Past Lectures and Events

For most of human history, obesity has been understood as a failure of character. The science tells a very different story. Clinical A/Professor Roland McCallum traces how we came to misunderstand one of the most common conditions in medicine — and where the evidence is finally leading us.

Dr Vaughan Cruickshank and Dr Scott Pedersen will jointly present the Northern Branch monthly lecture for June entitled “The Importance of Movement: How Are Australians Active and What Else Could We Do?” at 1.30pm on Sunday 28 June at QVMAG Inveresk.

Professor Greg Lehman, an internationally respected authority on the history and representation of Tasmanian Aboriginal people, will explore how early Australian colonial art drew heavily on visual traditions developed in French and British North America a century earlier. These images, often marked by naïveté and contradiction, nonetheless carry enduring influence, shaping perceptions of Aboriginal people and informing how we understand our place within the Australian landscape today.

Dr Rebecca Bradfield will present the Northern Branch monthly lecture for May entitled “Tasmanian Law Reform Institute’s Role and Activities” at 1.30pm on Sunday 24 May at QVMAG Inveresk.

Associate Professor Clair Andersen presented the Society’s Annual Tasmanian Aboriginal Lecture entitled “Celebrating Indigenous Knowledges and Excellence at UTAS” in Hobart on Sunday 3 May 2026.

This joint ATSE-RST public forum discussed how Tasmania’s identity may be affected by warming seas, shifting ecosystems, and pressure on fisheries and coastal communities, and how the choices we make will determine the course our state will take – adapt and thrive, or struggle.

Anne Clifton gave the Northern Branch monthly lecture for April entitled “Glass Manifesto: Method and Madness” on Sunday 26 April at QVMAG Inveresk.

Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC presented the 2025 MR Banks Medal to Associate Professor Jacqueline Halpin and announce the 2025 Doctoral Award winners, Dr Katie Marx and Dr Laura Dalman, at Government House.

Kate Davies, Assistant Curator Visual Arts and Design at QVMAG, gave the Annual QVMAG Staff Lecture entitled “Island to Island: Japanese Art and Craft at QVMAG” at 1.30pm on Sunday 22 March at QVMAG Inveresk.

This excursion followed the route taken by a Tasmanian Government expedition led by the Deputy Surveyor General Charles Sprent in 1887 and documented by James Backhouse Walker. A full day road trip from Ouse to Queenstown in the footsteps of artist William Piguenit who was one of the six-person party who followed the Linda Track […]

The Hidden Treasures Walk to the West exhibition, featuring rarely seen nineteenth-century West Coast wilderness art, runs from 6 March to 10 April across two venues in Queenstown – the Soggy Brolly Gallery in Orr Street, and Galley Museum, Driffield Street. The exhibition is generously supported by AusIMM Tasmania. This is the third in the […]

Our guest speaker for the AGM was Professor Anya Reading, ARC Laureate recipient 2025, who spoke on ‘Discovering Antarctica’s evolving glaciers, and hidden landscapes, with icequake seismology’. 

Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, Governor of Tasmania, spoke on ‘The Role of the Governor’. 

The RST Art Committee is running a major series of exhibitions over the next three years. The concept behind the series is to bring the Society’s exceptional Art Collection to the people of regional Tasmania. The exhibition series opened in Oatlands in August 2025 with follow up Hidden Treasures exhibitions in Longford (January – February, […]

    Our Guest Speaker for the annual Christmas dinner was Dr Danielle Wood, a Vogel Literary Prize winner. Danielle is a Senior Lecturer in English in the School of Humanities UTAS, and a well-known author and commentator on human-social issues. Danielle’s lecture explored the words we’ve used, loved, rejuvenated and redefined in 2025.

