Just reading up about the Beagle Campaign that was active in 2009 (and beyond - exploring the work of particular people for the upcoming Council elections) and came across this article following Michael Palin taking up his post as RGS President which was in 2009 - the year after I started working for the Geographical Association.
This Independent article is still available online.
Dates from the 4th of July 2009
As a long-distance traveller, Palin has paid his dues, which is a fortunate position to be in for the prestigious role he has just taken up, as president of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). Python man is now the nation's First Geographer. And he has a delicate task ahead of him.He has come to the venerable RGS, which has been spiritual home to the world's most famous explorers from Livingstone in Africa to Scott of the Antarctic, just after its most difficult time since its foundation in 1830.
Six weeks ago the society's whole direction was challenged by a substantial group of disaffected RGS fellows, who felt the society's decision to abandon large-scale field expeditions to remote parts of the globe in favour of supporting smaller geographical research projects carried out by various institutions, was a betrayal of its original spirit and purpose.
See the separate post on the Beagle campaign.
He talks about the idea of looking back at the past,
"There's nothing wrong with living in the past," he says. "The past is such an important part of the RGS. You go to Lowther Lodge and you can't forget that this has been a society since 1830 with all the great names and great expeditions – you see Shackleton up there, and Livingstone, and it's very important to recognise the spirit of their journeys, and never forget that they went out often risking their lives to tell us about the world.
"I think it's really important to respect that past, but I'm not sure, I'm not convinced that major interdisciplinary expeditions are necessarily the best use of our resources at the moment."
And on Geography:
Geography, says Palin, "teaches us so much about how we live, from what we eat, to our transport systems, to population problems, diseases, global warming, all these sort of things," yet he feels that in Britain there is simply too little interest in the outside world.
Geography, says Palin, "teaches us so much about how we live, from what we eat, to our transport systems, to population problems, diseases, global warming, all these sort of things," yet he feels that in Britain there is simply too little interest in the outside world.
"Somehow we've got to make sure that geography itself isn't a turnoff. 'Cos you know, it shouldn't be. We maybe have to rename it."
What might you rename it? "Oh... Adventure!" He says with a laugh. "I think it is an adventure. It's learning about how the world works. Everything you do, even if it's research in a laboratory, is adding to that knowledge, and that's all part of the adventure. I don't think adventure should necessarily mean going out there with the shorts on, across the desert. It can mean a lot more than that."
He may now be the nation's geographical figurehead, presiding over one of our most august institutions, but clearly, I said, the Python image will be enduring, won't it? You can't really shake it off, can you?
"No and I don't want to," Palin said.
What might you rename it? "Oh... Adventure!" He says with a laugh. "I think it is an adventure. It's learning about how the world works. Everything you do, even if it's research in a laboratory, is adding to that knowledge, and that's all part of the adventure. I don't think adventure should necessarily mean going out there with the shorts on, across the desert. It can mean a lot more than that."
He may now be the nation's geographical figurehead, presiding over one of our most august institutions, but clearly, I said, the Python image will be enduring, won't it? You can't really shake it off, can you?
"No and I don't want to," Palin said.
"I actually also want geography to be entertaining, and I suppose most of my life has been spent as an entertainer of one sort or another, and I hope I can infect people with enthusiasm for geography, people who perhaps might never think of geography as being something to do with, you know, comedy, entertainment or whatever."
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