"BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE.."

Northern Advocate, 3 May 1911, Page 3

"BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE.."

TRIBUTE TO DR. MAWSON

Professor David made an eloquent appeal at the annual dinner of the Royal Society in Sydney for assistance to Dr. Douglas Mawson's polar expedition, and he characterised him as "one of the bravest."

The matter of the proposed South Polar expedition by Dr. Mawson was introduced by Professor Anderson Stuart In the course of a speech. He said he did not think there had been anything more important during the past year than the disclosures of the secrets of the Antarctic regions, and Australia—Sydney in particular— could claim to have done a great deal in that direction. (Applause). He hoped Dr. Mawson's expedition would meet with similar support, and that the finances would he forthcoming, and that the journey would be begun in good time. (Cheers).

Professor David, later in the evening, declared it was their bounden i duty to assist Dr. Mawson on his coming expedition. They knew the vast potentialities of the Antarctic not only from a purely scientific point of view, but from a purely meteorological standpoint. There were three great things of first importance to science there —the geographical, ihe magnetic, and the meteorological poles. It was extremely important for forecasts that they should know more of Antarctic meteorology. What a fine thing it would be to have Australia and New Zealand in touch by wireless with Antarctica, so that they would be notified of an approaching blizzard three or four days before it reached them. (Hear, hear). It would be an extremely fine thing for navigation, quite apart from the economic part of the work.

Only those who had faced the hardships of the ice could appreciate them, declared Professor David. Dr. Mawson was always in the forefront there whenever there was danger, and that came to almost be his recognised part. "He is one of the bravest of the brave," concluded the Professor, amid cheers.