Speeches
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Royal Geographical Society of SA 2025 Awards
Rod and I are pleased to be with you this evening for the presentation of the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia awards.
As joint patrons, it is our pleasure to have presented awards for the past four years, and to have engaged with the award winners and learned of their interests and hopes.
Your aspirations are about issues that affect us all - among them, big issues such climate change, the impact of urbanisation on the environment and liveability, safeguarding biodiversity, and tackling or preventing natural disasters.
Rod and I have long been impressed by the commitment shown by young people across the State, such as yourselves.
Your ideas and your voices serve to remind us of the importance of the study of geography in all its richness and complexity.
Friends.
We stand here today surrounded by history in the Mortlock Library. The Society’s library is up there on the third level.
We are surrounded by the products of generations of authors, researchers, librarians, antiquarians and others whose work informs us today, and from which we can learn about the perspectives of the settlers who occupied this land, unknown to European eyes but well known to and managed by its First Nations custodians.
We stand on the land of the Red Kangaroo – Tarndanya - with the nearby water we now know as the Torrens - Karrawirra Parri - which sustained Aboriginal families.
Now we have grand stone buildings built by European settlers along busy roads that resonate with the hum of traffic and the voices and bustle of people who have come from many lands.
I paint this picture to remind us that through geography we distil an ever-changing perspective of ourselves and our relationship with the land, a perspective traversing past, present and future.
Geography is a fascinating lens through which to view the world and a fascinating catalyst for understanding.
It prompts us to ask questions: how do we adapt to climate change? How do cities grow but remain liveable? How do we prevent disasters without destroying what we seek to preserve?
As Margie Dawson says in the current edition of the society’s GeoNews, and I quote: “geography has long understood place as more than a location”. For a geographical society, the lesson is not abstract. It is a reminder that place matters because people matter.
Friends
Rod and I thank the Royal Geographical Society for running the annual awards, recognising high achieving young South Australians.
The Society’s participation in this month’s History Festival, is an excellent opportunity to share the importance of geography with the broader community.
Since 1885 the society has set ambitious goals, sponsored pioneering Outback expeditions, and purchased literary treasures of international significance, all hallmarks of a rich tradition.
Rod and I congratulate the society for building on this solid foundation and looking to engage members and visitors through fascinating lectures, publications, field trips, refurbishment of the library, and your website and social media presence.
The GeoNext Gateway is connecting like-minded peers and injecting vigour and fresh ideas to the society.
The Education Committee is providing resources to teachers to inspire new interest in geography.
Rod and I thank the officer bearers and volunteers past and present for ensuring the longevity of the society in these and many other ways.
To the students here today, we congratulate you on your passion for geography which we hope will influence your future pathways, wherever they may take you.