6 March 2012
'A Century On: the Legacy of Captain Scott 1912-2012' - Saturday Evening Lecture, 10th March
Captain Scott's fateful expedition to the Antarctic will be recounted at the next Saturday Evening Lecture at the University of Dundee, one of a series of events marking the centenary of the tragic journey.
It will be delivered by Dr David Wilson, a respected Antarctic historian and the great-nephew of Dr Edward Wilson, who perished alongside Scott on the Ross Ice Shelf in January 1912 shortly after finding out they had been beaten to the South Pole in one of the most epic contests in the history of human exploration.
He will discuss the legacy of Captain Scott's quest, and his personal connection to it, on Saturday, 10th March.
Edward Wilson was Chief of Scientific Staff and expedition artist aboard the Terra Nova. Although he succumbed to terrible weather conditions on their 800-mile trek back to base, he left behind many paintings and artefacts from the Antarctic, and it was these items which were to prove pivotal to his great-nephew's career choice.
"People ask what it was like to grow up with a hero in the family but for me it was normal," said David.
"My great-uncle's paintings of the Antarctic were on our walls and we used to play with all the artefacts - it just seemed natural to me. I first realised there was something odd about it when all the teachers at my school started coming round to look at it.
"I believe if you do something you have to do it properly so I started researching - and I haven't really stopped."
David's research took him to cruise ships that set sail for Antarctica, and to McMurdo Sound, where the Terra Nova dropped anchor.
"It was like sailing into one of my great-uncle's paintings," he added. "I had tears flowing down my cheeks. It felt a bit like unfinished business."
David Wilson's talk, entitled 'A Century On: the Legacy of Captain Scott 1912-2012', will see him re-evaluate the expedition and its remarkable impact on 20th century science and culture, and takes place at 6pm on Saturday, 10th March in the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill.
This lecture will be held in partnership with Dundee Heritage Trust as part of their events to mark the centenary of Captain Scott's Terra Nova expedition of 1910-12. DHT was formed in 1985 to preserve and interpret Dundee's industrial past, and is responsible for maintaining the RRS Discovery, which was built in Dundee to take Captain Scott on his first expedition to the Antarctic in 1901.
The Saturday Evening Lecture Series, which this year celebrates its 88th anniversary, is Scotland's oldest continuous free public lecture series. It attracts thousands of people each year to hear varied and thought-provoking lectures from prestigious, world-class speakers.
This tradition is continued in 2012, with talks from an exciting line-up of leading figures from the worlds of art, academia, literature and science. Drinks receptions and book-signings follow the lectures.
Overflow theatres may be in use, and seating will be filled on a first come-first served basis on the night so patrons should be sure to arrive early if they would prefer to be seated in the main lecture theatre.
Tickets for David Wilson's lecture are available by visiting www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets, by emailing events@dundee.ac.uk, or from the events office on 01382 385564.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
