Presentation by Dr Peter Donaldson
Royal Society Room
Wednesday, 17th February 2010 Commencing 8.00 pm until 10.00 pm
About the Speaker
Peter Donalddon, PhD, has a strong scientific background (chemistry) and now runs his own technology based company, Jupe Productions, in Bowral NSW. Peter is also a film producer, director, co-writer, presenter and cameraman!
Brief Abstract of the Talk
Joseph hooker had special connections with Tasmania. As botanist on the Ross Antarctic Expedition 1839-43 he visited Hobart. Later in 1860, while Assistant Director of Kew Gardens he published his celebrated ‘Flora of Tasmania’, based mainly on specimens sent to both him and his father. His father was the Director of Kew Gardens at that time. The specimens were collected by Ronald Campbell Gunn, R W Lawrence and other avid collectors in Van Diemens Land. Charles Darwin also had many dealings with Hooker senior. In late 2008 Peter Donaldson retraced Joseph Hooker’s 1848 expedition in remote eastern Nepal to make a documentary film. He and his crew drew out the character of this remarkable botanist who became the foremost champion of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
