talks programme 4th september to 18th december 2024
Wednesday 4 September 2024 John Davidson Who really discovered the North Pole?
People know about the race to reach the South Pole, but the story of those who set out to reach the North Pole spanned over 100 years and was mired in controversy. John will show the challenges of trying to reach the Pole by land, sea and air and reveal who was finally the first person to stand at the North Pole. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 11 September 2024 David McLarin Honeybees - some pertinent facts
David is a retired chartered surveyor who after a brush with cancer decided to try organic gardening and developed a fascination with bees. His talk will look at the world of bees, focusing on our native honeybees and their lives. He will examine the threats to bees and the ways in which we can improve their habitats and survival. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 18 September 2024 Emma Laws Peter Rabbit - the tale of The Tale
Emma will look at how the character of Peter Rabbit created by Beatrix Potter evolved into one of the best-known children’s stories, and how her experiences shaped her writing, including the time she spent in Exeter. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 25 September 2024 Lucilla Phelps In the footsteps of Shackleton
Professional photographer Lucilla will make a welcome return to the Exeter Forum to talk about her photographic journey to the Antarctic following the route of the Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expedition. She will illustrate her talk with amazing images, recreating scenes from the original expedition. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 2 October 2024 Rebekah Pearson Devon Land Girls – their lives and experiences
Rebekah’s talk will focus on the experiences of the Land Girls who worked on farms in the Second World War. She will draw on her research tracking down and recording the experiences of some of the 1700 Land Girls from Devon. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 9 October 2024 Jenny Bennett The River Exe over time. Jenny’s talk will show how the River Exe has changed over time and how combining the geological evidence with archaeological and historical material has added to knowledge of the river's behaviour. Predicting future river behaviour can be assisted by an understanding of the past. Jenny worked in local government and studied for an Open University degree, leading to 20 years part time tutoring for the Open University. She returned to study as a mature student gaining a Master’s degree at Cambridge followed by a PhD at Exeter, followed by teaching, writing and involvement with local geological groups.
Wednesday 16 October 2024 John Bryant Feeding the nine billion – crops, genes and climate change
John will look at the complex issues associated with population growth as the planet approaches 9 billion inhabitants. His talk will cover the related issues of food supply, climate change and genes. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 23 October 2024 Geoff Pettinger Sir Goldsworth Gurney – Gentleman Scientist
This talk will look at West Country inventor, engineer and gentleman scientist Sir Goldsworth Gurney and will show how he amazed the Victorians with his innovative steam powered forms of transport, and new methods for lighting and heating. A native of Devon, he built a house in Bude which used radical new construction methods that can be still seen today. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 30 October 2024 Major Robert Elliott The modern role of the Salvation Army
As a follow up to talks on the history of the Salvation Army in Exeter, Major Robert Elliott will illustrate the roles of the Salvation Army today, and their important work in Devon and further afield. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 6 November 2024 John Ellis They Built Silent Cities
To coincide with Remembrance week, amateur historian John’s talk will look at how the War cemeteries were created across the Western Front to commemorate the fallen. He will draw on his experiences visiting over 130 sites and tell the often forgotten story about how these important and lasting memorials were established. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 13 November 2024 Chris Wiseman My Flying Experiences – a personal story
Chris will present a unique journey looking at the various types of different aircraft he has had the privilege to fly from aged 13 through to the present-day including stories of Air Cadet days, obtaining a Gliding licence, training with Search and Rescue helicopter units, Aerobatic Teams and various warbirds. This is a follow up to his previous talk on RAF Exeter. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 20 November 2024 Jonathan Turner The life, times, and mysterious death of Devon sailor Captain John Jellard
Captain John Jellard left a detailed diary and Jonathan’s talk will show the exciting and sometimes terrifying world of a Devon sailor in the days of tall ships. John Jellard left Devon for Newfoundland in about 1827. He returned to Liverpool in 1845 to work for his brother-in-law Joseph Avery, wine merchant, and together they invested in a state-of-the-art barque of 500 tonnes built in Shaldon on the Teign estuary. John sailed it round the world in 1857 before dying mysteriously in New Zealand in1860. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 27 November 2024 Pete Wade The story of the Newton Abbot Spitfire
In 1940, councils, businesses, voluntary organisations and individuals were encouraged by the Government to raise funds to build Spitfires. This “home front” initiative captured the public’s imagination and was amazingly successful. This is the story of one Spitfire, built with funds raised in Newton Abbot, and how this extraordinary fundraising came about. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 4 December 2024 Hedley Saunders Normandy and the Waterways of Northern France by yacht
Retired dentist, RNLI fundraiser and avid sailor Hedley Saunders will take us on an aquatic journey in his 30-foot Yacht, from Devon to the waterways of Northern France in this anniversary year of D-Day. Places visited on this cruise included Pegasus Bridge with its Exeter connections, Caen, Arromanches, and Utah beach _______________________________________________________________
Wednesday 11 December 2024 Young musicians from Exeter A Celebration of Christmas Music and Songs
Young singers from a local school will present a programme of seasonal music. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 18 December 2024 John Davidson Exeter at Christmastide – historical events from stir-up Sunday to Twelfth Night John will present a selection of less familiar stories from the past 800 years of Exeter’s history, with some short musical extracts. __________________________________________________________
Wednesday 25 December 2024 No meeting Christmas break
Wednesday 1 January 2025 No meeting Christmas break
Wednesday 8 January 2025 Exeter Forum restarts after Christmas break
