Don's Travels: The End of the Heroic Era-day 2

Saturday 25 March 2017.

Up early and was down at the museum by 8.05 am and into the café for breakfast. Order eggs on toast and went and sat down. While waiting I looked down at my white shirt and thought what a place to spill some yellow egg yolk. Then thought about the wisdom of my order. Anyway my breakfast arrived and I ate it very carefully and came away with stain free shirt--the day had started well.

The venue at the Navel Museum, Torpedo Bay, Devonport.

After breakfast I registered, picked up my conference name tag and programme, all nicely laminated and on a cord to fit around your neck. At 8.50 am the conference started and from then until the end on Sunday it ran like clockwork or in Naval fashion. The leader of the organising committee, Brett Fotheringham, is a Naval Officer. The days programme was a full one and all presentations were good and too the point. The last by Oliver Sutherland who I last met in 1962 as nineteen uni student down south to study penguins. He was not allowed to camp out at Cape Royds by himself and one of his companions was Grahame Billings. Oliver became Forbush in Grahame book “Forbush and the Penguins”

Oliver Sutherland, the nineteen year of student complete with his Antarctic shirt, 1962 vintage

0850    Introduction/Programme Outline
0915    “The Heroic Era of Antarctic Exploration” – Brett Fotheringham
1000    Morning Tea
1030    “Ross – a polar Hero” – Philippa Ross
1115    “Ross Sea Party 1914-17” – Richard McElrea
1200 Lunch
1300    Introduction
1305    “Conserving the legacy of Scott and Shackleton” – Nigel Watson
1350    “The Northern party – winter 1912” – Don Webster
1430      Afternoon Tea
1450    “The Heroic Era and Beyond - an International Perspective” –
Ursula Rack
1535    “‘The Last Inhabitant of Shackleton’s Hut’” – Oliver Sutherland
1555    Brief Updates:
    1. Scott Statue – Sue Stubenvoll
    2. Polar Heritage Conference – Nigel Watson
    3. 200th anniversary of Bellingshausen's discoveries – Philippa Ross
    4. Scott tribute – Dick Reaney
1615    Key information for Sunday programme – Brett Fotheringham
Dog Watch Drinks:
1620 Social gathering, “Beers in the Boatshed”, Navy Museum Boatshed.

My talk was in the afternoon and was preceded by four other presentations. I was relieved to see that several read their papers and had little eye contact. I had practise looking up while reading at home but always lost my place. This couple with small intimate conference room made me relax somewhat.

Just before two o'clock it was my turn and everything seemed to go OK except for the couple of times when I tried to ad lib. I got through the ordeal even if sometimes my PowerPoint slides got out of sync. I had to read and work slide controller, and being a man multi-tasking doesn’t come naturally. Anyway at afternoon tea I got a few questions and congratulations.

With the presentation over I could relax and enjoy the rest of the conference.