100 years of Antarctic endeavour

Alumni

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the return of one of the University of Adelaide's most famous alumni - Sir Douglas Mawson - from his first expedition to Antarctica.

The event was celebrated recently at a ceremony organised by the South Australian Museum and held near the bust of Sir Douglas Mawson at the front of the University's North Terrace Campus.

The event commemorated the 100th anniversary of Mawson's return from Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition (1907-09). During that expedition, Mawson was among the first men to reach what was believed to be the South Magnetic Pole.

Associated with the University of Adelaide for 50 years as a lecturer and Professor, Mawson was first appointed to the University in 1905 and retired in 1952. His academic career was interrupted by three expeditions to the Antarctic as well as his service during the First World War.

In addition to the British Antarctic Expedition, Mawson carried out expeditions to the Antarctic in 1911 and 1929, becoming famous as the sole survivor of the three-man sledging trip during the 1911 expedition.

His academic achievements have also been celebrated. While he was a lecturer in mineralogy and petrology at the University of Adelaide, Mawson identified the site for Australia's first uranium mine. As a Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at the University from 1921, he set up a highly effective teaching and research department.

The University of Adelaide boasts an excellent collection of artefacts from Mawson's expeditions in the Tate Museum, which is one of Australia's most impressive geology museums. The museum can be found in the Mawson Laboratories on the North Terrace Campus.

"The Mawson labs are an extraordinary place. It is great that the University of Adelaide honours the links that it has with Mawson," said Mark Pharaoh, the Mawson Senior Collection Manager from the South Australian Museum.

Meanwhile, a new exhibition co-sponsored by the University of Adelaide is taking a new look at the discovery of the South Magnetic Pole.

Quest for the South Magnetic Pole traces more than 300 years of exploration, leading up to the discovery in the year 2000 of the true location of the Magnetic Pole.

The exhibition is being held at the South Australian Maritime Museum, Port Adelaide, until 18 October.

Story by Sandhya Rughoo and David Ellis