What can a century-old tennis racquet reveal about innovation, identity, and Tasmania’s place in the world? This talk uncovers the surprising global legacy of the Alexander Patent Racket Company – from patented design and skilled craftsmanship to community pride and international fame. Celebrated in QVMAG’s Alexander 100 exhibition, it’s a story of local ingenuity with […]

Professor David Bowman is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and the Director of the transdisciplinary Fire Centre at UTas where he holds a research chair in Pyrogeography and Fire Science. David is recognised as a thought leader in wildfire science and management publishing influential research in high-impact journals, providing policy advice to government, and […]

Dr Ingrid Cox: Breathing Can Sometimes Be A Burden: Exploring the Dual Threat of Interstitial Lung Disease and Lung Cancer Dr Ingrid Cox is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Physician and Health Economist at Menzies Institute for Medical Research, UTAS. Ingrid’s current research matches her passion for health equity and equality and aims to understand the […]

For over a century, the Geological Survey of Tasmania—part of Mineral Resources Tasmania—has mapped the state, laying the foundation for world-class mineral discoveries and scientific advancement. From early field mapping to today’s cutting-edge techniques such as hyperspectral logging and 3D geological modelling, we combine tradition with innovation to preserve geological knowledge and support exploration, land […]

Leanne presents the University of Tasmania’s vision for improving educational attainment across the state. She explores the challenges and opportunities in creating a system- wide, life course approach to learning. Highlighting the University’s aim to work with and for communities across Tasmania to build a connected, inclusive, and impactful education ecosystem. Leanne McLean is a […]

Antarctica and the Southern Ocean lie at the heart of our global climate system. The Southern Ocean acts as a key regulator of global climate by connecting our oceans both horizontally and vertically; it is a place where ocean currents can transfer heat, carbon, and nutrients around the world and between the surface and the […]

Dramatic new insights into the Tamar Valley and Northern Midlands origins based on new 3D geological modelling spanning 40 million years. It’s a powerful interconnected story of geological forces sculpting today’s landscape, leading to a surprising new conclusion on how the Cataract Gorge was formed. Robert (Bob), has a 50 year career as a geologist […]

The RST Art Committee are running a major series of exhibitions over the next three years. The concept behind the series is to bring the Society’s exceptional Art Collection to the people of regional Tasmania. The exhibition series opened in Oatlands in August 2025 with follow up Hidden Treasures exhibitions in Longford (January – February, […]

Professor Dugald Close is Associate Head of Research at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture. His current research interests focus on temperate tree crop and wine grape nutrition, water and carbohydrate ecophysiology, including post-harvest science with the object of impact and outcomes via his contributions to industry development and extension.

The involvement of the orthopaedic unit in clinical research has many benefits for Northern Tasmania. Importantly it results in improved patient outcomes, shaped clinical guidelines and has positive impacts on the culture of clinical care. Professionally it has fostered collaboration with colleagues around Australia, retained and engaged clinicians in our unit and encouraged medical students […]

Join Susannah Fullerton, one of Australia’s renowned experts on Jane Austen and Mr Adrian Dickens, a bespoke jeweller with extensive knowledge on some of the world’s most famous jewel collections, presented an engaging lecture during the midwinter dinner at The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.  Susannah Fullerton, OAM FRSN, is Sydney’s best-known lecturer on classic […]

Population growth and patterns of settlement are among the most important determinants of prosperity, wellbeing, and the character of communities. This presentation provided a detailed overview of how Northern Tasmania’s population is changing and how we can shape this trajectory and plan for our community’s future needs. Richard is Professor of Political Science and founding […]

Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC presented the 2024 Peter Smith Medal to Dr Edward Doddridge, the inaugural 2024 Louisa Anne Meredith Medal jointly to Professor Cassandra Pybus and Fiona Hall AO and announce the 2024 Doctoral Award winners Dr Ingrid Cox and Dr Manon Simon at Government House.    

This lecture provides a rare dialogue between art and science, where conceptual boundaries are tested and reimagined. The event brings together a conceptual artist whose research-driven, interdisciplinary practice reflects critically and poetically on the materials and methodologies of science, and an esteemed scientist from Australia’s National Measurement Institute (NMI), responsible for shaping the nation’s physical […]

Rob Anders What is an Aboriginal cultural landscape and how are they being managed? Tasmanian Aboriginal people sustainably managed our environments through their relationship with Country. The imposed settler-colonial framework has seen changes to these environments. Pest species are spreading uncontrollably, and wildfire is rising. It’s time to re-think how these landscapes are managed. This talk […]