Event Description: 

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Most Australians will have heard of Captain Cook, Governor Arthur Phillip and Matthew Flinders. Yet, those explorers and naval officers represent just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when we really delve into Australia's modern (British) history. Matthew Flinders' youngest brother, Samuel Ward Flinders, played a largely unrecognised but outsized role in shaping the British colony of New South Wales in its early days, and with him several officers of H.M.S. Reliance made their mark on the development of future generations. Hear about the perilous voyages to increase livestock numbers in the colony, leading to a thriving merino industry, the discovery of Bass Strait and Tasmania as an island, coal deposits at the mouth of the newly explored Hunter River, dangerous seas at Norfolk Island, Balls Pyramid, the Antipodes Islands, heart-stopping dashes around Cape Horn, and the Flinders' brothers adventures on a momentous voyage to Moreton Bay.

Richard de Grijs is an acclaimed academic and prolific public speaker. Born and raised in the Netherlands, his successful career in astrophysics has allowed him to enjoy vibrant research environments at the University of Virginia (USA), the Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield (UK) and Peking University (China). Richard joined Macquarie University in 2018 as Associate Dean (International) and Professor of Astrophysics. He received the 2012 Selby Award for excellence in science from the Australian Academy of Science, a 2017 Erskine Award from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and a 2017 Jan Michalski Award from the Michalski Foundation (Switzerland). He is a volunteer guide, consultant and speaker for the Australian National Maritime Museum. Richard has recently been exploring New South Wales convict histories, for which he was awarded the 2022 Blacktown Mayoral History Prize.

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