and boost house prices and the wider economy in Perth and beyond, and could also speed up trains to Inverness and the North. Mike Robinson, Chief Executive
57 min Edinburgh - Dundee Fastest time in 1895
Transport Work A rail timetable from the 1890s reveals that train times from Edinburgh to Perth or Dundee are, today, six or seven minutes slower than they were more than 100 years ago! This inspired us to convene a meeting of business leaders, council representatives and rail bodies from Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, as well as several charitable transport bodies, to discuss and promote faster rail links from the capital.
64 min Edinburgh - Dundee Fastest time in 2015
65 min
71 min
Edinburgh - Perth Fastest time in 1895
Edinburgh - Perth Fastest time in 2015
Geography is a great topic for encouraging joined-up thinking, by considering the human and physical worlds, and how they interact. There are many arenas in which we are trying to embed this approach in current issues, and transport is a good example. In addition to our work on rail, we provide a critical social and environmental perspective to the Scottish Government’s Air Passenger Duty Forum. Through membership of the ScotRail Stakeholder Advisory Group, we bring a rail perspective to local and national infrastructure planning. Through the Cross Party Group on Cycling, Walking and Buses, and through NGO networks, we are active in encouraging active travel solutions. Critically, we are able to connect discussions in what can be very separate transport arenas, and therefore help to provide a more holistic and strategic approach to the whole of national transport development.
From Laurie’s Travelling Map of England and Scotland, 1848, part of the RSGS Collections.
The Personal Years Out of Hours Activities
Mike enjoyed travelling abroad before he joined the RSGS, but he has had little opportunity since!
He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher… or as his wife would have it, an idiot. Douglas Adams
As well as the RSGS’s remarkable decade in Perth, our Chief Executive has had a notable ten years at the helm, and has chalked up several accolades and personal achievements. He remains heavily involved with a wide range of charities and concerns. He was awarded the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Bernier Medal in 2017, the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for the Environment in 2009, and the inaugural Scottish Green Award. He has been granted Honorary Fellowship of Scottish Environment Link, and has been referred to as Scotland’s leading climate entrepreneur. Beyond his family commitments, he has also squeezed in completing all the Munros, playing squash for Scotland, and most recently swimming the Corryvreckan to raise money for the RSGS.
Joys of the Job One of the great joys of the job is the people we meet, from all walks of life and with all sorts of knowledge, insights, experience and adventures. Some of the best stories – and the funniest – are from the least likely sources and have taught us never to underestimate anyone. One example was a guest at a Norwegian night in the Fair Maid’s House. Jakob had been a submarine commander in the Royal Norwegian Navy, and he told us the story of getting his sub wedged in thick mud on the seabed near the Lofoten Islands. Embarrassed that he had gotten stuck, Jakob sent his crew to bed and tried to discreetly free the sub by ‘driving’ it backwards and forwards. It had no effect other than to wake the whole crew. Eventually, he was forced to ‘blow’ all ballast. And so, with a final rev of the engine, the sub popped free. Unfortunately, lacking all ballast, it shot upwards and burst out of the sea like a champagne cork, terrifying a father and son on an early morning fishing trip before splashing back underwater and disappearing! Jakob gave orders to dive, too self-conscious to surface again to stop and apologise.
Creating Opportunities Through Collaboration O Canada! In November 2017 the RSGS signed understanding with its Canadian sister organisation, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS). To mark the occasion, we produced a magazine dedicated to the theme of Canada, which tied in with the 150th anniversary of Canadian Federation. With the help of the RCGS, the magazine featured some incredible contributors: David Suzuki, Naomi Klein, James Cameron and many others. Our Chairman received RCGS Fellowship, and our Chief Executive received the Bernier Medal and RCGS Fellowship. These awards were presented at a gala dinner, at which was shown a congratulatory video message from Scotland’s First Minister (now available on our YouTube channel). Whilst the RSGS remains a small charity with limited resources, we work with a host of partner organisations. As a result, we are expert in bringing people together and
helping source expertise from across our network in a wide range of policy areas and issues. Recently we have been able to use this incredible network as a conduit for new opportunities, particularly for young people. Working with Outward Bound Oman, we are promoting opportunities that are designed to create empathy and broaden young people’s experiences. School pupils and teachers can spend an expenses-paid week in the Omani desert speaking with people from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds and learning about the desert environment and the Omani culture in particular.
Academic, economic and cultural ties between our two nations are growing ever stronger, reflected by the relationship between our two Royal Geographical Societies. Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP, First Minister
The RSGS-RCGS Memorandum of Understanding, signed by RSGS Chief Executive Mike Robinson, RSGS Chairman Professor Roger Crofts, RCGS President Gavin Fitch, and RCGS CEO John Geiger.
Adventure Beyond Limits Karen Darke, Mungo Park Medallist
People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things. Sir Edmund Hillary
Karen Darke spoke for the RSGS at an Inspiring People talk in Inverness, where she received the Mungo Park Medal and gave a humbling and inspirational description of her life to date. Since a climbing accident at university, she has been paralysed from the chest down. At one point she also lost the power of one arm after a car hit her when she was out training near Manchester. Despite these setbacks, she has cycled the Silk Road, kayaked round the Alaskan coast, climbed El Capitan in Yosemite, and skied across Greenland‌ Oh, and won a Paralympic Gold Medal!
Leading by Example Solar Impulse and her pilots. © Niels Ackerman
“The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving our ambition for Scotland to continue to develop and grow as a Good Food Nation. We are encouraged and grateful for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s support of our ambition.” Scottish Government spokesperson, in response to our magazine dedicated to the Good Food Nation Consultation and Bill
Solar Impulse One of our most recent and emotional evenings was hosted by Scottish Power in Glasgow, during which the intrepid pilots of Solar Impulse received our Mungo Park Medal. The recipients, explorer and psychologist Bertrand Piccard, and businessman and fighter pilot André Borschberg, had completed the first circumnavigation of the globe in a solar-powered aircraft, entirely without fossil fuel. To a packed room, Piccard described beautifully how exploration can inspire and help people understand the world better.
When explorers speak about the world, and about the Earth, they are credible because they have seen it. When explorers speak about life, they are credible because they risk their life. When explorers speak about people, they are credible because they know what a team is. Bertrand Piccard, Mungo Park Medallist 2018
Join Join Us! Us!
15-19 North Port Perth PH1 5LU enquiries@rsgs.org 01738 455050
Image credit: www.kayakwildislay.co.uk
A Network of Support Our role is to share inspiration from the best of the past, to inform the present, and to help plot a sensible path into the future. We excite people about the world around them, and kindle the passion to keep learning. As a small independent charity, we rely on funding from membership subscriptions, donations and legacies, and our small staff team is supported by many volunteers. We also boost our capacity by developing good connections with various networks and sectors across Scotland and beyond.
You can be part of the RSGS – by joining as a Member, or by making a donation – and help us to make a positive difference for the future. Take a front-row seat on a wide range of topical issues and adventures, meet some incredible people, and help to steer our fortunes into the next decade and beyond.
Join us, and book your front-row seat on the next 100 years of history. Mike Robinson, Chief Executive