Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE) 1955-1958 & Lecture

Currently on display on the first floor of the Eddie Koiki Mabo library (Townsville) is an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia taken by Dr. Jon Stephenson during the 1955-58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

The exhibition includes more than 80 photographs of the Antarctic landscape and members of the expedition including Sir Vivian Fuchs and Sir Edmund Hillary. Also on display is one of the original Leica cameras used to take the photos, a lump of coal from the Theron Mountains and an original menu from 'Midwinter South Ice.'

The library's collection of books on Antarctica are also on display, along with two books from the Rare Books Collection; James Cook's A voyage towards the South Pole and round the world (1784) and a report from the voyage of the Southern Cross by the British Museum of Natural History (1902).

The exhibition will run until Friday 14th November. Come and join us on the 7th November at 10am in the InfoHelp training room to hear Dr Jon Stephenson (the Australian on the expedition and an original staff member of Townsville University College Geology Department, 1961) talk about Fuchs, Hillary and the exciting times in which they lived. You are invited to stay for morning tea after the presentation. For catering purposes please RSVP to Helen Hooper by 5th November (email: Helen.Hooper@jcu.edu.au or phone: 4781 4381).

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